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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: May 24, 2012, 7:36 am 
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I don't think it is necessary to find unused initials. Just initials that are not in use by someone in auto industry. As an example, when Henry decided to make a tractor, he named it the Fordson because some yahoo beat him to the market with a Ford tractor. By that time, Ford was established as the #1 automaker in the world. Henry had to wait until that POS was dead and the name became available in the tractor market.

Personally, I like KVR. Sort of rolls off the tongue in a nice manner.

Bill


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PostPosted: May 24, 2012, 8:35 am 
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JackMcCornack wrote:
Any good name ideas? Not for a car, for a business.


Probably not a good idea for the same reason I assume that you have not changed MAX to something else. It's kind of like when Jennifer Grey fixed her nose.

I think I'll use PIA for my spitfire instead (Prova Impianto Atrezzare, "the appropriate tool").

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PostPosted: May 24, 2012, 9:32 am 
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We are Slotus!
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"So, what's wrong with initials?" asked JD...

Just don't call it Team Slotus, or you're gonna hear from my lawyers!
(They'll think you're me, and want you to pay up...) :mrgreen:

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PostPosted: May 24, 2012, 10:43 am 
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GonzoRacer wrote:
Just don't call it Team Slotus, or you're gonna hear from my lawyers! :mrgreen:
Oh yeah, well I'm going to use initials, so TS, GonzoRacer. :P

I guess Kinetic Vehicles is pretty well established amongst current builders, and for new builders, well, it can be an intelligence test.

KVR does come off the tongue well, though it's hard to write the way it sounds when spoken as a three syllable word (kayveeare). I practiced saying KVblank all the way through the alphabet, and only a handful sounded good to me.

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PostPosted: May 24, 2012, 10:45 am 
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GonzoRacer wrote:
Just don't call it Team Slotus, or you're gonna hear from my lawyers!
(They'll think you're me, and want you to pay up...) :mrgreen:


I'm thinking of "Loco ST." But betting someone here has claimed that one already?

G'03.

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PostPosted: May 24, 2012, 11:02 am 
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Do you have any more data on the Lola-perspired body?

- How many pennies will I need?
- About what date do you think you'd be ready to ship?
- Hell, for that matter, how would you ship?
- Most importantly for me now, what are the chassis dimensions that you'll be building for? I'd rather spend my time driving instead of learning to cut up a body that I just got for $$$...

Wait, that last line makes me sound like a potential Jack the Ripper, doesn't it?

Tim

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PostPosted: May 24, 2012, 10:49 pm 
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GonzoRacer wrote:
Just don't call it Team Slotus, or you're gonna hear from my lawyers!
(They'll think you're me, and want you to pay up...) :mrgreen:
I've just added that to my "Notable Quotes" file. TNX :cheers:

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PostPosted: May 25, 2012, 11:43 am 
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geek49203 wrote:
Do you have any more data on the Lola-perspired body?
Good questions, Tim. And now, for some good answers:

- How many pennies will I need?

The first three builders will need two hundred thousand pennies total, and fifty thousand of those at time of order. It's conceivable that I'll be able to hold close to that price in later production but it may go up as high as a quarter million pennies after those three are shipped. The initial pricing is a reward for being an early adopter, which means A) being a beta tester, and B) having the nads to commit before I have the parts in stock. I know this is a big departure from the usual Kinetic policy but there's a reason*.

- About what date do you think you'd be ready to ship?


I predict three months after the third guy signs up. I intend to install the first set of parts out of the molds onto MAX, because A) I'll need to dismantle MAX for mold patterns, and B) if you're going to be beta testers, the least I can do is be an alpha tester.

- Hell, for that matter, how would you ship?

Here's my What You Get For Your Two Grand list: Two rear fenders, two front fenders, a nose center section, two fiberglass-front-of-pontoon-thingies-I-haven't-named-yet (a combination inner fender liner and pontoon streamliner; you'll note they don't exist on the prototype but they're Under Developent), two door skins and frames, either a set of scuttle bulkheads for a sheetmetal scuttle or a two part scuttle a la the current Superscuttle (I haven't decided which one is best yet), bulkheads for the sheetmetal pontoons, Dzuses and hardware and hinges oh my, and sufficient fiberglass mat to get you through the assembly and fitting process.

The main reason the nose will come in three pieces is to greatly reduce the size of the package. The box will still be too big for UPS but it won't be as big as a nose box, so truck freight shouldn't be a killer. And there are a couple more reasons...

- Most importantly for me now, what are the chassis dimensions that you'll be building for? I'd rather spend my time driving instead of learning to cut up a body that I just got for $$$...

By making the nose in three pieces, the pontoons and stern simple curves of sheetmetal, the scuttle either sheet-and-bulkhead or superscuttle-style, and the doors as skins to be cut to length and reinforced, is that (within reason) you'll be able to make the body fit whatever chassis you like.

You can widen the body by moving the fenders further apart from their L-or-R opposites, by extending the rear panel in back, as on the prototype, and trimming the center section of the nose to fit, as also done on the prototype and alluded to in MAX Update No. 50: How to Make a Fiberglass Mold** and you can lengthen the body by extending the pontoons and doors. Of course if you get silly it'll look like your car was built by Big Daddy Roth, but in the range from original Locost to +442 (which includes the Haynes Roadster) it blends nicely (same as the Se7en inspired bodies do now).

The third reason for a three part nose (basically two fenders and a hood) is that engine variations can be accomodated by modifying only the center section The fourth reason...dang, I said three reasons***...is you'll have the option of a flip-up nose or fixed fenders and a hood.

