The occasional Locost build query thread.

[Nick DV]

Considering my current body weight, a welded floor will not be a bad thing.

Nah, you'll be surprised how strong the ali, rivet and bonding is. I'm a big lump and mine hasn't budged in all the years since I built it.

 

[bricol]

I got forced off the road a few years ago - something came through the back of the floor just behind the seat!

Notice you've got an Atlas axle - for a seven, lightness of unsprung weight is everything - English ones are lighter. And unless you will have mega sticky tyres, and doing a lot of track kerb hopping, can't imagine you'll bust it. Certainly not a hint of trouble with the one I had in a Westfield for seven years of various competition and road use.

 

[Richiew]

Stuvy, its the Ron Champion Locost with the live axle rear end. The Haynes Roadster uses the Sierra back end.
I've got the Champion book which got me into all this metal work and welding lark in the first place but I'm using the Jim McSorely plans which have been drawn up properly. http://sevenesque.com/plans/
There's still a couple of deviations in my build so far for better seat belt mounts and a slightly wider tunnel at the back for the diff.

Bricol, I have an English Axle in the shed too. I started with the Atlas axle as it looked meaner and cooler to me with the bolted rear diff cover. This was very important to me when I was younger and looking to build a car. They are both Capri axles as the original Locost back end looked a bit underwhelming to me in the pictures that I saw and the wider 52" axles were supposed to fill the rear arches better. The Atlas has the bigger 9" brakes ( More weight, I know). The two axles have different ratios so the plan is to get them both sorted for variety. My Atlas is 3.44 and my English is 3.65.

 

[Melvyn Best]

My car is based on Ron Champion’s book but it uses a Sierra diff and IRS with narrowed drive shafts . The Luego Velocity XT uses standard length drive shafts but I’m not sure if the chassis is any wider ?

 

[bricol]

My car is based on Ron Champion’s book but it uses a Sierra diff and IRS with narrowed drive shafts . The Luego Velocity XT uses standard length drive shafts but I’m not sure if the chassis is any wider ?

I'd be interested in how you narrowed the shafts? I'm building a new trials car using Mazda bits, but narrower.

 

[bricol]

Stuvy, its the Ron Champion Locost with the live axle rear end. The Haynes Roadster uses the Sierra back end.
I've got the Champion book which got me into all this metal work and welding lark in the first place but I'm using the Jim McSorely plans which have been drawn up properly. http://sevenesque.com/plans/
There's still a couple of deviations in my build so far for better seat belt mounts and a slightly wider tunnel at the back for the diff.

Bricol, I have an English Axle in the shed too. I started with the Atlas axle as it looked meaner and cooler to me with the bolted rear diff cover. This was very important to me when I was younger and looking to build a car. They are both Capri axles as the original Locost back end looked a bit underwhelming to me in the pictures that I saw and the wider 52" axles were supposed to fill the rear arches better. The Atlas has the bigger 9" brakes ( More weight, I know). The two axles have different ratios so the plan is to get them both sorted for variety. My Atlas is 3.44 and my English is 3.65.

I'm running a Caterham with a 3.9 sierra diff and their 6 spd box (so 1:1 top) - it will hit the limiter in top (closed road, private test track etc etc . . ) - motorways are high revs, but I do a lot more accelerating than I do long motorways runs, so I'm happy - sitting on motorways to get into southern Europe is noisy, but headsets and an intercom sort that to a degree - the fun to be had on Alpine passes annoying bikes more than makes up for it.

I use an English axle with a 5.something CWP in my Dutton - buts thats for better ground clearance and the ability to pull wheelies/climb walls

 

[Melvyn Best]

The suppliers of the chassis (Luego) cut and sleeved them as part of the deal when I brought it , they have been OK for around 15 years running 130 BHP usually driven “briskly “ I was a bit sceptical at first but if they were to fail the car would just lose drive but the shafts would flail about being sleeved . There are one or two driveshaft manufacturers around but they are not cheap .

 

[stuvy]

Stuvy, its the Ron Champion Locost with the live axle rear end. The Haynes Roadster uses the Sierra back end.
I've got the Champion book which got me into all this metal work and welding lark in the first place but I'm using the Jim McSorely plans which have been drawn up properly. http://sevenesque.com/plans/
There's still a couple of deviations in my build so far for better seat belt mounts and a slightly wider tunnel at the back for the diff.

