Anyone interested in having their 818 Built for them?

[Ironhydroxide]

SO, i've been really wanting an 818 since i heard of it a long time ago....

i'm VERY into subarus, and have built everything from an 93 Impreza EJ20G swapped, to an XT6 EG33 Swapped. I rebuild transmissions regularly, along with engines, suspension... pretty much everything.

I've done all the wiring on the above swaps, an there is really nothing in a subaru (or any other car for that matter) that i'm not afraid to jump into.

now the pitch,

I don't have the $$ for an 818R, and would ABSOLUTELY LOVE one, even if it were just the kit, bare bones.

I would LOVE to build YOUR 818(r or s), you buy your kit, tell me what you want in it (you buying either a donor, or all the parts), and pay me in a "kit" for the labor of building yours into a turn key machine, however you want it done.


want large turbo EJ257.....

want Supercharged?

want Strait cut gears?


i can do it all.
Heck, i'm even willing to try and shoehorn an EG33 into one :D

SO, whadaya say? buy me an 818?



IF you think this could benefit both of us, then by all means, PM me, or Email Me.

Ironhydroxide2@gmail.com


side note,

I'm not doing this to make any sort of FULL business out of it, i have a steady day job, and cars are my hobby (therefore you know i'm passionate ;) )

I don't enjoy being flamed for my ideas (as i'm sure none of you do either) so please, if you think i'm just being selfish, or unreasonable. Press the back button and ignore this.


Thanks.

[timmy318]

Cool bro! Hope it all works out!

[Kalstar]

Wish you the best. Not a bad idea at all. To the right person, this could be a great fit.

[metalmaker12]

I have a similar thing going on in my area. I have been part of 3 roadster builds, many mustang builds, and over the last 12 years countless Subaru, Honda, Nissan swaps and builds, including a couple right hand drive jobs etc. I can do many things well, but I am no expert in any area except Suspension,Frame Body/paint and any type of welding. I am pretty good at wiring up most cars as well.
A couple of MG guys have asked me lately about modernizing a MGB with an S2000 drivetrain, I am game, but one of them has asked me about the 818. I told him I am building one and we have talked in detail about me building him one down the road. We will see if I can work out some details

[Mechie3]

A local suby guy that's a bit older (nearing 60?) has asked a few times on the local forum wondering if you can buy one pre assembled. I told him I'd build him one if he paid me enough. I don't think he has the cash for the kit, donor, and paying someone to build it.

[riptide motorsport]

200 hours of work for a $10,000 kit....wow you must really good. You can get a roadster assembled for $3000........and this one is easier!





SO, i've been really wanting an 818 since i heard of it a long time ago....

i'm VERY into subarus, and have built everything from an 93 Impreza EJ20G swapped, to an XT6 EG33 Swapped. I rebuild transmissions regularly, along with engines, suspension... pretty much everything.

I've done all the wiring on the above swaps, an there is really nothing in a subaru (or any other car for that matter) that i'm not afraid to jump into.

now the pitch,

I don't have the $$ for an 818R, and would ABSOLUTELY LOVE one, even if it were just the kit, bare bones.

I would LOVE to build YOUR 818(r or s), you buy your kit, tell me what you want in it (you buying either a donor, or all the parts), and pay me in a "kit" for the labor of building yours into a turn key machine, however you want it done.


want large turbo EJ257.....

want Supercharged?

want Strait cut gears?


i can do it all.
Heck, i'm even willing to try and shoehorn an EG33 into one :D

SO, whadaya say? buy me an 818?



IF you think this could benefit both of us, then by all means, PM me, or Email Me.

Ironhydroxide2@gmail.com


side note,

I'm not doing this to make any sort of FULL business out of it, i have a steady day job, and cars are my hobby (therefore you know i'm passionate ;) )

I don't enjoy being flamed for my ideas (as i'm sure none of you do either) so please, if you think i'm just being selfish, or unreasonable. Press the back button and ignore this.


Thanks.

[Ironhydroxide]

200 hours of work for a $10,000 kit....wow you must really good. You can get a roadster assembled for $3000........and this one is easier!

Thanks for the info. I've not dealt with FFR kits yet, and therefore dont' know the time it takes to build one.

that taken into account..... I'm still willing to build you a kit, and even source you a WRX donor, or parts.

