LocostUSA.com • View topic - Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Board index » Build Logs » The Builders Log

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]

Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Moderators: a.moore, JackMcCornack

Page 8 of 195

[ 2916 posts ]

Go to page Previous 1 ... 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ... 195 Next

Print view

Previous topic | Next topic

Author

Message

TRX

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: April 23, 2011, 7:09 am

Joined: March 30, 2011, 7:18 am
Posts: 1615
Location: central Arkansas

If it was me, I'd shove the engine back and down as far as practical and worry about hood clearance later.

The scuttle/nose/hood line can be raised, you could cut a nicely edged and shaped to clear any protruding plenum bits, there are alternative factory intakes available, and if it comes down to it, you can modify the stock intake. It's only moving air, and it's not rocket surgery...

Some years ago I built a sheet steel upper plenum for a 3.8. I cut a bottom plate out of 1/4 steel flat, holesawed and ground the holes to match the lower plenum, sliced a piece of 3" muffler pipe lengthwise to make left and right sides, welded a top, back, and a front plate that had provision for two small throttle bodies. It's still out in the shop somewhere, but I'm still on crutches and can't negotiate the steps to get out there and take a picture of it for you for another few weeks yet.

It's less work and takes less skill than welding up some Locost A-arms.

Don't stress on the freakin' intake! "Ve haff vays off dealink mit zuch problemz!"

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: April 25, 2011, 7:57 pm

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

TRX wrote:

The truth will be told pretty quick here now. The woodworking tools are all set up, and tuned up, and the mock-up is going well. I'm going to leave out the tranny tunnel and some other pieces until I get the engine and transmission in place. I know there will be changes there for sure and there's no point in making it all just to tear it out and redo it again. The mock-up will be my rough design tool and then I'll finalize on the computer thereafter.

Cheers,

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

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

Top

hassleweed

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: April 25, 2011, 10:57 pm

Joined: February 5, 2010, 12:48 am
Posts: 314
Location: San Diego

We need to see some pictures!

Top

GonzoRacer

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: April 25, 2011, 10:58 pm

We are Slotus!

Joined: October 6, 2009, 9:29 am
Posts: 7651
Location: Tallahassee, FL (The Center of the Known Universe)

hassleweed wrote:

We need to see some pictures!

Yeah, what he said!
:cheers:

_________________
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

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: April 26, 2011, 10:24 am

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

GonzoRacer wrote:

hassleweed wrote:

We need to see some pictures!

Yeah, what he said!
:cheers:

Patience little ones, patience. I'm taking them as I go along, but they don't tell the story yet.

It's an illness, don't you think, viewing these build photos late at night? My wife, hearing me exclaim and praise some clever bracket or mount late at night by the glow of my flat screen has said more than once, "Baby, why don't you just look at naughty photos on the Internet like all the other husbands?"

They just don't understand, do they?

Cheers,

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

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

Top

GonzoRacer

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: April 26, 2011, 10:49 am

We are Slotus!

Joined: October 6, 2009, 9:29 am
Posts: 7651
Location: Tallahassee, FL (The Center of the Known Universe)

Yo, Lonnie-
TWWTFM, Gayle, calls this forum "The Car [NWS PORN] Site" and occasionally asks, "Just what is it you look at in there?" When I show her what I'm looking at, it only confuses her more.

Yeah, it's an illness...

:cheers:

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: Building the Wooden Mock-up Part I

Posted: May 7, 2011, 11:58 am

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

I've finished the Mock-up as far as I need to for the moment. I now need to start trial fitting the engine/transmission, rear axle, seats, etc and have more to add later. However, it will be an advantage to wait until the rear axle is in place and the approximate location of the engine/transmission has been decided upon before completing it.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

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

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

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: Mock-Up Part II

Posted: May 7, 2011, 4:43 pm

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

Not too many people will want to go down this road and produce a mock-up. However, I felt I was making a sufficient number of changes to justify a trial version. The car is a hybrid between the Haynes Roadster and several other versions of the Locost and will incorporate some of the Aussie Mods plus some recommendations from the Linton Analysis. I didn't want to be endlessly make modification as I went along and discovered small incompatibilities. I don't expect this will prevent any need for changes during the build, but should keep the number manageable.

