MadaboutKitcars

Hi,
Im completely new to building kit cars etc and just wondering if I could get some advice, maybe some good websites to look at etc.

Ok so this might sound somewhat ambitious but I have a MR2 mk2, the mechanics are sound but the body has seen better days. I was thinking of selling it but after doing a little searching I found various companies that sell replicas of lambo's etc. Not really my thing and i seen so many posts slamming those kits, not only that but i want something unique, what about designing and building my own body from something like fibreglass.

How much of the orig body can i remove, i mean i assume i can remove front wings, bumper, bonnet, back bumper and sides. Is it safe to replace all those parts with fibreglass panels?

Not bothered about how long it takes or how much I have to learn, i'm pretty good with practical things and always up for a challenge.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Wotcha matey,

Before i built my Sammio i had bought a mk2 MR2 to convert into a Lambo so it's interesting to hear what you're planning! I ended up scrapping my project due to how much it would end up costing, as i went into it quite naive and Lambo bits aren't exactly cheap

It sounds like what you're planning will fall under the same rules as the F355 rebodies and the Sammio rebodies as in both of those cases you don't alter the underlying chassis and the vehicle is simply classed as a rebody / radically-altered-vehicle as long as certain criteria are met. There is some interesting reading and links to the relevant DVLA sections that in this thread: http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3280

As soon as you modify the "chassis" which for the MR2 we're talking about the monocoque, then you'll almost certainly need an IVA and then it's a whole different story.
e.g. for separate chassis cars we are only allowed to add minor non-structural brackets before it is no longer classed as radically altered and becomes a kit-car, anything deemed too major or altering the original chassis or affecting the main structural/drivetrain components of the original chassis then takes it in to the realms of IVA. There was a long discussion about this somewhere along with the DVLA/VOSA feedback about what is and isn't acceptable, but i can't find it atm. Sorry.

Also what is classed as part of the "chassis" is also a very delicate area for monocoque cars and the only guaranteed way to ensure that you don't fall foul of the inspectors is to query them and get them to clarify what is and isn't 'chassis' for the make and model of particular car you're using. But even though you're meant to be able to request that, i've not personally come across anyone who's done it, and from the joint experiences on here with DVLA/VOSA, they do tend to err on the side of caution!


TBH, as long as you stick with just designing new panels that bolt on in place of the old ones and you leave the monocoque alone, then you'll be fine.

I hope this is a good starter for 10? And i wish you all the best with your project!

Dave

Hi there Goggers. Save yourself a lot of time, money and stress and build a Sammio. It falls outside the IVA test saving thousands, donors are cheap and often road tax exempt, all the spares are available new and sound base cars are relatively easy to come by - I watched an almost completely mechanically renovated '72 mk IV Spitfire 1300 with o/d fail to sell on ebay last week at a no reserve opening price of £300. That would have been a perfect Cordite donor.

Additionally, the 'kit' isn't just a box of bits that you bolt toghether where everything's decided for you. There's loads of scope for personalising the finished article and ending up with something truly unique. As an example, the Herald/Vitesse based Spyder has no doors, roof or glass windscreen - you climb over the side in true 'Le Mans' style and a perspex wind deflector pushes the flies over your head (that's the theory anyway). The Spitfire based Cordite does have doors, which can be ordered on the Spyder, while the designer, Gary Janes, has mentioned that a 356 Speedster windscreen wil fit both cars. That opens up the possibility of a daily driver with a glass screen, folding soft-top, windscreen wipers etc.

And the best bit? You'll have a job spending more than about five grand on a Sammio and that's allowing for a lot of new and reconditioned parts and a pro spray job.

If you've not already found it, here's the link to the Sammio website -

http://www.sammio.co.uk/

Good luck and I look forward to seeing whatever you decide to build.

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