Recently, SRMA (the Street Rod Council of SEMA) has, under its umbrella, included and expanded its definition and support of "street modified" and "kit cars." I thought it would be interesting to point out the crossover similarities between all of these vehicles:1. Almost all of them are not daily drivers to work.2. All of them need some sort of registration in their state of residence.3. Additionally, they need similar component parts to make them driveable, safe, and fun.
The first point is personal preference. The second point is covered by the fact that SEMA has a very competent and diligent department in Washington, looking out for all of us in that area, 24-7. In regard to the third point, I have some experience and expertise. So, let's look at that.
The automotive aftermarket is so vast, innovative, and competitive that it is always pushing the envelope for the latest and greatest thing. This is very healthy for the industry. Plus, it gives us (enthusiasts) lots of choices.
Twenty-five years ago, when I built my first hot rod, items you could purchase were very limited. Most of the time we had to go to the wrecking yard and try to graft something onto our projects. The other choice was to fabricate something one-off, assuming you had the talent and tools to do so. However, even then it was trial, error, and adjust.
Price and availability will always be an issue, no matter what type of service or product you're providing or attempting to acquire. One of the areas that has improved immensely is the sharing of working knowledge and precise, user-friendly instructions included with parts and component assemblies. This was once a nightmare to deal with for most first-time builder/buyers, but now it is a reality and pretty much prevalent in the industry.
Kit cars, like most automotive hobby projects, can be purchased in stages, from body-frame packages to complete vehicles, and everywhere in between. I'm sure many potential enthusiasts have gone to their first show and said to themselves, "Gee, I'd like to do this," but are a little intimidated and not sure they can handle it.
Today's vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers have really stepped up by providing competitive pricing, availability, customer service, tech help, and service after the sale. Parts can be purchased in a variety of ways, via mail order, over the Internet, direct-store purchase, or (and this one is my favorite) at an event where vendors and manufacturer products are present. You can touch and feel the product, and you can also talk directly to the manufacturer or educated authorized distributor about options or application issues. You also can go outside the building and see the part already installed in a car similar to yours that a fellow hobbyist has built. So, a good tip for those of you who are first-time builders, but who haven't attended trade shows/events such as Goodguys, NSRA, Rod & Custom's Mid-Americruise, or one of the many independent events that include vendor/manufacturer product display areas, is that you should definitely put them on your list.
Another area that has changed over the years is the section of vehicle assembly that includes gauges and instruments. There are many sources and brands to choose from-both analog and digital. Most have gotten away from mechanical and enhanced their electronic lines.
What I think has really helped is the advent of programmable electronic speedometers. Not so long ago, every project seemed to have a different rearend ratio or tire size. This was a pain to deal with, as we had to change plastic gears or subassemblies in the transmission and deal with other minutiae. Most of today's offerings either have a button procedure or a procedure in which you can rearrange a row of rocker switches per the chart provided to recalibrate to your combination-simple!
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