I don't know a lot about the underworking of cars.
What is to stop me from buying a cheap midsize car and replacing the body with a replica '58 Corvette body from a kit?
factoryfive.com
For $15k that company can build a look-a-like supercar from a Subaru WRX. If I find a similar size chassis can I do that with a corvette body?
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chevrolet.com
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wombatcar.com
ebay.com
ebay.com
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Body over frame hasn't been made for midsize cars for decades
those cars have completely different dimensions and proportions
You need to get a TVR. It has proper frame and detachable body, as we learned from Top Gear and Wheeler Dealers.
>What is to stop me from buying a cheap midsize car and replacing the body with a replica '58 Corvette body from a kit?
because you're assuming cars are body on frame. body on frame mid-size cars have not been sold in the united states since the 1970's, and that's assuming the frame will line up with the Corvette body, which it won't.
The Factory Five 818 kit does not use the chassis of the Impreza. It uses suspension parts, and the engine/transmission along with specific interior parts.
The actual shell of the Impreza is discarded.
But if I found a cheap, reliable car from the 70's that was body on frame, that could work, right? There has to be at least one car that has a similar frame to an old corvette.
Volkswagen Beetle or Range Rover
Apparently Crown Vic's were body on frame.
that would make a nice sturdy frame
>But if I found a cheap, reliable car from the 70's that was body on frame, that could work, right?
No. You would need a near identical wheelbase and track width. You need similar seat mounting positions, dash mounting position, among a whole host of other coincidences for it to be done cheaply. A car meeting all those requirements does not exist unless it is already a Corvette.
Crown Vics are full size, and too large for anything you want to do
Beetles were technically unibody, even if the floorpan unbolted. There frame is part of the floorpan in that case.
Range Rovers and other SUVs are too high up for what he wants
It would also be more expensive to convert than just buying a fucking Corvette.
OP, you DO know that you CAN buy late C3 vettes and C4 vettes for well under 10k, right? It is on the fucking sticky we have, which operates on a $5,000 budget.
The problem is, it's way too big.
You're not going to get anything right unless the entire car is custom built, which would cost more than just buying a C1.
You could get a bodykit for a Miata
>OP, you DO know that you CAN buy late C3 vettes and C4 vettes for well under 10k, right?
Do you mean instead of a C1 or to use as a base for a C1? Aren't the C3's too big for a C1 body?
Or a MR2 for that matter.
>Do you mean instead of a C1 or to use as a base for a C1?
no. I mean if you want a fucking Corvette, buy a fucking Corvette. Making a replica is not financially viable
>Aren't the C3's too big for a C1 body?
Yes
>What is to stop me from buying a cheap midsize car and replacing the body with a replica '58 Corvette body from a kit?
Unitary chassis.
Current cars are not based on a flat chassis with the body frame put on top, not anymore.
It would seem that the C1 "kit cars" typically mate a reproduction body to a purpose-built chassis, using assorted donor parts from newer Corvettes. It looks like getting it all together would be pretty expensive compared to some other, more popular kit cars.
A replica Corvette does not make sense.
A replica of a Ferrari or Lamborghini using a much cheaper car with similar dimensions (usually a Toyota MR2 or Pontiac Fiero) makes sense because the cars they're replicating are absurdly expensive to start with.
The problem with making a replica of the Corvette is the Corvette is a cheap bargain among performance cars to start with. Making a replica doesn't make financial sense, even before getting into the fact there are no similarly sized cars that are body on frame and cheap enough to be viable.
Maybe an old corvette?
First, C1 Corvettes are expensive classics that aren't easy to find in decent shape. Using a kit as a measure of convenience makes perfect sense in this case.
Second, kit cars aren't just knockoffs of exotics for posers. Sometimes they help preserve the history of a vehicle that's becoming rare in original condition. To resto-mod or race and wreck an original Shelby Cobra would be a travesty, but the availability of Cobra kits allows enthusiasts to have that kind of fun without molesting the original cars.a C1 replica offers the same benefits.
Can someone explain why body-on-frame cars are no longer being made in the States? It seems that they would be more cost effective as you can pump out more frames and bolt the body to it, leading to more being sold. Doesn't the simplicity of it make it better than unibody?
IIRC even as far along as the C5 the Corvettes are all body on frame
CAFE and IIHS ratings mean you need to have a unibody for reduced weight and higher stiffness on everything smaller than a truck
Because you have self-respect.
