Introduction
Having visited many Kit Car shows it is obvious, from the large number of cars on display, that the 2B must be one of the most popular kits on the market. The photographs in the Robin Hood brochure, with dozens of chassis's awaiting collection must make many company directors weep with envy. It is also obvious that no two cars are built the same. The Robin Hood is a bit like those old model aircraft kits that contained a plan, some balsa wood, tissue and transfers. All the components were there, how you put it together was more or less up to you. If you want a kit car that literally bolts together with very little actual thought, then this is not the kit for you. An awful lot of time is spent wondering how to proceed, using parts that in many cases do not fit. To be fair, most parts are oversize, and can be cut down to fit perfectly. Other parts are supplied as machined, but can with a little time and effort be made to look quite quite respectable. In extreme cases new parts can be made very easily if required using the original as a guide.
Having said that no two cars are the same, there are even considerable variations within the 2B range, producing a definitive manual is more or less impossible. This is where the Robin Hood video's fall down as many sections do not relate to current models, and in common with this web site slowly drift out of date as new model are introduced.
Kit Car builders produce very individual cars, which is great, that is why we build kit cars in the first place. So all that ANY manual can hope to achieve is a general guide to best practice in carrying out the various build operations in a logical sequence. As with any project as complicated as building a car, there are pitfalls. Hopefully a good manual will help you to avoid most, if not all of them, it may even prod the manufacturer into producing a better car.
Non of the problems are insurmountable, if they were, there would be no cars on display at all. Given enough time and thought a very good car can be produced, probably not a Birkin or a Caterham but then it is £10,000 cheaper !! As Shakespeare said " 2B or no car at all, that is the question "
The 2B is on a value for money basis unbeatable. No other kit comes even near. If the general presentation and build quality were improved, which would cost nothing, it could be brilliant. It does seem that Robin Hood Sports Cars hop from one kit to the next without fully sorting out the engineering on current models. (they are not alone in this, most modern mass produced cars are never 100% sorted.) The engineer that gets it "right first time, every time" has yet to be born.
Having read the manual you may wish to do things another way, which hopefully may be better. There is more than one way to do anything and always room for improvement, it's just that some ways are better than others, they may be better, faster or cheaper and if you are a good engineer all three. This is part of the challenge when building a kit car. As the famous saying goes " an Engineer is a man who can sell for £1.00 what everyone else sells for £5.00"
I am retired and have been able to devote many hours to building my 2B, even so it has taken almost exactly two years. No doubt cars have been built faster, but part of the fun is the building. As I have said before, Robin Hood provide all the bits, the quality of finished car will very much reflect your skill and patience. It is well worth taking your time and producing a quality job, rather than a hurried "lash up" that you will finish one day, but never quite get round to.
So go for it. But remember this manual IS NOT THE GOSPEL, just I hope a good guide that will point you the right way if all else fails. Good Luck. My car is now finished using the methods and designs used in the following manual so you can be confident they do work.
© Colin Usher 2006