Some general questions about the 818c

[Christian Emig]

Hi, I am thinking about building the factory 5 818c, and I have a few questions about it.
1. How easy is it to strip down the donor car
2. Does this car have airbags, or do you need to mod it to include them
3. Would it be difficult to install Bluetooth speakers into the 818c
4. Where I live, it gets very cold in the winters, so I'm wondering if heated seats would be enough, or if I should get a heating core
These are my biggest concerns about the car, and I hope that I can get these out of the way and get on to building the car.

[lance corsi]

Welcome Christian, allow me to expand your brain...
1) how easy to tear down? Depends on if the donor came from a rust belt state, how many parts you are planning to reuse, condition of donor car( mine was hit in the front and had to be disassembled with a cutting torch)
2)air bags? I imagine some are incorporating air bags, however most choose either 4 or 5 point racing belts, negating the need for an airbag.
3)Bluetooth? That’s dependent upon which unit you decide to buy. Mine is an Alpine w/Sony CarPlay and it has Bluetooth.
4) heat? I chose to put heat in mine since in Ohio, you need a defrost for the windshield anyway in order to pass inspection. These cars are loud, leak water, and have lots of air moving through the cabin when at speed. They are definitely not up to oem standards regarding these elements.
Have fun with it!

[Christian Emig]

So can these cars pass inspection?

[lance corsi]

Absolutely! Many have been built for the street and registered. Sometimes the registration process can get sticky depending upon who is doing the inspection. Usually the general workmanship on the car can alert the inspector to possible problems or just the opposite.

[Christian Emig]

Great! As a final question, how long realistically would this take to build. because of Quarantine I have a lot of time over the summer, but after that, who knows? So would this project take 6 months? a year? More?

[lance corsi]

Lol! I’ve been working on mine for almost 5 years. Over 3,000 hours. It is what you make of it. Most kit car builders are between 50 and 70 years old, commonly cash flow related. Personally, I’m 65 and this will be my only build, so I’m doing my best and trying to live in the moment. Some have built theirs by the book and have ended up with a mediocre toy. It really takes a lifetime of experience to be able to grapple with the situations presented by building a kit car. And still we learn new methods, materials, procedures. Lots of sage advice on this forum.

[aquillen]

Lance has pretty much nailed the story on this. I never do things by the book, modify everything and as a result I have 4 years in it. Should finish up this summer. I think if I did one by the book with basic tools and a decent donor it would take about a year.

If you want a closed up car that is something like an OEM ride that stays pretty dry, warm, cool and so on, you won't get that even with the coupe - unless you put MANY hours into modifying the fit and finish to close it up, insulate, add air and heat. If you don't need those things and like the look of the open car, you should build the S - it will be an easier build and take less time (if that is important).

But the real reason to me at least is the experience and enjoyment of building the machine yourself. You can create your own car from the starting point of what the kit and donor initiates and from there make it your own. I suggest reading several build threads, probably looking for some of the longer ones in particular, to see what the journeys are like for different builders. You should put plenty of thought into the project before buying in. More than one person has bought the kit then sold it unfinished for whatever reason. That is the one thing you really want to avoid IMO.

[lance corsi]

Read Art’s build thread if you only read one!

[STiPWRD]

My biggest advice would be to meet a local builder and check one of these out in person. Depending on which state you're in, there's probably someone near you with an 818. Passing inspection is also very state dependent - some states are easy, some are tough. Each state has their own requirements. You have to research this or ask here on the forum. Regarding your questions, Lance and Art and right on the money but here are my 2 cents:

1. Stripping your donor is also dependent on your skill level, experience and available tools. It's a great way to build up experience and get a frame of reference for where things go. An experienced person with the correct tools can break down a donor in a few weeks. It's also a good time to refurbish and paint dirty old parts.
2. I have not yet seen an 818 with air bags and I don't believe there are many aftermarket airbag kits on the market. Reusing the OEM airbag system is a liability because one electrical mistake and it can blow the bag. When it comes to air bags, you don't really need them, try to think of this thing as a safer motorcycle.
3. Bluetooth should be very easy to integrate, lots of options out there.
4. I've seen some builders who have installed heated seats and that's usually enough in the winter. There are also aftermarket HVAC systems out there (Vintage air) that can be installed that provide heating and AC.

[Sgt.Gator]

Others have covered the basics here and I agree with them. My only comment is on the air bags. OEMS spend millions of $$$ getting their air bags right. The distances, power of explosion, trigger device, Airbag Control Module, 3 point harness integration, all have to be perfect or the air bag becomes more of a danger to you and your passenger than a safety device. If air bags are an important safety device you or your loved ones want in a car, then a kit car like an 818 is not for you.

[Brd.Prey]

Never mind a tuned ABS, traction control and stability control. Everyday safety devices in today's cars people don't even think about but will not be as included or as functional in a kit car without major installation and or tuning.

[Shawn818c]

based on these questions the 818c isn't really a viable option for you.

[lance corsi]

based on these questions the 818c isn't really a viable option for you.

I would tend to agree with Shawn.

[Pearldrummer7]

I agree with the sentiments above, but my main sentiment with the 818 is that I treat it like a more functional motorcycle. So I don't rely on it to get me around in bad weather, or if I have to do a specific thing that requires tooling/moving a lot of people/etc. It's strictly a fun toy/learning experience for me.

Great second car, bad primary car.