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I bought my donor car today, woohoo! My dad picked it up for me (thanks Dad!) so I haven't actually seen it but it's a 1991 Mercury Cougar LS with the 5.0L HO. He drove it home, about a 40 km trip, and said it ran well. Not to shabby for $600.00 car. It has an IRS so I'll have to modify my frame now as I can't think of a good reason not to utilize it.

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Trochu Motor League

That's a steal for $600, almost a shame to gut it. Way to go!

You might want to consider a de Dion rear axle. There's a lot to like about them: low unsprung weight, good camber control, and you wouldn't have to modify your chassis. Downsides are performance on bumpy surfaces and more total weight.

If your rear hub carriers are steel (I don't know what they're made of), a de Dion would be relatively easy to do.

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Dreaming the dream since 2003. Haynes chassis, Miata uprights, everything else from 1987 NA RX7 donor.

Congrats!!!!!!!!
That´s what Locost is all about. THe best part of getting a good looking donor is that you can sell the parts you won´t be needing for good money.
That´ll bring your total cost a littlel bit down.


It really is.
This was my original choice for a donor as I had one already with me that I bought maybe 4 or 5 years ago to participate in 1/4 mile racing just for fun, not for winning....



Yes, for all out racing, maybe its OK to go De dion, but as said, additional unsprung weight Vs. IRS is detrimental to ride quality. there are a couple of documentes builds using that rear end.
There is a raging debate wether IRS is better or not, so it is really up to you and who do you listen to, as said above, no rear suspension is free from defects, and it may be easier to modify the frame to use the Diff as is than accept a DeDion as the Cougar Diff is rear mounted limiting yourpossibilities.



See above + the rear Hub carriers are alloy, so if you go this route you may need to do some machining, or maybe adapters to bolt on the original Knuckle pivot points.

Trochu,
I think that I can´t reinforce this hard enough.
KEEP EVERYTHING as fasteners, Wiring, Switches, ´til you finish, as you never know what you will need during the build.
I had to pay for the breaking up of my `91 cougar and a lot!! I MEAN A LOT of stuff got lost by the guy that did it so there are a lot of fasteners and connectors to be bought just because of this.
I have a Haynes manual for this car so if you need info, please feel free to ask.
Although, you may get it second hand for not much in US (As I bought it that way)
Problem here is the shipping to Mexico which brings the price up.
Congratulations again and as I said somewhere else GOOD CHOICE!!
AA

It was like Christmas here, the gifts part anyways:

I got a 2,000lb engine stand from Princess Auto:


A 2,000lb engine hoist, also from Princess Auto:


And the jewel of my build, the Ford 5.0 H.O.:


I'm still in the process of stripping down the Cougar and getting everything I need from it before I start tossing the extra parts in the dumpster. I have a question I need some insight on before I make a decision though. I found a T5 with the 265 lb-ft rating. The 5.0 has a stock, a state I don't intend on keeping it, torque rating of 275 lb-ft. So at first glance, it seems crazy to purchase a tranny with a lower torque rating than the motor, but is it? Anyone know what torque rating causes wheels spin on the average weighing Locost? If it's less than 265 lb-ft, does it matter if the tranny and engine are mismatched in regards to torque?

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Trochu Motor League

2 tons = 4000lbs.




When you are in a higher gear, and have your foot to the floor, you will have the full 275 lb-ft of torque going to the wheels, without any slip. So, it doesn't matter how much traction you get, the maximum torque you will see on the transmission is during hard acceleration, after the tires start to grip.

What is there to go wrong on the transmission with 10 lb-ft of extra torque? People double their horsepower without touching their transmission. Not saying its right, but I don't think you will have any issues. The only reason I say this, is because I have an '83 T5 in my 5.0L Locost and it is rated for the lower torque rating, and I'm sure that my engine has 300+ lb-ft of torque. (Engine is an '89, with an intake, cams, and its bored out)

If you plan to take it to the track a lot, then its worth while to buy a better transmission. If you will be using your car for drives through the country side, and the occasional 'spirited acceleration', the T5 your looking at will be fine.

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"The decision to build a car is not one reached through a rational mindset. It is a decision that is made because we have to do it! It makes no sense, but neither does love, children and taxes" -Sam Buchanan

My Build Log: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=3054

It will probably be fine, as first gear is the weakest one due to the torque multiplication. The t-5 from a 4 cylinder car is rated for a lower torque rating because it has a lower (higher numerically) first gear so you can get it off the line easier with a less torquey engine. In my opinion, the low first gear my car had sucked because of the huge jump to second. Just something to keep in mind.
Kristian

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V6 in a book frame build. Now registered.
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7587
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=18172

My bad.

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Trochu Motor League

You threw an extra one in for more power?

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Ford 5.0 into an M3
mikaelvroom.com | @MikaelVroom

Totally! Who wouldn't?

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"The decision to build a car is not one reached through a rational mindset. It is a decision that is made because we have to do it! It makes no sense, but neither does love, children and taxes" -Sam Buchanan

My Build Log: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=3054

So how's the build coming along?
Kristian

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V6 in a book frame build. Now registered.
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7587
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=18172

It's not, unfortunately. Summer is our busy time at work and I'm finding it really tough to come home and work on the car, escpecially since I'm at a stage I'm not really looking forward to, ripping the electrical out of the donor car. I am making slow progress though, I got all the drivetrain and suspension out and my dad brought up my T5 this morning. How is yours coming, have you got it over to A1 yet?

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Trochu Motor League

Noticed your post earlier about the bolt pattern, and I wanted to let you know that the Cougar isn't 5x114.3, its 5x108. Your wheel choices will be limited to Jaguar, some Ferrari, Volvo, Tauruses, Windstars, and Thunderbirds.

Now, you can use the front hub from a SN95 Mustang to convert the MN12 front spindles to 5x114.3, and you can use the rear hub from an IRS Mustang Cobra to convert the rear, and everything goes together nicely. It just costs around $500 to do the conversion.

I haven't got much done either, was in Vancouver for schooling for 2 months, then got married and went on a honeymoon a few weeks after school. Monday was the first time I touched it in 3 1/2 months. I'm really not looking forward to the wiring either, but it will be nice to get it done. My goal is on the road this summer, even if it's not done.
Kristian

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V6 in a book frame build. Now registered.
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7587
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=18172

I do realize this but thanks Firebat. I'm thinking of going with 11" discs, 5x114.3 hub and the Mustang II spindle assembly for the front, I found them on E-bay for about $320.00. I haven't given the rear much thought yet but the Cobra hub seems like a cheap/easy choice.

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Trochu Motor League

I drilled the rear hubs on my 96 tbird to the 5 on 4.5 pattern, if you want, I can do yours for you the next time I go visit my parents in Kamloops.
Kristian

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V6 in a book frame build. Now registered.
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7587
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=18172