LocostUSA.com

It’s been awhile since I could even really look at my Locost. The Mustang is sold. The Classic Roadster 427 Cobra goes to body & paint as soon as the snow stops long enough to grab it with the tow truck.

So, back to the Locost.

Question for those of you with fiberglass clamshell fenders, how rigid are they at the front end? Mine flex, I think, a bit too much. I think I need to form a flat bar to the underside of the fender where the front mount bolt is located to stiffen it up a bit. Otherwise, I expect it Will flutter at speed in the wind.

Thoughts?

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Thom

If they're glass fiber, why not make some little ribs for the underside using foam? Then glass over the ribs, bonding to the clam shell itself?

Cheers,

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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

I finally am back at work on the Locost. I am using bug-eyed Sprite taillights. But with the curve of the fender, I had a 3/4" gap at the top of the housing to fender fit. So, I made a cut the size of the housing. I then inserted a temp spacer between the fender and the cut flange. Then I used a HF 1700 watt heat gun at 1000 degrees for a few moments to take the curve out of the cut flange. It worked better than I expected.

I then cut and shaped a filler piece of fiberglass I had left over from the nose sectioning. I inserted it in the gap and have set the 1st layer of glass cloth & resin over the patch. I will now start a buildup to shape the final transition. Not sure how much I will shape it yet.


The nice part with this change I discovered you can change the shape of the fiberglass with the heat gun and some straps. I should be able to flatten out the left front clamshell fender to match the right. If you all recall, I had found that the rt clamshell fender was a bit flatter curve than the left. And the wider (flatter curve) covers the tire better. So, I will soon strap down the left fender and slowly apply heat to reshape it.

I mounted the seats I had purchased for a Beck 550 spyder. They are smaller and, I think, a better look than the Kirkey race seats. They will also allow me to add side cars with vinyl to finish the inside of the cockpit area.

The only problem is, when I tried to use the slider I had for the driver's side- it raised the seat almost 2". So, after some thought, I decided to fix mount both seats. As in most of these cars, I do not think it will make much difference either way, the pedals are a bit close for me. So, shorted drivers should do just fine.

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Thom

Hi Thom,

Seats look damn good! Similar to 914 seats that I used but more modern and in much better shape, Mine are 40 years old.

Have seen those Lucas tail lights on a couple of other 7 types . They go well. Don't recall any build up though. Probably didn't look close enough. Doubt if Lucas made any variations.

Great progress!

Cheers

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Larry in Seattle

Thanks, I was really happy with the seats, and I only paid $200 for the pair!They are very close to the 914 seat in construction.

The original 7's used them. But they had a large black rubber piece to make the transition. I have looked on ebay.uk for over a year and only saw one - and it was in bad shape.

I will add more structure to make it flair in better.

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Thom

Thom,
In this day $200 for the pair is definitely LoCost! Well bought! Out of curiosity where did you source them?

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Larry in Seattle

They were on the Chicago Craigslist for about 2 weeks!

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Thom

Pays to pay attention. Great break. I went looking about and nothing anywhere near that. That's less than I paid for 2 914 seats before they became the hot restore project.

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Larry in Seattle

Here is a Series 1 Lotus 7's taillights.

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Thom

I added more fiberglass to taillight mount. It will take awhile to get the shape I want.

While that is setting up, I mounted the backup light and a lic plate frame I had here from my Cobra kit car.



I have another backup light that I did not use on my Cobra. Wonder if I should mount one on the other side to balance the look or just leave it as is. It now meets the code requirement.

I will replace the lic frame for one that has an integrated lic plate light.

The spare wheel & tire are 22" in diameter. So, it will clear the light & plate.

Now that I have the seats mounted, I am too close to the pedals & steering wheel. I will move the firewall on the driver's side forward 2 1/4". That will help considerably. I will wait till I have the drive train back out and before the final welding and frame painting.

I also redesigned the coolant tank mount.



It's a much more rigid design. And I can use the alum plate as an added nose attach point.

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Thom

I thought I would post how I reworked the fender to accept to Sprite taillight.

First, I marked its location, drilled a hole for the jigsaw blade, and cut the edge I had marked.


Then, I used a couple of rubber pieces to hold the top of the flap out to about the angle I need to have the taillight sit correctly.