Bricol, I have an English Axle in the shed too. I started with the Atlas axle as it looked meaner and cooler to me with the bolted rear diff cover. This was very important to me when I was younger and looking to build a car. They are both Capri axles as the original Locost back end looked a bit underwhelming to me in the pictures that I saw and the wider 52" axles were supposed to fill the rear arches better. The Atlas has the bigger 9" brakes ( More weight, I know). The two axles have different ratios so the plan is to get them both sorted for variety. My Atlas is 3.44 and my English is 3.65.

mine was a Sylvia phoenix by Stuart Taylor motorsport, cane as a complete race car package. Trailer tyres etc

the rear diffuser was a freelander one as they are a lot lighter than the Sierra ones for racing when every gram counts

I think but il have to check the wet weight was 480kg with a fireblade 918cc engine

 

[Richiew]

mine was a Sylvia phoenix by Stuart Taylor motorsport, cane as a complete race car package. Trailer tyres etc

the rear diffuser was a freelander one as they are a lot lighter than the Sierra ones for racing when every gram counts

I think but il have to check the wet weight was 480kg with a fireblade 918cc engine

Your autocomplete confused a stupid person for a minute there but then I realised....

 

[Nick DV]

mine was a Sylvia phoenix by Stuart Taylor motorsport, cane as a complete race car package. Trailer tyres etc

the rear diffuser was a freelander one as they are a lot lighter than the Sierra ones for racing when every gram counts

I think but il have to check the wet weight was 480kg with a fireblade 918cc engine

Often used to watch the BEC race series run by the 750MC and those Phoenix's were pretty successful Pretty sure only Bikesports exists now which I don't think is anywhere near as good.

 

[stuvy]

It’s not but the lads I raced with and keep it touch have moved upto some seriously beautiful cars

like this
https://pragaglobal.com/praga-r1t-evo-fastest-praga-r1-yet/

 

[stuvy]

Your autocomplete confused a stupid person for a minute there but then I realised....

I always use my phone and seldomly read what Iv posted

my teachers might have been correct
Must try harder

 

[Nick DV]

It’s not but the lads I raced with and keep it touch have moved upto some seriously beautiful cars

like this
https://pragaglobal.com/praga-r1t-evo-fastest-praga-r1-yet/

I can't remember his name, but wasn't one of the lads a photographer who used to have a Hayabusa Westfield that went racing in the RGB then moved tothat team? I think his name was Olly

 

[stuvy]

My mate is Tim that owns Tim gray motorsport

I cannot recommend him enough

 

[Nick DV]

I remember him, he won the RGB championship more than once IIRC. Great driver

 

[stuvy]

I remember him, he won the RGB championship more than once IIRC. Great driver

he did indeed

Really nice chap who is doing really well for himself

I saw him earlier in the year at snetterton

 

[Richiew]

Thought I should update this. The bead roller was dragged out from under the build table. It has the usual mod of an old tractor steering wheel for turning and there's a U shape of box section welded to the back. It was bought years ago but it's the first time I've used it for anything important. The box was welded to the half inch plate using a 150amp Clarke Mig so the welds are a bit cold and lumpy. It was all I had at the time but it seems to do the job.

Some small thin (0.7mm) sheets of ally were used to practice with first. I should have been a bit more observant as the sheet was getting marked a little and it was only towards the end of this job that I realised the bottom anvil had come loose and the alignment had drifted.

Sheet marked up in place

I rolled the sheet on my own, the clutter on the benches got in the way a bit and was cleared. It wasn't too bad a job for one person. I had a stand set up to the right of the picture to support the panel.

The ribs have made the sheet stiffer but springier. I have probably introduced some "ping" into the panel. There's a curve front to back now that wasn't there before. I was curious to see how the material moved and measured the width of the panel before and after. The panel seems to have lost 5mm. The other panel lost 2mm which seems a more reasonable amount so maybe I made a measuring error with this one.

The ribs aren't perfectly straight, not that it really matters. If I was doing this again I get someone else to help and also check the rollers a bit more often. A good learning experience today. If I take care welding the panels in place then perhaps they won't bounce around. Every day's a school day.

 

[Mick Annick]

It’s not but the lads I raced with and keep it touch have moved upto some seriously beautiful cars

like this
https://pragaglobal.com/praga-r1t-evo-fastest-praga-r1-yet/

Praga are an interesting outfit, not heard of them before

 

[stuvy]

Praga are an interesting outfit, not heard of them before

stunning cars, ultima make a beauty too

was offered one years ago and missed out on it

 

[Nick DV]

stunning cars, ultima make a beauty too

was offered one years ago and missed out on it

They are stunning When I was into the kit car scene I saw a few Ultimas in complete and in various stages of build, and just like the Cobra kits, everyone I saw had had a ton of money thrown at them so I had no chance of building one