LocostUSA.com

hi, what are the +/- to building a locost with one of these cars vs the other? i was planning to go with a miata but i can get a good running rx7 with 146k miles for $700.

Which year RX-7? N/A or turbo? IRS or solid rear end? Are you happy with stock performance or want more?

If IRS, the Miata rear uprights are easier to implement. The trannys are similar, the Miata diff is shorter making the nose fit a bit easier. The engines are, well, different. If you RX engine ever goes, getting it rebuilt will be a bit costly, but then again, so is a good rebuild on the Miata. The later RX front spindles would need a bolt-on adapter to be fabb'd. The earlier RX needs an adapter turned and then welded in place and looks, well, a bit odd to me.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

it is n/a and irs. for now stock hp will be fine. what does the adapter do?
btw, i have a zetec engine i can use instead of the rotary if it will fit an rx7 bell housing

The adapters are required to change the front suspension from McPherson strut, to double control arm. Take a read thru my build. It is but one way to fit the RX into a book frame.

While you are at it, take a look at some Miata builds too.

viewtopic.php?t=4145

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

i read through your build. i can see how and rx7 build could be a pain now. yours came out quite nicely though. now i found a 95 miata for $1800 with 150k miles. if i can get a hold of the owner i will do the miata build. so far it seems the hardest part of building this car is getting started.

The hardest part is when you start adding up what you spend.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

There are many hardest parts. Building a car is about overcoming obstacles, one after the other. Obtaining your donor is one of the big obstacles, so consider this good practice.

now im thinking about a 1990 nissan 240sx. they dont seem very common for builds but the seem cheaper to obtain than a miata donor. any thought on these? i promise i will stop asking so many questions and start my build log as soon as i find a suitable donor (and maybe if it warms up a little).

The venerable S10 pickup truck is still a viable donor as well. I imagine the Colorado etc are all donor material as well.

_________________
***************
Geek49203 aka
Tim Wohlford
Louisville, KY
Hayes front, S10 +2 rear, Lalo body.

i would prefer to have irs. though, i really dont know how much better it is than a solid axle. something i can use 13in wheels with too would be nice.

I am going to be using an 89 240sx if I can ever get in gear. I'm partial to Nissans and the KA24 is a solid engine. Since you are considering a 240, check out 53sled's build...don't have the link offhand.

There will be some obstacles no matter which donor you choose-you will just have more information if you go Miata because that is the most common donor around the forum.

Yup! I found that the hardest part was faced almost every day. Making a decision on something you have absolutely no previous experience is daunting. Altready you have mentioned 3 donors as possibles, 4 if you count the S-10. JUst to make the matters worse, I'll thow in the possibility of multiple donors, where you can use 80% from a single source and then add in the misc parts from other donors. If you are an indecisive person, perhaps a kit-car would be best, or at least something more common like a Stalker that has fewer choices to make.

Just remeber, there is no "perfect" choice. Make a choice and move forward. You'll love the car whether it is IRS or solid rear, Rotary, 4 banger or V-6. But personally, I find the trip more enjoyable than the destination. That is not to say I don't like my car as it is. I can think of so many things that I would do differently. On the other hand, If I hadn't done the build the way I did, I probably would not know those many things.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

thanks for all the great info everybody. i think i will grab the first good deal on the choices given. that will get me over the first road block. im gonna go for the 240 first and see if we have a winner. ill report back later with the news.

again, thanks for the help.

Would be good to see another 240 build starting up... Maybe I could learn from your mistakes.

Even with a kit, the car turns into a series of choices where you make the best one you can and move on.

My Centaur 7 "TETANUS" arrived as a welded kit body with Mustang II front suspension and RX2 or 3 rear axle.
My primary donor was a 78 Toyota, so engine, trans, and driveshaft plus a bunch of miscellaneous small parrts come from it.

The mix and match comes into dialing in the small parts.
Right now she's riding on Harley Davidson coilovers on the rear and MG Midget coils in the front. Wheels are Mustang foxbody.
Steering column is custom; part Toyota, part scrap yard steel with Volvo universals.

The build log is a great place to document the replacement parts should you ever part with your car.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216