Venom Dodge Viper Replica Kit Car

Venom Dodge Viper Replica Kit Car

Author
Discussion

carnut1974

Original Poster:

33 posts

172 months

Sunday 8th November 2009
quotequote all
Hi there to all !

Newbie here !

Ok - i have recently bought a rolling chassis for a Venom Viper. This is a replica kit for a Dodge Viper. Its a kit that was originally developed by Fiero Factory. This was then sold to Keith Kirk who was part of the team that developed the kit at Fiero Factory. Keith started a company called Auto Speciali. Unfortunately he died 2 years ago of a heart attack.

I am looking for anyone who has a viper body for this kit, or a body and chassis unfinished project. If anyone can provide information or contacts to any that are possible available - please could you leave a reply or message me . thanks

car nut 1974

BASH0001

6 posts

172 months

Sunday 8th November 2009
quotequote all
Hi,
I too own an in progress venom kit car. You will probably have to get the body direct from autospeciale at http://www.thecar2own.com.
They occasionally come up on ebay but are fairly rare. The company are still in business and worth a call. Last check, the bodies come in about £4500 dependant on the chassis model you have.
Anything I can help you out with, let me know.

Peter

carnut1974

Original Poster:

33 posts

172 months

Sunday 8th November 2009
quotequote all
great to know someone else building one - could be handy !

will try and message u later tomorrow - as im a newbie at mo - cant message internally.

catch ya soon budddy !

mattstead

369 posts

245 months

Sunday 8th November 2009
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Hi, I too am building one in GTS coupe form. I'm doing it slightly differently though as mine has a 5.7 Ls1 V8 from a Monaro dropped in... Inspired by Dodge, Powered by Chevy, Hand made in Sheffield :-)

BASH0001

6 posts

172 months

Monday 9th November 2009
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How you getting on with yours??? Any pics? The build guide left a little to the imagination...

Edited by BASH0001 on Tuesday 10th November 23:19

mattstead

369 posts

245 months

Tuesday 10th November 2009
quotequote all
There is a build guide????? I got my engine a gearbox first (the guy with the monaro turned off his traction control after 5K miles and went backwards into a tree) and then had to decide what to put it in. I was going to go for a cobra, but was at a friends house looking at his real viper GTS discussing the options when he fired up ebay and said why not put it in this unstrarted kit. So I got the kit at half list price with a non standard engine and no instructions. This wasn't to be a problem as Kieth Kirk the designer was famous for being on the phone 24/7 to help with any problems...unfortunately Keith Died 2 days later. There is a young Lad called Simon Such at www.thecar2own.com who helped Kieth out and as such is now the "expert", he's great help if you're really stuck but once I discovered that every chassis was a development of the last one then I decided to use everything as basically a starting point.

I have got some pictures that I'll put up later, it's now at the starts, drives, stops, has seats located and the basics of an aligned body. However I do keep having the urge to fibreglass the doors shut, chop the roof and fit an aero screen when I think of the challenges ahead.

Here is a video of the first time it fired up...I've since chanced upon a pair of aston V8 silencers which make it sound quite muted - still great, but subtle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKVUMXOEgJs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sTmiAHiSvs



VPRMAN

420 posts

242 months

Tuesday 10th November 2009
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Hi Matt, is that Mich in the background of the first video?

carnut1974

Original Poster:

33 posts

172 months

Tuesday 10th November 2009
quotequote all
I have done something similar. Bought a rolling chassis - but with out body. Later then found Keith Kirk passed on 2 yrs ago.

The build instructions ?? - ah yes - a vague mention of how to put together on the auto speciali site.

Im hoping to fit the 2.9v6 - and couple it up to a mt75 hybrid gearbox which i will build myself from a sierra 4x4 mt75 box and a 2.0 dohc mt75 box.

i need some advice on where to get glass and lights for kit and a body too !


BASH0001

6 posts

172 months

Tuesday 10th November 2009
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Glass I can help with dude!!!

carnut1974

Original Poster:

33 posts

172 months

Tuesday 10th November 2009
quotequote all
heres a question - seeing as this kit is moulded off an original Dodge Viper - can i use genuine viper screen - side glass - and rear glass ? is that what they use ?

mattstead

369 posts

245 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
Hi, Yes it's genuine viper front screen and side windows (on the GTS coupe), the Boot is actually from a Mk1 Mondeo with all the metal below the glass (where the number plate is) Chopped away. I was lucky to get the glass with mine as a viper sceen can easily cost £500 or so I hear.

