LocostUSA.com

My son and I would like to build a low-cost locost. Our goal is to have a car capable of hauling two large adults on the local backroads, I.E. curvy country roads at 50- 70 mph, no racetrack or autocross.

So, we're wondering about starting with the frame/suspension/engine unit from a Ford Crown Vic. The rest of the frame and roll bar would be added to it.

Pros:
Powertrain and suspension is in place and works. We would have much less to fabricate.
Building time could be reduced.
Cost savings. A donor Crown Vic could be had for under $1k and the body sold for scrap.
V8 would provide plenty of power.
Parts are everywhere.

Cons/Concerns:
Handling. It wouldn't be a gocart, but with a fresh, tight suspension would it be good enough?
Engine sits farther forward than a traditional locost.
Long wheelbase. Likely shorten the side frame rails.
Ugly. That v8 is big. Might be able to pull the side frame rails in and build a semi-locost body.

I found pics here http://www.idmsvcs.com/2vmod/hybrids/ladderframe.html.

What do you think?

You can delete almost all of the rear overhang, I'd recommend sectioning out some frame in the middle since you won't have a back seat.
Lighter springs. ..
Sure it'll work and it'll provide that mild ego rush of having made your first one. Think of it as a hard drug, the first ones cheap but you quickly get hooked.

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"There are times when a broken tool is better than a sound one, or a twisted personality more useful than a whole one.
For instance, a whole beer bottle isn't half the weapon that half a beer bottle is ..." Randall Garrett

Why not look at Perry's latest project ....

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14030

You're going to have to do some welding anyway, so why not go whle hog.

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

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'd planned on cutting the frame aft of the rear suspension and forward of the front. I think smaller tubing would be fine for a radiator support.

Warren - It was actually Perry's build that got us thinking about building a larger v8 cruiser, and we're going back and forth between going that way or using the Vic running gear.

My uncle used to do that all the time. As a matter of fact that was my first introduction to a home built car.

His weren't all that pretty, but that wasn't his goal. Cheap was!

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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.

I'm the son that is looking to build a car with klr. One of the ideas behind using a Panther platform car (Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car) is to make something that is both easier and cheaper to build that is quintessentially American. FoMoCo make 9.6 million Panther platform cars over its 33 year lifespan, so you can find oodles of them cheap. We have some ideas I'd like to post, but don't have any software to mock it up. Any suggestions for free frame design software?

There is a search button on the upper right hand side that can answer most of your questions. Try "panther".

Design software:
1) Drawn on paper then take a photo with a digital camera, upload to your hard drive then crop and edit size with microsoft office or paint down to no more than 800x800.
2) Draw it with microsoft paint.
3) Take photo of engine, diff, etc arranged where you want it, upload to hard drive, then edit in paint to draw what you want. "save as" rather than write over your original photo so you can try different designs. Newer paint programs allow you to go backwards a dozen or so steps while older paint programs allow only three "undo"s.
4) buy a vic model and cut it up, then use hot glue and balsa or tooth pics to add framing and modeling clay (available at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc) to try different body shapes.

This has been standard street rod construction as far back as I remember, just modifying the frame to fit the wheelbase required.

I suggest you go with the earlier driveline with the 5.0l. Those are $500 rather than $1000, have more scrap to sell back, have much less of the car (theft deterrents, fuel cap, exhaust sensors) tied into the engine computer so less complex and less work.

Move the engine back 12 inches and plan on cutting two to three coils off each spring for the reduced body weight. You may want to kick the frame rails further outboard so the driver can sit inside rather than on top of them. Get a fuel tank from a smaller car that will fit above the axle behind the seats so the driver can sit lower and further to the rear, for a shorter wheelbase and minimal overhang.

It seems like a big benefit to have the full frame to ensure alignment when it gets cut in half, but it isn't that much easier than setting up front and rear subframes on blocks and aligning those with taught string and protractor levels before fitting steel tubing between them. The existing frame rails may be in your way so you may still end up with the full frame cut into two subframes and no convienient alignment reference.

Great info. Also - I hadn't thought about the all the sensors tied to the ecu.
Thanks.