This is based on one of the designs I did for the poll, held back in September/October - I think it was design B - there were a few requests to convert it to a 'middie'...
Thoughts?
This is based on one of the designs I did for the poll, held back in September/October - I think it was design B - there were a few requests to
convert it to a 'middie'...
Thoughts?
Pray tell me oh wise one what your thoughts are with regard to powerplant and gearbox if I dare ask
Shug
Whatever FWD/mid-engine arrangement you want... Such as Mr. Graber's MR2 set-up, or something along the lines of a Honda 2.0l VTEC....
Oh my dear god - very aggressive, very masculine, very 'I want one' 
marvellous - well done that man!
Ah VTEC now u got me sniffing, you can bleed my ears with yer cunning plan on the morrow, I might even be willing to help you with yer sexy curves if
u tell me your in the process of completing the chassis drawings, and can supply the buck dimensions prior to 2006 ( I know yer busy)
I suspect a delivery of material for the plug could be in order if u get yer finger oot. All interested parties please post bids to Turner Auto
design ASAP please.
Shug.
quote:
Originally posted by Hugh Paterson
Pray tell me oh wise one what your thoughts are with regard to powerplant and gearbox if I dare ask
Shug
That door line is so low that the front end and the rear end could compete in different track days on the same day
Not at all Pat I need the chassis to jig the buck for the "alternative panels" so the engine and gearbox I got lying around are going in it
anyway. Might move onto summit else then so to speak. Wait and see if anyone interested however. The Body is not too expensive to build though, could
quite easily remain in the realms of locost territory if anyone wants an alternative to the Sevensque chassis package Which is why I suspect Steve is
trying to Gauge reaction from the masses that lurk in ere.
Shug.
Smart, very, very smart.
Mr Turner, you have a very sharp pen. 
Starting to like the orange creamsicle are we?! LOL
Graber
LOL - yeah, I was also thinking of doing it like an Oreo!
expected prices ? 
Not 100% sure, but I don't think it would cost more than £6000 fully built to a very high spec'. Maybe £3000 if you did it ultra cheap...
Like most of these things, it depends on how much money, time, and determination you have!
I'm going to work out some prices on the chassis and body, then look at suitable donors to get a more realistic figure. A one-donor car would
obviously be the most cost effective route...
Suggestions would be welcome, but try to include cars that our friends on the other side of the pond (and indeed the world!) can get access to. This
would normally mean a Japanese or German car.
[Edited on 29/12/04 by tadltd]
[Edited on 29/12/04 by tadltd]
Steve
If you can keep the price down that low your onto a winner
A certain winner - £6K...
Okay I have just joined the site so my opinions probably don't really matter but if you could design it to be able to use the parts from say a
honda (I'm kindof thinking the b16a engine myself (which is the same size as the the b18 which also means you could cram with a shoehorn the
engine out of the type R)). It would give people a fair few options for donour cars including certain rovers.
ps when's it going to be ready for purchase ?
I like it.
forgot to mention a donour car mk2 crx which would include certain civics and the mk3 crx which also includes all the stuff about engines posted
above
[Edited on 29/12/04 by Mr_Flibble]
[Edited on 29/12/04 by Mr_Flibble]
Very nice design. If you are looking for a FWD donor why not the Golf? Good range of engines and widely available?
High powered GTI engines, with lots of tuning parts available, but without the weight of the VW body should compete with the Atom. Could even use the
VR6 or G60 versions?
As a donor I suggest the Mazda Miata. Everything is fairly lightweight already and there are tons of them around (cheap.) The only trick would be adapting the output shafts of the choosen FWD drivetrain to the rear Miata uprights. Not impossible but will require some sort of adaptor.
quote:
Originally posted by kb58
As a donor I suggest the Mazda Miata. Everything is fairly lightweight already and there are tons of them around (cheap.) The only trick would be adapting the output shafts of the choosen FWD drivetrain to the rear Miata uprights. Not impossible but will require some sort of adaptor.
I don't doubt that BMWs are cheap, but I suspect everything on them is going to be very, very, heavy. You must have common older cars that are much lighter...
No offense, but why on earth would you consider a front-engined RWD donor as a donor for a middie?? The world is full of FWD donors which are far more
suitable, complete with magnificent gearboxes, etc.etc.
If you take a BMW or MX-5 as a donor, you'll get yourself into troubles finding and fitting a gearbox.
I'd rather see a 1.8T Audi engine with a six-speed 'box. Or some Honda V-Tec engine.
Or am I missing something?
I meant for all other parts besides the drivetrain.
Have you seen Honda suspension uprights? How are you going to install two-foot tall uprights in a Super-7 type car? Honda steering racks are power
assist, is your midi going to have power steering?
If you want to use only existing, cheap, easily available mid-engine production car parts, that limits you to... what, a Toyota MR-2? You'll
still have the same problems above.
[Edited on 1/3/05 by kb58]
Ah, now I understand why you mentioned the MX-5. Point taken.
But still; is a fabricated upright too expensive to fit in the lowcost concept? At least the suspension-design could be tailored to the car's
needs, right?
I'm assuming since building the car is supposed to be "low cost" then we shouldn't assume everyone has a lathe. Sure they can pay
someone to make the uprights, but that moves away from the low cost nature of the project. I feel by using Miata uprights it provides a relatively
cheap, easily available part that fits the application.
There's still the issue of the rear upright having to fit a Honda wheelbearing and CV, which seems unlikely it'll "just work."
