LocostUSA.com

Your page is the slowest page I am currently viewing and it takes 3-4 times longer to load than others. I begin opening it and go off and do something and then come back. To be fair you do have a lot of pictures.

Not all of us have the luxury of fast internet also, and the most important reason, is for posterity. ANY changes you make to tinypics the all the links to here go dead and your thread is worthless.

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mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

Carguy123,

Let me know if it is any better now. I edited all the posts except the very first one, uploading the images to the site.

Boy, this page just popped up there like magic. And then I realized it was page 2 and there were no pics to load so I went back to page 1 & . . .

I didn't let it load all the way because I kept seeing lots of "tinypics" loading. Are you sure you put them all on the forum?

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

It turns out I have too many pictures in the first post, so I kept 5 on Tinypic and uploaded the rest to the site. It should load much faster now.

I am so used to fast internet at home and work, sometimes I forget that other people still have slower internet...hope this helps.

It is faster. It only took 36 seconds to load the first page. Thanks and you'll thank yourself later when you need to move some stuff on tiny pics or want to leave that site.

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

And now for this weeks update:

I ordered a bunch of parts that all came in this week so I'll have more stuff to work on next.

I got the remaining piece of the floorboard welded in. I also got the mount for the brake and gas pedal in.

Then, I got the frame cleaned, degreased, & painted(my wife was kind enough to help as it is my birthday in 2 weeks). I used Rustoleum High Performance Enamel in Smoke Grey. It should be more than durable for this frame. I brushed it on and it actually worked pretty well. The first coat was full of streaks, but we applied the second coat very thick and it looks pretty good.

Ill start working on the wiring harness next time I am up there.

Awesome stuff! You sure move fast. I like the slate gray paint choice. I am planning on going with the same color. A couple thoughts. Where does the shoulder harness mount to the roll bar? Bracing for the pedal assembly and master cylinders?

Also, I was mistaken in regards to the rear coil spring contacting the chassis. I think one of the earlier pictures prior to final placement misled me.

In regards to chassis loads, during braking the front lower leading LCA member undergoes high loads in tension. It appears that inboard pickup point places that chassis member in pure bending. might be something to monitor in the future.

1200 lbs in weight for just the rear subframe and powertrain is rather alarming. When I sent my B series block to Darton for new sleeves I recall the naked aluminum engine block alone was 40 lbs.

Overall it looks like it will be a fun car to drive. I take it that's a hydraulic handbrake for some WRC induced powerslides?

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There is no such thing as mechanical failure, only a lack of attention to detail.

LateralScience,

For the Roll Bar mount, I was looking at it yesterday and I think I'll have to either add a brace across the Diagonal or add a horizontal member closer to the engine for that. Either way, I want to get the car fully assembled before working on that so I know what space I have available. It shouldn't be too hard to strip and repaint that section.

For the brake pedal and master cylinders, I have 2 1.5in angles made from 1/8th in plate welded to the horizontal tube(the same one that the back of the steering column mounts to). I will bolt the pedal assy to this. I also have 4 holes predrilled to make a bracket for the gas pedal later. I think this will be more than stiff enough.

Thanks for the advise on the Control Arm mount. Ill be sure to keep an eye on it.

The hydraulic brake in the picture is a cutting brake. When the brakes are not applied, it will let me slow down either rear tire depending on which direction i push it. It should make the car even more fun...

And now for this weekend's update:

Didn't get to work on the car too much because I had an allergic reaction to the degreaser from last weekend and it is finally starting to go away today...

The paint turned out pretty well, I will touch up a few spots later, but overall I am happy with how it turned out. It is still wet in a few places though...

Got the car put back together pretty quick this time.

Then I started on the wiring... Everything is in the wrong place, so I tried to connect to the engine harness and go from there.


I starter soldering in ~2 feet of extensions to a connector on the steering column(12 wires down, 25 to go) then Ill lengthen the transmission control wires. Once those are completed, ill see what else is in the wrong place. I am not doing anything with the headlights or tail lights until everything else is done...

okay, time for this weekend's update:

Finished soldering all the wires that needed to be extended and connected all the plugs and grounds.


The good: Engine spins over with the key

The bad: Electrical gremlins...

When I connected the battery the turn signals all started flashing. after messing with the hazard switch they went from flashing to always on. When you put the right turn signal on, the left bulb turns off and vice versa...

I am thinking it is a grounding issue or electricity back feeding through the turn signal circuit. Next time i am up there ill double check all the 50+ wires I had to extend for continuity and just double check I didn't cross anything...

Have a few questions I could use some help on:

- For the lights & signals, should I continue using the Riviera's or rewire it? If I use the existing wiring, I'll have to extend all the wires to make them fit and Ill have to use this switch on the dash: Here
I am thinking the dash will look cleaner overall if I start from scratch.

- Thoughts on flex vs hard lines for brake and fuel systems?

Appreciate any feedback.

Update for the first half of this weekend:

ITS ALIVE!!!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B93Hq ... GZ1Rl9KTDQ

Had to turn it off shortly after starting it because the rubber line taking the place of the tranny cooler popped off and spewed several quarts of ATF on the floor... Thats what I get for not using hose clamps for a quick start-up.

After starting it, I confirmed that the only control module I need to keep other than the ECU is the theft deterrent module. I spent last night stripping all the unneeded wires. Before:

After:


got the fuel system finished with a 15.5 gallon tank


After the fuel system got finished, hit the key and it started right up.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B93Hq ... 3lkY2oxZVk

plan to mount the radiator tomorrow and if I get that finished, Ill start on the brakes.

This weekend's update PART TWO:

Got the radiator mounted and plumbed up. I had some technical difficulty when it came to conceptualizing routing the tranny cooler lines... there are a few extra bends then there should have been(there is an S curve in it).

I filled it with coolant, fired it up, and it ran like a champ. Both cooling fans turned on at 212 and turned off at 190.

Then I worked on cleaning up the wiring a bit more. Still looks ugly, but at least they're protected and semi secured now.

I mounted one of the fuse boxes under the seat, but it turns out that its a half an inch too tall, so Ill have to re-mount it somewhere else next time im up there.

I also got the cutting brake mounted and the rear brake lines run. I need to buy a tee to plumb the front line into the cutting brake.

It was at this point that I noticed that the brake pedal was too far to the right... So I had to cut one of the steering column mounts and move the pedal over, now I have enough room for a gas pedal.

Ill try to get the brakes done and mount the shifter next weekend so I can test drive it(move it front and back a little).

Alright guys, since I dont have the ability to work on the car for the next few weeks, I am trying to plan the dash.

Id appreciate any feedback on my dash plans/what I am missing:

Maybe a fan switch to override the fan's thermo switch. It all depends on that you plan to add in the future, otherwise it looks good.

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My build: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtop ... 18&t=13096


You can build the most awesome thing in the world but at some point, an 80yr old man in a crx is probably going kick your butt on the track... don't ask me how I know.

Add 2-3 extra switches for things that you might want later, such as launch control, the aformentioned fan override, water/methanol, etc.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/