I have recently got into a discussion with a fellow kit car builder who claims that 6 monthe is average for a kit car build.
I have built or rebuilt about a dozen cars and the quickest from derilict to mot was 60 days.......VERY tiring...
I think a few have been 6-8 months. But most over 12 months .
My current project has taken me almost 2 years.....
How long has your car's taken to build?
Around 2 years so far on this one.
13 years to IVA, no that's not a mistake, it did take 13 years
quote:
Originally posted by 40inches
13 years to IVA, no that's not a mistake, it did take 13 years
just under two years from nothing to IVA on a scratch built haynes
quote:
Originally posted by 40inches
13 years to IVA, no that's not a mistake, it did take 13 years
Mine took 12 months using an MK chassis kit. I kept it very simple though. That was one evening a week and the occasional Saturday. Anyone with more time [i.e not a wife and 2 small kids] should be OK with less.
Hah, from when i was recently in Caterham's factory, i was chatting to the guys there who give around a 6 month lead time.
Maybe he was referring to build times from the manufacturer rather than us monkeys on here.
Then again, maybe the people who can build a car in 6 months don't have day jobs! 
9 months for an Aries, wasn't registered or IVA'd though.
14 years and not yet on 4 wheels...do I win or have I lost? It will however get finished and I work on it every weekend
My Fury kit was delivered early October '06,
SVA'd May'08
Registered 1st June'08.
20months total.
There were a couple of pauses during the build (KitCarWorkshop stopped trading just as I needed the bodywork and was a while before BGH (as
FurySportscars) took it on) so if you take those out, it took under 18months.
It'll never be "finished" though
Mine was 18 months.
I recon about 400 hours with 100 of that standing and looking!
My first kit car robin hood 3a took 18 months and my striker took 10 months but could have been less as I had a at least a 1 month delay these times where from start to Sva both failed the first time so not to bad
Im now 6 years into my 1 year build.
[Edited on 19-8-16 by loggyboy]
6 years from never using a spanner before to IVA. Passed second time.
Scratch build 18 months I guess, loads of tinkering aftewards
My Indy was about 4 years by the calendar, but there were a few lay ups due to budget and new baby arrival etc.
I wish I'd tracked the actual productive hours though compared to standing, drinking tea and thinking - something around a 30/70 split I'd
say...
quote:
Originally posted by StevieB
My Indy was about 4 years by the calendar, but there were a few lay ups due to budget and new baby arrival etc.
I wish I'd tracked the actual productive hours though compared to standing, drinking tea and thinking - something around a 30/70 split I'd say...
Took me 3 years to build mine , should have been a lot quicker but I was building it in my brothers garage 15 miles or so from home along the A14 /M11
which tends to be very slow moving in the evenings when I could work on it. Saturday afternoon and Sunday mornings were really the only time I worked
on it .
When I rebuilt it after stripping off the crap powder coating, from bare unpainted chassis to on the road took 6 weeks , an hour most evenings and
weekends
Pretty much scratch built Haynes Roadster... so far three years working Saturdays and the odd other day - maybe another 6-12 months if I decide to do something funky with the bodywork.
10 months so far to almost rolling chassis stage (which is way behind schedule, for various reasons - the original aim was to have it ready for IVA by
this time!), but that's with a completely new design, not a 'book' Locost.
There was best part of 9 months, before that, doing the actual design work, mind you.
2 years for my MK....
8 years, 1999 to 2008. Scratch built to original Book.
Just realised that I've sold myself short. I started the build in 1997 and it got registered in 2004, so 7 years build time. It just seemed
like longer!
Most of that time was building the chassis - probably 5 years or so before I got a rolling chassis. In the end I decided that I had to either finish
it, or get rid of it. I'm glad I stuck with it, as it's now been on the road for nearly 12 years. 
MK Indy-Fireblade - 2.5 years from purchase to SVA.
this is all as i suspected ......6 months start to finish is very rare. most folks take over a year to complete.......
i have taken a derelict kit and rebuilt it in 6 months.......its hard work, but a scratch build in 6 months? that’s some dedication.......and an
understanding wife.
Its taken 2 years to design and build the Single Seater Locost race car from scratch. Thats also included doing all of the company setting up,
paperwork BS and marketing as well... And having a new baby and working a full time job.
