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.....

[Fred Smith]

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.

Chassis.jpg

[H80N]

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.