where to begin?(7stlye kit with bike engine??)

[Opposite lock 83]

Hi all, i am new to the site, new to forums so please go easy on me
I am a mechanic and have a garage,
I want to build myself a kit car (something 7 inspired)
with a bike engine (someone has suggested R1)
dont want to spend crazy money, but i do want something i can be proud of at the end of the build.
this is something i ideally want to start at the beginning of 2013 and would hope to have done between 18months and 2 years (i have a wife and a baby girl) so cant dedicate all my time to the build lol.
just looking for a push in the right direction really?
any advice would be greatly appreciated,
thanks in advance

[asn163]

Welcome and a good plan you have.

Suggest you get youself over to:

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/

You'll get plenty of advice and answers to all of your questions.

[MG CHRIS]

There is a kit car show last of the year at exeter this weekend why not pop down and have a look whats on offer.

[Opposite lock 83]

thanks for the replies, just trying to gather as much info as possible at the moment so i make the right decision when the time comes, so all input is very welcome,
unfortunately i am tied up this weekend otherwise i would have got myself along to the show.
I live in Bournemouth so if anyone within reasonable distance has a bike engined car they are willing to let me have a look over to get some inspiration that might also be handy, like i say i am new to this, but i am very keen
thanks again

[_Leg_]

Is it for road, track or both?

[Opposite lock 83]

It's going to be for road and track, (more for road use, but as setup for track as possible while keeping it road legal)
From what I have found out so far I'm still gunning for the R1 engine, mainly stuck on choosing which route to go with the chassis? (I'm only 5'7" and weigh under 12stone so I'm hoping this should keep it fairly quick?+for road use I would nearly always have a passenger so hoping the R1 can cope with the extra weight ?)

[Tom74]

Until you said passenger I was going to recommend the MEV Atomic, you are in exactly the same situation I am in (as regards family) and I pick my kit up on Saturday. Going to use mine for Road and Track, mainly track so the single seat was a plus rather than a negative for me.

I have had a 'busa engined Zcars mini before, that was fun. I'd say any 7 style car would work with an R1 engine, will just depend on what you like the look of.

[shaun fulcrum]

You need to have an idea on budget before starting as kits can soon go WAY over budget if your not careful also a big factor in which kits will be doable.

Do you have a budget?

To me cost is the only factor limiting things. Other than that is personal choice and preference.

[Bizarro]

My advice would be don’t rush into anything, do your research and speak to the manufacturers. If you can wait until spring, get yourself along to the national kit car show at Stoneleigh, certainly the best attended show of the year. Plenty of owners and manufacturers all happy to natter plus you can get a good look at built cars.

Many of the 7 manufacturers can supply similar products at similar prices but not all offer the same customer support. As a first time builder you will find that not everything is straight forward and having a manufacturer that is happy to talk to you and can provide support/parts without hassle will make a massive difference.

Have a look on Locost and you will find plenty of feedback good and bad. I don’t want to name names but some come out far worse than others.

As others have said a lot depends on budget, decide what your budget is going to be, get approximate build costs from manufacturers and then add 25% for a realistic cost.

Keep an eye on classified on here/ebay/locost as you may be lucky and find a part built kit that somebody has spent a fortune on, lost interest and just wants to get rid of. Always a good way of saving a few pounds.

Whatever you do, enjoy the experience. Im just coming to the end of my first build, hopefully get it through IVA before Christmas and Im already looking at what to do next!

[Opposite lock 83]

Thankyou for the input (budget is probably around the 5k area but I know this is likely to increase, especially since I don't know what I'm building yet lol)
I will definately do my research, its not something I want to rush and then regret once I'm out driving it.

[rhinochopig]

Why not buy a built car; one from 01 / 02 / 03 and rebuild it rather than buy from new. By now those model years from most marques will be showing signs of chassis rust anyway - most KC manufacturers are shocking when it comes to chassic coatings - and you'll get much more for you money. Strip it down, get the chassis stripped and re-coated and then re-build.

Edited by rhinochopig on Thursday 25th October 14:51

[shaun fulcrum]

+1 to that

5k will be tight for any bec really not many out there that do a kit minus engine and running gear for that, sorry to put a dampner on it.

[rdodger]

In terms of budget 5k might buy you a used car in need of a bit of work.

If you are looking to build to a good spec I fear 15K might be nearer the mark when you factor in IVA and registration.

[Opposite lock 83]

Food for thought there. Cheers for the input. Chassis wise I know a guy that I can get all the box section from quite cheap, a while ago I browsed through a DIY kit car book that gave dimensions/angles/etc to build a chassis from scratch, thought this would reduce the cost dramatically over purchasing a ready to put together kit as I could fabricate most of the chassis/wishbone components myself(wasn't sure about what dimensions best to base it on? Suppose my question should have been more along the lines of what blueprints should I use? And the rest will follow? (forgive my ignorance if I am wrong :-/ ?

[MKnight702]

Have you looked at the Sylva R1ot? R1 engine, cheapish build, may struggle to get £5k but I don't know. Not strictly 7 but excellent handling all the same.

[PaulKemp]

Haynes Roadster book by Chris Gibbs is the one to look at.
You could build a chassis for 2 to £300
Buy one made for £500
Most kit car chassis are similar to the book and fitting a bike engine only realy needs a cradle for the engine to mount to the chassis.
Shocks and springs £300
Wheels and tyres £500
Diff shafts front and rear hubs 3 to £500
Brakes etc
Have a look at Locostbuilders.co.uk and
Haynes Roadster forum you should also be able to meet up with club members and have a close look at their cars

[Furyblade_Lee]

You will need at least £10-15K to build and IVA a DECENT BEC-7 nowdays, with £5k unfortunately I wouldn't even try unless you are prepared to double your buget of have £5k of useless unfinished bits in you garage!!

First thing is join Locostbuilders.

Second thing try to get a ride in BEC, they are not for everybody,you might not actually like them... Better you find out now rather than later! If you are ever up Oxted way you are welcome for a passenger ride in my R1 Sylva Phoenix. It's not the fastest but it ain't slow!

Third thing is do decide on a manufacturer, from my point of view I would always choose one which has raced against other marques, hopefully winning, as that is always a good pointer to if the chassis is any good.

Fourth, particularly since IVA requires a reverse mech, I would SERIOUSLY consider buying a used one. £5-10K will buy you a great car, enjoy it, work out what you do/dont like about it and take it all apart in one weekend. Hey presto, you have a kit to build, and no £1,000 IVA at the end of it. If you do only have £5k, then that is a good route to consider.