LocostUSA.com

Yeah, and it'll make the car run better too!!!


JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Maybe I should be negotiating with some of you southern boys for a tank full of moonshine. That should boost the octane a bit.

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Jonathan
Building a ZX14 powered Locost.

"Go out hard, when it hurts, speed up." Matt Carpenter

You never know... Quality control on moonshine ain't all that strictly enforced!

Years ago, when I lived and worked in West -By God!- Virginia, a well driller I worked with frequently used to give me a peanut butter jar (or similar) full of moonshine every year for Christmas. He'd say he "found it in the woods, don't know who made it, but it's good." I knew exactly who made it, but didn't ask him any questions. It was a gift, after all!!!

Some years, it was smooth, good tastin' sippin whiskey. Other years it'd melt aluminum and the fumes alone would cause smaller-sized women to faint.

In either case, I wouldn't recommend putting it in your gas tank!

JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Got some work done on a few items this week. Rough mounted the diff, played with the tunnel a bit, and scored a pretty cool gas tank for not a lot of money.

The diff mounting went easier then I thought once I figured out where it needed to be. The driveline is the determining factor front to back, the hub height with 23" wheels determines the the height, and the outputs need to be centered in the frame so the 1/2 shafts are the same length. Luck has it that when it's in the right spot, the front mounts are pretty much directly over the lower tube of the rear bulkhead. That made mounting the front a breeze. A piece of 2x3 stock I had hanging around fit there nicely. It will get a brace or 2 to to keep me honest.



I started fabbing a rear mount for the diff when I looked over at the stock mount from the T-Bird the diff was removed from and realized I could use that instead. I hacked off the mounting tabs, welded it to a piece of square tube, and there it is. Cut a little plate for the back to close it in and keep it from twisting. Man, that was easy.



And here it is all level and in the correct (I hope) location.



I got a line on a custom 6 gal tank a guy had built for a drag racing car for pretty cheap. It's a nice tank with baffles inside and a bunch of inputs already in place. I scored it for $125 shipped, a price I'm happy with.

The dimensions are close to being perfect. Close being the operative word here. It's 10" from front to back and 5" deep. That would be great if they where switched, but there not, so I'll adapt.





I may still decide to turn move the filler neck to the side and turn the tank on edge. It would fit better that way, but that would mean welding on a perfectly good tank, so I will probably just leave it as is and build the rear around it.

I've been thinking about using the stock Kawasaki fuel pump for the car just like olrowdy01 did with Locouki ( http://dmr-architect.com/~locouki/fuel-pump.html ) . When I looked at the tank and the pump together however I got another idea. Why not just mount the whole thing on the bottom of the tank? It should fit nicely, and with the tank being flatish like it is, I have plenty of room to mount it high enough to work just fine. Hmmmm.



Lastly, I started playing with the tunnel a bit. I put the seat on the ground, piled some scrap wood around me and started figuring out the height of the tunnel. I came up with 8" above the base of the seat, or 9" from the floor. I then messed around with the width of said tunnel and decided 5" should suffice. Enough room for the drive shaft, diff yolk, carrier bearing, and drive shaft hoops. I roughed out one side of the structure and called it a day. The extra cross brace just above the diff is temporary. It's used to locate the long 3/4" tube at the correct height while building the tunnel around the nose of the diff.



Another reason to run the bike motor shifted to the left. Straight tunnel with lots of foot room for the driver! Passenger space? Well all they need to do there is hang on and smile.



Busy week ahead of me. Probably won't get much done for a couple weeks. As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated.

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Jonathan
Building a ZX14 powered Locost.

"Go out hard, when it hurts, speed up." Matt Carpenter

Winter has settled in so work has shifted to the basement. I've got a list of stuff that can be done down there over the next few months. This includes modifying the fuel cell, shortening the rack, rebuilding the Ford 7.5 differential with a LSD, and fitting the fancy new oil pan on the motor. All tasks that can be done in the relative comfort of my basement while the frame under goes it's 4 month cold treating process.

The tank was first. I modified a stock ZX14 fuel level sender to fit in the much shallower environment of the tank I scored. The swing arm needed to be shortened and the mechanism twisted 90 degrees. Sorry no pics of this. I get wrapped up in the work and forget to snap pics.



Then I flipped the tank over and cut a hole for the stock fuel pump. It's just the right length to fit inside the tank so I need to at least give it a try. 5 holes and a gasket keeps it in place and the stock fuel hose will act as the interface between the pump outlet and an in line filter.



