New here, hoping to pick some brains.

[Nzdvl]

Hello, my name is Heath. I am new here and relatively new to the world of kit cars, yeah sure I have known of the existence of them but I never really saw myself building one. But I guess you could say I have matured in recent years and have been searching recently for the kit to sell to my wife :D I'm pretty set on the 818S, but I also like the 818C for more practical use.

As you can probably tell from my screen name, I am from New Zealand. Currently living in Norway, but moving home in a few weeks. I have read through a couple of build threads and like what I see. I am hoping to connect with the fellow kiwis on the board here and pick some brains. I have actually found one member in particular who I would like to chat with (Junty) purely because of geographic location (I will be moving to Hamilton).

Well anyway, I hope to be around for a while and also to one day in the not too distant future have the good news that I have a kit on the way.

Thanks, Heath aka nzdvl.

[lance corsi]

Hello Heath, and welcome to the forum. If you plan to build a coupe, I would say be aware that ingress and egress are severely hampered by the roof. Also, the interior can be tight, depending on your stature.

[Nzdvl]

Thanks for the heads up Lance. I'm not a big guy at all - 6ft and 160ish lbs, so a tight interior shouldn't be a problem.

[AZPete]

Welcome to the madness. These projects are lots of fun and you end up with a car near supercar performance. Regarding size, I'm 6'3", 235 lbs, and I'm comfortable with the donor seats and the space-saving Boyd fuel tank. I could get more room with thinner seats. Getting in and out took practice, but you'll be fine and you can check out Junty's car also. What I like is that you can make lots of modifications to make it the perfect car . . . for you. The 818 is relatively new so there are still some places where you will make improvements, particularly with the right-hand drive version. Thinking through every step and re-doing it until it's right is all part of the fun. If you expect everything to fit like Legos or detailed instructions like assembling a barbecue grill, then adjust your expectations. This forum is the best build help because there are lots of experienced builders here.

Oh, I almost forgot . . . I'd like to come to beautiful New Zealand again so if you need any help just send your address and an airline ticket. First Class. I'll buy the beer.

[bogandoc]

Hi Heath
Just joined myself, live in Hamilton (Matangi).
I have a 33 hot rod kit coming next year.

I'm trying to work out what will be involved in getting the kit LVVTA approved, hoping to find other NZers who have built these kits and are willing to relive the pain.

(For rest of you - LVV is a whole world of pain and safety requirements and inspections for custom built vehicles, our mates across the ditch (Australia) have a similar thing I believe).

[Nzdvl]

AZPete, thanks for the reply. I am a way off pulling the trigger, still need to build up sufficient funds to get a start at least. And with moving around the world with 2 kids there is a few things more important than a kit just now. But I think I have convinced the wife that I need this sooner rather than later. It is good to hear you are bigger than me and quite comfortable in the 818 chassis. And as for getting used to getting in and out of the car, I am more than familiar with getting in/out of excessively low cars with fixed back seats (which is what I would be looking at using).