Barring that, the absolute disgust and ignominy of having three dicks in your ass all at once.
>For $15k that company can build a look-a-like supercar from a Subaru WRX
No, for $15k you get a chassis that uses Scoobaru suspension and running gear.
Even the C7's unibody barely has any body panels.
"Kit car" has different, negative, connotations than a "replica." Say you have a kit car and everyone assumes it's a Fiero with a bodykit or even worse.
Are there materials that can be used (steel, aluminium, carbon, etc.) for making frames that would be lighter than the unibody?
President Trump has said that he wants to cut back on regulations. If he does that, will auto manufacturers start making BoF vehicles again?
Forgot the pic.
It would depend what regulations are scrapped. Safery regulation are a big reason why unichassis have become the norm pretty much everywhere (same deal with Europe).
>"Kit car" has different, negative, connotations than a "replica." Say you have a kit car and everyone assumes it's a Fiero with a bodykit or even worse.
"kit cars" encompass a much broader scope than replicas, though. Yes, "Ferrari kit car" sounds like poser shit. But, some replicas are meant to be driven, like the Cobras, and other kits aren't replicas at all. If you're driving one of Factory Five's "original" designs, or a Wombat/Humbug (pic related), or one of any number of other goofy kits out there, no one's going to scoff if you say "It's a kit car" after they ask you what that weird-ass thing is.
Is that what you get when a Jeep and Humvee really like each other?
Even smaller than a Jeep- it's a Beetle kit that's been around forever.
Take the kit-pill my dudes.
Kit cars, best cars.
Only original kit cars. Supercar replica kit cars are just fucking sad.
Whare to draw the line though?
Caterhams are arguably just Lotus 7 replicas, so...
I dunno. Complete modifications like the Wombat, dune buggies, Burton and other Pembletons are pretty cool but replicas of discontinued stuff like Caterham/Dax/etc, Cobra and Stratos replicas are more than alright
>Whare to draw the line though?
kit cars with their own unique chassis
>good
kit cars that slap a body on another chassis
>bad
couldn't he also just use a ford sierra chassis?
There are plenty of kits based on those.
Find him a Ford Sierra in America. Oh wait, they don't exist.
There was the Merkur XR4Ti, but they're harder to find than a good Corvette
I have a factory kit car.
follow your dremes
what, a 'murican car made for yurop?
I did not know.
Nor did I care, i've driven a sierra once and nearly died because dad thought it funny to not mention that the brakes were out.
>What is to stop me from buying a cheap midsize car and replacing the body with a replica '58 Corvette body from a kit?
>I don't know a lot about the underworking of cars.
That.
Excaliburs always look so kitsch and tacky.
I luv it
Pictures really don't do them justice. Driving one, you feel like a mixture between Cruella De Ville and Hitler. One of my favorite things to do is scream, "Out of my way, I have puppies to murder." Then, I floor it and hear the engine roar as the secondaries open.
The problem is that they are pretty much not emulating classic car design, but the stereotypes of classic car design. Hence the kitsch, the fucking horns, the two spare wheels, the huge exhausts.
Maybe that's in poor taste, but maybe that's the point.
Maybe an Excalibur is like a Morgan but for someone who wants to live in their playful idea of the past rather than the actual past.
Too bad they are so fucking expensive though, especially considering how useless they ultimately are with no hood, with their size, etc
It has a roof; I just don't like it.
Though, everything on it is functional. They drive like a C3 Corvette; which, for all intents and purposes, is what they are.
>They drive like a C3 Corvette
Pretty good fit for a 1930's Mercedes then. Kit cars like these always seem to get the proportions just off though.
The proportions are a bit off for a Mercedes, but everything looks relatively uniform in relation to the other components.
Also, they sound incredible.
>side-hinged bonnet
my dick
is hard
they call me
the bard
Anyone want any additional pictures?
sierras are unibody, lots of kits use their driveline components and suspension because they were cheap and RWD
yes please it's pretty
Sure; of anything in particular?
your dick
backseats pls
for some reason, it's almost impossible to find pictures of them
That bodykit is giving me a boner. It makes me want to buy a Miata just for it.
>One of my favorite things to do is scream, "Out of my way, I have puppies to murder."
OUR GUY
OUR GUY
OUR GUY
OUR GUY
OUR GUY
OUR GUY
>someone who wants to live in their playful idea of the past rather than the actual past
so the synthwave of cars?
I'm a sucker for cherrypicking 80s aesthetics like most neo-80s guys
I don't get it.
