The journey continues.
As mentioned before, I'm interested in building a street-going exotic. Looked at another mfgs offering in the same space and wasn't completely satisfied, so I'm now looking at an SL-C.
I see that a fair number of cars have been sold (50+), many (maybe most) of which are destined to be track cars. Haven't seen much feedback yet on road-going cars. My intent is to use the car as a semi-daily driver. So my questions are mostly around usability of the end product at this point.
I haven't seen many interior shots that included a sound system. My assumption is that a double-din unit would fit in the dash panel within the "inverted-U" space. Is that true? Follow-on question is, can the interior be sufficiently treated to even make a sound system worthwhile? And is there room anywhere to locate a pair of speakers?
My other more important concern is around engine bay heat and engine heat in general. I view the two as separate things. Through dialogue with some that have a build underway its become obvious that the engine bay is open underneath. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I'm a little concerned that at freeway speeds all sorts of nasties could get sucked up into the engine bay. Admittedly this is an uneducated perception. I assume managing engine bay temps is easier with the bottom open, but if one elected to close it up, could this car still idle in traffic without overheating, or getting so warm in the engine bay that everything non-metal starts melting? Or is this a challenge even with the bottom of the bay open?
Minor question. . . license plate mounting (brackets, lights, etc.)? Every car I've owned out here went without front plates until CHP or local police pull me over. Then its a matter of paying $25, installing the plate and proving to the CHP that its been handled. I imagine that I'll be pulled over in the first 15 seconds in an SL-C. How are you builders dealing with a front plate? Just attaching it flush to the hood? Vertical bracket in front? Paying the recurring tickets? Lucky enough to live in the one of the ~40 states that doesn't require a front plate? For the rear, is a bracket and light provided or is that simple add-on up to the builder to source? I suppose with the street tail this is essentially a non-issue, but I'm not sure I'd go that route yet. Still studying that.
I saw a youtube clip of an SL-C in the rain so obviously the car seals up relatively well. Can't fathom that I'd plan on driving this car in the rain, but weather can change. Is water through the roof scoop a consideration at all?
Other random finds. . . .looks like cutting and configuring the fuel tank to enable gauge readings of fuel supply is up to the builder. No provision for this is made as delivered. Water pump will need to be modified for an LS-based engine to fit. Coolant fill/overflow/catch cans are up to the builder. Coolant tubes come with the kit. Connections (welded or silicone) are up to the builder to provision. Is powder coating of aluminum panels a factory option, or can they removed for powdercoating post-delivery?
Price on the Ricardo seemed reasonable until I had to up it 25-30% for clutch, starter, flywheel, etc. Note to Fran: Can you keep working on that Mendeola mockup? Could save me ~$4-5k.
Most of the other aspects of the build, although challenging, fall in to categories with which I'm already familiar and have at least mentally digested, but I'm sure more questions will surface as I continue reading through the build logs.
The final question then is, am I nuts for thinking this car can be driven with reasonable reliability 6-8k miles per year?
Thanks for your indulgence.
Cheers,
Ruth
As mentioned before, I'm interested in building a street-going exotic. Looked at another mfgs offering in the same space and wasn't completely satisfied, so I'm now looking at an SL-C.
I see that a fair number of cars have been sold (50+), many (maybe most) of which are destined to be track cars. Haven't seen much feedback yet on road-going cars. My intent is to use the car as a semi-daily driver. So my questions are mostly around usability of the end product at this point.
I haven't seen many interior shots that included a sound system. My assumption is that a double-din unit would fit in the dash panel within the "inverted-U" space. Is that true? Follow-on question is, can the interior be sufficiently treated to even make a sound system worthwhile? And is there room anywhere to locate a pair of speakers?
My other more important concern is around engine bay heat and engine heat in general. I view the two as separate things. Through dialogue with some that have a build underway its become obvious that the engine bay is open underneath. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I'm a little concerned that at freeway speeds all sorts of nasties could get sucked up into the engine bay. Admittedly this is an uneducated perception. I assume managing engine bay temps is easier with the bottom open, but if one elected to close it up, could this car still idle in traffic without overheating, or getting so warm in the engine bay that everything non-metal starts melting? Or is this a challenge even with the bottom of the bay open?
Minor question. . . license plate mounting (brackets, lights, etc.)? Every car I've owned out here went without front plates until CHP or local police pull me over. Then its a matter of paying $25, installing the plate and proving to the CHP that its been handled. I imagine that I'll be pulled over in the first 15 seconds in an SL-C. How are you builders dealing with a front plate? Just attaching it flush to the hood? Vertical bracket in front? Paying the recurring tickets? Lucky enough to live in the one of the ~40 states that doesn't require a front plate? For the rear, is a bracket and light provided or is that simple add-on up to the builder to source? I suppose with the street tail this is essentially a non-issue, but I'm not sure I'd go that route yet. Still studying that.
I saw a youtube clip of an SL-C in the rain so obviously the car seals up relatively well. Can't fathom that I'd plan on driving this car in the rain, but weather can change. Is water through the roof scoop a consideration at all?
Other random finds. . . .looks like cutting and configuring the fuel tank to enable gauge readings of fuel supply is up to the builder. No provision for this is made as delivered. Water pump will need to be modified for an LS-based engine to fit. Coolant fill/overflow/catch cans are up to the builder. Coolant tubes come with the kit. Connections (welded or silicone) are up to the builder to provision. Is powder coating of aluminum panels a factory option, or can they removed for powdercoating post-delivery?
Price on the Ricardo seemed reasonable until I had to up it 25-30% for clutch, starter, flywheel, etc. Note to Fran: Can you keep working on that Mendeola mockup? Could save me ~$4-5k.
Most of the other aspects of the build, although challenging, fall in to categories with which I'm already familiar and have at least mentally digested, but I'm sure more questions will surface as I continue reading through the build logs.
The final question then is, am I nuts for thinking this car can be driven with reasonable reliability 6-8k miles per year?
Thanks for your indulgence.
Cheers,
Ruth
. I may gold foil the interior of the engine clamshell. BTW, I tested some gold mylar material, gold paint and the gold racing materials with a paint removal heat gun and both the racing gold foil and the mylar passed with flying colors. Even the paint lowered the sensitive "hand on metal test" to a tolerable level.
