Happy I Found This Place

[am33r]

I second that. JW kit seems perfect but are you in the build for OEM or to have a beautiful unique car! Get a 300hp 93 MR2 and a G28 and make a fast & gorgeous car you can enjoy in no time

[solrac]

there are a few builders out there but they charge a lot. .and the other thing is scammers. u will find a lot of those too..
a custom chassis with out suspension will be around 10k

[BigPines]

I found Mike Vetter's site: http://www.kitcarmike.com

Looks like he has done a ton of lambos on Boxters. He has done some nice work. I searched this site but didn't find him. Does anyone know if he active on any of the kit car forums?

[solrac]

i am using 4t65e HD. it is automatic with tap shift option that will be use with paddle shifters.
most likely i will be doing my own custome suspension but still thinking of all my options.
there are a few options out there. west coast fieros has a custom set up for wide suspersion also held/arraut has a wide suspension set up.

[Tusabes]

The problem with a donor is you'll need to both stretch the frame plus widen the suspension - that creates all kinds of problems and  that's why some people prefer to use a custom chassis

[BigPines]

solrac, I just checked out your build diary. That was a great tip you got from apsara on how to keep things lined up properly when doing the stretch. If I do a stretch, I am definitely going to use that method! What tranny you using to mate to your LS4? A G50? What are you planning for suspension?

What are the options for custom frames? I don't think I want the work/hassle of welding one myself so I would probably want to buy one completed. Do people end up having suspension geometry problems with these custom frames? It just seems so much better/faster/cheaper to me to buy a donor with an appropriate suspension than to try to reinvent the wheel but I am open to all options at this point.

[Tusabes]

Mike Vetter in Florida is the guy to see about using a boxster chassis

Everyone else I know who has tried to used a boxster has abandoned the build after seeing how difficult it became

[solrac]

i do have a build diary on the reventon section.
i can just keep it as the fiero registration and keep all the vin's. and about smog i know a lot of ppl who will pass it for me.

[BigPines]

Thanks Solrac. Your build sounds interesting. I hope you have a build diary. I'll check. How can you get it registered if you don't go SB100?

Yeah, I am leaning Porsche Boxter at this point. I talked to my brother and sprang the idea on him. He said it sounds fun. He actually suggested a Porsche 911. He said that way, we could retain all the suspension, brakes, engine, tranny and have less work and less costs down the road. We may have to modify the cab position but he said that would be "no big deal". He has some contacts for getting cars cheap. Has anyone built on a 911? Are there problems using that donor or is it just nobody can bring themselves to cut up a 911?

[solrac]

i also live in california and doing it on a fiero with and ls4 engine.
i am still not sure if i am going to leave as a fiero or sb100. regardless i will have a lot of time to think about that. its not like your going to finish your built in a couple of months.
if your going to spend all that money in a c5 might as well just build a custom chassis at your liking and spec or boxer.
it does take a lot of money to get things done specially if your not going to do it all your self.

[BigPines]

Thank you all for your valuable help. I guess the C5 wasn't the best idea after all. I have plenty of time to think about this and I plan to consult with my brother since I am hoping he will want to help me.

I am sorry to hear about Watson's health problems and kits being unavailable. A year out is not a problem for me. Like I said, I am not in a hurry. I need some time myself anyway. Anyone know anything about the other kits I mentioned? Any other OEM spec body kits available?

A partial build has ALWAYS been an option. Since each build is so different, a lot depends on what direction they were going in. I will keep my eye open for that too.

Tusabes, thanks for the tip on SB100! That opens up a lot more possibilities for me. Unfortunately, it only allows the first 500 cars in the state per year to be registered. That may be an issue. It also sounds like a big pain in the behind. I'll just have to be persistent!

[Bamabluemodena]

The GTM from Factory Five uses the corvette as a donor for parts only.  The 20k for the kit includes the body and a tube frame chassis.  You use the suspension, radiator, wiring harness, engine, gas tanks, glass, brakes, and door handles from the vette.  The transaxle is from a Porsche.

[usmc_butler]

I second Tusabes & Notnilc20 in there responses and Tusabes is correct about John. Eventually the AD (John's) bodes will be available again but guessing it will be 6 months to a year out, I've been checking with him on a regular basis.

I dont think you will be going wrong with the $10,000 start up. However as mentioned before OEM available parts will soon and already started to dry up since production has stopped on the Murcielago. Also finding a partial build will save thousands in the long run. Good luck stay in touch!

[Tusabes]

Welcome !!
You realize a corvette c5 doesn't have a traditional frame right ?

Here is what they look like stripped down
See eBay item 380396610012

Also you don't have to use a donor , you can build a custom chassis in CA and get a sb100 registration

You can also get a permanent smog exemption on a sb100 car , which is what I have in my kit so I can put any engine I want in it

Finally ,Watson is already backed up and likely wont be making more bodies due to health issues . Jayso says he will start making them but that hasn't been proven yet since Watson still has the molds .  $10k to start will barely buy a Watson body and $500 a month will barely cover bolts and fasteners and little things . Unless you want an undrivable lump sitting in your garage for years , save up at least $30k before you start and budget for at least twice that- I can't tell you how many people budget $20-40k, spend it all and realize how far away the end still is and how much more money is needed , then they abandon it

[BigPines]

From what I understand, I have to use a donor because I am in California and I need to be able to register it. On top of that, my engine must match the VIN of my donor so my hands are a bit tied there. So in other words, I can't start with a Fiero and throw an LS1 into it. I would no longer be able to register the car!

This is why I have to decide what kind of engine I want and back into it from there. I think a C5 frame with a few modifications would be an awesome choice and be very economical but maybe I am wrong.

For anyone else interested, here is another car accepting the LS1 as a rear mid-engine: http://superlitecars.com/