I plan on running the FI system utilizing the fuel pressure regulator within the stock fuel pump. This allows installation without a return line from the motor. This is how Kawasaki designed it, and I hope it will work OK even though the motor is now much further away from the pump. If it doesn't hold pressure correctly I can always remove the internal pressure regulator from the fuel pump and put an inline regulator near the motor with a return line to the tank. There are 3 AN 6 ports on top of the tank ready to go if needed.



The other reason to use the stock units is they plug right into the harness. Theoretically, this allows use of the fuel level gauge in the stock instrument cluster and makes the wiring generally that much easier to do.

Next up, the steering rack. I've already cut and welded the tube, and the rack itself is out at the machinist getting cut and retapped for the stock Miata inner tie rod joint. I'll post the entire process in the next update.

One last thing. I gave myself a Christmas present this year. Austen (a builder on this site) acquired a bunch of Cherry Max grade structural rivets in various sizes. I was able to procure 500 size 5-03 rivets for a very reasonable amount. These are overkill for the floor and rear bulkhead, but for the price they are cheep insurance.

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Jonathan
Building a ZX14 powered Locost.

"Go out hard, when it hurts, speed up." Matt Carpenter

Hello - I have a question about the zx14 that I hope you can address- As I started looking for a engine for the 7 I am building I went to the Busa' and then started reading about the oiling problem that they have when the engine is changed from the east/west to the north/south locations- they throw rods/bearings and ruin the engines unless there is a major change made to the oil system ( pans,swinging pick-up,dry sump) all extra $$$
So after all that my question is there any special things that have to be done to the zx to make it live in the 7 frame?
any help along this question line will be greatly appreciated
nohair

The same oiling issues that affect the Busa will affect the ZX14. From what I've learned, the ZX14 motor should probably be used with a modified oil pan of some sort for 2 reasons. The first, as you suggest, is oil pick-up issues. There are swinging pick-ups that help, but a baffled pan that also holds more oil is probably a better solution.

The other reason to use an aftermarket pan is engine height. The 14 is a very tall motor, and by using a low profile pan allows you to lower the engine by almost 3 inches.

I'm using the baffled pan built by 2Wheel Werks. It isn't cheap, but it's really well made. http://www.twowheelwerkz.com/

I have not found a lot of car builders in the US using this motor yet. There are some sand rail and buggy builders, but not a lot of ZX14 Locosts in the US yet. There are a number of them however in the UK. I recommend you search around at http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/ There are a few users there. Another builder how has raced the 14 in a Locost (MNR frame) is here: http://ninjabogey.wordpress.com/

Hope that helps. I wish I could tell you how it runs in the car, but I'm still a long way from that point in my build.

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Jonathan
Building a ZX14 powered Locost.

"Go out hard, when it hurts, speed up." Matt Carpenter

Jon, I noticed your diff is soft mounted at the front and hard mounted at the back. This may not be a good idea as the front rubbers will compress, putting the majority of the load on the rear mount.

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Trochu Motor League

..Which is an aluminum cover that will most likely break rather quickly.
I posted this on another build log, I'll try to find the link.
The ford rear mount has a rubber bushing too.

Moti

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Moti

My R1 powered Locost build log

Visit the Blackbird Fabworx Facebook Page!

Thanks for the eagle eyes gentlemen. I have indeed mounted it soft upfront and hard in the back. Have no fear however as it won't be staying that way. I'm planning on sourcing either some of those hard red mounts from the supercoupe guys, or creating some ultra cool aluminum disks like Moti did. Either way, I promise I won't put my lightweight rear cover at risk.

Thanks again.

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Jonathan
Building a ZX14 powered Locost.

"Go out hard, when it hurts, speed up." Matt Carpenter

Cool.
I wouldn't even do poly or delrin nose mounts with hard rear mount, just go straight to aluminum.
Reason is that you can compress delrin (and definitely poly) but not aluminum.

Now that you mention it, I don't think I even have a pic of the aluminum diff bushings I made...

Moti

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Moti

My R1 powered Locost build log

Visit the Blackbird Fabworx Facebook Page!

Well I know I saw them somewhere in your blog. In fact, if you ever get the hanker'n to make another set, just let me know. I'd be happy to pay Blackbird Fabrication to produce a set that I know work correctly.

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Jonathan
Building a ZX14 powered Locost.

"Go out hard, when it hurts, speed up." Matt Carpenter

Finally got around to installing the low profile oil pan I acquired last year. I bought it from a smaller fabricator here in the US called Two Wheel Werkz. http://www.twowheelwerkz.com/ Wasn't cheap, but after installing it I've decided it's a bargain. I won't have an opportunity to see how well it keeps the oil pressure steady in the corners till the car is up and going, but if the quality of the piece is any indication of how well it works then I'm sure I'll be happy. I've attached a couple pics below to show how it went on. Once I got the details of how the oil pipe needed to be configured clear in my head, the pan went on perfectly. It might be an indication of my age, or perhaps I've worked on too many British cars, but I usually expect there to be a little filling, grinding, or shimming to be done when working with aftermarket pieces like this. Let me say I was so happy when I set the pan into position and all the parts slid home and each and every bolt hole was in line and straight. Needless to say I was pleased. When I think about how much work went into this pan and the quality of the product I'm amazed that it only cost $600. That might seem like a lot for an oil pan, but from where I'm sitting, this thing is worth every penny.

