Plan to Build 1 Yr Out. Where to Start?

[Chuck]

Brand new here. First post. I've been reading through the forum and thanks to everyone already and in advance for your time and help.

If this has been covered already (I didn't find this topic when doing a search), I apologize in advance.

I'm planning a SLC build for a year from now. That will give me time to stash the cash and do all the advance planning. For those of you who have been down this road, looking back, what should I be reading and looking for and into as I plan for this project.

Thanks!

 

[P Roth]

I'll tell you what I have been doing, I have been storing all the links from the posts that show a product or part I might need or want. Plus I have been looking at different engine/tranny combos (BTW, that transmission model/gearing chart was brilliant), pricing out extras and generally soaking in the knowledge of what the builders have been working out.

 

[David]

Me too, plus i'm prepping the shop with tools that i need and others that i just "need". If you know what power train you are running make sure you know where you are buying from and what the lead times are for the motor/core and build, transaxle and prep, mounting adapter, shift linkage, and all of the oil cooling for both. There's a lot to be said for the fuel system and options for street/track/safety and noise.

To me those are the big rocks that you have to get in first...

 

[Alex]

waste of time and money until you have it infront of you. Pre-planning in this hobby has brought me nothing but frustration.

 

[Randy V]

Chuck,

Welcome to GT40s.com!

There's nothing wrong with planning. It's the ability to stick with and execute on the plan that seems to have some knickers in a twist.. LOL..

There is a ton of information here on the forums. I laid out a spreadsheet and just gleaned as I could and built out the spreadsheet. For the most part, I have stayed true to my plans. There have been some deviations, some relatively expensive.
My build has been dormant for some time now and while I would really like to get started on it again - that may be some time before I can..

 

[PeteB]

I bought my wife a hot tub.

 

[Jack]

Welcome to the forum Chuck!
Pete B got off easy. I remodeled the kitchen A-Z!
Seriously, don't make any major purchases without consulting the SL-C experts here.
Trying to get too far out front will only result in going backwards, both in time and $$$.

You can make some critical decisions such as how you will primarily use the car, engine/transaxle choices and any options that you may consider.

 

[Doc Kaler]

Whew!! I bought and totally remodeled our home and finally got a "go ahead" to get some help with finishing my build so that I can drive it before I turn 70!

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for the warm welcome and input. I have some of the items mentioned covered.

This will "just" be a streetcar. I have no plans to track it. I would like to have a nice interior in it. I have a 3rd stall in an insulated garage with a large compressor and an assortment of air and hand tools already. I also realize I will probably need to buy more along the way. Just need to move the boat that is in there now. My dad and brothers are all gearheads as well. One brother is a full-time body guy with a long history of working on hotrods. He will be doing the paint and bodywork when the time comes. The other's full-time job is with a car museum in Nebraska.

My wife has long wanted to build a car as a learning platform. While this will primarily be my project, my wife and two kids want to watch, help and learn. This, which can be a major hurdle for projects of this type, has already been cleared for me. I need to put a large deposit in the bank in advance for the car and for my wife's peace of mind before purchasing, but will not have to remodel the kitchen.

Plan is to put an LS3 in it. I just don't need any more power for my intended use. Questions remain on choice of transaxle.

 

[Doc Kaler]

BTW, Welcome Chuck!

In many cases, air-powered tools and aluminum don't mix....but based on your already strong fund of knowledge, you probably already know that. Get some accurate digital torque wrenches if you don't already have some. Take your time buying parts unless you're totally convinced that the item(s) is/are an absolute. I speak from the "hard knocks" of experience. Indeed, you might want to check with me for parts before your buy retail......:veryangry:.

 

[Chuck]

BTW, Welcome Chuck!

In many cases, air-powered tools and aluminum don't mix....but based on your already strong fund of knowledge, you probably already know that. Get some accurate digital torque wrenches if you don't already have some. Take your time buying parts unless you're totally convinced that the item(s) is/are an absolute. I speak from the "hard knocks" of experience. Indeed, you might want to check with me for parts before your buy retail......:veryangry:.

Thanks Doc!

Yes, to the air tools and aluminum. I meant it more as sanders, etc. I've been watching a number of zakari3030's videos on YouTube. Very helpful.

 

[Dr. David]

If you are truly thinking about building an RCR car a year from now, you should perhaps think about ordering it now. I ordered and put a deposit down on an RCR LMP-1 rolling chassis fifteen months ago, and I am pleased to say that it finally shipped today! Another hint, do not order an engine with a two-year warranty before your chassis arrives, such as an LS376/525, as it may be halfway through the warranty before they even ship your car.
Just some facts to consider,
David

 

[P Roth]

BTW, Welcome Chuck!

In many cases, air-powered tools and aluminum don't mix....but based on your already strong fund of knowledge, you probably already know that..

Sorry Doc, but I and others with aviation backgrounds will completely disagree with you. The best aviation power tools are air driven. Drills, rivet guns, cutters, formers, even blind riveters powered by air are used extensively in aluminum aircraft construction, repair and maintenance.

 

[P Roth]

waste of time and money until you have it infront of you. Pre-planning in this hobby has brought me nothing but frustration.