Next, I needed to remove the curve in the flap. So, I used a 1700watt HF heat gun to relax the fiberglass. It does not take very long. Be careful you do not cause the gell coat to bubble, it can occur quickly (ask me how I know?).


I then check to see if I have it about where I want it and that the flap is reasonably flat.


I then start to apply glass mat and resin to fill and shape the gap to a shape I like. I applied a couple of layers, sanded and then added some pieces of foam as a filler. Then I covered the foam with more mat & resin and sanded again.

I know have something I can work with. I will use filler to finish it in the final shape I want.


I preferred the original style lights and I will upgrade the bulbs to LEDs. Since I have a 3rd brake light from the Jeep Wrangler spare mount I am using, I am not too worried as to how bright they are.



Next, I will pull the left front clamshell fender and see if I can flatten the curve to make it match the other side, (older fender that had, somehow, lost some of its shape), fender I had bought and found it was flatter (wider at the widest width). Hope I can, the wider size covers the tire fully. I also will make some stiffeners for the underside of the fender where the front stay bolts thru to reduce the flex. I made a trial unit today using some 1/4" X 1" flat steel about 15" long. Working from the middle of the bar mounted in my vice, I gripped the other end with a large crescent wrench and started to bend it. I then moved it out, about 1" at a time, until I had the curve I needed. The I flipped it around and worked the other half. I then drilled a 1/2" hole for the thru bolt and mocked it up. Even without it being glassed to the fender, it really firmed up the whole unit!

More to come!

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Thom

Very clever, Thom.

Cheers,

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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

I added the Lucas amber turn indicators to the rear fenders. I had taken a set off my Cobra replica do to a bit of corrosion on the chrome bezels. I cleaned them up and decided I could reuse them here.



I wanted to copy the original style on the Series I & 2 cars. I still need to trim off the trailing edge of the rear fender along the marked line as shown in the photo.
I had cut off the leading lower edge of the steamroller rear fenders and kept the cutoff material. It is rather thick at the bend of the edge.



As I looked at how the frame had been constructed, I realized I did not like seeing the piece of frame sticking out of the nose on the sides.


So, I started playing with how I could cover the frame. As I dug thru the saved scrap material (ever the pack rat), I saw the cutoff pieces and tried it against the nose. I trimmed it to a size that I liked and will glue it up and then glass it to the sides as small wings.


THe res dotted line on the center of the nose are marking out where the previous owner had cut and spliced the nose and I have to fill in the low area down the center. I will also dress up the front mount tab for the LCA to round the edges for a better, finish, look. The "L" bracket is the mount for the headlight.

I will play with filling in the top trailing edge to flair it into the nose. But, all-in-all, I like the look better with the frame covered.

My other thought is, as can be seen int the photo w/o the wing, the horizontal tube is open at the end. I have threaded weldable bungs that could go into it. If I can find a small motorcycle bullet style front turn signal, I could mount them on the end of the bungs.

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Thom

For what it's worth, I like the wing idea. I think it looks good.

Cheers,

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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

Today I removed the old firewall in the footwell on the driver's side to add more leg room and move the pedals farther away from the seat. Glad I had only tack welded the vertical panel in place!

After I removed the panel, I discovered the mos forward I could move it was 2 3/4" because of the width in the foot well to accommodate the Wilwood floor mounted pedal assy. Plus, I discovered I could slide the steering column closer to the seat by 1" as well. By doing both, my legs are not quite as twisted up trying to fit (I'm 6' 2").


I also found that the "D" shaft transition from the end of the column to the 1st U joint would land right in the middle of the new vertical firewall footwell! That is luck! It only required a 3/4" hole which I then elongated.

I will have to trim the top of the brake pedal by 1/2". But I think I will not miss it, the pedal arm and pedal are 10.66" long from the pivot.



Next, I need to mount the remote reservoirs to the front face of the new firewall. They will sit just above the cross tube and be easy to check/fill.

Now, I need to make some sort of removable cover on the top of the footwell area int the engine compartment. I want it removable so I can access the pedals for mounting and service. The forward mount (one of two for the column) is 4 1/2" higher than the upper frame tubes.


Suggestions?

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Thom