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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: March 28, 2012, 12:28 am 
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photoman wrote:
Gblawson wrote:
...the steering rack in my car is 3.25 turns lock to lock....Speedway sell a Mustang II rack, however, they say it is also 3.24(or 3.5) turns.... am trying to keep the same mounting spots....anyone know of a rack that is a bit quicker?
Speedway do have a small 'doubler' the 'halves' the ratio, but that may be a bit too quick?
I don't think the turns lock to lock is the important thing. I the actual ratio between the pinion and rack gears is what you need to know.
The lock to lock, the distance the rack moves and the length of the steering arm on the upright from the "kingpin" line to the steering link mounting point are the important things in determining the overall steering ratio.

I had a similar problem but I didn't change the R&P. I changed the steering link mounting point on the steering arm. As long as you have too many turns lock to lock this method should work. In fact when you get done you have to limit the lock to lock turns to not have the tires turn so far that they or parts of the suspension start hitting things.

I changed my overall steering ratio from 3-1/8 turns to 2 turns by shorting the steering arms when I corrected my bump steer etc. And the 2 turns even decreased the turning radius compared to the 3-1/8 turns.

This is what the RX-7 steering arms look like (both arms positioned to show the top and bottom) with the original and new steering link mounting holes. The two holes at the top of the arms are the mounting holes for the steering links.

Image

Yes, the angle that the steering link meets the steering arm will change. In my case the angle got more better not more worser. :)

This link will take you to my website where I show what/why I did this,

http://dmr-architect.com/%7Elocouki/bump-steer.html

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PostPosted: March 28, 2012, 12:38 am 
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GonzoRacer wrote:
Wow, using old road-signs for bodywork!?!? I wouldn't know anything about stuff like that... :roll:
:cheers:
JDK
At least I found mine at the junk yard. 8)

Old driveway basketball backboards have some nice material too. I was really interested in the stainless steel on a roach coach in the junk yard until I took the gas shock/lifters loose and found out how heavy the door was.

Yep, that is one nice looking car.

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Website: http://projekt.com/locouki/


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PostPosted: March 28, 2012, 5:54 am 
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....thanks...that gives me tons to think about.... we think the front end is Mustang II, or Ford Ranger.... still tracking that down, but will re-read your web link again a few times.
The car is back wired and running again after 5 weeks, so more can be done in the next month or so.....

My mechanic friend is not without a sense of humour......


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PostPosted: March 28, 2012, 10:46 pm 
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Gblawson wrote:
....thanks...that gives me tons to think about.... we think the front end is Mustang II, or Ford Ranger.... still tracking that down, but will re-read your web link again a few times.
The car is back wired and running again after 5 weeks, so more can be done in the next month or so.....

Check the bump steer by raising and lowering the front end. If it is excessive you might want to read the three articles I have on my website how I corrected my bump steer for ideas. If the track and wheelbase isn't the same as the car the uprights came from you should correct the Ackermann which would be a good time to just shorten the distance from the kingpin line to the steering link mounting hole (as I did).

I figured out how much to shorten that distance by using Auto Cad. It took quite awhile to figure out all the angles I needed to take into account for the placement of the new mounting hole but in the end it did work out just as Acad indicated it would.


My mechanic friend is not without a sense of humour......
These cars are so low that I was really worried about having a big Hummer run over me. I looked at the state statutes and flashing lights on top of the roll bar aren't allowed here if you are a civilian. At one point I was thinking of getting a mirrored ball and letting it swing in the breeze from the roll bar. Looks like you beat me to the punch though. :)

I finally did what I did on my dune buggy by mounting a 3-1/2' tall springy antenna on the top tube behind the seats with red tassel streamers on it.

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Website: http://projekt.com/locouki/


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PostPosted: March 30, 2012, 1:26 pm 
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Hi Gordon,

Great looking car. I really clamshell fenders and the classic look that they impart. Also like Niagara-on-the-Lake....a friend of mine used to own a candle factory there.

Don't forget that when you put a full windshield on your car that the safety inspection is going to require windshield wipers and washers. They wouldn't have been required for the Brooklands wind "deflector".

Bill
Winnipeg

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PostPosted: March 30, 2012, 7:55 pm 
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Location: Tillsonburg
Gordon, I have some information on the Centaur that you might be interested in. Sent me a PM with your email and I will forward to you.
I have a build manual, a sales brochure and a magazine article from Kit Car Illustrated.

Bill


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PostPosted: March 31, 2012, 8:27 am 
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....the wiring is done ... had the car running again after 3 months and it sounded strong...(when a rotary 'pops', what a sound...not to mention putting a little crater in the stone driveway)...
Am going in this morning to tidy things up a bit...
Still have the 'little' things to do.... fiddling with oil pressure gauge lines that are british on one end and japanese on the other... adding another turn signal light on the dash....etc, etc. (the neverending stuff)

Now to move it back to my garage/shed and deal with some cosmetics...the fenders seem about 4" too high (even with 15" wheels) so will see about rotating them down in the front a bit...

Then on to the steering.....

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PostPosted: March 31, 2012, 4:39 pm 
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..got a lot done this morning...wiring complete and now even have 4 way flashers... brake/reverse/turn signals/parking/head high/low.... Took it out for another little drive and the steering wasn't quite as bad as i remember, but still a lot of 'turning' of the wheel....
All in all, loads of fun....and did I mention 'LOUD'.....?


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PostPosted: April 1, 2012, 9:36 pm 
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Looks like tons o' fun just sitting there in the garage. This is pretty much exactly how I want mine to look, except maybe for the wires hanging down under the dash.


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PostPosted: April 2, 2012, 6:14 am 
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....haha...that was a few hours 'before' securing everything up under there....our main concern was letting it run long enough for the fan to come on....unsure of the 'sensor' kicking in...It was pretty cold that day and it didn't get hot enough...(surprising for a rotary)....

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PostPosted: April 2, 2012, 7:05 pm 
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...well, its finally home from my mechanic friends....I drove it home tonight (must remember to get plates for it) ! What an amazing little engine...that thing really moves...


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PostPosted: April 3, 2012, 5:53 pm 
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...got the 'temporary' plates today and the ownership changed over....now for the safety and emission test (gulp).... they put homebuilts under 'hot rod' and have different testing for vehicles with engines from other cars....there again, the rotary is probably the worst polluters around....will see how it goes....its also an '82 engine which was built before we had emission testing in Ontario....that adds another twist....

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PostPosted: April 12, 2012, 6:48 pm 
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....car just passed its Ontario 'Safety'...now we are working on the emissions test....(it was registered a 'homebuilt', instead of a 'kit'...the difference being the need for emissions testing)....not easy with an '82 Rotary.....will see what happens in the morning...

this was last weekend on my 'Temp' sticker.... not a very good camera, and lots of wind noise....(but I had a few good drives)...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYNlNnYAseg

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PostPosted: April 29, 2012, 6:05 am 
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....still getting things tidied up (in the garage and driveway) ... it failed emissions pretty badly (who knew) and am now in the midst of trying to change the registration from HOM to KIT.... dealing with the MTO is not a fast process... seems without a VIN/Chassis number by the Manufacturer, it falls into a 'grey' zone... anyway, its an adventure...

Found this while researching the original Company....


http://southjersey.craigslist.org/ctd/2873753967.html

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PostPosted: April 29, 2012, 6:13 am 
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...latest couple of photos.... replaced the old exhaust system with a MagnaFlow and it is now quiet enough to hear the Holley Fuel pump....but still has a nice Rotary Rappppp...... very pleased


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