So the fun begins

Hi all

Well I finally did it. I've put my order in for a Tornado TS40. After a looking at several other cars and struggling to fit and things not being quite right I've decided that the only way I'll be truly happy with a car is if I build it to my own spec.

I know there will be people on here that have their own opinions on other manufacturers and would have gone for something different than a Tornado but I have been hugely impressed with the quality of Tornados kits. Andy and his team have got what they do down to a fine art and I am confident that even as a complete novice to kit car building that I can achieve a finished car. This is largely down to the quality of the build manual, the fact that every nut and bolt comes with kit direct from Tornado and the fact that I know Andy is always at the end of the phone if things become a little difficult. That after sales support is what has swung me and is invaluable to a new builder.

So wish me luck on this massive challenge I am about to take on.

Trev
 
Below is the spec for my initial stage of the build. I've tried to split the build process and costs up into 5 stages.

Stage 1 - Chassis
  • Tornado TSC GT40 basic component package
  • Lowered seating areas (by 1”)
  • Chrome plated suspension links and wishbones
  • Sand blasted & powder coated chassis frame (satin black)
  • 16 gauge Aluminium floorpan blank
  • Aluminium panel pre-cut blank set. ( 39 pieces )
  • 3/4" polished Aluminium angle. ( 13' )
  • 500 Aluminium sealed pop-rivets.
  • Riv nut set
  • Polyurethane sealant x2 cartridges
Trev
 
Ill also be building the car to the letter from the build manual. I know many people will often not follow the manual and choose to build in their own order and may apply additional modifications as they go but as I've stated I am completely new to any sort of kit car building so I am going to stick with what the build path Tornado advise.

If your interested in following my progress my new GT40 builders website will be going live soon and will document the whole experience of building my car.

http://www.gt40builder.com

Trev
 
Hi trev,
May I make a suggestion? It may be an idea to include updates that will be very difficult to do later, ie Dropped floor.
A dropped floor is a (fairly) straightforward task when building a car but a right royal PITA to do at a later date. I'm not sure if Tornado offer a dropped floor option but believe me, every spare inch of space in a '40 is worth the trouble!
Brakes, engine/gearbox are all relatively easy to change/upgrade when the car is finished and on the road, but if having to tear the car apart right down to the floor can be avoided....do it now!
best of luck with the build, good choice.

Simon
 
Hi trev,
May I make a suggestion? It may be an idea to include updates that will be very difficult to do later, ie Dropped floor.
A dropped floor is a (fairly) straightforward task when building a car but a right royal PITA to do at a later date. I'm not sure if Tornado offer a dropped floor option but believe me, every spare inch of space in a '40 is worth the trouble!
Brakes, engine/gearbox are all relatively easy to change/upgrade when the car is finished and on the road, but if having to tear the car apart right down to the floor can be avoided....do it now!
best of luck with the build, good choice.

Simon

Hi Simon

You clearly didn't read the my kit spec properly :). I've ordered the car with a 1" lowered seating area that Tornado offer as an option. I've sat it a couple of tornado's now and I managed to fit in a standard car with a seat without runners on it (just about). So I've opted for a 1" drop just to give me a bit more headroom and allow me to sit more comfortably. I am 6ft 2" inchs but with my spikey hair about 6ft 5". It was either a lower floor or a new hair cut :)

This also means that as Tornado weld in the lowered section of the car I have less of the floor to panel. That's one step closer to a finished car then.

Trev
 
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