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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: August 16, 2018, 10:29 am 
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Hey Gents
I have been working on the car for a couple months now and figure its time to start a build log here for your guideance. I have been posting a weekly build log on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqr1oX ... l5Q/videos for more details.

The current plan uses a SR20DET engine and trans, RX8 front spindles, Ford Explorer 8.8" axle. The frame is about a +2 width, +1 height, but is being built to fit the components I have.

I haven't figured out how to post photos yet, but I will work on getting some uploaded for you guys.

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqr1oX ... l5Q/videos


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PostPosted: August 16, 2018, 1:04 pm 
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Yo, Lefty-
Welcome to the forum! Abandon all hope, ye who enter herein...

Be sure to do a little research on mounting that diff... Grasshopper legs are the way to go... (Voice of experience...)

Save your pictures as .jpg files or similar on the same 'puter that you write your forum posts from. To post a picture in your message, look down the page a bit from where you type the text. Under the blue line that says "Upload attachment" is a box labelled "Browse." You can then navigate to the folder with the pictures and click on the one you want to upload. Then click "Open" and your pic is added to the post you're writing.

But wait, there's more! The above actions will put the pic at the bottom of the post. Find the button just above that same "Upload attachment" line that says "Preview" and you can see your post with picture. Scroll back down and a magic box will be under the text that says "Place Inline". Put your cursor where you want the picture and click that button. Your pic will be in the text, where you want it, and you can type some more underneath it.

Long-winded explanation... Sorry... Play with it a bit, you'll figure it out.

Peace, Love and "We LOVE Pictures"--
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


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PostPosted: August 16, 2018, 1:30 pm 
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Thanks JDK,
I'm pretty new to forums so that'll be yet another learning curve.

Here are a few of the pictures that I have handy.

The engine as it got delivered. I have since tore it down and done headstuds, rocker arm stoppers, and gaskets.
Attachment:
EngineSnap.JPG


The chassis as it sat a few months ago, I don't have an up to date photo (I tend to shoot video rather than photos)
Attachment:
Chassis1.JPG


I did invest in some nice 17" wheels. I know that they are bigger and heavier than I need or even recommended but dam do they look cool.
Attachment:
Wheels1.JPG


And the rear axle I am using is a Ford Exploder 8.8" that I narrowed using two passanger shafts and cutting material out of the driver side tube. It has a 3.73 ratio limited slip pumpkin. You can also see the Toyo Proxies I got those wheels wrapped in.
Attachment:
WheelsTiresonAxle.JPG


I think the next step will be the front suspension.


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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqr1oX ... l5Q/videos


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PostPosted: August 17, 2018, 6:44 am 
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Wellll, looks like you got the picture thing figgered out. Good on ya!

And I see that you're talking about a live axle 8.8 out of an Exploder, not one of their IRS units. You can disregard my comments in that first post, I was thinkin' IRS.

Good luck, keep us posted...
:cheers:
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


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PostPosted: August 29, 2018, 3:49 pm 
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I went to the junkyard and got a set of RX8 spindles for the build and cleaned them up. The next step will be getting new wheel bearings and brakes as the junkyard ones were... junk.


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PostPosted: August 30, 2018, 2:04 am 
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Location: Holden, Alberta, Canada
Hey Lefty
You don't know me, but I like pictures, lot's of pictures. Easier than looking at those little squiggly things that make up words.
Anyhow, looking at your pictures, I am worried, your shop looks way to clean. I see no clutter, no mess, no confusion.
Are those real pictures or photo shopped?
:cheers: :cheers:

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'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle


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PostPosted: August 30, 2018, 7:23 am 
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horchoha wrote:
Hey Lefty
You don't know me, but I like pictures, lot's of pictures. Easier than looking at those little squiggly things that make up words.
Anyhow, looking at your pictures, I am worried, your shop looks way to clean. I see no clutter, no mess, no confusion.
Are those real pictures or photo shopped?
:cheers: :cheers:
You heard it here, folks!!! Perry likes pictures. So does Bubba, 'cause he don't read so good... Not that I'd say that about Perry or anything... :mrgreen:

I had a boss that said "A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind." I asked him if he wanted employees that had empty desks and therefore... And just left it hanging there. During a staff meeting. Everybody laughed. Except the boss. I don't work there any more... Those two facts are not really related. Maybe.

I just wish I could own a garage someday that the wind did NOT blow all the dust, leaves, trash and small animals from that end of the county into. Even with the door closed.