And sorry Alex but the hard truth is saying that tells me it was poor planning, not pre-planning is what has brought you frustration. Yes, you have to be flexible and have the ability to change as needed, but to say pre-planning is a waste of time is in opposition to one of the first business rules. It is keystone to any successful business. The first step of the project should be a mission statement; what is the end use of this vehicle? For example: If you purchase this for street use, then after delivery decide that it will be a track car then you didn't know what you wanted in the first place and have just wasted your time and money in rework and additions.

 

[Doc Kaler]

P Roth,

In the case of aircraft assembly (I was classified a a Class B aircraft assembler at General Dynamics many years ago), I agree. Although you still can get in trouble with the edge reamers and countersink tools.

 

[John Ross]

Chuck, I think the single most important piece of planning for the SLC is the choice of transaxle. You are planning a pure street car. Think long and hard about how you're going to feel when you're driving your completed street car on the highway and that big V8 engine's turning 3000 RPM in top gear.

I was (and am) in the fortunate financial position to spec out my SLC pretty much any way I wanted, but if that had not been the case, I would have foregone my custom ITB LS442 motor in favor of a bone stock crate engine to have the funds to get the gear ratios I wanted.

Since your build is a year out, let's see if DeLynn comes through on the Griffin box, with a choice of ratios that are ideal for an LS-motored street car. He recently posted a batch of pictures here that indicate he'll be shipping units soon, and Fran is eager to fit and test one in an SLC.

JR

 

[Howard Jones]

As far as tools go. Don't buy anything (big stuff like power tools, compressors, body working stuff, machine tools etc.) until you NEED it. Tools have little or no lead time, and generally will be cheaper two years from now. The exception might be a really good used item that you find in a garage, going out of business, or moving sale.

The thing you might want to buy when you come across a good deal, is a refrigerator for, and additional lighting in the garage. I have nine, 4 foot double florescent lights in my garage and I could use more. If you paint, paint everything (walls, ceiling, doors) white. Floor? very light grey, if at all.

If you are going to use a used gearbox then I would recommend you have one of the gearbox rebuilders find a candidate for you. Source the entire power train from the same place. Gearbx, clutch, flywheel, starter, TO bearing, and clutch slave. This way you have someone standing behind the whole package. Ebay gearboxes from some guys totaled Porsche is yours forever the min you hand over the money.

Engines may be the sexiest piece but its not necessary to start working on the car. My guess is most guys could put in six months before they really need to buy a motor. Now a thought on engine suppliers. I know there are some good people out there BUT unless you REALLY need to have one of XYZ engine service's motors buy a crate engine from GM, Ford etc. Another thing, the longer you think about motors the bigger the power number you think you need. NOT! 450HP is perfect for a 2500 pound car on street tires. Go and get a ride in a 2500/450hp car and see for yourself.

Hard learned lesion. Think electric water pump. I say no more.

Your interest in gear ratios is very well placed. Gearbox ratios are IMHO the most important variable in this entire equation. Gearbox selection is the most expensive, time consuming, engineering problem to correct later if you are not happy with your first choice. My opinion is, spend money on the gearbox and save money on the motor.

Read up on the smog/registration process and rules in your state and be certain that what you build will breeze through the process. Prior experience's of SLC builds in your state are going to be the best examples. If there are no SLC's, then get with the GTM guys.

 

[Jack]

Great advice Howard! Well said.

 

[Bill]

Checkout this "How to Build your Kit Car Fast" YouTube video that I posted a few years ago.

It talks a lot about what to do while waiting for your kit to arrive. For example:

• Get your work space ready
• Get your tools ready
• Get your self ready
• Get your spouse ready
• Get your drivetrain together, so its ready to drop in on the day your kit arrives

 

[PeteB]

Concur with Howard about waiting to buy the engine. If you're buying an engine with a warranty, most warranties start when the engine is delivered, not when you actually start it the first time. I'm not ordering my engine until I've got pretty much everything else done. I learned this lesson the hard way on my Cobra build when my transmission died on the first trip around the block. The transmission supplier said, "too bad, your warranty is expired".

 

[Alex]

And sorry Alex but the hard truth is saying that tells me it was poor planning, not pre-planning is what has brought you frustration. Yes, you have to be flexible and have the ability to change as needed, but to say pre-planning is a waste of time is in opposition to one of the first business rules. It is keystone to any successful business. The first step of the project should be a mission statement; what is the end use of this vehicle? For example: If you purchase this for street use, then after delivery decide that it will be a track car then you didn't know what you wanted in the first place and have just wasted your time and money in rework and additions.

I've built 4 cars, I think I knwo what I'm doing and it's not poor planning.

Until you have the car in front of you I find it pointless to plan because you have nothing to visualize with.

WIth my cobra I thoroughly researched dozens of builds and built a budget and setup what I thought would be to my liking. For example, I wasn't planning on tracking the car or driving it hard so I went with a 4link suspension beacuse it's cheap and easy. then When i got to installing it I said f*k this, I don't want bullshit donor parts now that I'm doing it, so I went with a billet 5 link.

With my SLC I wasted a shit load of mony because I didn't have the engine in the chassis. If I had I would have done many things different off the bat.

With my 917 I pre-bought everything I figured I'd need and then changed my mind on multiple items once the car was here and i realized it wouldn't work with what I wanted to do.


Some of us ( :shy::shy::shy::shy: ) don't know how to weld or have a 5-axis mill in our garage and are limited to what we can and can't do, and those choices need the car sitting infront of you to make them.