Kelmark and XTC

**MKHYTEK** · 08-15-2017, 12:03 AM

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Just for the update, I did buy the Kelmark. Owner kept the 1600 VW so I got it cheap. I bought a Subaru with a 2.2 FI motor and all electronics, so I have a good powerplant for it. Finished the suspension upgrades, all discs on the wheels new, getting ready to cut the pan and build a set of dropped seat pans/boxes to install real racing seats. It's fun and coming together. Building on a real world budget. If I had bought a manta, I'd hate to think where I'd be financially. At least I'm enjoying myself without guilt.

**Blueovalz** · 08-15-2017, 09:40 AM

Congrats, and glad you're having fun.

**D Morgan** · 08-15-2017, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by MKHYTEK

Just for the update, I did buy the Kelmark. Owner kept the 1600 VW so I got it cheap. I bought a Subaru with a 2.2 FI motor and all electronics, so I have a good powerplant for it. Finished the suspension upgrades, all discs on the wheels new, getting ready to cut the pan and build a set of dropped seat pans/boxes to install real racing seats. It's fun and coming together. Building on a real world budget. If I had bought a manta, I'd hate to think where I'd be financially. At least I'm enjoying myself without guilt.

Nice! Im glad to see you got it. Wow, the paint even looks good in the pic. yea, thats what I need to do to mine is to build a set of dropped seat pans. , just not enough leg room.

**MKHYTEK** · 08-21-2017, 12:33 AM

Originally Posted by D Morgan

Nice! Im glad to see you got it. Wow, the paint even looks good in the pic. yea, thats what I need to do to mine is to build a set of dropped seat pans. , just not enough leg room.

The paint looks good in pictures, but very amateurish.

Lots of orange peel, no primer under it, just right over the faded gelcoat. Single stage enamel. I bought it over the internet, so yeah, that's what I thought too. Oh well. I'll deal with it later. Wife wants ma to keep it black, I was surprised. She liked the Kelmark over the 917, Mantas, etc. She liked the GT40s also. So do I.

I have found that all of these VW pan based GT cars all have the problem of not enough headroom, as well as legroom issues. The Montage, 917, Avenger/Valkyrie, they all have the same issues. Manta had cheap buckets in them at first, and without dropped pans, forget it. The 917 is the worst, I was looking at one before I committed to the Kelmark, You have to be laying down to drive it. Kelmark made 3 different seats trying to lessen the issue. I have the late model seats, they drop your butt down to help, but again you are laying back. Totally unusable for my autocrosser. Great for cruising though. I need to be upright to have control strength on the shifter and wheel. So I've cut the floor pan seat area out, and have a set of racing seats I'm putting in it. It's taking a 5 inch drop to get me the headroom I need with real seats. That has always been one of my biggest issues with VW pan based kit cars. Also, these seat are super narrow, to hold you in place. If you have a waist larger than a 36, forget it, you ain't getting in them. I'm 5'9" and 200lbs. Yes, I need to lose some weight! I'll start posting pictures when I get the pans fabricated to go in. I bought a Lincoln MIG so I can fab all my own parts.

**MKHYTEK** · 10-07-2017, 12:20 AM

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I've got the dropped seat pans in, race seats, modded the roll bar for 5 point harness mounts, new brakes, rear disc kit, new KYB shocks, fat sway bar up front with new front suspension, dropped spindles, 295's on 10's in the rear, etc. Getting ready for the Subaru 2.2. Have a donor car, gonna go through the motor just because. I have the Kennedy parts ready to go. Gotta fab the front radiator mounts also. It's moving along, a little over budget, but not by much. Should come in pretty close to where I expected. Under 10k with paint. Including the new tires, etc. Poor man's solo 1 fun car. If anyone has questions / interest in it, I can post more. I have a build thread going at the Kelmark forum. Mike

**MKHYTEK** · 08-25-2018, 01:28 AM

Just updating the Kelmark posts. Got the doors fixed, the Subaru and adapter in, working out the exhaust details, just puttering along as budget allows.