[Edited on 20/8/16 by Doctor Derek Doctors]
Two years for me, to build a "Build a sports car for £250"
May 1997-May1999, working full time, and doing other jobs, like a garden patio, and replace a kitchen
this was mainly pre internet days for me, so a heck of a time trying to source parts from breakers yards etc
steve
feeling good now 3 years from strip down to about to go back on road on a driveway when it aint raining
Taken from the OP, not my comment
"I have recently got into a discussion with a fellow kit car builder who claims that 6 monthe is average for a kit car build. "
I would agree, that anything more than 6 months to build a KIT CAR, would be ludicrous, yet there are hundreds out there in unfinished, and in a
unloved condition, probably the owners have taken on a job, that may be to much for there ability
but also, some people are not so fortunate, to be allowed out in the garage when ever they want, I did not have that problem
as my wife, is not interested in cars one bit, my children had left home, so for me, every non full time employment work day was in the garage
Yet mine, is not a kit, and built from scratch, from a book of instructions, with a lot of error's (edition one) as other builders have also
found, and as such, bears no resemblance of a "KIT CAR" and any of the time of any scratch builder like myself, has put in
So perhaps this thread or any subsequent should be more defined to building a kit, as in all the bits supplied by a couple of sources, as in a
Caterham, westie, Tiger etc, versus, a scratch built
steve
quote:
Originally posted by steve m
but also, some people are not so fortunate, to be allowed out in the garage when ever they want
I agree, a kit car, that you just assemble (like a big 3d jigsaw puzzle), 6months should be easy, but rebuilding a 20 year old car on to a new chassis, (and refurbishing so many parts) does take a lot longer.
took me 5 years to do a re-build.
quote:
Originally posted by Sam_68
quote:
Originally posted by steve m
but also, some people are not so fortunate, to be allowed out in the garage when ever they want
This is the big issue, of course.
If you have no other commitments of any sort a 6-month build period would be easy for almost anyone.
quote:
Originally posted by Theshed
14 years and not yet on 4 wheels...do I win or have I lost? It will however get finished and I work on it every weekend
Kit or special........i have done both......
specials are more work.....a westfield is as easy as they come....
plans always get in the way of life......or is that the other way round?
I took delivery of my Tiger Cat in May 2001 and it was sva'd and registered in Feb 2002, while working full time.
I have just bought a part built Stylus that was bought as a rolling chassis by the original owner in 2003 and it's now being stripped down again
as so much stuff done would have been ok for sva but not for iva.
Well I thought I might win but spiderman beats me. I took almost 16 years to IVA with some years off due to other activities. In addition I am my own worst enemy as I am for ever having a ' better idea '. I recall making 2 1/2 sets of rear suspension components and several other things, sometimes for the simple reason I did not like the visual quality of my welds
quote:
Originally posted by johnH20
In addition I am my own worst enemy as I am for ever having a ' better idea '.
11 weeks from picking up my kit to passing IVA.
That's a kit, not scratch built but did have to wait 4 weeks for front wishbones, as time after time when promised they were finished they
weren't, although I would estimate this only delayed me for approx a week as I was able to do other things while waiting.
Full time job, no kids at the time but living with (now) wife.
That was my first build, I sped up a little after that as they were for other people.
I did a lot more work on the car when it was on the road, changed lots of 'glass to carbon, cut chassis and 'bones up to have rosejoints so
the car would go in a straight line!
quote:
Originally posted by Steve Hignett
11 weeks from picking up my kit to passing IVA.
That's a kit, not scratch built but did have to wait 4 weeks for front wishbones, as time after time when promised they were finished they weren't, although I would estimate this only delayed me for approx a week as I was able to do other things while waiting.
Full time job, no kids at the time but living with (now) wife.
That was my first build, I sped up a little after that as they were for other people.
I did a lot more work on the car when it was on the road, changed lots of 'glass to carbon, cut chassis and 'bones up to have rosejoints so the car would go in a straight line!
7.5 years and counting! Multitude of factors, but in that time, I've bought my first house, renovated (most of) it, stripped and rebuilt a
Landrover Defender 90 from the ground up, and saved/paid for a wedding.
Whereas before I had less funds and more time, unfortunately now I'm stuck with less time and enough money! Sods law, really.
I'd also have been better off buying a kit from scratch instead of trying to take on a part-built, as I've ended up re-doing so many parts
as I go along, it's taken far too long. The joy of hindsight I suppose....