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While the springs/shocks are in transport, I reworked the shifter mount, and added additional chassis support members.



Using a swan neck design, (or Volvo waterfall console) as inspiration I tied the midspan of the dash bar into the chassis floor, and added triangulation members to the dashbar. I really like the way this came out.

Gusset plates:


Looks a bit like a battleship:

My wife mentioned this is a bit like making a metal sculpture, and is somewhat like automotive metal Arts-and-Crafts.

Shift Mount member joining midspan of dashbar member to common node within chassis cabin floor:


Front bulkhead of the passenger side footwell:

Once again, the theme of the multiple members joining at a common node, with the lateral member aiding in torsional rigidity.

Front compartment floor:

The upper and lower members tie in the trailing LCA inboard members together.

3~4 lbs from these additional tubes are certainly worth their weight, as essentially these members tie in the "corners" of the chassis. The inboard shock tabs will receive likewise load distribution.



As always, any thoughts/feed is welcome.

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There is no such thing as mechanical failure, only a lack of attention to detail.

Nice job I will keep watching.Hope it will inspire me to finish mine...Great

Will your knuckles clear the bar in front of the shifter?

I like it too!

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

Thanks guys! It clears. Shifter throw is 1", and leaves 2" of clearance between my knuckles and dash bar in third gear. However if my hand slips while shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear from overly enthusiastic shifting--skinned knuckles may result. I may fabricate a taller shift lever if it becomes a problem.


In other news, the eibach springs came in. ID is 1.9" and I'm not worried they won't fit on the GAZ Golds. (Which have not arrived yet.)


In regards to the size difference compared to the Yamaha spring/shock:




It's nuts that these two springs have essentially the same spring rates considering the size difference.

In other other news, in order the shifter to be placed where I would like it, the passenger seat must be offset 2 inches to the right, thus reducing passenger space even further. The weight distribution of pushing the passenger to the right actually would actually be helpful, but would look somewhat odd if the seats are not placed symmetrically in the car.

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There is no such thing as mechanical failure, only a lack of attention to detail.

So exactly 1 year ago today I started this project, and I was here:



And 1 year later I am here:


But yet there is still so much more to do...

GAZ Gold shocks came in, and the Eibach springs fit them perfectly:


Compared to the Yamaha shocks, these are tiny!

Orienting the piggyback reservoir which is angled is tough, as well as the large length and diameter.

Street shoes for the toy car also came in:


Spherical bearing inserts are still on their way, and I'll need to remake shock tabs once they arrive.

I'll need to order body panels from Kinetic vehicles, such as:
-Scuttle
-Rear Steamroller Fenders
-Windshield (request from the wife)

Caterham panels are simply not cost effective, and lead time from the UK is painful.

I'll need to make a custom hood mating a Caterham S3 nosecone to a Kinetic Locost scuttle. For retaining panels, I'm thinking of using Zeus clips and weld-on tabs. However, what are the common approaches to securing panels with hidden fasteners? (I.e., no exposed rivets, or quarter turn faster heads.)

Questions:
Does anyone have had experience with Kinetic vehicle body panels?

_________________
There is no such thing as mechanical failure, only a lack of attention to detail.

Looking good. What wheels are the street tires going on?

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30 years old, not sure what I want to be when I grow up…

Thanks. The wheels are 16x7.5 Kosei K1s.


In regards to current progress I've finalized suspension points (after many months of trim, measure, trim, measure, rerun suspension kinematics, trim, measure, trim, measure), and finally got to a point where the current geometry should be a good starting point.

This may not seem like a big step to many, but committing to suspension linkage lengths and inboard points was a BIG deal, and committing to welding was a big step.

After members were tacked in place, I ran the wheel through its motion, and I am pretty happy with the outcome. I figured I'd share some of the actual values of which PHYSICALLY are the outcome of the car:

Normal ride height: 4"
Front static camber: -2 deg
Rear static camber: -1.1
Outside front wheel at full lock: -6.3 deg camber (at ride height)
Inside front wheel at full lock: +7.2 deg camber (at ride height)

FRONT AT 4" BUMP:
Outside front wheel at full lock under bump: -12 deg camber
Front wheel under straight line brake dive: -8.3 deg camber
Rear wheel at 3" bump: -3.8 deg camber

I have not yet measured inside front positive camber at full lock in droop. I'm pretty excited as the car is almost ready to be put on the ground!

Thoughts/feedback regarding these values are always welcome.

_________________
There is no such thing as mechanical failure, only a lack of attention to detail.

I hope you are planning on putting her on the ground by jumping her off the table! That would be sick

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My build: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtop ... 18&t=13096


You can build the most awesome thing in the world but at some point, an 80yr old man in a crx is probably going kick your butt on the track... don't ask me how I know.