And now, on to the asterisks:

*I'm proposing the county grant Kinetic some of the state lottery funds which are earmarked for local economic development, in order to do tooling (among other things), including molds for this body. To qualify I have to convince the County Commissioners there is a demand for these products, and nothing says market demand like orders with pre-paid deposits.

The Locost industry has a well-earned horrible reputation for sucking up deposit money with no intention of filling orders, which is why Kinetic hasn't called for advance payment or deposits in the past, but I figure I've got a reputation of my own by now and won't get lumped in with the carpetbaggers. Besides, I'm only going to take a maximum of three body pre-orders, and I'm not likely to bail with a modest $1500 in ill gotten gains.

**Go to http://www.motherearthnews.com/blogs/bl ... 00&tag=MAX and scroll down to Update #50. And if you read the latest entry (#92)...
horizenjob wrote:
Jack - you drive around in a car you make and at some point women just drape themselves over it?
...you'll find that, yup, that's pretty much what happens. I try not to encourage them, but you know how kids are, crawling all over everything--what's a fella to do?

***Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

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PostPosted: May 30, 2012, 3:38 am 
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JackMcCornack wrote:
The first three builders will need two hundred thousand pennies total, and fifty thousand of those at time of order.
That's one hundred thousand pennies less than the estimate from about two months ago...That's a drop of nearly 1700 pennies per day. The way I figure it, in another four months, it should be free. :mrgreen:


JackMcCornack wrote:
Here's my What You Get For Your Two Grand list: Two rear fenders, two front fenders, a nose center section, two fiberglass-front-of-pontoon-thingies-I-haven't-named-yet (a combination inner fender liner and pontoon streamliner; you'll note they don't exist on the prototype but they're Under Developent), two door skins and frames, either a set of scuttle bulkheads for a sheetmetal scuttle or a two part scuttle a la the current Superscuttle (I haven't decided which one is best yet), bulkheads for the sheetmetal pontoons, Dzuses and hardware and hinges oh my, and sufficient fiberglass mat to get you through the assembly and fitting process.
That's certainly more complete than I had anticipated. Heck I figured it could even be something as simple as a basic 5 piece kit with 2 rear fenders, 2 front fenders, and a trim-to-fit hood...And leave the rest of the simple curved pieces up to the builder to fab, or purchase as cost added options. Definitely a pleasant surprise. :cheers:

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PostPosted: May 30, 2012, 7:56 pm 
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how about RKV

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PostPosted: June 1, 2012, 1:24 am 
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Driven5 wrote:
That's one hundred thousand pennies less than the estimate from about two months ago...That's a drop of nearly 1700 pennies per day. The way I figure it, in another four months, it should be free. :mrgreen: Two slots remain at that price.It's likely to be a significant get-the-ball-rolling discount and please don't be mad when they go into production and are priced up a tad; after these three I'll better know the actual production costs, plus production is what's going to amortize the original investment. But the first three buyers are taking a lot on faith and deserve to be rewarded.

Driven5 wrote:
That's certainly more complete than I had anticipated.
Oh, you'll still have enough simple curved pieces to fab that you won't feel like a 'checkbook builder'. :D

Also, some of the items in the list may become options.

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PostPosted: June 1, 2012, 8:46 am 
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Jack, I found this quote on your blog on the Mother Earth News:

"Now it’s time to make MAX more versatile, so we can drive it 12 months a year. I'll be developing a fully enclosed cockpit before I do any more streamlining work."

Is the enclosed cockpit going to be compatible with the parts you are developing for the "Lalo" ?

Bill


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PostPosted: June 1, 2012, 3:20 pm 
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Tailwind wrote:
Jack, I found this quote on your blog on the Mother Earth News:

"Now it’s time to make MAX more versatile, so we can drive it 12 months a year. I'll be developing a fully enclosed cockpit before I do any more streamlining work."

Is the enclosed cockpit going to be compatible with the parts you are developing for the "Lalo" ?

Bill

I'm on my iPhone so I will be brief

Yup

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PostPosted: June 13, 2012, 12:15 pm 
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Jack,

Loving your Lalo project so far. A couple questions:

You mentioned an enclosed cockpit at some point. Does that mean the Lalo would have an optional windshield and top?

How would the car be registered for street use? Can it be considered a replica of a Lotus of some particular year?

Any ideas on frame modifications that would take advantage of the body shape? i.e. wider footwells, etc.

I may want to visit at some point (from Portland), maybe this summer? I am trying to narrow down my choices for my next two projects. One will likely be another reverse trike, but the second will probably be a 4-wheeled roadster of some kind.

Thanks.


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PostPosted: June 13, 2012, 7:42 pm 
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Thanks for the kind words. Here are a couple of answers.

> You mentioned an enclosed cockpit at some point. Does that mean the Lalo would have an optional windshield and top?

Yes. It'll be done by September; I'm driving it back to Pennsylvania again and I got tired of wearing my biker gear. It's also getting...not a full roll cage 'cause it makes it hard to get in and out, but a roll bar at the windshield line (braced by a single center tube back to the main roll bar), mostly as a Bambi basher.

> How would the car be registered for street use?

Replica, 1958 Lola Mk 1.

> Can it be considered a replica of a Lotus of some particular year?

It wouldn't be hard to make an 11-inspired car that'd be as accurate as others on the market (meaning not very), all it would take is fender mods.

> Any ideas on frame modifications that would take advantage of the body shape?

Yeah, there's side impact structure under there.

> i.e. wider footwells, etc.

If one were prepared to commit to the full body look, it will be an easy mod to widen the footwells. My plan for my personal car is to be able to switch back and forth from traditional Locost body to Lalo body.

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