LocostUSA.com

Just took this snapshot.



Yes. I think we are slowing down in our old age (the site, certainly not us ). Right now we have less than 10% of our high users online. 96% of them are not registered! How do we convert those 74 guests to join in the fun?

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

I (guilty) also have noticed a lapse in posting, the way I see it is that we are giving all the other build forums a chance to catch up!

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Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

I haven't posted in a while mostly because I can't sign in at work. The website isn't secure enough for the firewall at my office, so I can only sign in when home. Plus at the moment I don't really have any "locost" projects on the go. The only project in working on currently is restoring a Lotus Elan, and it's definitely not locost.

I was literally one of those people until a couple of weeks ago. Im going to throw this out there, and I may be the only person that feels this way: The info on this site is VAST, and if you pinned it all and ran strings around like a crime investigator, it would be the most confusing crime wall ever created. Think like a newbie here; I want to build a Miata based Locost, with IRS. I look on this site, and GOOD LORD! You have 20 choices, and NONE of them are well documented! I like the Vodou plans, but can't seem to find many actually completed from plans! Is it 3" longer, or 4"? 2" wider, or by the "Book"? Of the 3" longer, how much is engine space, and how much is foot room? I'm 6'1" and can fit in a book, vs I'm 5'9" and I can barely fit...It goes on and on... There are TONS of old Miatas around, and if the community (or a cottage industry) could just make actual plans that actually work and fit up correctly, that ACTUALLY fit a real live 6'2" or smaller person and all the ACTUAL Miata parts, MANY more builders might be attracted to build a new generation of Locosts. Look at the 750 Club in England. Awesome racing there with their Ma7da Miata based cars! New Locosts should have independent rear suspension and relatively easy parts to collect. Some people don't have the time, skill or inclination to analyze suspension geometry and design their own suspension. There are some incredibly knowledgeable people here when it comes to Locosts. Locosts have become so complex as to scare away most of the people who truly would be the next gen.

I check in every day, but am completing a '61 Chevy pickup at the moment. Lethal Locost #2 is in the queue, which I should start back on in about two years.

But yeah, forums in general are dying.

I greatly prefer the static existence of information that a forum provides; it's easy to search.

I'm getting too old to understand and appreciate Instagram and Facebook which seem (to me) to cater to the ADHD world of "right now" with no thought for the morrow. I'm sure it's not that bad, but it frustrates me.

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The Lethal Locost
The Lethal Locost 2 - Even More Lethalerer

I agree 100%. To me, Facebook is not the right format for things we do here. Facebook is like a Daily Diary of a teenager. "This is what I'm thinking of today." I say Facebook, but I think it applies to Instagram and Twitter and..... I say "I think" because I don't go on those other sites. Forums like this are more structured and follow a chronological build is so much easier to follow. There is an outline and sequential information. Not to mention, that forums like this one are dedicated to pretty much, one subject.

I hope that I am not out of line saying that this forum in particular is great that there is no advertising popping up every 5 seconds or opening videos seemingly unrelated to anything I came here for. I really, really appreciate that!

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

I see a similar (OK much worse) situation with my boat, an i550. The class forum exists as a resource but is moribund. The activity is on FB but it is next to useless for information searching because it is a single string. It is mostly 'look at me', although questions do get answered if you filter the responses.

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Warren
Isuzu Pickup/SR20DE, +401 COLD frame
Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601

@SkinnyG
@rx7locost
@Warren Nethercote

I have to agree with each of you on the other possible platforms to use for our purposes. There is very little value there in terms of the types of technical conversations we have and the ability to search for information later, etc. There is very little opportunity for thoughtful responses on those platforms, generally speaking.

Plus, with respect to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., I feel very uneasy about them due to their policies and data mining. It's that "Am I in league with the Devil' kind of feeling one can get. At least, I can get that feeling. I have zero confidence in their integrity.

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

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

FWIW, I'll be back to tinkering on the spitfire, picking up where I left off on the irs. March is always good. Sooner if weather permits.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

It's unfortunate, but we're not the only niche technical forum experiencing this either. One thing I have noticed though is that the random technical topics have fallen off even harder than the build threads. Apparently we've sufficiently covered all of the typical questions already?

It feels like I'm perpetually "almost there" when it comes to restarting my project again. But even once I get there, I'm not sure where to start anymore. For better or worse, over the past few years I've become torn by contemplation over what I really want my project to become. I have numerous... ummm... 'unconventional' ideas that I have mentally latched on to experimenting with, each seemingly dumberer than the last. However, I am also struggling to figure out the best path forward on each of them too. I tend to try to just work things out for myself, and only post about it once I've resolved it. Maybe I should start putting my money where my mouth is, and contribute to the activity around here by just occasionally starting new technical topics that will gradually document my downfall.

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-Justin

"Orville Wright did not have a pilots license." - Gordon MacKenzie

Yes please Justin, "out there" ideas are worth encouraging and experimenting with - worst case might be a failure but those are worth sharing too. It is far cheaper to learn from other peoples' mistakes - therefore the more published experiments the better - never know who might benefit from the idea. For me failures are where the best learning is (remind me this when my twin engine idea is being debugged please) plus the technique of soundboarding is really useful in creative endeavors.


Marcus.

@CouchingTiger

I'm sorry that somehow I missed your post until this morning. My reply is a little off topic, but may be useful to you and other beginners.

You have, IMHO, identified a core issue - complexity. Before I get lost in the response to your post, there are complete plans out there for Miata based builds. I did not build a Miata based Locost, but many others have both here and around the world. As I recall, there is a French fellow who did a very nice collection of plans in 2D & 3D (drawings and 3D models) as well as an Englishman who did a similar 2D set, but less well documented. That's as helpful as I can be at the moment. If they're Metric plans, don't be intimidated. Metric is easy to pick up and typically no fractions [LOL].

I wanted to build a single donor Locost to keep things simple. Initially, I was going to do a Merkur based, Haynes roadster. However, it was too difficult to find a donor, so I elected to do a Mustang build instead. That put me into the one-off build category without all the requisite skills to accomplish the work. I'm still working on it years later.

Your instinct is good. Keep it simple. Do what's been done before many times and is well documented. All the Miata based issues have been identified and solved. You can focus on making, not designing and problem solving. Making is challenging enough. There are lots of good people here willing to assist you. The skills come fairly quickly once you start the project. You can do it.

Cheers and good luck,

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

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

I absolutely agree, keep it simple and do what others have successfully fabricated before, in piece or whole, there is no shame from taking ideas on this site and using them for your first build.

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Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

Double Post

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Build on

Chris
Build: NA Miata based +221 Se7en

I think the information you are looking for is on the forum but it does take digging and the search isn't the best here. as to whether you will fit, I am 6'4" / 250lbs and built a voodoo / Saturn version of the Haynes frame based on a 96 Miata. other than my knees being in the dash a little I fit fine, but alot of it depends on your leg to torso ratio. I built my car to my exact body size so I know I fit and others be damned.

where are you located, it would be good to put your hands on a car before you start. we may be having another gathering in MO AR area this spring if that's within driving distance. we normally have book size, Haynes and stalkers to get a feel for the different sizes.

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Build on

Chris
Build: NA Miata based +221 Se7en