I'm in the "just bought a welder and some donor bits" stage of the build. My comments:
1. Plan on completing this in under 2 years. Your goal should be, every day, to figure out a way to get the thing rolling down the road. IF you don't push to get the thing on the road in under 2 years, the chances that life's little changes will prevent completion go up dramatically. So, don't polish manifold bolts or do research on carbon fiber rims etc until AFTER you've had a drive or two in the thing. One of the moderators here, Jack McCornack (who makes great locost parts, but is in the EAA's Hall of Fame as the godfather of the ultralight airplane) did that very thing -- he got it on the road, then he reskinned it with a Lola-esque body.
2. Your bits (and that of your donor car) will determine your dimensions. Your engine, your transmission, your rear axle, and your (donkey) will tell you what dimensions you will need. Okay, some might mention shoe size as well. Conversely, if your (donkey) needs more room, then you might reconsider the choice of rear axle -- I think the respective rear ends need to be considered at the same time.
A few years ago I got to sit in a real Lotus 7 (Series 2?) and I fit. I'm 6'1", 220 pounds and size 11 1/2 shoe. The original cars are like 3" narrower than book, as I recall (the Stalker and the Haynes are +2" or so). So if you build a +4, you're something like 7" wider than the original Lotus 7.
(For the record, getting into that car was tougher 'cause I had to do a diver's "cannonball" tuck to get my donkey into the seat, then I had to slither my legs down into the pedal area. Getting out was an adventure.)
_________________ *************** Geek49203 aka Tim Wohlford Louisville, KY Hayes front, S10 +2 rear, Lalo body.
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