LocostUSA.com

Caterham uses a small almost spherical expansion tank. Does anyone know if this is an OEM part from a production car or if there is a similarly sized tank on something commonly available in the US?

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-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

VW... Passat I think. It's kind of an odd form-factor, but fairly usable.

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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/

That reservoir is used an a lot of the VWs, my wife has a 2000 Jetta VR6 with that unit. The blue cap on the reservoir is the pressure cap for the system.

Are you sure? It's a simple screw-on cap, as far as I can tell there's no mechanism for it to relieve pressure...

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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/

Do you recall which model and year yours was from Kurt? Several sites have one for an 09 Passat that's appears to be it.

What is the diameter of the nipple that goes to the water pump? 3/4 inch?

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-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

My friend's RX-7 has one very similar, spherical with a flat side to mount it.

It measures as ~0.625", so that's a hell of a big hose for what it is. I'm using it as a simple overflow for my header tank and wished it was something more like 1/4", but oh well.

Also, it mounts weird. That is, there's the two normal bolt flanges at the top, but at the bottom there's an odd-shaped tang that is apparently intended to go into a slot in something.

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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/

Call me old fashioned, but I'm sticking with the traditional Honey Bear overflow bottle. One of its many advantages is it's so easy to mount--a simple zip-tie noose around its neck holds it securely.

Available from Kinetic in the p-for-plumbing category, part # p00h

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Locost builder and adventurer, and founder (but no longer owner) of Kinetic Vehicles

Jack, you have a very warped sense of humor. I like that! Things like "Mallard Injected Guano". That's a classic.

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Mike - Read my story at http://twinlakesseven.blogspot.com/

I totally forgot about the bear. I see two hoses: does one return coolant to the system? I currently have a Coke can but it has no way to return to the system.

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-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

Andrew
Check out the wife's hair spray bottles. Nice long aluminum 2.5" dia cylinder that will polish up to a bright shine. My bottle fit right between the out side channel flange edges of the rad framing. My rad frame even had the holes in it to tie wrap the bottle to it's side. It's low wt but probably not as light as a Pooh bear.
Dave W

There's an old trick we off roaders have used to mount odd shapped bottles to frame rails that might work for you Jack. It involves the same cable tie but before the tie goes around the frame member, it passes through a short piece of rubber hose, then around the frame, then back through the same rubber hose, and finally around your Pooh Bear. This acts not only as a standoff, but also an isolator. If you use two of these to mount a taller bottle, using different length pieces of hose will allow you to "straighten" up a bottle attached to an angled frame.

We used this method to run our steel coolant tubing along our frame rails when we made the jump from air colled to water cooled engines in the 70's, mainly because it was such a secure, cheap and field maintainable solution.

Tom "Cheapskate"

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Sometimes, I'm as confused as a baby in a topless bar.

My short term memory is absolutely horrible and so is my short term memory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG16m2e4O6I

I have that same or very similar spherical tank on my 2000 VW Golf. I think it is on the Jetta, Golf and Passat built in last 10 years. Should be an easy to find part at the pick and pull.

I am not sure about the Passats as my 2004.5 doesn't have anything that looks like that under the hood.

Al

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Super Seven 3.4

I was thinking of using one of those hiker's anodized-aluminum water bottles - cheap as chips (I've seen them as low as $1.99), you can get 'em in almost any color anodizing you like, and the screw top can be modified with however many inlet/outlet lines etc. you want.

Maybe not quite as cool as Jack's Honeybear, but...

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Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/