OK, we'll admit it--not every kit car manual is exactly a wealth of usable information. Some are quite good, but many consist of a set of amateurish line drawings and vague instructions such as:
1. Disassemble donor car.
2. Assemble kit with parts from donor car.
Or, maybe you bought an uncompleted kit without a manual. This means the original manual was either such a timeless epic that the first owner couldn't bear to part with it or it was so worthless that he tossed it in the fireplace after trying to decipher the first three paragraphs. Guess which happens most often?
We at Kit Car have seen hundreds of manuals and have come to know the good from the bad from the ugly, indeed. Here are some hints from the real world of kit building.
Look out for “running changes.” We have seen many kit assembly manuals that were written when the first model of the kit was introduced. The kit has changed in detail several times since then, but the manual hasn’t. Perhaps you have ordered an option that isn’t covered in the book. The kit manufacturer may not catch omissions, since it doesn’t have to read the manual to know how to build its own cars. If the drawings and instructions don’t match the parts you have on hand, contact the manufacturer and make sure there isn’t something it forgot to tell you. This happens quite often.
If you can’t make heads or tails of the manual, always call the manufacturer or an experienced kit builder (this is where your friends in a kit car club can be helpful). Don’t just forge on ahead with critical components like brakes, suspension, and steering. Research vaguely outlined steps--a little extra time spent now will pay off in fun, safe driving down the road.