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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: September 11, 2013, 9:19 am 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
flealr92 wrote:
Great build, impressive craftsmanship. Any tips, stories, lessons learned or experiences you would like to share from building this car ? Maybe a general conclusion.

It'll all be in the book, which has been delivered to a real copy-editor who'll hopefully save me from myself on grammar. Handling observations and conclusions will be added after the track event, and the goal is to release the book around mid-November.

Once the book's out then I can relax a bit and add some thoughts here.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


Last edited by KB58 on September 12, 2013, 12:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: September 12, 2013, 10:28 am 
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Joined: January 13, 2008, 9:07 pm
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Location: Glendale AZ
The new book is out! The new book is out!!!!



:cheers:

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American 7 5.0 T5
Lotus 15 ish?
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PostPosted: September 12, 2013, 12:40 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
I hope the following scene isn't along the same lines, "It's the book, he hates the book!" as he ducks for cover.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: September 12, 2013, 1:27 pm 
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Joined: April 5, 2008, 2:25 am
Posts: 4829
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
I'm presuming this means YOUR book is out?

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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.


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PostPosted: September 12, 2013, 2:16 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
Mid-November is the goal and so far it's on-track.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: July 22, 2016, 10:44 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
Wow, almost three years!

I still have the car, still drive it, and am still learning to live with a turbocharged engine. In short I'll say that a turbo engine on the street is great, at the drag races it's great, at track day events... not so much. They can last, but it takes cubic dollars to do it right and few do. I thought I had and was more than a little surprised when, right as I caught up to a Porsche GT3 (!) I felt the engine go weak, like a plug had quit. The engine was still running fine, just on three cylinders. As I coasted to a stop there was a bit of smoke, which told me it wasn't going to be cheap. No it wasn't.

I managed to bend an 800hp rod on edge; I can only imagine the forces involved. I reached into the pan from under the car to retrieve it, so it was clear then that the car was going to be sidelined a long time. Long story short, I showed all the broken bits to no less than 12 experts and of course got 12 different opinions - I'll never know for sure what happened.

Anyway, a new engine is back in the car now and I'm currently retuning everything. While the engine was out I decided to change things around, moving the dry sump tank to where the intercooler was, moving the turbo to behind the engine, and moving the intercooler to laying flat above the engine. For better or for worse, Midlana is going to have an F1-type intake for the intercooler; I'm still decided where to get intake air from.

More soon.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


Last edited by KB58 on July 26, 2016, 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: July 22, 2016, 11:07 pm 
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Joined: February 8, 2014, 10:47 pm
Posts: 781
Location: Cornelius OR
Post a pic of the pieces and I'll give you a 13th opinion!

Very nice looking car, if it drives half as good as it looks, Winner!

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PostPosted: July 26, 2016, 12:05 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
Here's a few of the sad/expensive pictures. Hopefully I won't have to see this sort of thing again:

Image

Image

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: July 26, 2016, 7:03 pm 
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Location: Cornelius OR
Is that the bearing in the lower left corner of the pan (down to the copper)?

If so I'd have to say, the bearing went first, then it beat the piston against the head til it or the wrist pin broke then carnage ensued.

My next thought (if I am on track) is why did the bearing fail? It appears to be dry sumped so it should've been getting oil....

That leaves debris, machine work (fit), bolt torque (failure), detonation (can pound a bearing out and open up the big end), Over rev (or other abuse).

What did the other cylinders look like, did any other pistons hit the head, was the head gasket intact (hydrolock)?

Is that 1 rod bolt fell out and the other broke? That would reinforce the bearing failure first scenario.

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PostPosted: July 26, 2016, 9:36 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
Hold on there Rocket Shot, that's the piston pin bushing.

Bearings were perfect

Zero scuffing on the cylinder walls

Pistons, depending which "expert" I showed them to, half said they were fine, half said they were hot. Piston bottoms showed
zero evidence of heat

Plugs, half said they were fine, half said they were hot.

Bearing journals were perfect, no sign of heat discoloration

The very loose theory is that a rod bolt broke, but beyond that (like "why") everything sort of petered out and I've got nothing.

I just realized that this stuff should be in the build diary and not here...

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: August 24, 2016, 9:44 pm 
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Joined: August 8, 2014, 6:08 pm
Posts: 1238
Location: Green Bay, WI
Very sweet. The performance is crazy. What turbo are you using?

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My build : http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtop ... 35&t=17160

MGB/GT V8 5.0L. viewtopic.php?f=36&t=20782


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PostPosted: August 24, 2016, 10:16 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
GTX3576R with a (new to the car) T4 1.04 AR turbine housing. In the process of retuning and a million other things: intercooler ducting, failing engine mount, etc.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: August 25, 2016, 1:04 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
How much pressure were you running when the failure occurred, Kurt? Do you plan to run less pressure with your new engine?

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: August 25, 2016, 2:16 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
It was at around 14 psi on E85 which should have been fine since the tuner had it at the same pressure on gas. I have yet to get the tune reviewed but the air-fuel ratio is good now. What is up in the air is ignition timing and I'm not sure I'm all that good at reading plugs.

As for running less boost this time around, no, not really, once the tuner gives it a thumbs up - though he did so with the last engine, but I digress.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: August 31, 2017, 11:47 am 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
Another year's gone!

Since the last update I fabricated composite ductwork to run air from above the windscreen into the intercooler, pic below.

Around last November I got burnt out on sanding (and working on cars non-stop for around 15 years). Around the same time I decided to redo our koi pond and filtration system and that's consumed the last nine months - and counting. Managed to drive the car exactly once since then.

What brought me back here was a mini-rant about small businesses, about how the only one you can really count on is yourself. I ended up dropping off the composite pieces at a paint shop, asking them to finish the sanding and to paint them. I was told "two weeks" and still kept a straight face, knowing that paint and body shops are the absolute worst places to get an honest time appraisal. Two weeks came and went - it didn't really bother me since they'd been sitting in my own garage for 8 months. After four weeks and no callback, I asked what was going on and heard what I've heard so many times "I've been out sick but it'll be ready for paint next Monday." That was two weeks ago. My brother says the only way he gets stuff out of shops is to micro-mange/babysit them incessantly. Sadly, I have to agree. I guess I'm taking sad pleasure in having yet another vendor prove that nothing's changed. The irony for me is that the shop told me how long it would take. They were free to have said "two months", but didn't. I didn't dictate any timeframe whatsoever, so it's entirely their own doing. Sigh.

Image

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


Last edited by KB58 on October 16, 2017, 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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