:cheers:
Peace, Love and Clutter-
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


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PostPosted: August 30, 2018, 9:37 am 
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Haha, when you only have 400sqft to build a car in organization tends to take a top priority.
It also doesn't hurt to have a friends garage to store all my other junk in!

Next week I should have some messy pictures for ya Perry, I believe that foam carving is the plan for this weekend!!

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqr1oX ... l5Q/videos


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PostPosted: September 4, 2018, 7:04 pm 
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I have officially made the transition from a little off my rocker to full blown unmedicated insanity. I started on the buck for making a one piece fiberglass hood and nosecone.
I started by making a hot wire cutter out of a cheap CanadianTire cordless drill for cutting the EPS foam. It worked well on really short cuts, but broke the wire or didn't heat evenly on the long cuts, so that was 60 Canadian Pesos wasted.
Attachment:
HotWireCutter.JPG


Moving on to slightly more aggressive techniques led me to the circular saw, and that led me to discover the expansion co-efficient of EPS foam. One 4' cut in 2" thick foam will coat an entire shop in white foam beads, no matter the shops size! I will be finding these things for years to come.
Attachment:
EPSFoamMess.JPG


It had the desired result though, turning 4x8 sheets of foam into more manageable sizes to Gorilla glue on to some profile boards I mounted to the chassis.
Attachment:
TemplateCrossFront.JPG

Attachment:
FoamBuckStart.JPG


The next step will be sanding the foam into shape to prepare it for bondo, filler, then fiber.


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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqr1oX ... l5Q/videos


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PostPosted: September 5, 2018, 4:40 am 
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My hot wire design is halfway down this page:

http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtop ... =36&t=3993

Self tensioning with a carb spring and uses a standard battery charger and safety wire. I can relate to the "snow" in July from sanding eps.

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PostPosted: September 17, 2018, 10:49 am 
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Thanks for the hot wire tip MV8, after a couple tries I found that it just wasn't worth the hassle for the small amount of time and mess that it may save me. I ended up using a hacksaw blade for most of the rough shaping, then an agressive wood rasp for the contours, and finally an orbital sander to smooth out the finish.
The shape is not 100% dialed in, but I think it will come together in the filler stage.
Attachment:
Hood Formed.JPG

I am hoping that I will be able to use the mold more than once, making changes as I go if needed but if not I think the next mold will be easier.


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Youtube Build log
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqr1oX ... l5Q/videos


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PostPosted: September 17, 2018, 12:31 pm 
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Location: Montreal, Quebec
LeftFootFirst wrote:
Thanks for the hot wire tip MV8, after a couple tries I found that it just wasn't worth the hassle for the small amount of time and mess that it may save me. I ended up using a hacksaw blade for most of the rough shaping, then an agressive wood rasp for the contours, and finally an orbital sander to smooth out the finish.
The shape is not 100% dialed in, but I think it will come together in the filler stage.
Attachment:
Hood Formed.JPG

I am hoping that I will be able to use the mold more than once, making changes as I go if needed but if not I think the next mold will be easier.


Do you happen to have the profile of the plywood piece on computer in cad?

It looks nice and I wpuld like to try it.


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PostPosted: September 17, 2018, 12:42 pm 
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Hey Bevins,
Unfortunately no, i didnt do any of the bodywork in CAD, I used a scrap peice of wood bent between two points to get the shape. you can see my method at 2:45 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNqklte9vxU

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqr1oX ... l5Q/videos


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PostPosted: September 20, 2018, 1:37 pm 
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Well I have been doing some reading on suspension design and have officially determined that I know nothing. Every post that I read indicates how to calculate roll centers, camber gain, anti-squat, ect, but few give values to shoot for. Everyone says to keep roll centers as stationary as possible, but nobody wants to tell you where to keep them.
As a result I have gone with a "it looks about right" solution by playing around in VSusp.
Left Foot Locost

Any input is welcome, but no promises on following it.

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqr1oX ... l5Q/videos


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PostPosted: September 20, 2018, 3:08 pm 
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LeftFootFirst wrote:
Well I have been doing some reading on suspension design and have officially determined that I know nothing.
. . .
Any input is welcome, but no promises on following it.


We've all had that humbling feeling from time to time. Here's some possible help:

"The Sports Car and Kit Car Suspension & Brakes High-Performance Manual" by Des Hammill

You can find it on Amazon ==> https://www.amazon.com/Modify-Sportscar ... es+Hammill

It's aimed at 7-like cars. It gives you targets and goals for just about every suspension parameter plus shows you in a very practical way how to setup and debug your chassis/suspension when completed. It is not a theoretical book. I believe you would find it helpful at this stage and it's ~$25 and worth it IMHO.

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


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