iceberg Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I am a newbie from Canada and have been looking for a project kit car for quite some time. I came accross your forum recently and i was fascinated by the amount of information available. I am looking for a driver not a race car but i want to have some fun. Could you experts point me in the right direction as far as kits, whats in and whats out. Deman Motorsports is quite close to my home and i home their product quite interesting. thank you Rick Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 asking usa7s to point you in the right direction for a nice seven will get you this :lol: http://www.gpsmagazine.com/assets/review-ln740/routing_engine.jpg Are you looking to build, buy used, or buy a fixer-upper? Buying used will get you the best value, but obviously you'll miss out on the joys of building your own. For a road going car, i'd stick with something with a non-forced induction 4 banger car engined seven, unless you're already used to FAST cars and want something more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southwind25 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Do what we did... Sit down with a piece of paper, and list in detail, what your looking for. list what your needs are, your wants, time available, mechanical and fabrication skill sets, how it will be used, by who, how often, and budget. Then look around for kind souls who may give you a test ride or 2. consider other production cars as well. for us, a "7 " was all bang for the buck. We started off wanting a completely different car, we ultimatly couldnt afford. Then found one that did 95% of what that one would that we could afford. We ended up with a pre-built like new Birkin S3 that needed some TLC. and with the money we didnt spend will go on to eventually restore an example of that car we couldnt afford anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxologist Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I am a newbie from Canada and have been looking for a project kit car for quite some time. I came accross your forum recently and i was fascinated by the amount of information available. I am looking for a driver not a race car but i want to have some fun. Could you experts point me in the right direction as far as kits, whats in and whats out. Deman Motorsports is quite close to my home and i home their product quite interesting. thank you Rick Jackson can't go wrong with ur situation. Please contact them and any other se7en owner close to to get first hand expirience to make a more knowledgeable choice about your abilities, desires, and manufacturers. I favor getting nearly everything u want immediately and not skimping. all the little amenities do make the car more pleasurable on a blat. all the performance goodies make it more pleasurable when flogging it like a ________________! :7fume: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder_guy Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 If I didn't have a car already .. I'd be looking at that crispy Birkin on eBay. .. well maybe it got too hot! Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EburgE Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 My advice would be to get a ride in one of these cars, or better yet drive one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 This is what I love about this forum. Most any other forum would have been deluged with "I have a brand X, you should buy one" or "Brand Y is the only way to go". Instead we get good unbiased comments mostly saying try them all and buy what suits you best. :7head: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxologist Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 i was being diplomatic. if he met me in person i would zip tie his wrists to the roll bat and cane him singapore style till he admitted caterham's superior style. someone send that Ali so i can new Cosworth and 6 speed!:crazy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 i was being diplomatic. if he met me in person i would zip tie his wrists to the roll bat and cane him singapore style till he admitted caterham's superior style. someone send that Ali so i can new Cosworth and 6 speed!:crazy: pfffft... I don't need a damn zip tie to keep his azz in the car. just hit the gas pedal :rofl: Hey Skip, we nose dived fast, didn't we :lol: Iceberg, the advice about driving / riding various sevens is great. There is such a large variety of sevens out there, and any of the well known brands are a blast when built properly. Probably one of the biggest consideration to start with is how big you are, and whether you will have difficulty fitting in the car or operating the pedals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder_guy Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Probably one of the biggest consideration to start with is how big you are, and whether you will have difficulty fitting in the car or operating the pedals. Short legs, tall body and well grounded arse works for me in my Rotus. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Hey Skip, we nose dived fast, didn't we :lol: I should'a known better. :ack: Besides, everyone knows that Caterhams rule! :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Then how come your turbo Caterham couldn't keep up with a homebuilt or a Westfield at the last Open House? One thing to keep in mind for Canadians is importation. It's not easy to get a kit car into Canada. You can get Westfields there and of course the Deman cars. Caterhams are a bit more challenging and options like a Stalker and Birkin are pretty much out. Used kit cars have to be 15 years old to come in. You could consider a 15-year-old Caterham (or other) from the UK though, there are a lot more to choose from. This will narrow the field somewhat. I'd say, stop by Deman and get a better idea of what you're looking at. Then decide where you sit on the sliding hard work/price scale. The more you pay, the less effort it will be to put your car together. Starting with a frame-and-control arm kit will keep your price low but will require a lot more work on your part to put together, including sourcing parts and probably solving problems. The Deman kits tend to be a bit more complete, but they'll still require more effort than something like a Westfield kit - and they cost less. The Caterham kits don't even make you rivet on the body panels (softies!) but you'll pay more for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xromad Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 There are a couple of Canadian Stalker builds, so I assure you it can be done. If you find a particular setup that excites you, don't be afraid to take on the challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 See super7cars.com for Hayabusa powered Caterhams, sold by a Canadian dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Silly me, I was referring to the law I'm sure there are ways to get Stalkers in. Have any been registered? It's possible to get kit cars in legally, I'm not sure if Brunton has gone through the hoops to do so. Factory Five and Westfield have. basically, you have to come to an agreement with Transport Canada as to the content of the kit so that it is only "parts", and the remainder is sourced from elsewhere. That's to bring it in above board. super7cars.com somehow build the cars in Canada. I'm not sure what components are Canadian-made (the frame?) but the wording on their website is very carefully chosen. I hadn't checked the site in a while, I didn't realize they had anything but Busa-engined cars. It seems they only sell complete cars and not kits, perhaps this is how they get around some of the import rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Then how come your turbo Caterham couldn't keep up with a homebuilt or a Westfield at the last Open House? How many excuses do you want to hear? First there is the difference in driver experience. Then there is the development time on your vs. mine. RA1 tires vs. street tires. Home track advantage. A turbo is of little value on a go kart track. I could find a few more but why :_deadhorse: When my skills ramp up to the level of my car, we'll see who rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 How many excuses do you want to hear? First there is the difference in driver experience. Then there is the development time on your vs. mine. RA1 tires vs. street tires. Home track advantage. A turbo is of little value on a go kart track. I could find a few more but why :_deadhorse: When my skills ramp up to the level of my car, we'll see who rules. Can I join the party? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EburgE Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 The Caterham kits don't even make you rivet on the body panels (softies!) but you'll pay more for them. Hey! They do come with about 150 rivets for other things. Just enough to wear you out. :thumbs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 The Caterham kits don't even make you rivet on the body panels (softies!) but you'll pay more for them. They do cost significantly more but they also don't require a donor car for things like suspension, brakes, diff etc. Pretty much everything you need other than the engine and transmission is included. If you want the standard engines and transmissions, the dealer sells you the car and the USA importer sells you an engine and transmission. From there it is pretty much plug and play. I had it easy as I bought a rolling chassis. All I had to do was make a Mazda engine and trans fit in where they expected to see a Ford Zetec and Sierra transmission bolted in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Of course you can join the party! Flyin' Miata Open House, August 15th 2008. Harbor Freight pneumatic riveters. The Se7en owners best friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now