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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: June 27, 2012, 1:48 am 
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Location: Novato, CA
Great to see some progress on this. Keep at it.


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PostPosted: July 8, 2012, 9:25 pm 
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Joined: April 23, 2009, 1:36 pm
Posts: 123
Made some more progress recently- got the rear diff mounts mostly ready to weld to the chassis but going to wait to weld them in until the rear suspension mounts are ready.

Attachment:
Locost_070712_a_web.jpg


Attachment:
Locost_070712_b_web.jpg


The top of the diff mounts are not level because they are not welded in- the diff is bolted to the mounts and they are just hanging there...


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PostPosted: October 11, 2012, 8:11 pm 
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Not made too much progress on the locost lately but did finish refabbing the front control arm mounts.

Attachment:
Locost_072612_web.JPG


Need to modify the miata lower ball joints to see if they fit into the LCAs and see where the steering rack fits.

The distraction:

Attachment:
Pass_Side.jpg


Working on preparing this for Improved Touring road racing next year- want to get the interior stripped out so I can get the rollcage installed before the snow flies...


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PostPosted: November 17, 2012, 5:33 pm 
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Spent some time in the garage on the locost recently and made some progress.. got the lower balljoints fitted into the lower control arms and set the knuckles in to see how things would fit.
Attachment:
Locost_09Nov12_a_web.JPG


Attachment:
Locost_09Nov12_b_web.JPG


I set the steering rack into the chassis and I think I need to modify the lower control arms so the balljoints are positioned further back in the chassis so the rack clears the chassis front tubes. The upper control arms are not finished yet so I can move the upper ball joint back the same amount but I may move the upper control arm rear mounts back to match the other change.

I swapped the lower control arms side to side and this is perhaps too far back. I probably need to find some different outer tie rods so these can mount to the top of the steering arm so the tie rods clear the lower control arms.

Attachment:
Locost_16Nov12_b_web.jpg


Attachment:
Locost_17Nov12_a_web.jpg


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PostPosted: November 19, 2012, 11:37 am 
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Joined: April 22, 2010, 4:43 pm
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Location: Livermore, Calif.
This may be a dumb question but don't you want to locate the mounting brackets for the lower and upper front control arm, rod ends 90 degrees from what you have? In other words the brackets should be vertical and not horizontal. I have never seen them located in this fashion.

Refer to the picture below.

Cheers,
Roy


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Last edited by RoyzMG on January 7, 2013, 3:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: November 19, 2012, 1:08 pm 
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Location: Niagara on the Lake Ontario Canada
....that was my thought when I saw them...will they not bend, or at least have the tendency to bend that way?

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PostPosted: November 19, 2012, 1:19 pm 
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Location: Pittsburgh, PA
How danderson did them is technically better since the rod-end will always see radial load and rod-ends/spherical bearings are always stronger in that direction. If you turn them 90 degrees and have the bolts horizontal, cornering will load the rod-end radially but braking (and accelerating for the rear axle) will load it axially.

The downside is travel - if the bolt is vertical then standard (not high-misalignment) rod-ends will run out of travel, bind, and probably break. If you orient the bolt horizontally you have more travel. Most Locosters go this route for this reason and its easier to build brackets with the bolts horizontally.

If you go with vertical bolts its probably worth boxing in the tabs using some 0.040" sheet though; if nothing else it will increase the weld area at the chassis tubes.

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PostPosted: November 19, 2012, 2:05 pm 
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Joined: January 1, 2012, 3:29 pm
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Location: Coos Bay, Oregon
thats what i was thinking, either box in the brackets, or maybe add some triangulated gussets, back to the tubing?
Attachment:
Locost susp. brackets.jpg

either plate, on either side, or actual box tubing?


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PostPosted: November 19, 2012, 2:31 pm 
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Once I get the mounts how I want them, they will be boxed in for some added strenght.

As for mounting the rod ends horizontally, this was done for the added strength this orientation presents.

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PostPosted: November 19, 2012, 2:53 pm 
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Joined: January 1, 2012, 3:29 pm
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Location: Coos Bay, Oregon
ya, sorry for critiquing, (critique-ing?) your work, sometimes i guess i see people so much farther along than me, i assume thats the finished work, and not still in earlier stages! And BTW, i have no idea what i'm doing, so probably shouldnt take my advice, thats only how i "see" it, and it "looks" like it would bend there!


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PostPosted: January 6, 2013, 11:48 pm 
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A couple updates for the holidays... After finding the rack wanted to be in the same place as the front chassis members, I need to move the front steering knuckes back a little bit.

Attachment:
Locost_15Dec12_LCA_Refab_web.JPG


My helper and I modified the welding fixture to center the lower ball joint in the control arm. Then cut one of the LCAs apart

Attachment:
Locost_02Jan13_LCA_Cutup2_sm.JPG


Then got the control arm tubes modified for rewelding...

Attachment:
Locost_06Jan13_LCA_Refab2_sm.JPG


Will get this tacked together to check the ball joint and steering arm location before finishing the other side.


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PostPosted: January 11, 2013, 10:30 pm 
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Got the re-fabricated LCA tacked together and loosely installed and it looks great!!

Attachment:
Locost_08Jan13_a_web.jpg


Attachment:
Locost_08Jan13_b_web.jpg


Then got the second front LCA cutapart and got one of the arms tweaked for the new location. Need to shorten the arms on the upper control arm so these also fit into the mounts.


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PostPosted: March 9, 2013, 11:22 pm 
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Finally warmed up enough here to get back into the garage. Finished fabricating V3 on the front upper control arm mounts....

Attachment:
Locost_06Mar13_Frontsus_side_2_web.JPG


Attachment:
Locost_06Mar13_Frontsus_side_web.jpg


Attachment:
Locost_06Mar13_FrontSus_2_web.JPG


Still need to shorten the front leg of the upper arm and probably order shorter rear tubes also.

Attachment:
Locost_06Mar13_FrontSusp_web.jpg


Started working on the rear control arms today also.


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PostPosted: March 10, 2013, 9:53 am 
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Joined: December 7, 2012, 8:28 am
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Location: Sarasota
Nice progress so far, I am just doing my rear multi-link suspension so I got some nice ideas from your build. I also plan to use the full vertical roll cage in mine by extending the frame a little, but it seems you were a little to far in the build to make the change.

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PostPosted: March 10, 2013, 4:18 pm 
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Joined: April 23, 2009, 1:36 pm
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Thanks for the kind words..

With the rollcage, I thought I had a nice design but looking more at the GCR, could not make it work and keep the main hoop all in one plane... would probably been stronger but may have had a hard time in tech.

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