Self build, can i do it?

[bilton_d]

Hi,

just wondering who has built their own car and what issues they had?
I have basic mechanical skills and wiring is ok (i guess) but unsure if i would be able to complete the car and get it approved .... don't want to have some half finsihed that i can't complete.
Looking a Zetec engined vehicle but how do you get it through the SVA emissions test without a CAT or do you need an exhaust manufactured with a CAT and then remove it? If i go the Zetec route bike carbs or leave the injection system intact and run an after market ecu?

Any advised would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Furyblade_Lee]

First find a car you like, preferably one which has Zetec engines as a option already. Then fire all your questions at the Manufacturer, then confirm your answers on an open forum like this or decicated owners club. But without knowing anything about your chosen model we have no idea if you will be capable of building it. For example a Westfield or Caterham glue together a lot easier than some others.... One thing is certain if you were locked alone in your garage with a complete kit in boxes, you probobly could not do it alone. But that is why owners clubs and local groups are important, check out any local kit car clubs near you. I built my first kit, and help was invaluable, especially as a guy 5 miles away had a finished identical car for me to copy or get inspiration from. But it is not rocket science if you buy a quality kit to start with and get a little bit of help. What models are you considering?

Edited by Furyblade_Lee on Tuesday 4th May 08:35

[Vindi_andy]

One forum I can recommend is the Locostbuilders website. Full of guys from all walks of life that have one thing in common, a love of kitcars. Some are building from the ground up i.e. welding their own chassis, soem have bought prebuilt and are tinkering around modifying and then everything in between.

May I suggest you get over there introduce yourself and throw a few questions around. One question you might not want to ask on a open forum like this one or locost is "what car should I buy" cos that will illicit at least 20 different answers and the thread can descend into an argument.

As has been said look for a car or 2 that you like and then ask how easy/difficult did people find it. I am of a similar skills set to yourself. Can do basic car mechanics simple service stuff and a good electrical knowledge and didnt find putting a vindicator too challenging but asked loads of questions.

One thing I will say is no question is too stupid, there only simple if you know the answer

[Jerkins]

The only skill you really need is a bit of mechanical commonsense. By this I mean an aptitude to take things to bits and put them back together. If you're the sort of person who can fix things on your normal car (e.g. change disc pads, change a filter, change spark plugs, can fit a nut and bolt without crossing threads, and so on) then you're well on the way - you can learn the other skills as you go.

An ability to assess the quality of your own work is also very useful - I've lost count of the times that I put things on my car, then walked back a day later and realised that it was wrong and needed sorting out!

In my case, I built my car starting with a heap of square section steel tube on the garage floor using instructions from a book (Locost). All I'd done previously was model engineering, making live steam locos, which are a very different problem to getting a car through the SVA/IVA! The big difference when considering skills is that a beginner will take longer to do things due to the learning curve. Also a skilled auto mechanic will always be quicker as he/she will make fewer mistakes. For me, although the build took a long time, I enjoyed the learning.

The best thing is to go to a big show (Stoneleigh's just gone, but Newark isn't far away) and have a good chat with each of the kit manufacturers. Take a look at each one, see what takes your fancy, and ask the people on the stand for an honest assessment of skill requirements and budget. As said above, something like a Westfield will be easier than the cheaper options, but they do cost a fair bit more.

[MX7]

It's not that difficult. I found that time, and occasional lack of motivation, were limiting factors. It can also become very tiresome putting things on, making sure they fit, and then having to take them off, time after time. It's nice at the end though, when you realise that it all fits as intended.

I'm not sure what sort of kit you're thinking of, but there's not much difference between them, so if I were you, I'd grab a copy of the £250 self build book, and have a read through that. If you get to the end of it, and have a reasonable idea what they are talking about, I don't think you'll have any major problems.

[buggymen]

i built mine with no sva manual or drawings just bite the bullet and go for it ive never looked back

[singlecoil]

buggymen said:

i built mine with no sva manual or drawings just bite the bullet and go for it ive never looked back

So how's it going? There was a thread about your car recently
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... one-off mid engined buggy for sale

Have you made any more, I was under the impression you had had some orders.

[buggymen]

made 1 more chassis for a guy last year but then he lost his job and herd no more

[singlecoil]

buggymen said:

made 1 more chassis for a guy last year but then he lost his job and herd no more

Do you mind me asking how much you were charging? I guess that would be for the chassis and the wishbones and any other custom parts needed.

[r1ot]

bilton_d said:

Hi,

just wondering who has built their own car and what issues they had?
I have basic mechanical skills and wiring is ok (i guess) but unsure if i would be able to complete the car and get it approved .... don't want to have some half finsihed that i can't complete.
Looking a Zetec engined vehicle but how do you get it through the SVA emissions test without a CAT or do you need an exhaust manufactured with a CAT and then remove it? If i go the Zetec route bike carbs or leave the injection system intact and run an after market ecu?

Any advised would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

If the Zetec engine was manufactured before (I think) 1992 then you can run carbs and not bother with a cat.

Also they have changed the rules on the MOT so they car has to be tested as per the age of the engine regardless of it running a Q plate, which a total sh*t bearing in mind I'm now paying £225 a year on tax, b@stards.

My kit car runs a 1700 Ford Puma engine (2001) and thus it has to be fuel injected and have a cat. The cat is contained in the silencer, I'm running an Emerald ECU and wasn't that hard to get running Dave Walker supplies them with "safe" map ie running rich which is enough to get you going and then tweak the fuelling for the IVA, bearing in mind its done at idle so you only have to get it right with no engine load and up to about 3000 rpm so its fairly easy to do with the use of an exhaust gas analyser (speak to your friendly garage). Alternatively get the engine the complete loom ECU and very very importantly the transponder receiver(the ring component around the ignition barrel) and the key which has the transponder in it. This is VITAL otherwise the engine simply won't start and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it!!

That's the easy option as the ECU is set for the engine and the emissions will be spot on, plus you can always have it chipped later on if you want more grunt.

Skills wise does "4 spanners" in a Haynes manual scare you?

Also the internet is really good these days and there are plenty of diary builds which are so useful, like mine have a read www.r1ot.com

[singlecoil]

r1ot said:

Alternatively get the engine the complete loom ECU and very very importantly the transponder receiver(the ring component around the ignition barrel) and the key which has the transponder in it. This is VITAL otherwise the engine simply won't start and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it!!

I'll just add to that that there are people who can de-immobilise ECUs, it crops up during engine swaps and ECU swaps. Google and/or ebay will find them.

[r1ot]

singlecoil said:

r1ot said:

Alternatively get the engine the complete loom ECU and very very importantly the transponder receiver(the ring component around the ignition barrel) and the key which has the transponder in it. This is VITAL otherwise the engine simply won't start and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it!!

I'll just add to that that there are people who can de-immobilise ECUs, it crops up during engine swaps and ECU swaps. Google and/or ebay will find them.

I've come across those people too and found them to be, at times awkward. I think it must be a geeky introvert thing and refused to deal with me because "I looked at him in a funny way".

You are better off getting the engine, loom, ECU, keys etc.

[singlecoil]

r1ot said:

You are better off getting the engine, loom, ECU, keys etc.

Undoubtedly. I just mentioned it in case anyone was thinking of using such an engine and ecu in a situation where it would be difficult to incorporate the other stuff. It's an interesting subject and one that I expect to be looking into on my own account in a little while.