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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: April 21, 2012, 3:32 pm 
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i see she's back with another lager!

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PostPosted: April 21, 2012, 3:58 pm 
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Quote:
Carguy123 -The reason for the nose bulge is so that you can fit a large enough radiator?


Radiator should fit with in normal area, the two side bulges are for cold air intake into the engine, figured this would work better than something on top, but still playing with it.

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PostPosted: April 26, 2012, 12:11 am 
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My husband and me have made a few choices and descions on things in the last few day.

We will keep working on the design ideas for this car.

However we had decieded to also buy and build a mid-engine designed car from Race Car Replica's, this will bethere SuperLite LeMan's car.

We figure this will be a fun build and also give us more ideas toward a full custom build.


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PostPosted: April 26, 2012, 7:00 pm 
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Location: South Puget Sound
I like the idea of a monocoque chassis tub. I'm an aircraft structural technician and owned an E type in my past so the idea really works for me. I know I can fab a tub pretty quickly, but I struggle with the design. I haven't attempted a design yet. Primary concern is design loads through the tub and then transferring the loads to the subframes.

I think I can do the load analysis for the tub to subframe joints easy enough, but loads through the monocoque, especially ultimate and crash loads leave me scratching. If I had a drawing for a monocoque Locost, I think I would have a lot of fun bending tin and shooting rivets. I would use blind fasteners only where needed, I like solid rivets, good clamp-up.

Anybody point me to a design or drawings for a monocoque? I know I'm probably crazy, but I also prefer gas welding over gig or mig, some guess for me it's about the build.

Jim


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PostPosted: April 27, 2012, 7:31 pm 
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I now have a full drivetrain to use for this design. My husband went down to NY and bought a 2009 Nissian GTR and a 2010 Nissian GTR. The 2009 is a roll-over and the body is trashed, the 2010 is a stripped roller with drivetrain, but not much else.
Both cars sold for under $8000 each, so this was a great buy.

So once he gets home with them we will be striping them both down. We are planing on using on for the drivetrain for a custom build which We will post here. The second car he is planing on rebuilding into a track use car for him, so he does not have to use his personal car and chance wrecking it.

Now I have to figure out if we leave the drivetrain set-up as is in AWD or to change it over 2wd.

Few things we know from my husbands car is that we will have to upgrade the transaxle as it is the weak link in the drive train.

We will start working on these two cars will we are waiting for our chassis and body from RCR for the Superlite LeMan's which we will be placing our order after the 1st of the month. We will do a build log on that car and the custom build here.


Will get pic's as soon as we can.

Here is a pick I found online of the GTR drivetrain. If I remember right the wheel base is 106"


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PostPosted: April 27, 2012, 9:07 pm 
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RebecaLynn, your project looks great. Are you looking to adopt? I'm available. I'm house broke and I am good with tools and fair with welding. I am only 62yrs old but I don't act like it. I would have to get my wife's permission but I think it would be OK. Keep us posted on these wild projects. Russ

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PostPosted: April 27, 2012, 9:10 pm 
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Oops I see someone already applied. Russ

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PostPosted: April 27, 2012, 9:46 pm 
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RebecaLynn wrote:
Now I have to figure out if we leave the drivetrain set-up as is in AWD or to change it over 2wd.

Few things we know from my husbands car is that we will have to upgrade the transaxle as it is the weak link in the drive train.
Wow that's a great deal! As is often the case, if you keep your eyes open the donor will choose you rather than the other way around. If you're planning to use the stock electronics, it's already all there, and combined with all the included electronic goodies it makes relatively average drivers look like pros even in insanely overpowered cars like you're planning, I would probably just keep it AWD...And this is from somebody who is feels strongly about RWD (and associated lighter weight) making for a better 'drivers' car, in more modest power to weight ratio setups.

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If I remember right the wheel base is 106"
What I'm seeing shows 109.4 for the wheelbase. Which would certainly be close enough to fit under a fiberglass replica body for a classic pony car, like a first gen Camaro or fastback Mustang, if you really wanted to surprise people...Not to mention piss a few off too.
:D

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PostPosted: April 27, 2012, 9:56 pm 
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Yes it was a great deal that he found, now comes the fun part of striping things down, Then My husband will start the build up of his car first as that will be easier of the two builds. While I start the design side of things for mine. I am hoping my other computer will be up and running again soon. So I can get going with more detailed drawings going. I will draw up both 2wd and AWD set-ups and go from there.

I will try to post a basic drawing as soon as I can.

