I'm a newbie looking for a general FAQ on Kit Cars.

Some of the questions I have are prety basic and I would prefer not to bother the group unduly.

For instance:

What is 'Turnkey'?

What can I expect in a typical Kit?

What kind of problems am I likely to encounter dealing with a mfgr in another country? (I'm in the US and it seems most of the styles I prefer are made by dealers in the UK.)

More specific questions will follow in individual posts.

Thanks to all in advance. I hope to see more of you in the future.

A "Turnkey-minus" (a term coined by Dave Radtke while he was working at L.A. Exotics) is a car that is completely finished except for engine and transmission (drivetrain). This car is turnkey enough to be pushed.

Typical kits come in various flavors. Usually, you'll get all of the necessary body panels and chassis (if it's not a rebody) in the kit. Some companies like to do what I call "incomplete" kits; kits that give you enough stuff to make you think you can build the car, when in reality you still have to source a bunch of stuff from other places. These guys usually advertise things like Porsche Speedsters for $3,500. The reality is that for $3,500 you'll only get enough parts to initially overwhelm you and then take up garage space while you get informed that you're about to go though a rather unexpected divorce.

Problems encountered with importing are usually about broken promises or incomplete (the most hated word in the kit car industry is "back order") kits. If you get a good customs agent, you shouldn't have any problem getting the kit into the U.S. The great thing about the internet is that there's always going to be someone out there who's close enough to the manufacturer to check them out for you. Watching your back is what the industry and the internet is all about when it comes to kit cars.

What kind of kit are you looking at? I may be able to help you locate a manufacturer in the U.S.

Your pal,
Meat.

First, keeping in mind that I have limited experience, and none with kits, how dificult would you rate this particular kit for a beginner?

Second, to anyone that had dealt with this company, how complete is the manual? I'm going to need quite a bit of detailed step by step instruction. The web site gave me a good feeling, and seemed to imply a higher level of detail than I felt from some of the other sites I found. Is this so? ...or is the 'Step-by-Step Guide' on the website all there is to the manual?

Lastly, the other Cabrolet type kits I have found all seem to use the Sierra/Merkur as a donor. I feel this particular oddball car might be difficult to locate as no one here locally seems to have ever heard of it. If this is a mistaken perseption I'd like to know so that I could re-evaluate.

Sorry for all the dummy questions.

Thanking you in advance,
DailyLunatic

There is an assembly available for the Gatsby Cabriolet, and it can be found on this page (it's $25, which is a bargain! You should ALWAYS purchase the assembly manual and read it completely before buying the car):

http://www.gatsbycars.com/cabriolet.html

Also, understand that the Cabriolet requires TWO donors: a Thunderbird/Cougar for the chassis, and an MG Midget for the doors and cockpit area.

If you are in the U.S., I would avoid purchasing a kit that requires a Merkur as a donor car; this car is fairly unknown, and really isn't supported all that well by Mercury.

Hope that helps!

Your pal,
Meat.

As a consumer, I really don't need people jamming their religeon down my throat, I'm a pretty smart guy, and don't need misinterpreted, edited stuff like that in my face.

As an ordained minister, I am kind of embarassed to see stuff like that out there on a website that is supposed to be offering for sale kit cars.

As a driver, I've always noticed that the cars with The Fish or the Crashing Dove chrome stick-ons are always the slowest cars on the road, and the drivers generally don't seem to know exactly how to operate their vehicles. They also seem to 'flip the bird' far more readily than the cars that display the Darwin legged-fish.

What does this post mean? That I probably wouldn't do business with a company that tries to force something on me that I don't need.

In that spirit, I'll close with an often quoted - but not exactly the way as it's written - passage:

Ezekiel 25:17: The path of the rightous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and justice shepherds the weak through
the valley of darkness for he is truely his brothers keeper and the finder of lost children and I will strike down upon thee with great
vengence and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brother and you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengence upon thee.

Don't much like Quentin Tarantino, but I did like the way Samuel L. Jackson delivered that line.

Your pal,
Meat.

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