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PostPosted: February 24, 2012, 9:46 pm 
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BrokeAssSeven wrote:
Thanks guys! I've never actually driven a Miata, so I have no idea what I'm getting myself into (as far as fun.. a..tude.. yea, funatude).

Don't worry, you'll love the handling of the Locost. And things like a guy in a big Hummer who tried to follow me through a divided four lane 90° street corner at a brisk speed. Hummers make a lot of noise when the driver finally figured out that I wasn't going to use the brakes and he needed to! :mrgreen:

The radiator is cracked, and doesn't hold coolant.. so I won't be driving this car before it's transplanted into the seven. (Not gonna fix the front end, register the car, and source a radiator for a couple days of fun... just not worth it.)

I thought that you'd just fill the block with water and connect the water inlet/outlets together on the engine with a piece of radiator hose for a run up and down your street. But if the front suspension is damaged that might not be feasible. You can drive several miles with no radiator (from a cold start) as long as there's water in the block.

I do love the notchiness of the shiftgate! One of these days I'll drive someones miata to get a feel for what I'll be experiencing (only slower!).

The big difference will be that the Locost will weigh 1/2 or less than the Miata. And the Locost is lower etc.

I have a feeling the fuel tank will possibly be the most expensive thing on this car, right next to the coilovers (which I also need to figure out where to buy!). I'm thinking buying a fuel tank rather than trying to design and build one would be a much better and safer option.
Buy a small aluminum beer keg? :cheers:

The older XJ6 Jaguar sedans had dual 10 gallon fuel tanks mounted on either side of the trunk in the fenders. You might want to check one out to see if it will fit in the back of a Locost. And they have a top mounted locking fuel filler.

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PostPosted: February 25, 2012, 7:26 am 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Well, I figure between the glass, the roof (which looks intact), rear spoiler, etc., you shouldn't have any trouble breaking even, at least. Seats are worth a fair bit in good shape, too, as are a lot of the other interior bits.

The great part is, there are lots of talented people on this forum that have done, or are doing, essentially the same build, so you aren't going into uncharted waters. Like I did. Whoa, another rock! Hard to starboard! NO, THE OTHER STARBOARD!!! :roll: :D

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PostPosted: February 25, 2012, 9:40 am 
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I have a feeling the fuel tank will possibly be the most expensive thing on this car, right next to the coilovers (which I also need to figure out where to buy!). I'm thinking buying a fuel tank rather than trying to design and build one would be a much better and safer option.


Yo Brad-
I'd agree with that statement. You can scrounge the junkyards and come up with something... But... I'd go for a new one as opposed to a used one, if the budget allows. No rust, all the fittings/openings would be in good shape, etc. Check out the street rod builders catalogs. I know Speedway (for one) has various shapes of tanks and fuel cells, including one long skinny one that fits in a T-bucket. It might work mounted across the boot of a 7, note I said "might"... check the measurements!

Just my .02.
:cheers:
JD Kemp

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PostPosted: February 25, 2012, 2:04 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
If you come across a Triumph Spitfire tank, it'll fit. That's what I got, and there's loads of room for it. I believe it's 10 gal. US, and is quite light. All the fittings (fuel in/out, vent, etc.) are already there.

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PostPosted: February 26, 2012, 10:40 am 
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zetec7 wrote:
If you come across a Triumph Spitfire tank, it'll fit. That's what I got, and there's loads of room for it. I believe it's 10 gal. US, and is quite light. All the fittings (fuel in/out, vent, etc.) are already there.


Hi Zetec-
Not to be combative, just askin... How hard is it to find a Spittie fuel tank that's not rusted? Triumph went belly up back about 1979 or so, and I would wonder how "solid" the tanks were at this point. Did you have any problems with that?

:cheers:
JDK

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"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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PostPosted: February 26, 2012, 1:43 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
No problem, it's a good question! Actually, the first tank I was given was seriously rusty, inside & out, as it had been left open, out in the rain, for several years. Even that wouldn't have been a big problem normally, as I intended to take it to a local radiator/fuel tank place & have it boiled out and coated. When the guy took a look inside, though, he found someone had put a patch of tarry stuff in there, and no method (including some exotic/scary solvents!) short of cutting the tank in half & grinding it out would remove it.

