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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: January 20, 2018, 8:26 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
Really good progress in the last week or two. Steering is done. I reused the RX-8 column. The adjustable height mechanism was removed and the mounting bracket welded directly to the column. The steering shaft itself needed to be lengthened by 11". I was able to use the RX-8 switch gear so blinkers and lights will be on the column.

Even more exciting is the engine and trans are mocked up in the car. I've got the left side motor mount done. Bent up some .09" steel and used a Land Rover Defender rubber engine mount. The engine sits 12" further behind the front wheels than original which was just behind the wheel centerline. Is it able to be considered a mid-engine car at this point? Wish I had taken a top done picture so you can see how far back it sits.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: February 3, 2018, 4:51 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
Started fitting the rear body work so I know how/where to brace everything. I had to cut the piece down the center to make it ~2" wider. Also had to slit the upper corners to allow the sides to move out. As molded it had a pretty good tow in at the front of the body work.

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Added in a crash bar to the back. I was pretty worried what was going to happen in a rear end collision in this thing. Especially with the fuel tank in the rear. I still need to add some diagonal braces going for/aft going to the bottom of the roll bar rear legs. It made a nice spot to attach and re-enforce the upper rear rail too.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: February 8, 2018, 8:43 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
That crash bar is a nice idea. I guess a person would have to be careful to leave enough room to get a gas tank in and out, but other than that, it is a good safety feature.

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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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: February 16, 2018, 8:11 am 
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Joined: August 12, 2011, 1:46 pm
Posts: 85
Removable bars would give good axes and rigidity .
At any rate I'll be adding one of those to my build .
Cheers for the good idea


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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: March 1, 2018, 3:42 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
Some more pictures of the crash bar with the additional bracing and got my pedals mounted. You can see in the pictures the bracing for the lower part of the rear body work. It unbolts to allow removal of the rear body work. Drivers seat is bolted in to but it's nothing exciting to look at. Will be working on mounting my radiator(from a 1984 RX-7) and oil cooler this weekend.

As far as getting the fuel tank in and out it will be super easy. My tank is a good 6" short of the crash bar. I originally had a larger one but wanted some buffer in a rear impact before it got hit. It's still 10 gallons so should be good for about 180-200 miles

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: March 11, 2018, 5:28 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
Oil cooler and radiator are pretty much done. Just need to weld some posts to the bottom of the radiator to engage the lower mounts I made. Both radiator and oil cooler are from an 84-85 RX-7. Radiator I had to trim off the lower mounting tabs and and bend it in to clear the steering shaft. The lower mounts will be welded on pins that mate into Dorman 926-280 radiator mounts-
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I started mocking up the header. I'm lucky that a company called Icengine works is just up the street and they're friends of the shop. They make a really cool kit that makes designing headers way easier. It's a bunch of snap together parts. http://www.icengineworks.com/

Here's the latest batch of progress pictures-

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: March 18, 2018, 8:23 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
Rear body is all bolted up. Made a bunch of little brackets and used about twenty riv-nuts to hold it all together. Seems very solid. Still need to glass the two halves of the rear piece back together.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: March 20, 2018, 5:20 am 
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We are Slotus!
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Location: Tallahassee, FL (The Center of the Known Universe)
Quote:
Still need to glass the two halves of the rear piece back together.
Nahhh... Not really...
"Duct tape, the handy man's secret weapon." -- Red Green

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: March 20, 2018, 6:46 am 
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Joined: October 19, 2010, 11:57 am
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Location: Waterloo, WI
GonzoRacer wrote:
Quote:
Still need to glass the two halves of the rear piece back together.
Nahhh... Not really...
"Duct tape, the handy man's secret weapon." -- Red Green


Duct tape racing stripe! :lol:

Seriously, this is one sweet build!

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: July 6, 2018, 8:17 am 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
Been awhile since I've updated progress on this. Hasn't been a ton going on with the car but life gets in the way. Quit my Land Rover job and am back doing NASA research and bought a house in the meantime. Took a bit to get my new garage cleared out of moving boxes, lights installed, work bench etc to be able to work on the car. Now everything is up and going so the fun can continue!

The muffler has been mounted. I'm using pretty much the biggest Borla muffler I could fit. I'll be running a cat also. This is more for sound reasons than emissions. Rotaries are LOUD and buzzy. I'm trying to keep the volume in check. Muffler mounting wise there's some bent up brackets welded onto the muffler with high temp silicone rubber mounts to let everything move around.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: July 6, 2018, 4:06 pm 
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Posts: 4829
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
You'll like the Borla. They are the only ones to tame my RX7 or Miata's custom exhaust and they have a more pleasant sound.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: July 18, 2018, 1:21 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
I've started on the body work while I wait for some exhaust bits to arrive. Here's the widened nose and cowl. The cowl is 1 1/2" wider. The nose is a full 7 1/2"! Makes it look a little more Donkervoort in proportion I suppose.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: July 19, 2018, 9:00 am 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
One other part of this project will be converting over to a megasquirt 3 ECU for engine control. I haven't done much work on this as of yet but one problem I've been kicking around is the throttle body. The RX-8 uses a drive by wire throttle which isn't compatible with megasquirt. It needs to be converted to a cable type/TPS type. People used to use throttle bodies from the old Star Mazda series but those spares are long gone and expensive. I went on ebay looking for cheap throttle bodies of the right size and ordered up one that fits a 96-04 4.6 liter Mustang. Cost was $36 shipped new to the door. Amazingly it bolted right on! Only had to cut off two alignment tabs on the intake manifold. Better to be lucky than good.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: August 1, 2018, 10:54 am 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
Had to redo my transmission tunnel bracing. The rear of the transmission had to drop down because of driveshaft alignment issues. The trans was hitting basically every cross piece at that point. The new bracing consists of an x-brace and a flat plate at the rear of the trans. I may still add a bolt in brace at the bell housing. I'm also thinking of tying the rear mounting bolts of the front subframe together. I don't like how much unconnected frame there is towards the front right now.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: August 1, 2018, 12:10 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
That looks like a nice solution, plenty of triangulation.

The crossmember issue is one I struggle with too. In the end, I welded in gussets to the chassis tubes, so I can add one later (using those, not welding in something) if it proves necessary. My engine and transmission are intended to come out together, so a crossmember would be fairly annoying in that context.

They show as the 2 bottom-left gussets in the photo below. This is an old photo. They have holes pre-drilled in them now.

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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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