Donor Items for "one donor" Kits & which SDV - or not to SDV?

[lewis]

You can see my costs here

 

I could have easily got the build done at £10k without some of my extras.

[elder]

Kingster996.

Always nice to see such a nice car - yourse really does look good.

 

Lewis.

Thank you for the spreadsheet which tells an interesting story. I can certainly see areas where it would be possible to spend less for a road car. There must be a story about your exhaust system!

[lewis]

Ha yeah. I wanted the carbon effect silencer but that doesn't have a CAT. I added a universal CAT into the exhaust link pipe but as my engine year could not be proven I was worried I would fail emissions so I brought a CAT exhaust off here but the fittings were different so I sold it on and risked the original exhaust. Which in the end was fine as I was well in the targets at the IVA.

[Kyle]

Lewis, pro race 1.2 with tyres at £214 is that correct?

[lewis]

Yeah! The wheels and tyres (ok branded but plenty of tread) for £160 off eBay. Some boy racer had them on his Corsa. Then £50 for a wheel courier to deliver them and the rest was on paint to refurb them

[Kyle]

Nice bargain brother.

[Andy (Sycho)]

I also brought my s2000 starter kit with the £1000 off in January 2014 to be honest that was the reason I bought it, I couldn't really afford it at the time but I couldn't miss that offer I thought it was just £1000 off a full kit could belive it when they said it applied to starter kits.

It was limited number of kits & the offer hasn't been run since not to say that won't tho.

[elder]

Agree the wheels sound like a bargain.

 

I know this is all about choice but as a beginner to this there are a number of items in the list which I don't need for a road car (the roll cage), a number that I wouldn't choose for my car as you would expect and a number that either I had not budgeted or budgeted for less than your spend suggests. I would appreciate your comments regarding whether this level of spend is discretionary or necessary. Please please don't take this as a criticism but simply as a request for further information.

 

27 Fuel tank, pump hoses for £675

28 Shocks & Springs              £475

31 Rad & Column                   £192

33 & 61 Hoses                        £395

Exhaust around                      £850

 

As you said I could easily see how you could have built a car for £10000 the question is how much lesser would it have been.

​

[lewis]

Playing around with my spreadsheet I think if i was savvy I could have got it down to around £8500 on the road. Mine is planned to be primarily for track days which can also be on the road.

 

• The fuel tank cost is what it is. Thats all factory standard.
• Shocks and springs were Protecs from the factory. I think there is a slightly cheaper option.
• The rad is new from the factory but its from a VW Polo so money to be saved there. Column was a joining piece that connects the reused Mazda column to the steering rack.
• I spent a lot of money on silicone hoses for the coolant re-route that can be done to the MX-5 engine if you are removing the heater matrix. I also have a lot spare
• I got the Westfield 4 into 1 exhaust manifold at around £350 which you don't need to get and you can get CAT exhausts second hand from here for around £220. New they are expensive though. £500+

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I'm aware of members that have pulled off cars for around £6 to £7k in the past. BUT, these have been guys that always seem to  have a garden full of old projects to pull bits off, a telephone directory worth of contacts to get bits at mates rates and that rare talent for making and adapting stuff at almost zero cost!

 

When asked, I usually quote around £8k as the practical limit, if you don't mind scouring the for sale ads etc.

[elder]

Thank you again. It just proves that it is worth having someone look over your numbers. I don't quite see where the £675 for the Westfield tank comes from but if that is what it costs by the time that you have added the bits that I haven't added then so be it. The same applies to the other items. If that is what they cost I prefer to know.

 

What it does mean is that I will have another look at the value in the completion kits.

 

A £10k budget with a bit of flexibility does not cause me problems.​

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I think he's including the cost of the fuel pump and hoses in that

[lewis]

 

I think he's including the cost of the fuel pump and hoses in that

 

 

I am. The main invoice for the fuel tank was £655 (not sure what the other £20 bundled in with this was)

 

• Fuel tank - £280
• Hose 8mm - £12.51
• Fuel cap - £102
• Tank straps - 12.57
• Fuel pump - £121.49
• Hose 12mm - 1.75
• Plate G/Box (not sure what that was) - £3.50
• Delivery - £12.50
• VAT - £109.26

[Kingster]

It's always the 'extras' that add up!

 

I remember initially budgeting a few hundred for an engine - oh how I laugh at that figure now!

[elder]

.......................and I suspect that it is the small "cheap" bits that often get forgotten when total costs are calculated - and how they add up!.