Paul
05-09-2013, 21:34
Well, after 2.5 years (can that be considered average?), took my Listerbell bodied Corse for it's first drive yesterday - a 10 mile round trip for a police inspection (part of registration process). Couldn't be more pleased - nothing blew up, overheated or fell off - my heart was in my mouth setting out for the first time, but car handled beautifully and heart rate soon eased off. Didn't exceed 40-45mph though, so time will tell if all is really ok - I'll do a thorough nut & bolt check at the weekend before venturing out again. Headroom was always a concern of mine, but when actually driving, I seemed to settle in just fine with no issues (with helmet will still be tight though). Lots of strange looks and headscratching - the inspection officer had no idea what it was - 90% of kitcars here are Cobras, although he did mention he sees a few Nobles from time to time.
Not a surprise really but it's quite noisy inside - I have no insulation at all, so will need to get used to what's normal and what's not - some strange squeeks from the suspension for example.
Rear visibility, even with my side mirrors, is truly horrible - again I presume I'll get used to it, but think I'll look into a rear-view camera such as Craig was advertising recently. Here, in a world of large SUV's and pickups with multiple lanes, I need all the help I can get to avoid being run off the road!
I can also see heat being an issue in the cabin - it was already a hot day and with no insulation on my center tunnel water pipes, heat was building up pretty quickly inside - AC is going to be essential here in California.
Still have a list of things to do (and always will, I suspect), but at least I've reached a point where I can use the car and work on it at the same time - for me there came a point where I just wanted it to be on the road.
I'll post some better photos over time - still need to fit my coffin spoke wheels and color scheme (Alitalia) along with various other details both internal and external
Thanks so much for everyones help in getting this far - it's a great community with a lot to offer everyone, even more so for members as distant as myself with no local support/knowledge to help on the journey of what was a challenging build for me.
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Not a surprise really but it's quite noisy inside - I have no insulation at all, so will need to get used to what's normal and what's not - some strange squeeks from the suspension for example.
Rear visibility, even with my side mirrors, is truly horrible - again I presume I'll get used to it, but think I'll look into a rear-view camera such as Craig was advertising recently. Here, in a world of large SUV's and pickups with multiple lanes, I need all the help I can get to avoid being run off the road!
I can also see heat being an issue in the cabin - it was already a hot day and with no insulation on my center tunnel water pipes, heat was building up pretty quickly inside - AC is going to be essential here in California.
Still have a list of things to do (and always will, I suspect), but at least I've reached a point where I can use the car and work on it at the same time - for me there came a point where I just wanted it to be on the road.
I'll post some better photos over time - still need to fit my coffin spoke wheels and color scheme (Alitalia) along with various other details both internal and external
Thanks so much for everyones help in getting this far - it's a great community with a lot to offer everyone, even more so for members as distant as myself with no local support/knowledge to help on the journey of what was a challenging build for me.
5209
5211
5212
5208
5210