[riptide motorsport]

this should give you some idea:

http://www.engineeredadrenalin.com/Custom_Kit_Car_Assembly.html

[jetsbaby]

No offense but I think you have a snow ball chance in you know what of that happening.

[Mechie3]

He might have a slightly better chance, but not much. From the link posted:

$3k for assembly of kit
$500 for parts cleaning
$500 for installing engine and trans

He could get $4k for assembling a running car. If they supplied a put together donor and he did all the work to take it apart, refresh parts, etc (like AJW is doing) he could get a lot more out of the deal.

[michael everson]

Ive built many FFR products and all but the GTM dont come near $10K in labor to build. I would estimate the 818 could be done by someone like me for about $5K depending on the condition of the donor and if any options are added. Things like heat, wipers, heated seats, air conditioning etc add lots of labor. I charge 200 hours at $40.00 to build a top notch all new parts Roadster. Never not have one to build.
Mike

[Mechie3]

Does that include taking apart the donor?

[Ironhydroxide]

well, considering this further.

3K to build one with your parts, right?
Then, what would you spend on a donor? 5k? maybe more, depending on how fast you want it to go?

considering i have connections with many different subaru places, i might be able to make this work. Yes, it could be a long shot, but so is life, isn't it?

SO, revised.

you buy 2 kits, give me one, and i make your kit running however you want it (up to a point of "diminishing returns")



and yes, you may think i'm crazy, maybe I am..... but, it never hurts to ask, now does it?

[Turboguy]

Sorry for the (sort-of) hi-jack but to Riptide and Mike Everson I wanted to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH for providing links and build-cost numbers for various FFR models.


Maybe I'm just in the dark, but I feel most FFR kit builders envision the cost of kit building/completion to be much, much higher than this. I have a feeling that if this info was more widely known, there would be a lot less half-completed kits in garages. Many people start these projects, and then "life gets in the way". I think everyone would agree that a completed car in gel-coat is a superior option to something that is just taking up garage space -- whether it be to enable them to sell their project or just begin enjoying it.


Out of curiosity, do either of you offer on-site kit completion services? I know Mark Dougherty was doing something like this a while back, but I'm curious if either of you do as well. For some people, getting the "kit" to you would be a hard part in all this.


Feel free to PM me if that is preferred to responding here.

[michael everson]

I have built many kits off site. But unfortunatley I only do them within driving distance from my house. I am currently juggling 4 off site builds right now. Typically I go in for one day a week and then leave the owner with a list of things to complete or buy for my next visit. You would be amazed how fast a car can be built using this method. It give the builder my expertise but also allows them to get involved in the build. Best of both worlds.
Mike

[Kalstar]

I have built many kits off site. But unfortunatley I only do them within driving distance from my house. I am currently juggling 4 off site builds right now. Typically I go in for one day a week and then leave the owner with a list of things to complete or buy for my next visit. You would be amazed how fast a car can be built using this method. It give the builder my expertise but also allows them to get involved in the build. Best of both worlds.
Mike

So when is the next time you will be on the Cape? :p

[Jeff Kleiner]

Ironhydroxide, this is not to be discouraging but to provide a reality check. Like Mike I too have built for others but unlike him in addition to the mechanical assembly I've also done the complete body and paint. Even doing both the assembly AND body & paint my total tab <$10K. Now...if you can build a trio of 818s for others you should cover the cost of a kit for yourself ;)

Turboguy, if someone wanted one built on site and I could fit it into my schedule I'd be more than willing. I'd even offer a discount if it was during the winter and the job was in Florida! :cool:

Jeff

[Rockraven]

There are 2 types of buyers for the 818:

"I have to build it."

"I get to build it".

I'm the latter.

[BrandonDrums]

Here's the plan that many have done...successfully.

Take out a loan and buy yourself a roadster and a donor.

Build it.

Sell it on the open market, you can expect to make 3-4k 'profit' on the completed kit.

Do it again.

After a couple of builds and sales, you'll be able to afford your own kit.

Asking someone up front to 'buy' a non functioning car in advance as a non-established builder would be far more difficult. However, once you build and sell a few to get references and referrals you can end up taking advance orders more easily. There were actually 2 different shops in NC that would build the '65 Roadster or Coupe by FFR for you like you're proposing for many years. One was an actual shop, the other I think were guys like you who got into it by selling completed projects. That was years ago though.