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PostPosted: April 28, 2012, 12:00 am 
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That was the other thing I was going bring up with the statement I quoted: While I'm not sure transaxle upgrades are actually 'necessary' for your build due to the reduced weight it's going to be forced to lug around, I am curious what options are even available for increasing its durability?

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PostPosted: April 28, 2012, 1:27 am 
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There are a few options out there right now. Albins transaxle company make gear sets for it and also Doddson also make a full upgrade kit for them. Which is the way my husband went for his 2010, when he blew it up.


I hope, that I will not have to upgrade it, but time will tell. The full rebuild and upgrade from Doddson is $18,500, this is for a race ready model, Where a new stock unit runs $13,500 or so last we checked, this is for a JDM version.

I will say nothing for these cars are cheap though.

Time will tell if this project will be worth it or not.

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PostPosted: April 28, 2012, 2:46 am 
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RebecaLynn wrote:
I will say nothing for these cars are cheap though.

Time will tell if this project will be worth it or not.
That thought crossed my mind too when you mentioned the genuinely great deal on the donor(s)...The price of admission only gets you through the front gate. I supposed it depends what all is included in your list of wants, needs, and goals for this project, but given the means to do so I have a hard time imagining it not being worthwhile in the end.
:cheers:

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PostPosted: April 28, 2012, 4:24 am 
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I think it would be well worth the time. The thing you always have to remeber is that you are building it for your own enjoyment and to somebody elses.


I have a freind building a GT40 MKII replica, but is doing it more of a resto-mod style. He is upgrading something to more current styleing, while keeping the old body style intact for the most part. He has had people saying stuff about the way he is building the car. His is reply is the car is for him to enjoy, not for them to buy.


This is the same way I look at most of the builds me and my husband have done. We do it because we enjoy the work and enjoy driving them afterwards. We do not build them to others taste most of the time, because we have no plan of selling them in the long run of things.

As I have been doing some looking around, I have found one change I will have to make in the suspension, the GTR uses struts at all 4 corners, I will either have to find a way to build a mounting system for them or change them out for regular coil-overs.

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PostPosted: April 28, 2012, 12:46 pm 
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RebecaLynn wrote:
This is the same way I look at most of the builds me and my husband have done. We do it because we enjoy the work and enjoy driving them afterwards. We do not build them to others taste most of the time, because we have no plan of selling them in the long run of things.
I don't think you'll find too much argument around here, as that's the reason just about every build on this site is unique.

RevecaLynn wrote:
As I have been doing some looking around, I have found one change I will have to make in the suspension, the GTR uses struts at all 4 corners, I will either have to find a way to build a mounting system for them or change them out for regular coil-overs.
While I've never played with one, everything I've seen says double wishbone at the front and multi-link at the rear.

Image

Image

Typical to production cars it does place the coilovers very much outboard and vertically to maximize inboard space for other components. Due to the driveshaft going 'through' the bottom of the shock, keeping the stock type components will still make it difficult to position them differently even if you can move the engine back from the front differential and shorten the main driveshaft. Either way you'll likely need to significantly change the spring/damping rates, so custom aftermarket coilovers of some sort will probably be required. It also does have the tall front upright design that comes up around the side of the tire. So stylistically it might be a bit tougher to keep more of an open wheel look if that's what you still wanted with this new drivetrain. With the components you have to work with, it would probably be easiest to package if you modified the plan into a full bodied car. Which when you're talking about the extra effort of doing things like rear transaxles for their potential performance advantages on front engine cars, would likely be worth looking at just for the substantial drag reduction that would result from doing so.

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PostPosted: April 28, 2012, 3:23 pm 
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The more looking I do on the front suspension. It would seam the easiest way would be to cut out the stock strut towers and intergrate them in to a chassis design. It would be either that or build a U shaped structure, with a strut mount plat at the top and upper control arm mounts to that goes back to the mounting points. Then use a strut tower brace side to side. Then i would be able to intergrate that in to a chassis design.

The rear looks a lot simpler as it is all intergrated in to the sub frame outside of the strut mounts.


TO use all the factory computers and controls I need to try to use the factory suspension, but I may just use the drivetrain and go from there.



I will have my MAC up and running on Monday afternoon again and will be able to start drawing, as my autocad and solid works type program are on that computer. I prefer MACs for design and drawing.


Chassis specs I have found so far are

109.5" wheelbase
62.6" front track
63" rear track
74.7" overall width
183.4" overall length

I need to check the height of the motor and height of the struts which should be close to the same height, as an aftermarket strut bar runs in front of the the intake.

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