LocostUSA.com

I'm looking at BMWs, and even Mercedes C class, but I don't think they had stick shift transmissions.
I'm also looking at ecoboost engines, maybe Duratec(not enough power in stock form).
Also, I don't want a car that has high mileage.
How would you buy separate parts, specially from private party, without receipt(proof)?

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

Pinto or Mustang II will make a good donor

Chevette is another popular donor

Motor size is critical to it's intended usage.
The original Lotus only had a 1000cc motor! They look shrunken and squashed next to a 442 with a tall motor.
A v8 wont win autocross, a 1000cc won't smoke the tires.

V motors will need a wider chassis
Overhead cam makes a much taller motor, chassis and body work may need adjustments.

I do not subscribe to the single donor deal because you have to make too many compromises and will end up a lower quality finished product.
I prefer to choose the parts by what fits the application best, rather than use what you have. There are few single donors that can provide a significant portion of the parts needed.

Don't go crazy with the interior, it's an open cockpit car.
Don't go crazy on the dash, minimalist is best, it's an open cockpit car.
You don't need much instrumentation, the driver is essentially a part of the car and will have a very intimate connection to the car.
Volt Meter, Temp gauge, Oil Light, are all that is necessary. anything else is a luxury.
Speedo is not critical as the Locost seating position makes it feel like you are traveling very fast (not likely to speed). NOTE: There are reasonably priced self contained speedos that use GPS.

Documenting used parts purchased is simple. I don't think much detail is needed in that area.
Check with your states agent for registration requirements. You are simply showing that you built it, not itemizing each nut & bolt.

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Honey anyone?

The major parts need proof of purchase. A private party, can't give me a receipt.

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

I don't have a set goal with this car. I always wanted to build some kind of car, maybe multiply it if it works out great.
For me, is more of the building process, then enjoying it. I will drive it of course, but I don't want to skip the building process. I'm a tinkerer(Tinkerbell?!), so that is what I enjoy.
I may not even go with the Lotus nose cone, I may make something totally different, maybe an early Alfa, or similar.
Something like this:
https://hips.hearstapps.com/roa.h-cdn.co/assets/15/28/2560x1706/4-1938-alfa-romeo-8c-2900-mille-miglia_1.jpg?resize=980:*
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Alfa2900B.jpg
So with something like this, I may have more room for a taller engine.
Did you guys seen Ant Anstead "Alfa", with the Miata underpinnings?
https://www.thedrive.com/news/38410/the ... than-11000

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

Why can't they? My drivetrain parts (actually everything I needed from the donor) came with a Bill of Sale that included the name and address of the seller, the VIN, the date and a copy of the Title. It was enough for my state. I asked the seller for that after the state asked me for it.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

What if the seller has only an engine, or a transmission for sale?

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

Ok, I'm going to deconstruct this a bit... there is much I disagree with, some that I do. I'll group the original statements, then add my response below it.

Pinto or Mustang II will make a good donor
Chevette is another popular donor

>>> In the 90's... sure. In 2021 there are so few of either around that they're near impossible to find and usually beaten to a pulp if you do.

Motor size is critical to it's intended usage.
The original Lotus only had a 1000cc motor! They look shrunken and squashed next to a 442 with a tall motor.
A v8 wont win autocross, a 1000cc won't smoke the tires.

>>> V8's can absolutely do well at autocross, the Brunton Super Stalker was more than adequate proof of that. Will it win an SCCA National Championship, probably not. But neither has any other Locost. And a 1000cc BEC will definitely smoke the tires.

V motors will need a wider chassis

>>> Generally true, depending on the engine. 90 degree V's almost certainly. 60 degree V's... maybe, maybe not.

Overhead cam makes a much taller motor, chassis and body work may need adjustments.

>>> Also "generally" true, mostly depends on the individual engines.

I do not subscribe to the single donor deal because you have to make too many compromises and will end up a lower quality finished product.
I prefer to choose the parts by what fits the application best, rather than use what you have. There are few single donors that can provide a significant portion of the parts needed.

>>>Here we really part ways. Single donor cars can absolutely work quite well. The Miata is a great example of this, as it can donate all of it's drivetrain, much of the electrical, the steering rack, the uprights, brakes, etc. IMO that's "most" of the major parts needed, and your contention that it leads to a "lower quality finished product" is honestly laughable. The finished quality is FAR more dependent on the standards and skills of the individual building the car than anything else.

Don't go crazy with the interior, it's an open cockpit car.

>>> I'd buy that so far as it goes.