Here is the bottom of the motor with the stock pan removed. Note how the oil tube runs diagonally across the crankcase and the oil pressure regulator hangs down off the pipe.

Like the holiday towel/rags? Don't worry, they where donated, not procured.



Here is that same oil tube flipped upside down and spun around. This is necessary because the the oil pressure relief valve hits the new lower pan in it's stock position. Pretty nifty that both ends of this tube have the same fitting so it can go either way just fine.



The stock oil pick up needed to be replaced with this modified version. It was included with the pan. The rubber o-ring fitting just moved from the stock unit to the modified one.



Here is the new pan with the oil pipe in position and the whole thing ready to get fitted to the block. Yes, a new gasket was used.



It all fit up nice and tight. I was smiling.



The logo is upside down in this position, but you get the general idea.



Here is the oil filter relocator plate and in place where the oil cooler once was. I still have the oil pressure sender to fit, but I'm going to modify it a bit to also attach a fitting for a hard line oil pressure gauge. Overall, the pan lowered the motor by 3" to a still tall 22" to the very top. I'll still need to cut a hole in the bonnet for the air cleaner, but now the motor will sit that much lower, and hopefully oiling issues in the corners won't be an issue.

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Jonathan
Building a ZX14 powered Locost.

"Go out hard, when it hurts, speed up." Matt Carpenter

That does look like a good part. You couldn't reproduce that if you payed yourself minimum wage without a machine shop...

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

I was reminded recently how each step in this process is interconnected with every other step. Nothing is done independently of anything else.

I wanted to begin designing the roll cage as that is one of the major fabrication processes I'd like to complete once the weather warms. But before I could draw the cage, I needed to determine the drivers head position so the hoops would be tall enough to clear a helmet by a couple inches. So the seat needed to be located and my head height measured. Before I could mount the seat however I needed to get the pedals placed so I had the reach correct. That meant working out pedal installation issues and building a rudimentary mounting platform. Bit of a chicken/egg thing.

So here are the pedals mounted to a couple strips of 1/8 steel I had laying about. They will get raised up a bit with spacers so the master cylinders clear the 1" square cross member ala Jeff Underwood (Thanks Jeff! http://www.underwood-racing.com/chassis.htm )





Then I messed with the seat mounting for a while. I worked to keep it simple as possible and use the parts I have on hand. I used some Corbeau sliders and a frame I have from an earlier Saab project and modified it a bit with the hack saw to make it work. The frame is just tacked in for now, but the placement should just about be right. Later I'll add some cross bracing under the frame to make sure it's not going anywhere.



My Kirkey got mounted to the sliders using ultra high tech metal screws and a wood brace in the front. Don't worry, they will be replaced with the correct hardware and some fancy aluminum bits later. For now I just wanted to be sure I had the seat where I want it and the fore/aft adjustment works right. As it sits, there is one more adjustment notch going back (for taller drivers) and lots of room going forward (for my daughter when she's old enough).

The seat ain't pretty, but it fits great and the price was right.



Once the seat was in it's spot I could have my lovely assistant put the level atop my helmeted head and measure the distance from there to the top of the rear bulkhead. (I'm sorry I have no pics of this as it was truly amusing) We came up with 16" from the vertex of my cranium to the top of the bulkhead. Add 1.5" for the diameter of the tubing, another 1.5" for safety, and we came up with a roll hoop height of 19" to the top. This should give me the 2" clearance required by the SCCA if I should ever choose to have it inspected.

Now to produce some faux tubing (foam water pipe insulation with wire inside) and do some mock-ups of the rear and front hoops. I'll remember to take pics of this as it should be equally amusing.

As an aside, I treated myself to a cool new toy; a Indy car type shift lever. I probably paid too much for it, but it's very cool. The action is super smooth and feels really good in the hand. I was making engine noises and play shifting within seconds after getting it out of the box.



Looks like it's time to pay a visit to my friendly neighborhood metal supply. I don't need the roll cage tubing yet, but some scraps of sheet steel and aluminum will keep me moving forward till it's warm enough to do some serious bending.

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Jonathan
Building a ZX14 powered Locost.

"Go out hard, when it hurts, speed up." Matt Carpenter