LocostUSA.com

oh, no wonder they gave you so little for it, they wrote it off as an auto "bodie"

those crooks!

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Read my build thread!
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=52903#52903
over 12 postings!

Hey, look at the bright side. You're $31.70 ahead of me. I had to pay $20 to the guy who normally picks up scrap cars for free because the shell didn't weight enough to make it worthwhile to pick up for free.

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They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. By the time you finish the car it'll feel like you've done it on your knees.

Good point. At least I got to go drive around for a few hours with the windows down in the beautiful weather.

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+442 - Miata

3 days at pick-n-pull and $80 later I have some spindles. They are from a 1986? Toyota van.



I guess the economy has the idiots at pick-n-pull getting very pickey. I had the brake dust sheilds on the spindles when trying to pay for them and they were going to charge me extra for them. They were crushed up and useless. It annoys me that they make me spend an extra 20 mintues to take them off when they will never sell them anyways.

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+442 - Miata

on the celica uprights, the very inside part of the dust shield also acts to to shield grease (keep grease in, dirt out). I didn't realize this until late in the game, but im glad I did...my shields are chopped down to just the inner part. You can probably run without them, but I like the piece of mind. check if the celica's fit the van spindles?

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Georgia Tech
Ride and Handling Engineer for a major car company
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

Will do.


I chisled off the grime, sand blasted, acetoned, tacked, and sprayed Krylon gloss black...

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+442 - Miata

Nice clean up job on the spindles. I used the same ones. Sometimes those commercial wreckers are pretty cheap about what goes with an item. I was lucky and got my from a private partout. Got the dustshields and the tie rod ends thrown in. I didn't think they would be any use but they turned out to be the easiest to trim to the required size.

Two things: I used the existing bottom ball joint and the little platform. The outer web of my bottom wishbone "sits" on it. Two of the bolts hold the bracket for my lower shock mount as well as attach the ball joint to the wishbone.

I found that in full droop my tie rod hit the wishbone. Maybe that's because I mounted the ball joint under the wishbone web or because my shocks have 5" of travel. I drilled out the taper, no biggie, it's not hardened. I machined an tapered insert with a shoulder on it so the tie rod is on the top of the steering arm.

Ron

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They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. By the time you finish the car it'll feel like you've done it on your knees.

Thanks. I really have no idea where to start with the suspension. I know nothing about it. I guess the book would be a good place but I am using different peices.

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+442 - Miata

Doesn't matter what pieces/frame you are using if you get the right book. Staniforth's excellent Competition Car Suspension and Kimini both of which I got at Autobooks will tell you how to design the suspension to do exactly what you want it to do no matter what you are using. You know, that whole teach a man to fish and he'll build non moving roll centers. Wait... that doesn't sound right.

Full Disclosure: I tend to preach the "buy the book line" a lot, and seeing as how i haven't put tubing down it's pretty reasonable to take every thing I say as crap. However, one of the reason's I haven't put tubing down is because I am constantly realizing that I have to "design" a part that I didn't know existed. That's the exciting part for me so far, so I get all excited about it and start yapping about how everyone should buy the books. Subsequently I have a lot of books, about a lot of things, and not so many things. But hey, no one every made fun of Librarians. Wait... that doesn't sound right either.

Milo

Ok I will try to talk my parents into getting a book or two for me. Poor college kid. lol

The Celica caliper brackets do not fit the van spindles and neither do the dust sheilds. When I go back to get the caliper brakets I will get some dust sheilds to cut down too. Will probly have to wait a few weeks though cuz I is broke after buying the spindles.

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+442 - Miata

As I understand it the original book had the wrong dimensions etc. for the suspension and that was based on the Ford Escort spindle.

I used the book specs for my first wishbones using the cut down struts and castor was wrong.

Using the van spindles I mocked up the lower wishbones so that the front track was the same as the rear. Then I put the spindle into the correct position for castor and camber and that was my guide for the upper wishbones. I figure there's lots of adjustment so I can't be too far off.

I used the van calipers. There're heavy and probably oversize for what's needed but they fit in the wheels and were included with the spindles.

Ron

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They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. By the time you finish the car it'll feel like you've done it on your knees.

hey, Toulocost!! Those are exactly what I am running. Its pretty simplet to work with thin.
Joe Garrison

Hey Toylocost,

I used the Toyota van spindles too. I kept the lower ball joint and bolted it to my lower wishbone through the 4 holes in the lower balljoint plate.

For the upper balljoint, I used a tapered reamer to open up the upper hole in the spindle, and used MOOG part number ES150R which I bought from Stock Car Products:

http://stockcarproducts.com/susp8.htm

there are some pictures in my build gallery that might be of help:

http://picasaweb.google.com/marktsui1975/MarkSLocost#

Mark

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Photo gallery of my completed Locost:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10397358 ... banner=pwa

Wow thanks for all the comments guys.

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+442 - Miata

Was helping a freind clean out his garage and he heard the noise that I made when I saw these so he gave them to me for FREE...







No idea what they are off of.

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+442 - Miata