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Kev's Locost Turbo Build


Guest kevyo89

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Guest kevyo89

Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum and new to the kit car scene but please let me introduce myself - my name is Kevin and I am from Belfast 

Our Car: 

This was a bit of an impulse buy from eBay - I won it for a cheeky bid of £250. The seller told me it was straight and I had to take his word for it until the courier delivered it to me. I checked it over when it arrived it was straight! It was built as per the Ron Champion book 'Build your own sports car for as little as £250' and therefore, a live axle setup. There was a MK2 Escort steering rack fitted and the steering column had been done. However, I will be redoing the steering column to comply with IVA requirements etc. The seller threw in some shocks, a nose cone, scuttle, front wishbones, some master cylinders, a steering wheel and a copy of the original Ron Champion book! 

I also picked up a copy of Chris Gibb's and used this to deviate from Ron Champions front wishbone setup - I used the plans from the wishbone plans from the Haynes book to give my car a couple of inches of extra front track.

My plans and what I've got the for car to date:

- 2004 1.8 MX5 Engine, gearbox and loom
- Capri Atlas axle (I wanted the extra beef for as much power as I can throw at it)
- GAZ shocks  
- Cortina Uprights 
- Wilwood brakes 
- Turbo kit + management (once it's running and driving perfectly etc) 
- Full roll cage 
- Quaife LSD 

 

So this is how it looked when it arrived:

jImK0Vp.jpg

Gaz shocks:

xXgYxrT.jpg

Cortina uprights

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The engine, gearbox, loom etc:

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Threw the box in to see how it would look/fit - seems ok so far:

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Checking everything was straight/level with the aid of some lasers:

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Nosecone on for a look:

7IMEElg.jpg

Cutting the brackets off as they definitely were not perfect. It also justified redoing the whole front end to suit the Haynes roadster suspension setup:

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Finalising the drawings to reflect the Haynes roadster setup but with proper caster to improve upon Ron's original design:

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Ordered some carbon seats:

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Some inspiration courtesy of 'Locost_Turbo' on Instagram - his car inspired my build with the wider-track front and rear (Atlas axle etc):

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Next, we started on the rear hoop:

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Some bits arrived in the post:

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Making the front wishbones:

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More work done on the rear hoop:

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Checking out the front suspension setup:

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Offered up the engine to see what kind of room we would have for the turbo etc - LOADS of room :D

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Ordering more bits and bobs:

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Atlas axle setup arrived:

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All brackets removed from the Atlas:

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Had to cut out the FU1+ FU2 bars to properly position the wishbone brackets with the aid of a jig:

kOorIxg.jpg

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Compbrake hydraulic pedal box, master cylinders, brake lines etc arrived:

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Threw some bodywork on to keep us motivated - it actually began to look like a car lol

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Axle brackets fabricated and tack welded to the axle:

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Axle complete and fitted to the chassis - it's wide! lol

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As per the advice of Procomp, I spent quite some time trying to ensure correct angles at ride-height and droop to ensure the best handling possible:

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I now need to reposition the rear shock mounts down by 2 inches to make room for the larger rear shock:

KNudXmc.jpg

 

That pretty much brings us to where we are today. I will update as and when I do more work on the car. I would like to have this car rolling by tomorrow and the engine fitted by next week. The aim is to have it driving by end of Feb/mid March and then strip, off for powdercoat before final assembly for being road legal, IVA'd etc by June. It's optimistic but I am incredibly impatient, which I think will work in my favour here. lol

 

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This looks like it's going to be an interesting build thread, I cant wait to see some more.

I see you're using a bias pedal box - I take it you're aware these aren't IVA compliant unless the adjustable bar has been welded up to prevent it being adjusted?

Are you using a Panhard rod or Watts linkage to locate the rear axle?

Edited by richyb66
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Guest kevyo89
34 minutes ago, Andi said:

Hi Kev and welcome to the forum.

Seems like your proper getting your teeth into it. Should be a little cracker when its done.

 

Andi

Thanks Andi! A little cracker - I really hope so!

 

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Guest kevyo89
27 minutes ago, richyb66 said:

This looks like it's going to be an interesting build thread, I cant wait to see some more.

I see you're using a bias pedal box - I take it you're aware these aren't IVA compliant unless the adjustable bar has been welded up to prevent it being adjusted?

Are you using a Panhard rod or Watts linkage to locate the rear axle?

Yeah man, I am aware of the IVA requirements around this. Not sure how I will work this but I am sure I can make something work prior to the IVA. In reality, I will have it fully adjustable with bias within the cabin once IVA'd.

I am using a fully rose-jointed panhard rod but going to hold off until it's on the ground and with most of its weight so that I can ensure the rod is as level as possible when at ride height.

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Guest kevyo89
3 minutes ago, Alvin said:

Hi Kev,

interesting build, keep us posted on it.

I love the picture with the caption ‘nose cone on for the look’ 😂

 

Alan.

 

7IMEElg.jpg

Hi Alvin, thanks lol. Once the bodywork goes on, it's a car so I was busting to get the cone on! lol

 

Will update with more pics of our progress for today, later tonight

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Guest kevyo89
So I got a good run at the car today and started out with the aim of having it rolling.... 
 
Repositioning the upper shock mounts to allow for a shock angle of 30 degrees from vertical meant squaring up the top rails. 
 
t2Etzx6.jpg
 
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Another jig for the top wishbone mounts kept everything square and a mirror image on each side. 
 
6f7MysU.jpg
 
One side finished:
 
hE4LAsl.jpg
 
Many hours later and after repositioning the rear shock mounts to accommodate the longer rear shocks (please ignore the extremely positive camber for now - there's plenty of adjustment there to rectify later):
 
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At this point, the bodywork had to go on lol:
 
OEf85OC.jpg
 
kawu7In.jpg
 
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Waheeeyy, its rolling! 
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Guest kevyo89
12 minutes ago, MarkBzero said:

Looking good so far, are you going to paint or powder coat the chassis?

 

Thanks mate. I will be stripping once the engine goes in and the full roll cage is complete in order to powder coat. 

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Guest kevyo89

So my Nardo grey wrap arrived - hopefully this turns out great!

calmDdK.jpg

 

The bonnet that I purchased was a flimsy piece of crap compared to my scuttle panel and nose cone. I therefore thought I'd try strengthening it before buying a better one. I secured it to the nose cone and scuttle, turned it upside down and layered 1kg of fibreglass resin and matting then left it overnight. It's definitely stronger but will give it another layer to make sure it's properly tough before preparing, primwrint and finally, wrapping. 

 

gIX4efk.jpg

 

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I like your garage - looks suspiciously kitchen-like 😀 - I'm assuming you have to do this while your wife is out? 😉

Nice work so far....fibreglass work is something I've never personally tried (apart from a small repair once) so interesting to see.

Edited by nelmo
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Guest kevyo89
4 hours ago, nelmo said:

I like your garage - looks suspiciously kitchen-like 😀 - I'm assuming you have to do this while your wife is out? 😉

Nice work so far....fibreglass work is something I've never personally tried (apart from a small repair once) so interesting to see.

Hahahaha! Funny enough, this is actually my parent's house - they're in their mid to late 60s and I have drafted them both in to help with the fibreglass process! I don't have a garage at my own house, so all the work and mess is confined to their place! 😂😂

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Guest kevyo89

I test fitted the bonnet after a bit of fiddling with it and couldn't help but throw it all on and roll it out into the sun. 

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Don't mind the rear arches or the wheels! The arches are from a GBS Zero so very wide but with proper offset wheels, they'll be nicely filled

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