Edit: Car is now owned by Jack McCornack. Car is pictured below as delivered to new owner. Original build log posts below that.
Locost built from a badly wrecked 1990 Miata I bought earlier this year.
So what I've done so far:
Today, out of sheer curiousity I cut off some pieces to expose the front of the engine. The crank pulley was smashed as was every other component on the front of the engine. Strangely the crank pulley bolt was loose enough for me to unscrew by hand.
That could be bad. I will post some pics later.
State of the build:My goal was to build a Locost for under $3000. As of 2/21/2007 I have spent around $3200 and I still haven't bought coilovers ($650) or fenders (500) or aluminum for the body ($300) or paint ($100).
So it looks like I'll be lucky if I can get this done for under $5000.Misc notes:Here is a site with Miata wiring diagrams:
http://www.madracki.com/miata/wiring.htmlBudget Wrecked Miata donor
$500 Steel, gas and Mig wire for chassis:
$350Parts to repair Miata drivetrain
$350 (water pump and pulley, thermostat housing, crank pulley and seal etc)
Replacement engine, 1994 1.8,
$350Used tranny to replace the busted unit on donor:
$200Used diff housing to replace busted housing on donor:
$50- (Ended up not needing it since I bought the LSD)
Nosecone and scuttle
$430 (Kinetic)
Fiberglass rear fenders
$72-beta test specials! (Kinetic)
Front fenders, homemade CSR replicas, materials
$200(fiberglass supply depot)
QA1 Promastar adjustable coilovers and springs
$735.96 (Autofab Racecars)
Aluminum for body panels(4 2x5 painted sheets and a plain 4x10 sheet)-
$200 (performance bodies)
DOM tubing for A arms, steering column extension, tie rod extensions, etc.-
$20016 1/2" rod ends and jam nuts:
$88 (QS components)
Weld in adapters for rod ends x 16:
$40 (midwest control)
Headlights-
$70 (Dietz style from Speedway- Bulb Wagner H6024)
Tail lights
$80 Toyota forklift tails.(Swift Forklift supply)
Wiring-None yet- using factory harness
POR/ paint for chassis-
$97 Chassis kit 3+3 2oz cans plus 1 quart can.
Windscreen-?
Wilwood Brake pedals (Summit)-
$140Fuel line-?
MSD inline fuel pump:
$1008 gallon fuel cell with foam:
$100 (Summit)
Brake line-?
Radiator and plumbing-
$45 spent on Ebay Civic radiator.
Steering rack-
$50 for a used unmodified Miata rack.
Material for header-
$40 thus far to adapt factory shorty header.
Seats-Kirkey Drag with covers-
$3425pt harnesses-?$75x2 =
$150E2074R Tie rod end for front upper A arm x 2:
$25 (fits miata upper balljoint hole)
Misc hardware:
$70Driveshaft shortening-
$8388 RX-7 Clutch type LSD-
$25094+ Miata axles for LSD-
$60RX-7 Airflow meter-
$45Street Wheels and tires.
$519.01(Tire Rack)
R compounds to be put on 14" wheels I have
$359.50 -P205/55ZR-14 Avon Tech R-A (Tire Rack)
Tools I had to buy:
30" HF sheet metal bending brake:
$60HF precision tubing notcher:
$64Bosch Sawzall
$80 (cut up donor amoung other things)
HF 6" metal cut off saw:
$40 (Good for chassis tubes but not big enough for exhaust)
HF 14" cut off saw:
$60HF Jigsaw:
$25 (burnt up my black and decker cutting out the steel floor)
Suspension Numbers. (designed around 20" tall racing slicks that will only be used for autocross competition) Street tires will be 22.68" tall.(195/50R15)
Front:Roll center 2.5"
Suspension pickup points
Chassis bracket pivots:
Upper 13.3" from ground, 12.5" from chassis centerline
Lower 6.52" from ground, 8.6" from chassis centerline
Upright balljoint locations: (stock lower Miata lower balljoint, upper is TRW ES2074R)
Upper 14.71" from ground, 24.35" from chassis centerline
Lower 6.52" from ground, 26.3" from chassis centerline
Rear:Roll center 2.5"
Suspension pickup points:
Chassis bracket pivots:
Upper 13.38" from ground, 14.15" from chassis centerline
Lower 6.15" from ground, 9.8" from chassis centerline
Upright balljoint locations: (not true balljoints, but the stock pivots)
Upper 14.65" from ground, 23.85" from chassis centerline
Lower 6.15" from ground, 25.4" from chassis centerline
All Upright center points were measured in 1.5 degrees of negative camber and a 20" tall racing slick tire.
Other Misc notes:
4/21/07- Half out of boredom, half out of curiousity I weighed the engine and tranny today and it is a whopping 375#. Heavy eh, but bear in mind this was the engine complete with
everything including the heavy steel motor mounts I fabbed and the stock steel exhaust manifold, alternator, everything. It would
run as it sits if I plumbed it up.
State of the build as of now pictured below:
A quick
video.[/img]