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So I want to go for simplicity due to the fact suspension scares me. (doing the calculations.)

What im thinking of is basically takin the entire engine/transmission/cradle/front susp from a mazda 3 2.3l and building forward from that. I would utilize almost everything from a donor wrecked 3. I drive a 3 daily and feel that the weight of the vehicle is the part that lets it down the most. I would move the steering items forward to another 3's front susp. in the rear i would use the arms from the steering rack to help set toe.

does this sound at all intelligent? or will i be spending so much more time doing my chassis that sticking to book/442 would be better?

Im a big guy at 320lbs and 6"2' with size 15 feet and the mazda seems small to me. I would probably keep the chassis about the same width as the car or slightly smaller.

i also plan on turbocharging the car in teh future.


its this or try follow one/multiple of the builders here and try build an LS1 GTO/locost.

Yep, thats the way to do it, two front ends.

I have to ask due to it being the internets, are you being sarcastic?

No problem. It's been done before:

Chevette Front + Citation Front = Fiero.

Not at all. We have talked about it before. I was pressed for time when I posted that, so I will elaborate.

FWD outer cv hubs are machined to remove the cup so that only the spindle and dust seal area remain.

By using two front ends from the same car, everything is compatible.

The ebrake must be adapted by swapping the calipers on the rear front end.

I didn't mention the fiero since the chevette was rwd and used different components on the front. I have a 4.3L fiero. I've had a total of 3 fieros.

The At-om is a good example of two front ends. Check out the front hubs.

oh cool,
I aim to autox so i plan on doing an included roll cage (plus i think its necessary for driving down the highway for my own piece of mind.)

A few more issues nag at me:

One being that the shift linkage is cable,
re-routing it involves going around the motor (its on the back of the
motor in the original format.)

Another Issue is what the weight of the mazda motor+tranny+cv's is. (i dont want this to be a prettier version of the same car.)

The stock suspension feels pretty stiff as it is. Will I have to order custom softer springs and shocks so that i dont rattle my teeth and all my "great" welding apart?

Another is the fact that this car runs on CAN. meaning that if it has a body module or forty i wont be able to disconnect them as it will probably throw up errors in the ECU. Will i have to go to a full ecu (there is one that starts with a M...)

There are several atomish builds on the nontraditional build forum. JonW and Proxi immediately come to mind. Check out there linkages.

Longer cables can be bought custom made. Linkage can be used in combination with an existing cable.

I have a cross reference for Moog suspension springs for determining what other oem springs would fit with less spring rate, but I would need some measurements of your existing springs with a dial caliper. Another option is to adapt a standard racing type spring (2” id) and trim to set the ride height. The price is about the same either way at $75 a pair.

I have not researched what options you have with the ecu.

I have just finished JonW's build and am reading through kimini's.
I am lucky in that I will have much more time than most of you guys. Seeing as there is nothing to distract me on weekends/weeknights (other than my nightly run.)

Right now im researching finding a welder (probably second hand) im in farm land so it shouldnt be too hard to find.
Also saving up to purchase said mazda 3 donor.
from what i think i may be able to completely use everythign from a donor car.

I plan on mounting the oem headlights with turn signals et all to the uprights in such a way that they turn when the wheels turn.
anyone build like that so i can take a look see?
Also useful for throttle is the fact that the car runs on an Etb (electrical throttle body.)

parts ill have to purchase include radiator/tubing, steel, lots of fibreglass.
I plan on a mostly enclosed body; as im sure my welds will be pretty ugly. I also need to find out of a LSD is available.

I still need to research licencing in Ohio and Insurance. (any links would be helpful.)

other stuff i keep thinking of includes the fact that the car has an electrical bake bias that i may have to replace. Brakes should be way more than necessary, although they require at least a 16 in wheel for clearance.

Another thought is to try find a Mazdaspeed 3 (250 hp, limited slip dif with torque control in 1st gear.) though a crashed one may be a tad expensive still.

welp, glad I never started. In April of the next year I got laid off and now live in Tejas... (texas).
Got married, started work on a masters in civil engineering, found a new job, still finishing the thesis for said masters. and may move by may...

however, the wife agrees that i'll never be happy until I build it myself... Just what "it" is is still to be determined... I saw the widowmaker build and that definitely has peaked my interest. still a huge fan of a v8 (lsx) powered locost. At 6ft 3in and 300+ lbs, its not really going to be low or small... So I will probably need that umph...

Read my build log and you'll see your idea in progress. I cut the front end off of a maxima/i30 and welded it to the back of a 442 locost chassis. To make things simple I used an auto trans so my feet would fit and i just connected two shift cables together to shift it. I used an mr2 throttle cable. The hardest thing with this build has been getting A parking brake. Instead of the Mazda 3 maybe go for a protege or a 626 as they will be cheap for a nonwrecked one with everything. Plus the wiring will be way eAsier.

Evo

I know this is an old thread, but if anyone's considering the above, the front wheels take a real beating over bumps and it's very likely to break the lamp filaments, if not the mounts they're bolted to. We have enough trouble keeping front fenders on - lights would fare worse.