Locost 7 Clubman Builders ???

[H80N]

Just curious if there are any Locost builders out there... am considering building one... and that space frame looks like a lot of fun to tig... I know many are MIG welded and the original Lotus 7 was gas welded..
for those of you that do not know what that is... it is a small sports race car that is loosely based on the Lotus 7.... they are very popular in the UK and gaining popularity here,, have attached a pic... they are a very light car (about 1100lbs) so even a modest engine makes them quite quick...
Thanks
Heiti

[Cabby89]

I have been wanting to build one for a while now. I figure a couple years down the road I will build one when I get better at welding and have a 220 machine. I figure I will use one of my Alfa Spiders which has a serious rust issue on the chassis.



I forget the site but their is a big Locost forum dedicated to different ideas and setups.

[H80N]

Cabby
an Alfa would make a great donor... have had a few of them over the years.. first one was a 67 Duetto bought new from Knauz.. had AUSCA/Veloce cams ...& GTA Cromodora rims... still have lots of fond memories of that car... putting those mechanicals in a car 1000lbs or more lighter will make for fun driving and a lot of frowns from modern supercar drivers as they get dusted...
the best site I have found is the locostusa site..

http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=46

the reason that I started a thread here is that.. the space frame is a complex job to weld... and unfortunately many of the ones that I have seen had welds that would make pigeon poop look good... we need to raise that bar..
thanks
Heiti

[Chuck U&R]

Put me in line to build one 'someday'.

Here's what the chassis look like -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPNGI...eature=related

[Cabby89]

I would have to agree with you on some of the guys welding them up do not look the most qualified. Thats one of the reasons why I want to wait a couple years before tackling something like this. The last thing I would want to do is put my life in danger because I did not do a good enough weld job.



Some of them use simple 110v machines to weld the chassis. Though I have the Mcsorley plans and they are all 1/8" thick steel which 110v machines are rated for.



Youtube has video of someone elses Alfa powered Locost and awhile back I saw one with a GTV6 powertrain including the rear gearbox setup.

[H80N]

Cabby
all the plans that I have seen including the McSorley are 16Ga so well within the capabilities of a small mig welder..
Have attached the file "McSorley7+442e.pdf" file.. which is a stretched and widened version.. have been considering building a further stretched version with an inline 6.... the chevy vortec 4.2 looks very good... 4valves per cyl ,DOHC, 270hp stock all aluminum, foam cast....etc...
I would say that your limitation is not the welder but your confidence in using it... I will probably not start one in the near furure.. but it looks like a wonderful project..
regards
Heiti

BTW... since you already seem to have a full spare alfa driveline.....

[H80N]

This site has the most complete set of links worldwide.. for people constructing these clubman type tube framed monsters... including UK, NZ, Aussie builds

http://locost7.info/site_map.php

It is really inspiring as to what some of these guys have built with a minimum of tools and equipment.... the ingenuity that has gone into some of these is very cool.. there are clubs all around the world racing and hillclimbing these little devils...
thanks
Heiti

[Andy]

I've been wanting to build something like this for a few years. Unfortunately I have a shop upgrade and another car project in the queue before this one.

[Fred Smith]

Found this

Guys, I found this model on a web a while back, I don't know where I found it. It is a 3d model of the chassis of a "seven". I have a pdf file that has each part with cut details, if interested let me know and I'll find it.

Update: I have a solid model in iges or UG NX4 format, a pdf for a "stock" chassis, pdfs for something called a "McSorley7+4" and a "McSorley7+442". as I said I got them off a web site but don't remember where.

The chassis is made from 1 x 1 16ga tube. Seems fragile to me but apparently it fine. It takes 11 20' lengths to make the basic chassis.

[H80N]

Physics of Racing

If you are planning on building a race car, hot street car or just want to understand the physics of what makes a car handle or a driver fast.... here is a neat series of articles.....

http://phors.locost7.info/contents.htm

[stephane19]

hello from Québec, there is one guy at are lapping club who made 2 cars himself

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...h/IMG_1529.jpg
http://dalie.ca/var/resizes/Saint-Eustache/DSC_0605.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...h/DSCF5198.jpg
link to thred
http://www.montrealracing.com/forums...hlight=lowcost

[RAY2245]

With the Lotus 7, or the copy, locost, the idea is the lighter the better. mine has a 185 HP motorcycle engine and weighs 965 lbs.

I MIG welded mine.

[H80N]

Pls post some pics....

[RAY2245]

I put 3 pics in but only 1 one "arrived"

[H80N]

from what I could see in the pic... looks like.. you have your engine mounted ahead of or in between the front suspension?? is that so??
Guess with something like a Hayabusa engine at about 220lbs ya can get away with that....