So, I found another guy locally who had a tank that he'd just taken out of his Spit, to replace it with one of the Ebay aluminum ones. He gave me his old tank (plus a bunch of other bits!). This one I took to the fuel tank guy, and he cleaned it out completely & lined it with sealant (guaranteed forever, free repairs if ever required). Then I sanded & repainted the outside, and it's now essentially a brand new tank.

Interestingly, the tank I ended up with is baffled, into 1/4-1/2-1/4. It's the only internally-baffled factory Spitfire tank I've ever come across, yet it is an OEM Triumph unit.

In my case, since I'm using Smiths gauges, the Spit sending unit works directly with my fuel gauge.

In the end, though, if the Spit tank idea works for you & you can't find any decent ones locally, you might try Ebay for the welded aluminum ones. It still costs more than doing what I did, but they really are nice.

By the way, the Spitfire tank fits the rear of a Locost like it was made specifically for it, better than even the JAZ plastic tank I was considering. Mounting is a snap, access for the fill/fuel out/venting etc. are right where they need to be, etc.

If you find an original that's still in a Spitfire (and is under cover), chances are the tank will be pretty good inside. :cheers:

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PostPosted: February 26, 2012, 7:49 pm 
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Zetec said:
Quote:
the first tank I was given was seriously rusty, inside & out, as it had been left open, out in the rain, for several years.


Yup, that's pretty much the scenario I was thinking about...

Then he said:
Quote:
This one I took to the fuel tank guy, and he cleaned it out completely & lined it with sealant (guaranteed forever, free repairs if ever required). Then I sanded & repainted the outside, and it's now essentially a brand new tank.


Now that's cool! Lined and sealed and guaranteed free repairs?!?!? It don't get no better than that!

Brad, if you can make things work out like Zetec did, then I'm changing my vote to "Go for a used Spitwad tank!"

Either way, good luck with it!
:cheers:
JDK

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Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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PostPosted: February 26, 2012, 7:57 pm 
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Hey guys, thanks for the input on the fuel tank. I'll start by looking at hotrodding places, and other performance places (summit, etc). I'd much rather go new than used, but whatever happens, happens. Does anyone have a link or information on where people are buying other misc. parts for these cars? Items such as coilovers, suspension bushings, other suspension bits, etc? Also, when mounting the engine, are you using bushings (poly / rubber), or just mounting the engine directly to steel plates, mounted directly to the frame? I can't imagine mounting directly to steel would be very good with the inherent vibration.

Olrowdy, sounds like a good time! Can't wait to drive this thing around.

zetec, already have people interested in a bunch of parts off the Miata. It's looking good so far!

Anyway... I finally got back to working on the frame this morning. Finished up the upper rails, cross rails, and rebuilt the front assembly. After trying to install the front side upper rails, and realizing they weren’t really fitting correctly, I busted out the tape measure. I knew it was a little off when I first built it, but it was some .75″ out of square, and once everything was forced in place, the frame was warped to hell. When unclamped, it would twist like a pretzel. So I ended up cutting out the vertical members of the front assembly, which immediately fixed the twisting. I then ground them down so they would fit correctly, supported the front end to the correct height, and re-tacked them in. All is well, everything is square again, and the frame is still flat. Problem solved. One thing I learned, is that I’m going to tack once on each side, rather than twice like I was doing. Cutting off 8 tack welds was a nightmare and time waster. One tack is plenty strong enough to hold the frame together at this point. Lesson learned. That’s what this whole process is about, learn how to do it correctly on my own personal car, so any future cars will be perfect. Tomorrow i’ll be finishing the main frame and starting on the rear differential assembly and fuel tank assembly.

The frame is actually starting to resemble a car! Every time I work on it, I just get more and more excited. Now that I’ve got the donor, I won’t be held up once I finish the frame… I can just start disassembly, get the motor out, and start mocking up the engine bay/transmission tunnel. Just keep on keeping on.