Attachment:

Front-3Qtr.jpg

Rather than build the left hand version of the tunnel specified on the Haynes site, I decided to tape in the locations of uprights U7 and U8 upon the cross tube BR10. The blue squares on the removable, white BR10 plug and RHS of BR10 are the specified locations. I ran blue tape in the correct tunnel locations back to the seatback. With a much wider 90 degree V6 having a bell housing similar to a V8, the U7, U8 locations will have to be moved. Trial placement of the engine/transmission will be required to know where they must go.

Attachment:

Cockpit-Tunnel.jpg

Working with wood has its own challenges. The bite on the deck screws I used is so powerful that you can easily distort something like this front frame by 2-3 mm just with overtightening. Accuracy is less that the 1mm hoped for by the book, but the mock-up is just for study purposes anyway.

Attachment:

FF-Jig.jpg

Some other views.

Attachment:

Rear-3Qtr.jpg

Attachment:

Rear-View.jpg

There's more to do including building the back end once the platform is down on the scissors jacks and the rear axle is in place.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

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

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

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: Rear End

Posted: May 7, 2011, 5:18 pm

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

For completeness, I'll include a 3D view of the expected rear end. I consider this an "optimistic" design and do expect changes will be necessary based on the real donor parts, so it's really a starting point (see why I need a mock-up?)

The Haynes Roadster had an independent rear suspension. I'll be using my Mustang donor's 7.5" live axle. The Champion design is based on a much smaller rear axle and I didn't think it had enough space for mine and the Panhard rod setup I had in mind. Also, I loved the rear kick-up on Graham Earley's Leitch better than the Champion design or the McSorley variants. After looking at the photos of Graham's car several times and the drive-by videos on his website I realized this bottom rails must be running straight right back to the kick-up. Graham was kind enough to verify that and send me a photo of the chassis under construction along with an estimate of the kick-up angle. His car can be seen here:

http://home.earthlink.net/~earleymotorsports/id2.html

That gave me an idea, which I felt would solve several problems plus make the chassis much stronger stronger for my 3.8L V6, which has a lot of torque. This design proposal is the result. The rear most tubing will all be light gauge, 3/4" and the fuel tank will lie in the usual position, from side to side on top of them. It will have a roll bar too in the standard Haynes Roadster location, but that is not shown here.

Attachment:

Rear-3D-View.jpg

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

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

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

Top

TRX

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: May 7, 2011, 9:11 pm

Joined: March 30, 2011, 7:18 am
Posts: 1615
Location: central Arkansas

Can you clarify the purpose of all the extra tubes in the back?

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: May 8, 2011, 4:52 pm

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

TRX wrote:

Can you clarify the purpose of all the extra tubes in the back?

I'll assume you mean the collection of primarily round tubes (there are 2 square ones) that make up the kick-up and ledge for the gas tank and join the two rounded frames of the trunk bottom to top. Keep in mind that these are all very light tubes on the order of thin electrical conduit. I had three reasons in mind.

1) Some degree of rear end crash protection. That may sound laughable if you think of a Chevy Suburban as the vehicle that rear ends you, but I was thinking more of protection from low speed, mis-judgments at stop signs and the like. The Haynes roadster has a fair amount of structure around the IRS, but I'm using a live axle and the Champion design needs more there, I think. In fact, I never felt the Champion design had any degree of safety back there at all. My Locost will have a little something.

2) My car is going to be a road car with trips in mind. I'll have at least 7 U.S. gallons and perhaps 10, space permitting. The tank will have baffles, but it is a dynamic, shifting load to some extent and I wanted to have a solid structure there. Remembering that the Trans-Am cars used to work at getting the fuel load as low as possible and just behind the live axle to improve exit speeds in corners, I considered making a triangular shaped tank and dropping it very low in the kick-up. However, for safety and ease of construction reasons, I decided to put it up higher. The triangular void under the tank will be used to mount the donor's fuel filter, its' inertia shut-off switch for the fuel pump and handle a little sump below the fuel pickup to collect impurities and junk.