As for your comment VPRMAN, Yes that's Mitch on the first Clip, He's my mate who convinced me to build it....So he's to blame.

If you haven't got a body at all then you really have a lot of options. The Convertable Viper replicas come up more often on ebay and are much cheaper, but they are usually unfinished kits so you'd get another chassis. You could easily fit a cobra body to the same chassis. A bit like my advice on the "build Manual" don't be limited by anything, or trying to work out what the designer intended. Do your own thing and believe in it.

VPRMAN

420 posts

242 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
carnut1974 said:
heres a question - seeing as this kit is moulded off an original Dodge Viper - can i use genuine viper screen - side glass - and rear glass ? is that what they use ?
Hate to disappoint you but it is not moulded off an original, they are way off the exact shape, but yes they use an original screen.

I purchased one of the first bodies from fiero factory many years ago and ended up scrapping it and making my own as it was so far off the shape

Thanks Matt I thought it was Mich, he was telling me about your project

Colin

carnut1974

Original Poster:

33 posts

172 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
VPRMAN - made your own body !?

You're a clever man then - can i ask how did u do that ?





mattstead

369 posts

245 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
VPRMAN said:
Hate to disappoint you but it is not moulded off an original, they are way off the exact shape, but yes they use an original screen.
This is so VERY true, it pains me to explain to people what I'm building as I always explain it as "basically a viper replica" or "Inspired by a Viper style coupe". I love vipers and would never describe mine as being close, I would however discribe it as a beautifully shaped coupe. I am actually proud of it's kit roots rather than it's attempt to replicate something.

I would certainly consider building your own body, it doesn't have to be viper shaped. When I've been building mine I've had loads of ideas, post some photos of the rolling Chassis on hear and see what people come up with. You could go very basic with 4 massive cycle wings and an almost exo skeleton mid section.

VPRMAN

420 posts

242 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
carnut1974 said:
VPRMAN - made your own body !?

You're a clever man then - can i ask how did u do that ?
Foam, clay, fibreglass, alot of hard work, alot of time and alot of money smile I have all the moulds to produce more bodies but never got round to advertising them as full kits to sell, too many other projects. But I think it was worth it. I will try and post some photo's soon, they were all on my website but have dissappeared.

Colin

carnut1974

Original Poster:

33 posts

172 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
If anyone has any pictures of any of there build project of the viper i would be very grateful - handy for things like - wishbone shim set up, wiring, brake pipes, steering linkage etc etc.

at mo we have a rolling chassis - which has been assembled by someone else. we are going over it again and needing to change a few things. so any pictures will be a great help.

any completed projects would be great to see too !

We just finished stripping and refurbishing the 2.9 efi granada engine. all new seals, gaskets, and all items either polished or painted.

next thing is the gearbox , but in mean time - plenty to do on chassis !



Edited by carnut1974 on Wednesday 11th November 20:46

Viper

10,005 posts

272 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
that Mich guy is always lounging around, i bet this very minute he's lounging in his chair by his pool wink

the window screens can be had pretty cheap if you know where to look, this guy has sold about 10 of them recently

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DODGE-VIPER-WINDSCREEN_W0QQi...

and there's the company in Bromsgrove that makes them

carnut1974

Original Poster:

33 posts

172 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
company bromsgrove ?

can u give me any more info on that please ?


Viper

10,005 posts

272 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
Uroglass
17 Silver Birches Business Park
Aston Road
Bromsgrove
Worcestershire
B60 3EX

they make window screens for vipers, road going and race cars, and can reproduce a heated screen as well. VPRMAN above, knows them pretty well

I recall they supplied the Fiero Factory with their glass for the Venom at the time

Edited by Viper on Wednesday 11th November 21:38

carnut1974

Original Poster:

33 posts

172 months

Wednesday 11th November 2009
quotequote all
Excellent - this is brilliant. thanks everyone for all this info - in only a matter of days !!!

do u think this glass company will be the company that produces side glass for these vipers too ?