In any case, FFR's are cool because as Dave Smith says, aside from collectors cars they are just about the only cars on the market that are worth more when you go to sell them (assuming they are completed and running) than they are 'new' (assuming you buy the raw kit).

The 818 would probably fall into that category more than the '65 roadster given the market has really gotten a bit more saturated for the Cobra replicas so, at least early on, I bet you could spend 15k on the kit and donor and expect to be able to sell the completed car for closer to 20k. Many people want an 818 but lack time or a grarage to build it and it would be way cheaper for them to buy one completed than to try to buy a new house with a garage or purchase a couple grand worth of tools.

Worth considering, just don't expect people to pony up and buy you a whole kit just for building theirs. You'll probably have to build a few 818's and turn them over to get the dough you're asking for.

[Mechie3]

Here's the plan that many have done...successfully.

Take out a loan and buy yourself a roadster and a donor.

Build it.

Sell it on the open market, you can expect to make 3-4k 'profit' on the completed kit.

Do it again.



I actually thought about doing that, minus the loan. My grandma apparently got a bunch of savings bonds for each grandkid to buy a new car before she passed away. That was maybe 15 years ago now? I just found out about it this year, since they just matured. It's enough to buy an 818, a donor, and then some. I've toyed with the idea of, after I build my own 818, using that money to build another and sell it. Best case, I make some money on the investment, worst case I sell at a loss and lose some money that I never knew I even had until now (and thus hadn't planned on in a budget/life plan).

[michael everson]

Brandon Drums. Not sure if you have ever built a FFR, but most private builders do not make money selling there completed cars. You really cant build them for what you can buy them for. There are of course a few exceptions to the rule.
Mike

[Rockraven]

Would there be any kind of discount if you buy 2 kits? Say, $18k for 2 kits, another $10k for donors and parts, sell one of the completed cars for $25k, end up paying only $3000 for your 818.

[PhyrraM]

Would there be any kind of discount if you buy 2 kits? Say, $18k for 2 kits, another $10k for donors and parts, sell one of the completed cars for $25k, end up paying only $3000 for your 818.

Not to put words in FFRs mouth, but if there is a 100+ car backlog, where is the incentive to do such?

It would be nice, and sometimes it seems Dave does do things just to be nice. So you never know.... They do put the other kits on sale at times. I'm gussing when inventory is up?

[Jeff Kleiner]

X2 on what both Mike E. and Phyrra said.

Jeff

[longislandwrx]

There were some sweet deals on black friday... the base cobra kit normally $12900 was $9900, that's huge. I'd expect in a few years to see the same with the 818 as production costs and demand decrease.

[Oppenheimer]

Whats huge too is the 818 kit is already only $9900, and doesn't require paint. Plus its lighter than and will likely handle better than the roadster. The FFR Roadster is already the most popular kit car ever built. The 818 is gonna be huge.

But I get what you are saying, in a few years, we will see 818 on sale from time-to-time, just like with other FFR's now.

[tdhallum]

Dave has repeatedly stated that the profit margins on the 818 are extremely slim in order to meet the $9999 price point. I don't see a sale or discounts being available anytime soon....especially so with the continued development that will be required for the first couple of years worth of production.

[Oppenheimer]

But their productivity will likely improve, their costs go down, their margins go up. Will take time of course.

[mrmustang]

Brandon Drums. Not sure if you have ever built a FFR, but most private builders do not make money selling there completed cars. You really cant build them for what you can buy them for. There are of course a few exceptions to the rule.
Mike

X 2 :D .........


Bill "The Cobra Trader" S. :D

[mrmustang]

But their productivity will likely improve, their costs go down, their margins go up. Will take time of course.

Unfortunately, while the productivity improves, believe it or not the costs do not go down. Small items like employee health care, insurance, mortgage, lighting, heating, snow removal, transportation costs, and raw goods never go down and only go up, thus cutting into the base costs of each item sold by FFR

Bill S.

[Turboguy]

Don't forget "taxes" and government mandated health care premiums, Bill.

These things tend to go in 4 year cycles, although sometimes you end up with 8 or 12 years of increases in those 4 years :rolleyes: