tibimakai wrote:
About donor cars, there is anything that can be used other then Miata and Mercur? These are old and hard, or expensive to come by?
Unfortunately, we went through a long period in this country where just about all sedans, station wagons, convertibles, etc., were all front wheel drive. So, the pickin's were thin. Small and large pickup trucks plus sports cars and sport sedans were the exception to that rule.
I had started out wanting to do a standard Haynes Roadster based on a Merkur. Long story short, that proved difficult. I switched to using a North American car, and my best choice, I thought, was a base Mustang with a 5-speed. There are some other candidates too, but given your desire for a well-trodden path and a clear set of plans, I would stick to something that's been done many times. Probably your best choices come from the Mazda family, or using a British car like an MGB or a Sprite/Midget donor.
BMW's are coming down in price, and there a 4- and 6-cylinder versions to choose from, but only a few Locosts have been built using them. You'd be doing some level of trailblazing there. You could also keep and eye out for a Merkur and just wait until you find one. Personally, I'd get the contact info for that one in Hollywood and check back with them periodically. You might get it for considerably less than their asking price if they want it gone.
You've reached the first of many decision points. There's no perfect path. All of them have pluses and minuses. One mentioned alternative, buying a Stalker in some state (bare chassis, kit, etc.), is still a viable choice if you have the money. Buying an already built Locost is another one.