My project is the culmination of many, many months of thought and consideration, not least the thought of it ending up as an unfinished extravagant indulgence. But doubts aside, I've worked through the process and come to the conclusion it is doable.
My Mechanical Meanderings: The high point of my mechanical meanderings was changing a clutch on a Vauxhall Firenza..... Prop' shaft off, gearbox off, old clutch off, new clutch on, tap it with a hammer, gearbox on, adjust the cable until it felt right, prop' shaft on, quick test drive then down the NAAFI for a couple of pints of McEwan's Export and a cheese & onion toastie..... No torque wrench or clutch alignment tool to complicate matters. Just sheer ignorance, enthusiasm and a shiny new socket set that needed to be oiled-up.
My other less-adventurous meanderings consist of: timing; points and plugs; brakes (discs, pads and shoes); adjusting the tappets; exhaust (changing a section when it started blowing); changing the oil and filter; and changing a wheel bearing..... Tap off the cover, take out the split-pin (taking care not to snap it), undo the big nut, remove the bits and put them in a line on a piece of clean cardboard, check the new bearing for dust (basically just blow on it sagely), put the bits back in reverse order, tighten the big nut until the wheel can't move, back it off ¼ of a turn, insert the split-pin, tap on the dust cover -and don't forget the grease.
I did once consider changing a timing belt, but I came to my senses and wimped out when I realised how fiddly it could be. And let's face it, timing belts never needed changing in those days.
Perception: I had, and I speculate most non-kit'ers have the impression that a kit car is not a real car. The production-line family runabout being perpetually evolved and being perpetually advertised as having increased reliability, and greater mpg (or km/l if you've gone metric,) has the carbon footprint of a weasel and is the most comfortable and exciting away-from-home experience you can have. But as a kit car can be as technologically retarded and as uncomfortable or as costly as the builder wants, the perception is in the eye of the beholder.
Question: Is a kit car built or assembled? Hmmm... An interesting question, and I know many a discussion has taken place on driveways, in garages, at kit-car shows, and in every imbibing emporium up and down the land; the outcome being relative with little unequivocal evidence to support or contradict the conclusions.
We could even discuss the dubiousness of the term "kit car"... From what I've discovered, and in my humble opinion, the vast majority of kit cars don't come in kit form. They come in modules or compilations of carefully and lovingly selected components. I guess the more correct term is "Component-Car"
So... when is a kit car a "kit car"? Answer: When it comes in a box.
Building Objectives:
- To complete the build
- Safety of build... (i.e. Have Andy's number on speed-dial on my mobile phone)
- Efficiency of build (To get it right and not spend an unnecessary fortune on "stuff")
- Neatness of build (If the proverbial "it" doesn't feel or look right, I will perceiver, fiddle, adapt and flog it until it is right)
- To enjoy the build (This is a huge contradiction, but seeing something materialise after working out how to do it will be very rewarding -but I predict- a somewhat frustrating experience)
Driving Objectives:
- To pootle around the countryside with nowhere to go and nothing to do with a smile on my face that will light up a black hole
- To go thirty miles for fish and chips on a warm sunny afternoon
- To meet up with like-minded car owners and talk about grazed knuckles
- To do a Blackpool Lights run
- To do the London to Brighton run
Audience Participation: I welcome encouragement, advice and criticism, and I will seriously consider all suggestions.
But First..... My Pre-acquisition Activities:
- Repair everything in the house
- Decorate everything in the house
- Sort out the garden, including edging the lawn (I hate doing that)
- Sort out the garage (quite looking forward to this)
- Warn the neighbours about my garage light being on late at night and not to be too concerned about me talking to myself