LocostUSA.com

Wow coming along really good ..well done.. as for the other stuff..im sure i read something in lonnies build thread about how to do tight weld angles, as for engine mounts
mines a track car ..ive researched solid mounts and apart from a bit of vibration and possible cracking of other components... ive also read that hockey pucks crack....i myself have gone for a 1'' thick block of rubber about 3''x5''x1''thick and have made my own steel mounts..have a look on my build thread..as for running flush with the frame bottom my 3.8 v6 holden/buick does ..so BIG scoopy, bumpy, lumpy, hood here we come

Kiwi Dave

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I USE TO HAVE AN OPEN MIND ..BUT MY BRAINS KEPT FALLING OUT

I have that on my race car and when it's idling it gives me double vision...

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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.

2/ You would be surprised the handling difference having the whole drivetrain raised 1"

3/ No, no you're not.

4/ Ground clearance requirements are different at different points of the car, obviously front and rear overhangs and the middle of the car are the worst affected. Many sumps hang down not far behind the front axle line and that's one of the safest places to be.

1/ I don't understand your number one...

Very tight angled tubes should be welded. Think of "unwelded" as "cracked" - a crack is a fail waiting to happen. Find a way to weld them closed.

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The Lethal Locost
The Lethal Locost 2 - Even More Lethalerer

Might have to use a stick welder, thats what was done on my frame.

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Trochu Motor League

Yo Andy-
On my build, I thought about solid mounting the motor, using a front plate and/or mid plate. The more I read about these things, it sounded more and more like I was just making the car more high-maintenance than it was already. All that vibration is just asking stuff to loosen up over time. I went with stiffer-than-stock OEM type mounts.

Not saying either one is right or wrong, just my .02. (For you, no charge!)


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

In lonnies build log somebody mentions using gussets on small acute angle pieces, do you guys thing that would be better than building up weld to close it in as I have done with one of them? If so I would think that the gusset would be best on the outside of the joint(facing into the cockpit)(I'm speaking specifically of K1, M1, N1). I could put it in the center of the tube but I would think that that much stress on the middle part of the tube might cause bending/failure of the tube wall.

@cheapracer think of my idea as more of lowering the frame 1-2 inches to line up with the oilpan rather than raising the engine, as the oilpan hangs significantly behind the front wheels I would think that I would rather hit the floor than the oilpan as well as lower the CG

my biggest question would be what ride height do most people go with? This would be in the 3-4 inch range and I'm thinking about using motorcycle shocks with a 2:1 ratio for about 4 inches of travel so 1/3 droop 2/3 bump.... Maybe it wont work and I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but just thinking. I've seen dedicated track cars with what looks like 1-2 inches of ride height and definitly want more than that I was just thinking that lowering the frame would help since the oilpan is in an already vulnerable area....

Anyway got to strip this miata to sell some parts so I can order Jack's control arms and get moving!

Thanks for all your help and sorry it's kinda a long winded post just looking for idears.

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Build log >>> viewtopic.php?f=35&t=13858

After searching around I found this viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8225 which is along the lines that I am thinking, lower the frame to cover the oilpan... I didn't see any real evidence one way or the other and don't know what nether10 decided on. I think that if I design the car with a 3.5 inch ride height it should work which is close to what someone recomended on that thread(being 4 inches).... with the pushrod suspension I also have the ability to adjust ride height easily by using a turnbuckle type adjustable pushrod...
Just thinking out loud....

I guess I don't know about the pushrod suspension and that ride height, with 800lb springs and a 2:1 ratio, that would be a wheel rate of 200lb... Maybe more if I could design a rising rate system. Also with 2 2/3 inch bump travel that would leave me with the bottom of the car 1 1/3 inches off the ground... I guess Its no different if the whole car is that close vs. just the oilpan, both don't seem to great
Just looking for your opinions. could go with a smaller ratio which would up the wheel rate but give less travel.... man oh man decision decisions, I think I should get the motor out and see what it looks like in the frame.

p.s. thanks for the comments on solid mounting, I didn't take into effect durability issues with fasters loosening I seem to recall some miata people are able to minimize vibration by upping the idle to 1k vs 800.... But more than likeliy I'll start out with some stock miata mounts and work from there!

p.p.s. could always run a rod from the frame to somewhere higher up on the engine to minimize side to side movement but still allowing vibration dampening

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Build log >>> viewtopic.php?f=35&t=13858

Angie and I made good progress tonight, we got the motor and trans out without too much trouble.... other than trying to pick up the car by the shifter oops, hopefully I didn't damage anything and of course we made a big puddle of transmission fluid.... Other than that It went really well. Today I also sold some parts for 200 bucks, pretty good. I need to make a spreadsheet and share it so everyone can see my costs and such, seems like a good idea. Anywho here are some pictures

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Build log >>> viewtopic.php?f=35&t=13858

Hey, that picture looks a lot like an engine that is no longer captive in a Miata... That's a good afternoon's work right there. Good on ya, mate, well done...

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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

Well now that you have the engine out, you did know that you could just remove the wire & fluid connections plus the subframe top bolts and then lift the car body off the whole suspension/engine package, didn't you?

The PPF holds the front and rear parts together and it looks really neat sitting in your garage that way.

So much easier than taking it out piece by piece. Of course you need someplace to put the body when you are through.

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mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

Andy, my personal rule of thumb for street use ground clearance is 4" per 100" of wheelbase.

Hey guys, visual progress has slowed down a bit but we have got the motor mounts -semi built, just need to drill out the holes for the bolt and locating dealies, then final weld them together. Also figured out how far back I wanted to set the engine, and it is back far! If i remember right there is 4 or 6 inches at the end of the passanger footwell to clear the clutch slave cylinder but due to design it opens up again pretty soon. set the engine and everything 3/4 of inch over to the passanger side.
I made up a mock up of the pedals I'm going to use and they seem to fit! Not locost in any sense of the word but I don't really want to skimp on brakes and steering. Also I'm wondering how small your guys transmission tunnel is on the inside, the book seemed to be 4 inches but that looks awfully tight to me, maybe because I pushed the engine back so far and have to deal with the tailshaft.... other than that everything is going good, need to finish up the trans tunnel and start figuring out the rear end.... looking to go with something like stein/winston/titus westfield like setup but need to play around in a suspension program a bit and order jacks front A-arms kit. Now that you read a novel here are some pics

p.s. thanks cheapracer for the rule of thumb, you know what your talking about and I'm gonna stick to it
also thanks for reading!

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Build log >>> viewtopic.php?f=35&t=13858

Just wanted to update my progress, I've spent the last couple evening stripping the miata, about done, just have to finish removing the wiring harness and wheels suspension stuff( It's hard to move the car around with out the wheels ) Placed an order through Jack for my front suspension stuff. Will take a picture of my motor mounts when I can find the charger for my camera batteries!

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Build log >>> viewtopic.php?f=35&t=13858

Hey guys been pretty busy with work the last few months but now I've got some free time I'll be updating more. I have finished the front suspension up minus 2 brackets that I need( I ended up doing it a little different than I thought I was) But that should be done soon. I have stripped and painted all the miata parts I am going to use and finished up welding on the main frame. Soon I'll be starting on the IRS and then she will have all four paws. I took some pictures yesterday when I was up working on it but I can't find my card reader. But I should put them up in a few days. Just wanted to let y'all know I havn't died or given up haha. Time to catch up on some reading!

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Build log >>> viewtopic.php?f=35&t=13858