LocostUSA.com

1 more high dollar item out of the way. It's 12 gallon has a sending unit and low fuel light and the high dollar FIA sticker. Really it wasn't to bad only $75 more for the sticker version.
Here's a pic of the 1st attempt at the rocker arm setup. Starting on the mounts for the rocker arms tomorrow. Plan on making the mounts the same way as I did the rear diff mounts only bracing from all directions instead of 2. So 3/8" plates with 5/8" bolts welded to 11/2" X .095 dom going to 1" X .065 dom across the frame and 3/4" X .065 dom for cross bracing each mount so its braced in any plane. Hopefully that will keep it in place.

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Yep I got a build:

Man gotta post more often I keep slipping down the page.
Off to a good start on the rocker arm set up till I went to grab another piece of tube and figured out I'm out. Guess where I'm off to tomorrow?
Anyway got the coilover lower brackets in and the basic rocker arm set up made. Just need to attach and brace it to the frame. Love cutting multiple angle short pieces.

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Yep I got a build:

So I finally got the rocker set up all tacked in. With all the posts about how well they need to be braced, anyone care to comment if it's good enough before I move on to building the tunnel???

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Yep I got a build:

Well after life gettin in the way for a week I finally got the tunnel all tacked in. Might of overdone it that's a lot of steel in a small area. Got one of Jack's fancy nosecones on the way. Up next the upper back of the cockpit then seat mounts.

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Yep I got a build:

Good day today. Been worried about welding up the front a arm threaded ball joint rings. It was a non issue. Used a moog ball joint (supposedly the tightest threads)and cut four grooves, put some anti seize on the threads and all was good. Only had one small sliver on one. My alum low friction ones go in no problemo.
On to the shock mounts plates and welding all the tacked in stuff tomorrow.

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Yep I got a build:

Got the last 2 control arms made up and putting there brackets on tommorow have all the other pickup brackets mounted also still need to put the shock mounts on the lower arms.

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Yep I got a build:

Yea all the pickups in place now. Weld'em up tomorrow then on to either the shock mounts or fuel cell mount.

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Yep I got a build:

Another week and a little more progress. Front and rear suspension done. Well not really still need to make the spacers for the arm mounts and the rear upper shock mount but hey the a arms go up and down now. Gonna start on the seat mounts next. Yeah that rear brake cylinder is massive working on a lighter setup for the back. Hmmm bout 5900 views and about 5 comments oh well.

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Yep I got a build:

It's hard to say anything more than "nice build" when there is no low hanging fruit.

Nice build! The corner gussets and trans mount look especially good.

Why didn't you use the cobra upright? I would have liked to see the control arms and pickups. I think it would have been better overall, even with the oem bushings.

Seems like cast iron turbo housings always crack eventually. I'd send it off to be ceramic coat it once it is on the road and debugged or now, while you don't need it.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

I'm very interested in what you've done with your front suspension, especially the lower A-arm mounts. I haven't decided what I'll do on my build, but I don't like the standard Locost setup and I do like the way you've attached your lower brackets. It looks very strong.



I'm trying to understand what you've done and why. It looks to me from the way the Heim joints are mounted at bottom, the lower A-arm could rotate slightly back and forth if it was not attached to the spindle. That is, looking from the top view, it could swing forward a few degrees and backwards a few degrees if not attached to anything else. Is that right?

I'm assuming that's why the upper mounts are vertical. The upper A-arm appears to be the fundamental constraint on rotation of the whole assembly (lower+upper+spindle) frontwards and backwards with some help from the coilover when it's in place. Is that correct?

Thanks,

Lonnie

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

+1!
The only thing that sticks out to me is more a matter of personal preference, I would prefer to put the upper control arm rod end axis horizontal instead of vertical. ..
Maybe a strength difference at the limits of travel between the two methods but I never bothered to look it up, I just happen to think it looks better.
However it is YOUR car not mine and vertical shaft rod ends are a common method of assembly. Plus it's not strawberry season yet

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"There are times when a broken tool is better than a sound one, or a twisted personality more useful than a whole one.
For instance, a whole beer bottle isn't half the weapon that half a beer bottle is ..." Randall Garrett

Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F I didn't use the cobra upright because the upper and lower pickup points aren't vertical and each one has a twist going the opposite direction. It just seemed like 2 much trouble to try and get points right, besides I got a cradle and a-arms for my 01 mustang gt now. The axles are plenty strong for the locost but not the mustang. As for the turbo it's getting a BorgWarner EFR 7064 Twinscroll Turbo T4 .92 A/R and yep I'm getting it coated along with the manifold, gotta keep that heat going where it does the most good.


oldejack Yep I got a reason not looks but think adjustable roll centers. And on the back also adjustable ride height. I would of done the same on the front but no room for the bolt to drop in from the top. They are 25,000 lb joints Teflon and Kevlar coated. If they won't cut it I can always go 3/4".



Lonnie-S The frame the pickups are attached to is 1 1/4" the mounts are 11/2" X 2 1/2" by 1/8" rectangle tubing carved out the shape and they just slip over the frame rail. The rod ends are also 1 1/4" wide so they also just fit the tubing. Might be a little heavy since the top and bottom could of been 16g to cap it but it was such a easy way to do it. In case you think the frame looks a little different up front it's designed for a standard 24 1/2" pinto - mustang II rack uncut. The upper frame rails are still 442E at the joint on the front. The uprights and lower rails are wider for the rack.

Ahh No. The pic you showed has the inserts screwed onto the end of the rod end those are welded into the a-arm so the rod end can't move at all except up and down. Look at the last pic I posted the a-arm is solid and braced, the only way it could move forward or back is if the bolt holes were sloppy. Even if the jamb nuts were loose it couldn't move.


Now for the depressing news. Weighed it yesterday. Not happy 250lbs. Still got about 20lbs more 2 go. Hmm aluminum driveshaft, hubs, 2 piece rotors, 15lb 17" wheels will help counter that.
Started mounting the seats today pics when I'm done.

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Yep I got a build:

[/quote]
They are 25,000 lb joints Teflon and Kevlar coated. If they won't cut it I can always go 3/4".
[/quote]

Read the fine print about Heim joint strength. The axial strength of the joint is 10% to 15% of the radial strength. The critical loading for joints is usually axial strength or cantilever strength of the threaded rod, and lastly by radial strength.

Your lower frame brackets could be rotated 90 degrees to load the Heim in the radial direction to resist the longitudinal component of the deceleration forces. As long as you have sufficient misalignment capability to mount them vertically, the horizontal axis orientation is a compromise.

Well this sucks big time. So back in October I had Unisteer build me a rack. So I've had this nice shiny new rack sitting around. Well last weekend I was ready to mount it, so I popped the rubber boots off the housing to find the rack height center. So I whip out the micrometer and guess what the rack measured 1.037" on the passenger side and 1.137" on the driver side. WTF? So I slide the rack through it's travel and the ball nut scrapes going into the housing. They didn't bore the case centered. And 1 of the 4 mounting pads also wasn't flat. Quality US craftsmanship. Now another month at least for them to make another. After 2 days of calling to finally get someone that could do something just to be assholes they call me at 5:30 AM this morning and the first words he says is "Oh you not in are time zone are you". So that's how things been going.

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Yep I got a build:

JonW Yeah I understand the axial and radial loading and it being a compromise. I wanted to do it that way for the adjustability starting out.

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Yep I got a build: