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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: August 2, 2008, 6:29 pm 
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Man of Constant Hazard
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Joined: February 20, 2006, 11:18 am
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Location: Lexington, KY
too long.

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...nowadays people are so intellectually lazy and lethargic that they can't build ANYTHING with their hands. They'll spend hours watching whiny people marooned on an island, but won't spend a second adding anything to the world. -weconway
Visit my [Locost 7 build log]


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PostPosted: August 5, 2008, 5:38 pm 
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Location: So CALIFORNIA
I dunno some people never finish.....How long you wanna take?

Uncle Ron took over 400 plus hours with help but admitted they could have spent as much time cleaning parts from the donor.

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Last edited by mr.peabody.d on August 21, 2008, 3:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: August 13, 2008, 7:41 pm 
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Joined: August 15, 2005, 10:13 pm
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Location: Charleston, WV
It depends on a lot of things. How much time can you devote to working on it per week? How deep are your pockets. (buying things you would otherwise have to make will speed things along) How far outside the "norm" has your design strayed? Using an obscure donor or plans that are a radical departure from what is usually done will likely slow things down.


Lots of Locosts are started, but only a small percentage are actually finished. The fastest scratch build I ever heard of was by a guy who said he built his autocross only (not street legal) seven out of parts in his garage in only three weeks. Most take longer, some take much much longer.

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PostPosted: January 20, 2009, 9:17 am 
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
19 months for me. Worked almost every day (anywhere from 1-12 hours). College student with no job or family issues to distract me.

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Locost finished - book frame, IRS, '84 celica GTS donor, '99 tacoma 2rz motor with a turbo, megasquirt DIYPNP. Getting rebuilt with new IRS, F20C
"the all-consuming time-sucking car, which I really enjoy working on" -KB


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 Post subject: build Time
PostPosted: January 20, 2009, 1:02 pm 
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Joined: September 22, 2005, 8:12 am
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Location: 4AGE in S.E. Michigan
I would think that I have close to 3,000 hours in the build. Took 4 1/2 years, with the last 1 1/2 years of the build only being home on the weekends. Which in relative terms would only be about 3 or 4 months added on to a 3 year average build.

Needed more time, Built a Hi-Lux Seven "it's has a map lite" Dave W


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PostPosted: January 20, 2009, 1:22 pm 
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Location: Sunny-Okanagan, Canada, eh?!
Build Your Own Sports Car in Two and a Half Minutes

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Last edited by Anonymous on January 20, 2009, 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: January 20, 2009, 1:27 pm 
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Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
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Location: SoCal
How long does it take to read a book? Same factors apply.

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PostPosted: January 20, 2009, 2:20 pm 
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Location: Subs of Detroit, MI
i lost track of hours a long time ago... way too many in cad and making my seat mold. Probably have 30 hours into my frame so far and its about 60% done structual wise... and this is the easy part :lol:

But im building a one off custom middy so it doesnt count

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PostPosted: January 20, 2009, 4:37 pm 
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Joined: February 9, 2008, 1:05 am
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Location: San Antonio
KB58 wrote:
How long does it take to read a book? Same factors apply.


If only. I've never had a book take longer than a week.

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PostPosted: January 22, 2009, 5:17 pm 
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Joined: January 14, 2006, 1:06 pm
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Location: Vista (north of San Diego CA)
Could take anything from 4 months to 12+ years.

I think I bought "the book" about 10-12 years ago and the Pinto donor about a year later. Shot a year clearing out space to work on a project and started the frame about ten years ago. Got it licensed for the road in California 3 years ago and I'm within a few weeks of finishing the painting. Then there are a lot of little things I neglected that need to be taken care of.

I'd say if you are particularly focused, getting it done in a year or two is practical. Less would require fanaticism, more is getting laid back or just busy.

I'm not sure if I'm abnormal or ordinary stretching the project this long but still staying with it. Not uncommon that weeks will go by without time for the Locost, even months a few times. But it's always there waiting for me and always on my mind.

John


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PostPosted: July 27, 2009, 3:04 pm 
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Joined: July 21, 2009, 1:29 pm
Posts: 18
Location: Outside Omaha
I haven't starting my locost -- I don't even have a welder, a build table or a donor -- but I've done a few fairly big projects in my time. Nothing as big as building my own car exactly, but big enough. I think people start these because they like to have something to puzzle over and learn about during their off hours. As long as you're trying to use your time as well as you can -- even by thinking and reading about it -- I think it eventually gets done.

I remember when I was restoring my Mustang, I would first make sure I was a good parent to my toddlers, then that I was a decent husband to my wife and that I was staying on top of house repairs/improvements. After that was taken care of, I was always scheming to get even 30 minutes at a pop in the garage.

I built up that Mustang mostly 30 minutes at a time -- apart from rare times my wife would take the kids for a long weekend at her parents. Sometimes, even then I was busy with the house or just broke.

I think I'm going to do the Seven the same way. It might take five years for me, but that's fine.

Dave (another "Dave" -- How many Daves are on here??!!)


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PostPosted: July 27, 2009, 3:43 pm 
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Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
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Location: SoCal
How long does it take to build a house?

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Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: July 27, 2009, 6:07 pm 
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Location: College Station, TX
10 months, but I am retarded.

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PostPosted: July 27, 2009, 11:03 pm 
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SkinnyG wrote:
Yeah but you drank that Jolt double the caffeine drink all the time. :ack:

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PostPosted: April 19, 2013, 4:29 pm 
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Joined: October 27, 2006, 3:29 pm
Posts: 459
Location: Indiana
I took 4 years 10.5 months and time spent added up to about 550 hours.

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Building a whole car from scratch is a 1,000 little tasks, done 1 task at a time, while thinking 10 tasks ahead, then redoing it anyway.
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Link to my build log:
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=3356


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