"SteyrTMP" (SteyrTMP)
11/14/2013 at 02:55 • Filed to: Jalopmeter
11
21|
"SteyrTMP" (SteyrTMP)
11/14/2013 at 02:55 • Filed to: Jalopmeter | 11
| 21 |
A quick shot before heading home from work... 1AM, 29 degrees, 30 minute drive, at 75mph.
Squid
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 03:19 |
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You are really fucking crazy. But I think I would totally do the same if I had your machine. Now that it is cool out the top is never up on my car. Granted I don't drive all that much anymore but it is sitting in the garage with the top down waiting. . . I can't wait for winter time blasts with the top down.
Chase
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 04:20 |
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My plans for my Sonett do similar things to the meter. Mixed origin is worth some huge points
TurboSloth
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 06:32 |
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I really want a seven. Are you willing to share your plans/schematics? :D
DConsorti
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 08:42 |
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deserve a round of applause!
rabidpenguin
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 09:53 |
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You sir, are a special class of awesome. Is that a focus engine in there?
In an unrelated note- my girlfriend thinks it is bonkers for me to buy a 7.
Who needs sway bars anyway
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 11:11 |
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Having driven my Jeep with no doors, in 30deg weather, all the props to ya. I completely understand the motivation to do so. If I have a seven I would totally drive it every day, regardless of temperature.
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SteyrTMP
> rabidpenguin
11/14/2013 at 12:22 |
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BUY one? How preposterous... Build one... she didn't say anything about that, did she?
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SteyrTMP
> TurboSloth
11/14/2013 at 12:28 |
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It's open-source. I'll help you make it if you live close enough, and I can machine/make parts if you need help if not close enough.
Here's a good start:
My nose and fenders are proprietary(not in that picture), and I haven't been able to finish them nor make the molds off the originals. I've had a few people state interest in buying copies, but until I can find someone that really knows their fiberglass, I'm very hesitant to pull molds off the original aluminum ones, lest I break them. One mistake, and it's over. I have a lot of hours invested in those.
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rabidpenguin
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 12:45 |
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No, but I don't think that argument helps my case. I don't think I would have the technical knowledge to get it running anyway. I am pretty sure I could put it together but after that, I would run into issues.
Seriously, it is really great to see you drive yours like a normal car.
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SteyrTMP
> rabidpenguin
11/14/2013 at 12:48 |
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You start, I'll make sure you follow through. The LocostUSA forum community is a pretty rabid group... we travel and ship things all over the place.
As for tech, I'll help.
Jack McCornack from http://www.kineticvehicles.com/ drove from Oregon to Conn. to pick up a donor Miata, and stopped at at least 10 different members' houses on the way, including mine, a few years ago. I haven't kept up as much as I used to the last few years with a new house, school, and the second child... but this summer I am going to see if they're going to have the annual meet down in KY.
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SteyrTMP
> rabidpenguin
11/14/2013 at 12:59 |
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And no, that's a turbocharged Miata engine.
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rabidpenguin
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 13:03 |
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The Locust USA forum is a great resource and I have been lurking through there for a while. When the time comes to do this(SOON) I will get more active on there. Even if I buy one assembled, I always feel the need to tinker.
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TurboSloth
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 14:57 |
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What was your budget like (materials, not including the amount of time you needed to put it together)?
A3R0
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 15:02 |
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You truly are a hero!
m2m, apex detective
> SteyrTMP
11/14/2013 at 15:34 |
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That looks very ... puristic. I'd never be allowed to drive that where I live. :/
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SteyrTMP
> TurboSloth
11/15/2013 at 02:47 |
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I would say I have between 5 and 7k in it. I splurged on a few things; a frugal builder can do it for under 5k. I've seen it done for 2500.