What's the point to buy an overpriced bodykit which will be heavier than the stock body and will unbalance the car ?
Adding lips and aerodynamics is useful, but a total convert to look like another car is just sad
Synthwave and vaporwave, that sort of nostalgia-fueled music is a good example, yeah. It's not 80s music strictly speaking but it takes clue from its clichés. Yeah, it's what we remember 80s synth music to be.
That said, it wouldn't be that surprising if a small carmaker appears trying to bank in and make 80s-nostalgia cars. So far the main market for retro design is older so the nostalgia dates furether back.
Come to think of it with Delorian reappearing, it's sort of happening already.
Now we have to wait for kits. Or design them ourselves and join the rank of boards that got shit done.
...
>Delorian
>muh grammar
>That said, it wouldn't be that surprising if a small carmaker appears trying to bank in and make 80s-nostalgia cars. So far the main market for retro design is older so the nostalgia dates furether back.
I'm actually anxiously waiting for that. I don't think it will ever happen, though, given the muh chillins mindset that has taken over the car regulations.
>tfw popup headlights aren't coming back
why live tbqhwy familia
I'd say it's possible that some kit car makers or small companies could end up making 80s nostalgia vehicles in very small quantities.
When you look at the amount of vehicles made by that sort of kit makers, it's pretty small so if there is even a small market of enthusiasts, it could be enough to be sustainable.
I'd say it could start in 10 years or so if the current trend regarding our outlook on the past keeps going, so the market gains disposable income.
>we might live to see the dream 80s mobile with a futuristic electric engine and digital dash shenanigans
looking forward to it
Will kit cars ever become as good as mass produced cars though? I haven't swallowed the kit pill yet
Bruh. I'm actually in the market to buy a Toyota Mr2 Mk1. Now I'm thinking about converting it to electric.
There is a lot of variation in quality but usually, a kit company you can hear about and that can sustain itself is good. Poor quality kit makers die quickly.
After that, a kit car is as good as you'll build and maintain it.
That's the kit-pill : you are completely in charge and in power.
it's cheaper than getting the original
Ive seen a eg shell on a sti so i mean shits not impossible if you can fab it up
buy an old nascar chassis and drop the body on top
there are plenty of bodyless frames you can buy, thats what it'd do, or have some frame rails made with dimensions for the body, and mounting points for C5 suspension (I'm assuming it's the best price to performance ratio) and drop in whatever running gear you please
These are awesome. I have no idea they can be remotely street legal though.
Wonder if anyone's done a truck based one.
What i've learned from Wheeler Dealers is to stay away as far as possible from those rust buckets.
Srsly, put some rust protection on your chassis.
wtf? no
When someone says "kit car", I think GT40, shelby cobra, caterham / lotus 7.
Fucking stupid and weird. Wouldn't recommend.
>the AC Cobra is stupid and weird
wew lad
I swapped a S10 frame onto an Apache last summer and it was an absolute hell of a job. And that's nothing compared to fitting that Corvette shell onto a modern vehicle and making it look half decent.
You're looking at hundreds of hours of welding and fabricating one of a kind parts.
Kit cars? More like kitsch cars, amirite?
haha very funny
have any more jokes to tell?
he's not wrong you know
but muh proper sporstcar with handling and the like
>believing anything you see in Discovery channel at all
top kek, they exaggerate bigly when they aren't completely making stuff up
Yeah I've given up on the idea. Just gonna buy a dumb Porsche.
People can stop posting now.
DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO YOU LITTLE SHIT
ITT hurrdurr
You can cut the parts off a modern car and fit an old body on it.
Is it easy? Fuck no.
Would it be cheap? Fuck no.
The problem with todays unibody cars is that if you start cutting on them to do this, you lose all the strength. Have to be super careful with cutting and might need to add some strength.
Moral of the story if you have to ask you can't do it, and you will pay more to do it than it will ever be worth. 60 grand in labor alone.
>actually responding to this retarded thread
its true what they say about tripfags i guess
>crown Vic's are too large.
Axle relocation kits are a thing you know...
i want to do a tube frame project, but nobody sells the kind of body tub i want. does anyone know where to get a little euro coupe shell from? something like a trabant or a fiat.
> body tub
what
>something like a trabant
Go to former East-Germany and grab a Trabi shell from a dumpster.
for a Fiat, search through italian or french auctions or classics sites, you can find some people selling cars with the body in good shape but at a slashed price because the engine itself is dead
this