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The rotaries also tend to melt cat converters.

I love the muffler cover. I'll have to remember that one, and possibility use stainless steel zipties instead of hose clamps. Then again clamps are easier to adjust as things squish and deform.

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Walt
06 RX-8 Shinka
04 RX-8 GT
06 325xi
Some people never have anything except ideas. Go do it.
Emissions & fuel economy haven't exactly been areas of strength for past rotary power plants, but absolutely no one with a soul has ever cared.

Finally I decided to tackle the roll bar. I wanted to make it removable so I have an option of doing a full cage later. Tubing is 1.75" 0.90 DOM. If I were to do a full cage, I would drop it down to 1.5" but for a single hoop design, the 1.75" seems just right.

Looking good Russell.
Will there be driving videos soon?

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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

Wow Russ, you are really making some positive yardage on your build . At this rate I hope to see some first drive videos come spring.Did you bend the roll bar yourself?

gavin

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Gavin

My build: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=16005

Not sure about that drive anytime soon as I still have a lot of the small odds and ends to work on. But, the build is starting to inspire me more since it's starting to look like a car. I bent the bars myself so when you get to that point, I can help.

Well, been working on my gas tank. Not your typical rectangular tank due to the angles needed to have it fit nice and low in the car. I also wanted to reuse the Miata fuel pump assembly without modifications. I built in a few baffles so hopefully they will work out OK. Seemed to work pretty good with the open top water slosh test. Friend of mine machined the pump flange. I'm not the best aluminum welder but after pressure checking, I only had 3 leaks. I think it will be around 13 gals.

Looking good Russ!

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30 years old, not sure what I want to be when I grow up…

Wow, that looks great!

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Gavin

My build: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=16005

Looks good from my pint o' view...

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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

Nice job on the fuel tank! Just a couple of observations from someone who worked on aluminum fuel oil tank trucks for two decades. I am assuming that the angles are going to be bolted to the frame in some fashion, and it is hard to tell, but it looks like the bottom (heel) of the angle is not welded. If I were doing my tank in aluminum (I am actually going to use Stainless), I would have put a shoe on the sides of the tank, welded all the way around. Then, weld the angle brackets to the shoe, making sure to weld the heel. As it is now, if you have any crater cracks, or any cracks start due to vibration or flexing, the two vertical welds are perfect candidates for a failure, since they are the primary welds holding the bracket to the tank. Should they fail, at best the tank will come loose. At worst, the crack will either propagate into the base metal of the tank, or allow the bracket to oilcan and crack the tank, either of which will result in fuel leaking. If you weld a shoe to the sides of the tank, and the brackets to the shoes, you have a much better chance of not dumping the fuel should something cause a bracket to fail. The bracket may crack, or even pull clean out, but it will not affect the tank directly. Other than that, the welds look good, and unlike many tanks I have seen done in aluminum, welded inside and out! Nice job!

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Dismantalus, Fabricatus, Assemblus.....
Certified Welder, Certified Welding Inspector, Full Time Car Freak...In New Jersey no less!

Lovely bends on your roll bar. How'd you do them? I mean, I know you probably used a bender, but if you could tell us brand and model (and what radius, and tell us what the tubing you used was) maybe we could all be that pretty.

Man, I love seeing pretty stuff on this site.

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Locost builder and adventurer, and founder (but no longer owner) of Kinetic Vehicles

Thanks Dismantalus for the feedback. I completely agree with your recommendation. It makes sense and one can not be too careful with the fuel tank. I set the fuel tank in place and it sets low enough I should be able to fabricate a small aluminum trunk area under the deck lid.

Jack, roll bar is made using 1 3/4" x .120" DOM at 6" radius using a Pro Bender 105.