Gents, it's been a while since I last updated my build log. Things are still progressing and chassis is off the table:



The inboard suspension tabs I think were what took the longest, as multiple iterations in OptimumK Suspension design coupled with many months of trim and measure.



But the car is now a roller!



Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the welds. I had a few other engineers come over and inspect my welds.


Control arm tubes fully welded:


More parts started to make their way onto the car, such as the 5 gallon ATL steel fuel cell:


Mounted in chassis boxed in with members featuring the ever so important speed holes:


A C&R Sprint car radiator was sourced as it fits VERY well inside the Caterham S3 nosecone:


Inside nosecone and slanted at a 30 deg forward angle:


The real engine has also been installed and the header has been reworked for a side exit:


Multiple cuts and sectioning to achieve a 90 degree rotation:




I've finished fabricating a custom exhaust muffler last night, but I need a cataylst before to weld the exhaust mounts in place. The battery mount has also been fabricated, and 1.5" OD aluminum coolant tubes (.120 wall 6061-T6) going from the front of the car to the rear firewall have been sourced but will require machining. Considering the coolant tubes will pass through the passenger compartment, I certainly would not want a tube to fracture due to vibration fatigue stress.

Overall... Many things to do...many things...

And as always Gents, any thoughts/feedback/suggestions are always welcome.

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There is no such thing as mechanical failure, only a lack of attention to detail.

I have a suggestion! Be careful about putting car parts in the dining room... ladies don't like that. We also need a pic of you in your car pretending to drive it... everyone does... its all the rage man.

Look good sir.

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My build: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtop ... 18&t=13096


You can build the most awesome thing in the world but at some point, an 80yr old man in a crx is probably going kick your butt on the track... don't ask me how I know.

Two questions about the exhaust. Why did you run it out the left side of the car, because it's closer? Seems like it'll be louder with it on that side. Also, where's the muffler going to go, running forward?

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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/

looking really good! the weld quality is inspiring.

those front shocks sure are at a rather acute angle...

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The B-3 build log: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=13941 unfortunately, all the pictures were lost in the massive server crash

The beginnings of the Jag Special,
https://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19012
Again, all pictures were lost.

Ohhhh, you're kinda cute yourself.

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

Right.




Anyhow, robbvious, the shock inclination is a function of the motion ratio (or installation ratio) targeting a specific wheel rate based off of the front ride frequency. The GAZ gold shocks have plenty of rebound/compression damping to allow for 400 lb/in springs if needed. Also, the closer the outboard shock pickup point is to the lower spherical bearing, the lower the bending moment. (The worst is applying bending loads 90 degrees midspan of the LCA.)

Kurt, the exhaust was too difficult to route to the right, as the shifter linkages, front engine mount, coolant tubes, and clutch slave cylinder will be in the way. Threading that needle would be very tricky around vital components, and given vibration and movement of components, something would likely get hit and burned. (Plus the wife indicated she did not want to step over a hot exhaust muffler and catalyst wearing flip flops and shorts.)

The exhaust will make a 90 degree turn going forward into the catalyst, and forward into the exhaust muffler. Inside the muffler the flow makes a 180 degree turn, after passing through the heavily perforated tube. The exhaust flow then exits to a straight pipe which will travel beneath the left rear LCA and will exit BEHIND the car. The goal was to keep the exterior of the car still reminiscent of the vintage Locost7 style. (I.e. short truncated body lines following the rear wheels, thus no exhaust at the rear.)

Mocking up exhaust and magnaflow cataylst


Rear exit of the exhaust:


Placing the exhaust to the left certainly does not aid in weight distribution left to right, as the engine and driver sit to the left. My initial plan was to have the exhaust on the right, however component packaging is far too difficult. Plus the exhaust components do not weigh as much as I had initially anticipated. ~12 lbs or so. This arrangement does present a burning hazard, but with ceramic coating, fiberglass wrap, and double stainless steel heat sheild (with and air gap), this should reduce burn hazards.

Mjalaly, I make car noises every night sitting in the thing! I've got to keep my motivation up. Also, its too late for car parts to not be inside the house. The metal dust will scratch the finish on the Caterham nosecone, and the Caterham seats live indoors as I'd rather those seats not smell like cut metal, plus the R25B Hoosiers live in vacuum sealed bags in the dark at 75 deg F in the closet such that the rubber harden and dry out.


Thanks for the kind words guys!

Not to change your mind, but why not go up and out, similar to what i did. There is no heat issue even with the pllugs wires only 1/2" away from the muffler.




Also, is there a reason you didn't put your tabs inline with the control arms so that they are more in a compression state? I doubt there will be an issue... jut curious.





why don't you turbo that thing! You will want to down the road when it doesn't feel fast enough.... mine with 350whp is starting to not feel fast.

_________________
My build: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtop ... 18&t=13096


You can build the most awesome thing in the world but at some point, an 80yr old man in a crx is probably going kick your butt on the track... don't ask me how I know.