are you building (or did you build) from a kit or 'scratch build' (true locost, no kit)?

(If you bought your chassis in, this is classed as a kit build)

still building
having lots of fun in the garage on these cold and wet days

Lots of metal sticks all stuck together - took ages!

but did you get them in the right order?

Scratched my sorry ass(together), took several attempts to get in the right order tho

ATB Dan.

Done a kit.

Now doing a scratch built.

Much more fun.

Pat...

scratch build 442 and I already over my budget.
Of time that is

Do I detect a certain air of pride here ??

Mick (scratchbuilding IRS)

OH YES

looking at the results so far ,do the MK, ST,MAC 1 etc. lads read this section!?!

so what did you vote pat?

can i say i've built a kit, but i'm also doing a scratch build too?

admittedly, i'll shortly be starting another kit
tom

There are plenty of factors to consider...

I didnt have the welding skills - so purchased a ready made Luego Velocity XT chassis...

I'm trying to make everything else though - engine mounts, brackets, panels - might give the GRP a miss tho!

If you have the welding skills, the space and the commitment, building YOUR own must surely be the way to go...

If I get this one finished and do a welding course - I may be tempted to have a go again from Scratch

If however you wanna splash the cash and be on the road for the summer - a kit might be a better alternative...

My 2 cents...

Muzchap, the poll didn't ask you for justification, so don't feel bad about it. Some scratch builders on here are still scratching about and probably will be for years to come.

On the other hand, we've built two kits, crashed one and are now looking to build a third, whilst enjoying driving the fruits of our labour.

I used to play with Mechano when I was a kid - scratch builders just have a mechano set with a few more bits.

My scratch build took over 6 years...

Mind you, about 4 of them were taken up getting to a rolling chassis!

If I did another, it would probably only take me a few weeks, given access to enough mechanical bits, such as an axle, uprights, etc.

David

Thats Ok David - it doesnt make me feel so slow (six years too)

The intention of the poll isnt to say one is better than the other - I was just trying to gauge the ratio, as its been discussed once or twice in the last week or so

atb

steve

Hellfire
You made a good point.
I'm a scratchbuilder currently at over 4 years.
If you'd rather be driving than building then I can well understand the kit route.

Just upped the scratch : kit ratio!

Marcus

quote:

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looking at the results so far ,do the MK, ST,MAC 1 etc. lads read this section!?!

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Scratch here- but if kits were as affordable here as in the UK it would likely be a different story.

Wot's all this crap about 'I can't weld so I'll buy a chassis'??

I couldn't weld - never even tried it before, bought a Mig and just practised for a while. Got a few pointers from a local guy as well. Now my welding is not wonderful - but it was good enough that when I crashed mine into a tree (infact a whole line of them) NONE of my welds broke, infact the only one that did was the only bit I got done my a so called professional.

Basic mig welding is not an art form, unlike something like plastering - which never ceased to amaze me when I watch it being done. As long as you get the 'feel' for when it's going right it's quite easy to do to a acceptable level.....

And scratch built doesn't have to be much slower, you can get the chassis together in a few long days...

And once you have a mig you wonder how you lived without it. I've had to do loads of welding on the part built Stylus I'm now working on to get the new engine to fit and for loads of small bracketry.

And it's also a very enjoyable thing to do (as long as you're not trying to do it upside down under the car - then it's a pig )

It took me 3 1/2 months to build my kit and 3 1/2 months to get the engine running, emissions to pass and get number plates. I can now drive the car.

I enjoyed building the thing but 6 months in I'd had all the building enjoyment I was going to get.

If you want the car to drive then buy a kit. If you want the car to build then savour all those years it seems to take to weld one up from scratch.

I am doing a kit. Because I want to (read as need to) have my car done by the end of June 2007.

Being at uni means I dont have time to scratch build. Even if it would suit my budget a bit better!

My initial plan was indeed to scratch build, then I dicovered that no one would lend me a garge for however long it would take me to finish the car.

David