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Another Update: IT DRIVES!!!

Ive still got some work to do, but the car is far enough along.

I got the front wheels mounted and the shocks partially tensioned (didn't have the right tool to do it so I didn't want to damage the lock nuts). Got the brake system finished and working. Got the gas pedal mounted and working(needs some tweaking but functional as is).



I was able to take the the car for a test drive and it went pretty well.
https://youtu.be/sHzF9YS_jN0
https://youtu.be/wnRPRf8OEvo

During my test drive, this car broke the tires loose very easily. Couldn't even get the RPMs above 2500-3000 based on the short distance I had. Also, I tried the cutting brake, its cool, but goes against your instincts... I kept letting off the gas as soon as I would touch it, which makes it not work... the times I got it right was pretty fun.

I took it down a fairly bumpy dirt road at around 20mph and the front suspension did pretty well. I was watching the mounting points that I welded in and I couldn't see anything flexing. Those bumps did however show me a vital flaw in my steering... I forgot to bolt the steering column to the linkage... It fell off while I was driving(those pesky little details...) got the bolt put in and everything is good.

I also noted that the car doesn't steer left very well... need to adjust the rack that the whole thing is off to one side more.

Also, I need to adjust the brakes, the front aren't doing very much right now...

This weekend's update:

I took the front of the car apart and:
-Did front end alignment (Camber of 3, Caster of 0) with a small amount of toe in
-Adjusted the steering rack so that it is centered on the wheels
-Secured battery
-Added rubber isolators to fuel pump mount
-Tightened steering shaft bolts(it fell off on my first test drive, turns out I didnt actually screw it in the first time)
-tightened all front suspension bolts, putting either a lock/star washer or nyloc nut on everything.
-Adjusted front shocks & springs

I need to do some more adjusting, but I need to test it more first.

When test driving it, I noticed that the drivers front tire was scrubbing a little on the inside edge while driving straight. Also, my turning radius is horrible...(to go 90 degrees took ~30ft, measured by google earth). I am not sure how it is affected by the rear tires being toe in right now(planning to have that fixed in 1-2 weekends).

It doesn't steer very well right now, not sure if that has to do with the steering rack being powered with no fluid running through it now also...(will correct that soon also)

Its been a while since i posted an update; hadn't been able to work on the car for the past few weeks.

I pulled the Riviera steering rack off and fixed the rear tires. Turns out the tie-rod ends were wasted so I replaced them, machined a new tie-rod(to use heim joints on the other end) and fixed them to a bracket.



Then I made a muffler(my uncle TIG welded it).





If you're interested, here is the muffler design(not to scale)



I used a decibel meter on my phone and even when revving it, it was a max of 92DB when measured in the drivers seat. Here is a video of it(not all that great audio quality, also the muffler flange is missing an exhaust gasket so there is a minor leak)

https://youtu.be/EuiMtW6e6Ho

And then... I "tested" the car thoroughly... found a few things that needed to be fixed, mostly just had some fun...

Time for this weekends update:

So... I finally got around to installing those pesky seat belts.. It took far longer that I expected(from a lack of forethought during frame fabrication).



I also started working on a dash. Turns out I will have to remake it, moving the speedometer 1in down so that it will fit correctly, but here is what it looks like.




After I started on the dash, I completely changed the layout. Here is how I am planning to make it.

What is the height of those seats? The reason I ask is that if your head is in the headrest while seated, the angle on that harness is dangerous. Anything less than 20 degrees up or down from the point where your shoulder sits is considered adequate. Anything outside of that and you risk compression injuries or a failure in the harness system. Just asking and letting you know. Ive seen improperly installed harnesses fail. Its not pretty.....

Jeremy,

I looked through all my old pictures and it turns out I dont actually have 1 of me sitting in the car. You can use this video as a guage. Essentially, my shoulders are ~1in below the top of the seat's headrest. So the seatbelt should be nearly horizontal on me.

https://youtu.be/gvkVBC_9KE0

My wife, on the other hand has roughly 4-5in below the top of the seat.



Based on your recommendation on 20 degrees max, I think that if I bolt the seatbelts to the under side of the tube that it will get to around 20 degrees.

Thoughts?

I have never wrapped a harness upside down, and I am not sure if the harness would act the same in the attachment hardware. I also use GForces harnesses, although the ones I use are FIA certified, and replaced every three years or after a major incident. Here is a link to their PDF..

http://www.gforce.com/pdf/Harness_Install_Info.pdf

The reason for the maximum angles on the shoulder harness. Anything over 20 degrees going in an upward angle, and the shoulder harness could slip off in an incident... Anything going in a downward angle could lead to spinal compression injuries, because the harness will essentially be trying to pull your body down into the seat in extreme forces....

My only comments are that your wife looks happy in your homemade car, so she's definitely a keeper! Also having a fork lift should make working under the car easier or at least putting it on sawhorses easier.

_________________
Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

If I understand correctly, your head will be completely unsupported by the seat and the roll bar will be directly behind your head?

