J. Miller. It has been my experience that when a driver is also a mechanic and knows EXACTLY how the gear box functions, he/she 1) will know what to do to keep the tranny from being damaged by certain inputs, if the engine is about to explode or just has a clogged air bleed, etc. and 2) if something DOES fail during a race/outing, he/she is much better equiped to make an assesment and make the correct decision that will allow him/her to finish the race/outing. I have seen many, many people just show up at a track with a bunch of money and not be able to buy their way into the winners circle consistantly because of their lack of mechanical knowledge.
Remember at a race track you will find "fast guys, rich guys, and idiots".
This goes right along with Craig's question. What I mean by all this is that, with a kit car, a product that is not sold as a complete unit from one true manufacturer and backed by any warranty or worldwide service network, the buyer should at least have some sense as to how the inner workings of an engine and transaxle work, what effects them, and how to solve basic problems. If they are screaming everytime a plug wire burns on a header, or because a turn signel stops working, and they don't have the sense to move the wire and make sure it doesn't happen again, or get a meter out and determine if the bulb is bad or if there's power at the harness plug, then he/she, IMO, should look elsewhere for their ride. They aren't gonna be happy with a kit car. They need the hand holding you get, and pay for, from a Lexus, or Porsche, or Audi deealership.
I'm not saying they are a piece of crap individual. I'm saying that this is probably not a product (a kit car in general) they are gonna be happy with. These things will happen, and will have to be dealt with.
BTW- Mr. Miller, wouldn't you agree that someone who has the knowledge of what the heart is, how it functions, and what keeps it healthy is much less apt to have a heart attack, and if something does occur, that individual would probably be able to identify it and get himself treated appropriately faster than someone that did not have that knowledge? You don't have to be a heart surgeon to keep your heart healthy and yourself alive.
The specific point you are making is, once again, somehow saying that I think that Fran's SLC is overpriced. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!! I never said that. My complaint was that, for a kit car, it is sold with zero build options and for DIYers, such as me, it doesn't make sense to have to purchase all this stuff I may not use. You seem to want this SLC to be a Ferrari or Lambo instead of a Lola or Dallara. Both styles of car businesses are healthy and profitable. RCR is somewhere in the middle, IMO, in a niche that will also be profitable. My argument, and hope, is that Fran sticks to his niche and doesn't try to be a direct competitor with these other styles of car manufacturers. It is a balancing act. You are on one side and I am on the other. It doesn't make either of us wrong. It just leaves Fran with the decision of which way he wants to lean.