Don't go crazy on the dash, minimalist is best, it's an open cockpit car.
You don't need much instrumentation, the driver is essentially a part of the car and will have a very intimate connection to the car.
Volt Meter, Temp gauge, Oil Light, are all that is necessary. anything else is a luxury.
Speedo is not critical as the Locost seating position makes it feel like you are traveling very fast (not likely to speed). NOTE: There are reasonably priced self contained speedos that use GPS.

>>>As a driver I want information. An "oil light" gives me no information until a failure has already occurred. You can often head off a very bad failure if you pay attention to your instruments. IMO the dash should provide tach, speedo (unlikely any state with an inspection would pass a road licensed car without one), oil/water temp, and oil pressure. A voltmeter is nice but I can coast to the side of the road with a dead battery and call AAA. The GPS speedos work well if you don't live in mountainous areas.

Documenting used parts purchased is simple. I don't think much detail is needed in that area.
Check with your states agent for registration requirements. You are simply showing that you built it, not itemizing each nut & bolt.

>>> Depends on the state and they vary quite wildly in how much detail they want, so part of that advice is correct, definitely check with your state and look at the registration subforum here.

Not trying to attack you here, Bent Wrench, just trying to give another set of opinions based on 40+ years of building cars, including doing it in the racing field professionally.

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Bill J
442 Locost - in progress
Mid-engine Beetle - In Progess
'12 GTI - Daily
'01 Chevy Cargo Van - Workhorse parts hauler

We talking about California, probably the worst state. I will need to prove all the major components origins.

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

I'm in NY so, it's kind of a competition to see which one can come up with stricter rules.

I agree with the guys above. I've been having private party sellers fill out bills of sale for major components and I have a book of receipts for everything else. The dmv isn't going to care about the small stuff.

I don't know, where on this forum should I ask these next questions.
I'm looking at whole cars on CL/Offerup, and I have some questions.
Some cars don't have title, or are sold for parts, but the owner owes back fees to the DMV. Should I skip these type of cars?
If I find for example a transmission, or an engine, we should fill out a bill of sale?

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

I would avoid anything without a title, no way to really know if the parts are stolen and DMV will check anything with a VIN on it (like engines/transmissions). Likewise I'd avoid anything with back DMV fees owing, CA is pretty militant about those and you'd likely be the one to have to pay them.

I would definitely get a bill of sale for anything I bought (CA DMV will want it), including chassis steel and any major component.

The car I just picked up in CA, the prev owner had junked the car but did it officially and had the "junked title" paperwork from CA DMV to go with.

If you're thinking of buying a whole car, it may be useful to get a Copart membership and use their auctions to find a donor with proper paperwork. $50 for a year is a drop in the bucket to not have DMV hassles (and you will, CA even with SB100 is a PITA). Most of the DMV employees have no idea how the SB100 paperwork is done, and the rest all have a different idea of how its done.

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Bill J
442 Locost - in progress
Mid-engine Beetle - In Progess
'12 GTI - Daily
'01 Chevy Cargo Van - Workhorse parts hauler

Stay away from buying a donor without a title. Not only will you have trouble getting your Locost titled, you may have problem getting rid of the donor body. My local scrap dealer required a title, even if it wasn't in my name. You might find some shady businesses that will take it without a title. YMMV.

Get a Bill of Sale for every major part of the drivetrain. Your DMV will require that. The BOS should include the date, seller's name and contact info, the VIN number from the car it came from, and a detailed description of the part(s) purchased.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

Thank you guys.
Copart idea is not bad.
I would prefer to buy separate parts, though.

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

Although, in my [our?] case, Mazda did not VIN stamp/mark 13B engines. Saw that on a recent 13B-T Locost video on YouTube & have scoured the 13B in mine. Same with the diff, no markings on it apart from what looks to be a part/model number cast into the diff body.
Haven't had a chance to look over the FC trans for a VIN.

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1975 MG Midget
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=24382
13B Powered Rotus Geauxkart
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=20899

Mazda did mark the front housings with a number. It does not match the VIN. Mazda does keep records on it though. I went around and around with Mazda USA when trying to verify my poorly stamped housing, a few numbers were indiscernible. A few digits could have been "3" or "6 or "8". All I could read was the lower RH corner of the digits. It turned out that when a car (VIN number) is reported as salvaged, they wipe their data base records clean. Bless their little hearts.

I couldn't find any numbers on the trans or differential either.

The LEO that inspected my car did look and couldn't read it either. I still got through inspection though. In general, with this being an obvious exception, modern cars have the appropriate markings.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766