Image

Image

Image

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PostPosted: February 26, 2012, 8:07 pm 
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Yo, Brad-
In answer to
Quote:
Does anyone have a link or information on where people are buying other misc. parts for these cars? Items such as coilovers, suspension bushings, other suspension bits, etc?
I had good luck with circle track supply places, moreso than sports car kinda places. My favorites were the afore mentioned Speedway Motors, Lefthander Chassis, Day Motorsports, and the usual Summit, Jegs, etc for brackets, bushings, gussets and fittings. Lots of folks in here have gone with QA1 coilovers from another place, but I can't recall the name right at the moment.

Google is your friend!
:cheers:
JDK

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"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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PostPosted: February 26, 2012, 11:42 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
I'm with GonzoRacer on this one. I got my upper control arms (circle track stuff) from Speedway, too (although I made my own lower C/A's).

For engine mounts, we ended up using Moog rubber mounts, and fashioning stout steel plates on the frame for then to bolt to. Worked out nice - immensely strong, but with enough compliance to not shake the fillings out of your teeth (had a car with a solid-mounted engine once - it was *unpleasant* to drive. Kinda like being inside a giant vibr...uh..."marital aid". Even the brake fluid got frothy.

You might want to consider a new clutch (while the motor is sitting on the shop floor) and definitely a Fidanza flywheel. It will significantly help the engine's ability to rev quickly, and give you a fair bit more snap. The heavy stock flywheel is just not needed in a car with half the Miata's weight...

Have fun!!!

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Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


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PostPosted: February 27, 2012, 2:30 am 
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Brad, you're doing great. Driving a Miata won't give you much of an idea how fun this car is going to be. It will be way better.

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PostPosted: February 28, 2012, 7:22 am 
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Nice, thanks guys for the info. I love this place.. quick replies, interested (and interesting.. haha) people. Can't go wrong. -- Spent the night last night starting the teardown of the Miata. I know I said I was gonna wait until the frame was completed, but there has been a lot of interest in the parts. I figure, the most important thing right now is to gather funds for the project if possible. The frame isn't going anywhere, but potential buyers might be. I've got the top sold for 200$, and the front fenders for $40 (why anyone wants partially wrecked fenders is beyond me). Lots of interest about other interior bits as well so that's good. Every last dime I can squeeze out of this thing is just another dime that can be used for misc. parts for the locost I'm gonna have to buy sooner or later. I still need to do some shopping around and make a list of things I need to buy/prices. Hopefully it's not too eye opening/shocking. I've got someone coming tonight to look at my pool table for sale, and tomorrow have a medical procedure that'll last pretty much all day w/ sedation so it would probably be best I don't wield any weapons of mass construction. Soo I'll be back to stripping/frame building hopefully Thursday afternoon.

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Build Log: http://www.BrokeAssSeven.com -- http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=13293

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PostPosted: March 2, 2012, 1:42 pm 
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is your car the stock width or is it wider, my car is mc sorley wide, and i am using fuel injection so i needed a tank with an internal pump, ford explorer two door fit the bill, it has an internal pump, return and everthing you need, i even have all the emmission stuff connected including the sealed filled cap inside the trunk.

it can be shortened if you like just by cutting off one end as all the stuff you need is at the other end.

most aftermarket tanks have the fittings through the top and for f/i with an external high pressure pump that will not self prime, you will have to blow into the filler neck to push the fuel over the hump, once there, it will just syphon which is o.k. till you run out of fuel and have to do the blowing trick again.

my tank holds 19 gallons because i live in the middle of nowhere so i can't have a car that needs a tank of gas to get to the nearest gas station, gas in my town has been $4.50 or there abouts for months now but in my nearest city, some 65 miles away its $3.65 a gallon so when i go there i need to bring some back in the tank.


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PostPosted: March 2, 2012, 2:29 pm 
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Brad, there's some good motor mount info. here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13374


-Pete


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PostPosted: March 2, 2012, 2:47 pm 
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Deleted - Wrong Login Name.


Last edited by Turboholic on March 2, 2012, 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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