A lot depends on the donor car. If you already have one lying around (my buddy had a Eagle Talon lying around for his), you can chalk off 1-2k there. I had about 1200 in my donor car, and I didn't really sell off much. I still have a lot of Miata pieces lying around. I think I sold the passenger's air bag for 75 bucks or so, but that was it, I think. I'd definitely say save everything. You can save a decent chunk. Even more important, try to find a donor with a clean title. I didn't think ahead, and mine had no title. I was not able to sell the tub, whereas if you have a clean title and a straight frame, SCCA members will buy them for race builds.
There are a few things you can't cut corners around.
- Expect to spend around 150-300 on the shortened/custom driveshaft. That's just not something I'd be comfortable doing myself. When something's spinning at a few thousand RPM's right next to your elbow/side, I'd rather have it built and balanced professionally.
- Suspension is hard to cut corners on. Now that I have a lathe and mill, I can make control arms, and Jack has the plans for his type (what I have) on his website. You may save a few bucks there, but not a lot. I'm not suggesting to avoid buying them from him—He's a friend of mine, and I'd be more than happy to push business for him. However, I have a few other ideas I'd like to try, mostly doing with aerodynamics. Springs/coilovers might be able to be reused/modified, but expect to have to buy front coilovers. It costs about 400-500 to get decent coilovers for the front if you're using QA-1's.
- Depending on your location, a windshield can be required. Some places can get by with none, others allow it to be made out of whatever you want. Even others, such as Ohio, requires safety glass, which can be pricey. I was not able to find anyone that would cut a screen to my shape and size. I ended up buying Brookland screens, which I prefer anyway, and was able to weasel my way around it in the inspection.
Those are the main cost factors. Metal fluctuates, depending on your location, the economy (what economy?), and the time of year. I spent about 200 bucks in tubing and a few sheets. Aluminum sheets are more expensive, expect 150-ish a sheet, so measure several times, cut once, as they say. If you're buying pre-fab stuff, fiberglass is your friend, typically, but still, it's usually about 200 for a nosecone, 250ish for a set of back fenders, and front can be bought, or made out of trailer fenders.
Everything is up to you. I like to stress the fact that you don't have to have all the money at once. I didn't. You can start with 200 bucks, buy the tubing, and be busy for a while. If you're not familiar with welding and fabricating (I learned on my car), expect a month or two worth of weekends building the table, then the frame. If you live within driving distance of me, I'd say, if I could get the wife and kids to not interrupt, between you, me, and a few friends, we could probably have a frame done in one or two weekends.
One of the most time consuming areas is fitting the engine. I insisted on using the book frame, and tried to keep as close to the original 7 chassis as I could. The original 7 used a 40-ish hp motor, not a turbocharged 200hp (not yet verified) engine. Space becomes a commodity.
My train of thought has jumped the tracks. I'm exhausted, and can't really think of more. I could talk for hours on this subject, obviously... my build log says a lot of it for me.
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtop…
What I'm trying to get to is the fact that I could cut a lot of time if you were interested in building one. I've guinea-pigged a lot of stuff on my car—the front suspension was all one-off or first production. I now know what to change when building from the book or blueprints.
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SteyrTMP
> A3R0
11/15/2013 at 02:49 |
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:) Not quite, but I'll admit being more of a radical.
Today was a lot better, it was in the high 30's, low 40's. Much less wind; last night had a 21 degree wind chill factor.
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SteyrTMP
> m2m, apex detective
11/15/2013 at 02:50 |
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Where do you live? There's usually ways of working around it.
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m2m, apex detective
> SteyrTMP
11/15/2013 at 07:59 |
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Germany. Working a way around it would likely result in something like a base vehicle with a so-called Sonderaufbau (~special body).
How many Seven layouts are sold as street-legal cars, e.g. Caterhams?
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SteyrTMP
> m2m, apex detective
11/15/2013 at 12:01 |
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How many models, or how many makes...? Not sure if I'm catching the question.
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A3R0
> SteyrTMP
11/15/2013 at 14:58 |
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Cool! I would totally do the same thing if I had a license, se7en, lots of winter gear, and a thing to be coming home from. I love the cars and have worn a short sleeve and shorts out to the bus stop every day so far, I think the lowest it has gone is 30. So I'm not very affected by the cold.