LocostUSA.com

As these always seem to start, I am a long time lurker first time poster.

A bit about me. My family has owned an automotive parts store/repair shop/machine shop for many more years than I have been around. I have been around for 34 years if anyone is counting. I have three older brothers who are all “into” cars. So I was doomed. It would take a while to count the cars/jeeps/motorcycles I have owned over the years. Most of them complete POS that I had to work on. The one that has stuck around the longest is my ’96 Mustang. It is has now progressed dedicated track car status… or almost. That’s the only time it gets driven anyway. It does not have a single bit of factory drive train or suspension.

On to the locost. I have been dreaming/planning a locost build for many years. I just can’t seem to shake the desire to build one. I have owned a Miata in the past and think there is no better donor in the US. I have purchased a 1994 Miata with 80k on the clock from an insurance auction and hope to pick it up next week. I have started building my build table and hope to be done this weekend with that.

I also have a blog that I setup (http://blog.fireflyracing.com/). I will try and keep this and the blog more or less in sync.

Nice to meet everyone.
Drew

Yo, Drew-
Welcome to the looney bin! Let's get started on that Locost! Keep us posted, lotsa pictures, etc, etc... You know the drill.

Good luck with your build, and holler iffen ya need anything.
Hey, where are you?


JD Kemp

Guess it would be nice to share my location. I am in Raleigh NC

Also wanted to add the I am a big Colin Chapman fan and that is part of my modivation.

I had planned on using sawhorses for the base. I tried it and didn't like it. Even though I bought nice metal sawhorses, they didn't seem stable enough for me. Then there is the garage floor slope. It work out to be just under 1inch slope over 8 feet. That would have meant rigging something with the sawhorses.

So I decided to build my own base. 4x4 post at the 4 corners. On the uphill end the post are 3 feet, and a bit longer on the down hill side. 1x4s for a frame for the top and shelf area, and middle support

The bottom of the top is 1/2 inch MDF. I am using unistrut glued to that. Then I will put a 3/4 inch top on that and bolt it all together using carriage bolts.

Pick up the donor today. The Copart experience was very good. I pulled up, walked in, gave them my numbers, they told me to go back out and meet the loading tech. Next thing I know a big old CAT fork lift pulls up and ask for my papers. He drive out in the yard, pick us the miata, comes back and drops it on my trailer.

Small update. Metal has been ordered and it's nice to have friends in the business.

QTY 8 1 X 1 X .065 WALL X 20'
QTY 1 1 X 2 X .065 WALL X 20'
QTY 2 3/4 X 3/4 X .120 W X 24'
$235 for all.

I know the 3/4" is a bit thick, but that is all they stocked. When I did the math on the weight saving it was not engough form me to worry about.

Yo, Drew-
Bought some steel, you've gone and done it now... Nothin' left but to build a car... Congratulations! Keep us posted!

Are you an NC State grad?

JD "NCSU Class of '77" Kemp

I did indead go to NCSU... I forgot to do the grad thing tough. Starting working before I got that far and haven't managed to get back.

THAT explains it!!

'Splains what, you ol' hippie, you?

And don't forget, when I graduated from NCSU, I moved to West-By-God-Virginia for 15 years.

So there!

I sneaked out of work a bit early today. I mean it was in the 60's today, how can you be expected to stay in the office all day

I have now cut my first three tubes. I know this is a small thing but it is a start.

Lesson learned today. When using an abrasive disk in a miter saw the blade flexes side to side very easily. You can end up with cuts that are not very straight. I think the trick is to not force the blade.

The more angled the cut, the worse the deflection. Straight cuts, and cuts up to about 15-20 degrees, are usually more accurate.

Good start. One thing I would change if I could start over, I would invest in metal band saw, Harbor Freight or Northern Tool, or such. I used an abrasive wheel, it was ok, but it puts out a lot of grit and grime. Enough that it covers most every thing in the shop. Also, I think the band saw gives a little better cut.

I got tired of the miter saw turning metal into scrap and dust. So today I made a trip to Northern Tool and picked up a dry saw http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200326857 . This think is great. The price in the store was less than their web site.

I to some cutting done today, but not as much as I was hoping. Next it will be time to play with the welder and start tacking everything together.

First things first. Always ware your safety gear. I didn't even notice this disk come apart until I turned off the angle grinder. Thought I heard something hit the wall on the other side of the garage.



I didn't get as much done this weekend as I wanted, but any progress is good progress. I have all the uprights except UR1/UR2. Looking at the drawing it will be easier to put them in after U1/U2 are in place.

Front Frame. Man is that a fiddly bit to work out. I am using the Vodou plans for the chassis. Or I think I am. The front frame would have been the first departure from the standard Haynes frame. The Vodou plans have their own front frame, or show how to add a packing bit to the standard frame. I tried to draw up the Vodou front frame in sketchup with no luck. Either I don't understand, or the numbers are wrong. Either way I build the standard Haynes front frame. The dry saw wasn't much use here. I cut the bottom 26 degree, then used the angle grinder for the compound part of the cut. Next i used the angle grinder to cut the 26 degree wedge out of the middle, then again to cut the top.

The front isn't welded to the rest of the frame yet, not even aligned well. I just wanted to see how it looks.