3) The (approximately) vertical tubes at the very rear appear closer than they are in real life due to the perspective of the graphic. The two outer tubes will take the rear-running roll bar braces just as is done on the standard Haynes Roadster. The roll bar attachment points are omitted in this graphic. I'm thinking I'll want a spare tire mount on the back and the two square tubes nearer the centerline of the car are for that purpose. Square tubes should be easier to deal with there. I'm also hoping a spare will spread out any collision forces and prevent immediate puncture of the fuel tank in a simple rear end accident.

I hope that answers your question.

Cheers,

Lonnie

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

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

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: The Mock-up Doing What I'd Hoped

Posted: May 8, 2011, 5:06 pm

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

For me, building the mock-up was the right thing to do and I'm very happy with the result. I really like the fact that I can now try out and visualize things "in the real." I have lots of questions about the small things too like where to place necessary items like the horns, various fuse boxes, electrical distribution boxes and similar kinds of critical things. It's going to reveal a lot of nooks and crannies where many of these things can be placed.

Attachment:

Rad-Viz-View.jpg

With the nose and scuttle in place and riding at a decent height, it also gives me a good sense of what the finished car will look like. In the photo below it's actually right at 7 inches, but still looks low. In reality it's only 1/2" lower at the undertray than my wife's sedan in the background is at its sill.

Attachment:

Mock-Up-with-Fiberglass.jpg

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

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

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

Top

TRX

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: May 8, 2011, 6:40 pm

Joined: March 30, 2011, 7:18 am
Posts: 1615
Location: central Arkansas

Lonnie-S wrote:

1) Some degree of rear end crash protection

2)The tank will have baffles, but it is a dynamic, shifting load to some extent and I wanted to have a solid structure there.

You might consider arranging the tubes so as to triangulate part of the tail "box" structure. In the grille arrangement you have, your tubes are only taking bending loads. If you X them, you can partially triangulate the structure as well.

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: May 8, 2011, 7:14 pm

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

TRX wrote:

Excellent idea. That would indeed add strength at little cost, weight-wise.

Thanks,

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

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

Top

Lonnie-S

Post subject: Re: Lonnie's Mustang V6, "Steal with Both Hands", Locost

Posted: May 11, 2011, 11:55 pm

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA

Much as I like having the mock-up, it has also used up a lot of my work area. I'm continually bumping into machinery or stored items and have to keep moving things around to make work spaces for different tasks. So, it became clear that I need to get rid of my donor vehicle and reclaim the garage space it occupies.

All the major mechanical have been removed, but I have a list of about 60 things that I need from it. Some items as simple as the the side marker lights need removing and other things as complicated as the control computer and wiring harness must be harvested. I started on the latter because it's the job I want to do least. If I tackle the worst task first, I find it yields psychological benefits because it's all "downhill" from there.

The wiring, systems and controls are much more complex and sophisticated than I expected. And, sometimes I just trip out on figuring why the components are so complex and try see if I can figure out why and what they all do. The headlight switch, for example, has a connector with 8 wires or so, larger and more complicated that most connectors on my computer and the switch itself is physically large. But, it does control low and high beam current, dimming of the instrument cluster, the console lights plus the overhead cabin lights. The actual switch itself is approximately 1-1/2" wide by 1-1/4" high and about 3" deep.

All is going along well, though. I'm carefully labeling everything and taking frequent photos with my digital camera. Two examples follow.

Attachment:

Dash-Instrument-Removal.jpg

As I clear out components it does give me much better visual access behind the dash, which is actually removable once the instruments and accessories along with their harness connectors have been taken out.

Attachment:

Center-Console.jpg

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

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

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

Top

Page 8 of 195

[ 2916 posts ]

Go to page Previous 1 ... 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ... 195 Next

Board index » Build Logs » The Builders Log

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to: