Hi,

This is undoubtedly the wrong forum but I couldn't find anywhere more suitable.

I'm currently toying with the idea of building a Raw/Sylva Striker but "where" to build it, is proving a little complex. With this in mind, I am hoping to get some thoughts/ideas about possible solutions.

I do not have a garage but instead have a large workshop at the end of the garden. The issue I have is that access to the workshop is somewhat restricted (there is a side passage but it is only around 4ft wide) and so I cannot simply drive in/out a car. At my parent's house there is a garage which I could/probably will use in the future but a) there is already a kit car (a 1972 Fiat Impala) currently sat there and b) none of my tools etc are there.

So my cunning plan is to try and lift - on it's side - the chassis into my workshop, build it up into a rolling chassis, and then manouveur it (on a dolly) sideways down the side of our house. I would then transport it to my parents for the final fit/engine mounting etc.

Does this sound like a feasible plan or will it simply be too unwieldy to manouveur on it's side? If the latter, I may have to rethink my plan...

What have others done in this situation or are you all lucky enough to have garages?

is there access to a wall from a road/parking place so you could add a garage door?

Might have worked my my Indy. The chassis on the Indy I think is less than 4ft wide... so build up then reomove suspension and arches. You should the. Be able to move it on a dolly without putting it on its side...

Im sure there was a member on here years ago who built the car in a house basement, and did exactly as you said,

So yes it is possible

Yes that is possible.

I had a bit more space to start off with


Need more space!

and even more after the old Striker was sold!

However you could build up to this stage


Touchdown

and then with a person on each corner put it on its side and as you say roll it out on a dolly of some sort. You could go further before you move it as this stage was only part paneled and you could also add the wiring loom.

If you want any measurements taken on the chassis etc just ask

Hi

I'd go with what Bluemoon suggested.

Getting it in, isn't an issue, carried a Striker chassis like that several times..

When you've finished building it:-

The Striker main chassis is under 4ft wide, so you could build up the entire car and simply remove the suspension to do a 'once only' extraction, using a dolly underneath, via your 4ft Side passage (though you might want to very carefully measure that passage!)

Removing and replacing the corners as modules wouldn't even be a long job - an hour or so at each end..
nothing compared to having a nice workshop to build it in..

Even if the passage was too narrow, that wouldn't put me off, I'd then go to 'Plan B' and roll it onto it's side - though I'd then be checking just exactly how tall the roll hoop is..

Hi

Thanks for the replies and the encouragement. The workshop space should be fine (it's the size of a large double garage), it's just not conveniently positioned!!

Does anybody know the measurement from the bottom of the chassis to the top of the standard roll hoop (ie. Not the full cage)? I've looked on the Raw website but they don't have that measurement.

Thanks again

quote:

---

Originally posted by lennym1984
Hi

Thanks for the replies and the encouragement. The workshop space should be fine (it's the size of a large double garage), it's just not conveniently positioned!!

Does anybody know the measurement from the bottom of the chassis to the top of the standard roll hoop (ie. Not the full cage)? I've looked on the Raw website but they don't have that measurement.

Thanks again

---

Hi

IIRC the top of the roll hoop is circa 3' 2" ish..

The full cage only adds a couple of inch's, I'd recommend you at least consider it

In my photo archive there's a few pics of my Striker, from when we first ran it (number 20/22/753 on the side) to one when it was properly sorted (number 796 on it) the cage I think helps with chassis rigidity - but also certainly helps protect you in it..

.

I can't tell you how much of a barrier having the car away from your home will be to you progressing/finishing the car. Highly recommend building at home and then moving it later.



I wonder what it would cost to hire a small crane to lift it over the wall once finished?

I imagine the cost would be hundreds as opposed to thousands. At work, to borrow a Telehandler or Cherry Picker I think we pay less than £50 an hour with a driver.

Might be worth investigating by calling a couple of places.

You might consider attaching some small lifting eyes to the chassis early on in the build when it's easy to do if this is the route you're going.



If you're still going to turn the chassis on it's side and go down the alley, perhaps it'd be worth making/buying a build frame with a turntable mount in it (like an engine stand at each end) so it's easy to rotate the car onto it's side.


Good luck!!!

James

In winter and spring of 2006, I built 3 cars outside!
Just some scaffolding planks and several cheap tarpaulin from machine mart to keep the snow & rain off...

Build it in your garage and crane it out once built. You'll save more money in time and frustration. Petrol costs alone. Trust me on this. Friend of mine had a narrow boat craned into his garden. A really big one as well. A 70 footer. He took two years to fit the interior out and then had it shipped to the canal. Cranes cost less than mooring fees

I think craning it over the house may be a little extreme for me. I think I'll go with the original plan and then either finish it on the drive or at my parents house