_________________
Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
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Both available from https://www.lulu.com/

Jeremy,

These harnesses don't wrap around the bar. They are bolted through the bar with a grade 8 bolt. What I am going to do is take the harness from being bolted to the top of the bar to being bolted to the bottom of it(will net 1.75in lower mounting position)

Horizonjob,

Yes, she is a keeper. Once every month or two she comes up to help me work on the car (I couldn't have gotten the seat belts installed without her as my hands are too big to fit in a few places...) and yes, a forklift (and overhead crane) make it much easier to pick up the car.

KB58,

Pretty much... my neck & base of my skull barely touch the top of the seatback. I will be padding the bar, but when the seat is properly adjusted, there is around 4-6in between the back of the seat and the bar.

Time for this weekend's update.

I got the dash remade and mounted. Wired up the battery disconnect and started wiring the gauge.





I also got the tail lights mounted, ran the wires to the front, and got the parking lights wired up.



I tried to figure out the turn signal wiring but it looks like there is a problem with my turn signal switch. Would anyone happen to have a 1998 buick rivirea wiring diagram?

Also, I weighed the car and it is slightly heavier than I thought it would be... it is around 2400 right now(will use a more accurate set of scales once I finish it).

I took the car for a test drive this afternoon and my cruise isnt working either... Ill try to fix that after all the lights are working.

Another update.

So... it turns out my turn signal switch is broken... I've ordered a new one, but for now I bypassed it and wired in the brakes. Had to add a return spring on the brake pedal to make the brake lights consistent. I Got the head lights and front running lights mounted. Also added some support braces that the sheet metal will go on in a few weeks.



Here are some rough models of what I think I will have the car look like.




Also, I got a chance to use the racing scales! It is lighter than I thought from last weekend.



I got the speedometer wired up and working. Took the car for a test drive and it was very wobbly... checked on a few things. Found out that I had way too much toe in. After measuring it, the front wheels were toed in 2 inches. I adjusted it to just over 1/8th inch toe in. Also made some suspension adjustments to get 50/50 weight distribution side to side(as seen in the pic above).

After making those adjustments, I took it for a quick drive on a paved road(1/2 mile each way). The car drives pretty well at 50-60mph. It is kind of touchy, which I am assuming is from the shorter wheelbase(not sure the exact measurement but 90-100inches).

I only have a few things left to do on the car before I can start on the body:

-Wire in turn signals
-Run power steering hoses
-Wire in a horn
-finish wiring up the tach/sensors

Hopefully I can have that done next weekend so I can start making the body panels(goal is to have the car finished this year).

Time for this weekend's update. Got a lot done and ran into some issues.

Got the following done with no issues:

-Power Steering Hoses made and installed
-Installed & wired in a horn
-Mounted the rear turn signals
-Wired in turn signals
-Connected water temp sensor to gauge

I went to wire in a fan switch and didn't know if the white or black wire was hot...it took 25-30min of idling to get it up to 212F, then 1 minute later, back down to 178F. And... the black is the hot wire(great logic GM...).

I tried to get the tach to work(Koso RX-2n) and I couldn't get it to read. I had my uncle re-make the tach signal wire so that it could be longer(made exactly the same except length). I tried wrapping the lead around the spark plug wire near the plug, near the coil, taping it near the coil... everything the instructions told me to and nothing...

Any one have any suggestions? I'm going to call Koso tomorrow.




I also started mocking up the body panels in cardboard to use as templates next weekend.




Ive got some wheels on order, so hopefully i can get tires mounted and installed this week so I can get them on prior to starting the body panels.

Time for this weekend's update. I Got a lot done:

-Built the nose section, gas tank cover, side skins(my first experience using a shrinker/stretcher machine)
-Got them mounted
-Riveted the panels
-Made & mounted under dash panels
-Wired in tach
-remade gas cap(now it has an O-ring seal)
-flashed PCM

I still need to get and install some 1/4 turn fasteners for the gas tank lid.

I bought HP Tuners Pro off a another car site forum member last week. I read the PCM and made some transmission changes. Didn't get to test drive it since it rained all weekend... So I wasn't able to get any scan data.

I tried to use the recorder option just driving in the driveway, but I got an error. Waiting to hear back from HPtuners support.

Time for this weekends update:

Got the new wheels installed... didn't realize that the back of the wheel bolt pattern has an embossed edge that interfered with my new hubs... it bent all my lug nuts, so I had to pull them all, replace, & add a spacer. Luckily, I don't think any of the rims were bent in the process. Also found out that I had a bad bearing in one of the front hubs(it was a used bearing that was with the hub), so I replaced that while I had the wheel off.

I then got the last panel in the front made(my uncle did most of it, but I got an introduction to a planishing hammer). Got it mounted, riveted in, & final adjustments made.



I was able to take it for a test drive after that. The steering is still very touchy, but the car drove great. No wheel spin on the first test run. I did however realize that I forgot to update the tire diameter in the ECU, which caused the car to trip the rev limiter in 1st gear...