The trick would be to use the outboard Miata CV and the inboard Honda bits so the Miata upright could be used as-is.
Unfortunately I see the Miata isn't cheap everywhere so the problem becomes more interesting, trying to find a donor available worldwide.
[Edited on 1/3/05 by kb58]
A recent California law says if you build a car, you have a choice of smogging it per the year of the engine or as what the car appears to be.
An advantage to making this mid-engine midi look very Super-7 like is that I could pass it off as a mid-60s 7, yet use a recent Honda drivetrain.
This could be a viable alternative to the very nice but very expensive Arial Atom. Even if I could afford one, there's no way it could get
through emissions here.
Steve is plodding along with sketches and proposals for the new design, the aim is to keep it cheap and cost effective hence the trawl for suitable
engine/gearbox packages, that can be sourced internationally at reasonable expense. In this guise the BMW drivetrain is not a goer ( Although it is in
summit else) Im working on with Hippy. The upright at the at the arse end of the car is not a huge problem, we have the option of a mod to Steves
existing upright design, but a cheap Hi quality Steel fabricated one is not out of the question either. Especially
maintaining the Locost theme. Now if I can find a cheap V-Tec donor or somthing similar it would give us somthing to "play with" but all
other options would be considered so keep the ideas coming boys. Lets face it theres enough clever people on here that might want a hand in somthing a
bit more modern looking than a 50 year old design
Shug.
After seeing the Arial Atom reviewed on Top Gear... the one with the 300hp supercharged Honda engine, I'm very interested. I'd like to
maintain the 60's retro look, but to have it all modern where it counts.
After dealing with doors, weatherstriping, bulkheads, and such in the Mini, I'd like a simpler project for next time! That means no doors, no
roof, small windscreen. Simple is good.
FYI, my next build will source the engine/drivetrain separate from the hubs/uprights/steering/etc.
My I am hoping to try Geo Metro, Suzuki Swift parts...
Thanks for reminding me... I keep meaning to have a look at a Suzuki Swift as a possible steering and upright donor. I want to stick to Honda or Toyota for the drivetrain since they're so well supported, put out great power, and have a good aftermarket.
I was seriously considering using an imported JDM engine for a project.
In the States at least you can buy an entire front clip with low mileage for very reasonable prices.
What put me off was the registration process in Ca, having talked to a lot of people about it, nobody seemed sure that you could get away with it even
using SB100. The general consensus was probably but your at the mercy of the inspector.
I ruled out Motorcycle engines for the same reason.
quote:
Originally posted by kb58
Thanks for reminding me... I keep meaning to have a look at a Suzuki Swift as a possible steering and upright donor. I want to stick to Honda or Toyota for the drivetrain since they're so well supported, put out great power, and have a good aftermarket.
Here's one fellow's attempt, I don't know if this is "old news" here or not.
http://locost7.info/files/other/ox7.zip
Now imagine substituting a modern transverse FWD drivetrain in it. It would *greatly* shorten the rear section and could end up looking practically
like a normal Super-7.
Doing a Google search on mid-engine Super-7 turned up an interesting comment, that someone "heard" that Ron Champion and company is working
on just such a car. Anyone know about that?
[Edited on 1/4/05 by kb58]
For a universally cheap FWD donor for a midi-locost (milctost?), I suggest something Korean, likely to be cheap everywhere.
KT
quote:
Originally posted by kb58
After seeing the Arial Atom reviewed on Top Gear... the one with the 300hp supercharged Honda engine, I'm very interested. I'd like to maintain the 60's retro look, but to have it all modern where it counts.
After dealing with doors, weatherstriping, bulkheads, and such in the Mini, I'd like a simpler project for next time! That means no doors, no roof, small windscreen. Simple is good.
Thanks for the links; I've seen that car someplace before...
The trouble with it here in California is there's no way to get it on the street. It has to pass emissions by either the engine (motorcycle in
this "car" will fail) or as what it appears to be... which is nothing that was ever on the street.
I think a Super-7 type car is about as close as I can get, or a Mini, but I'm already working on one of those!
What you want Kurt is a mid-engined Super 7, yes?
How's this:
Gecko model with silver sides
I will finish it eventually, when my life stops hitting me with bigger problems 
D.
[Edited on 4/1/2005 by TheGecko]
A bit bigger, with seats would be nice. Just kidding. I forgot someone here is working on just this sort of thing. Yes, one like that! Has it progressed past the model stage?
BTW, another perk of using one of the newest Honda FWD setups is that they revised the cylinder head layout so the exhaust is now on the rear side of
the head. For a mid-engine Super-7 type car it means the exhaust system is simplier, shorter, lighter, and quieter for the driver
[Edited on 1/4/05 by kb58]
quote:
Originally posted by kb58
Thanks for the links; I've seen that car someplace before...
The trouble with it here in California is there's no way to get it on the street. It has to pass emissions by either the engine (motorcycle in this "car" will fail) or as what it appears to be... which is nothing that was ever on the street.
I think a Super-7 type car is about as close as I can get, or a Mini, but I'm already working on one of those!
You are correct, it can be treated as a 1960 car. Good! So on with the designs!
quote:
Originally posted by kb58
You are correct, it can be treated as a 1960 car. Good! So on with the designs!
bttt - since the middie body style discussion was re-ignited.
Most of the panels on this design were intentionally 'flat' so that it would be possible to manufacture the body from ally quite simply.
Nice, very nice. I particularily like the muscular look and that the body panels are mostly flat.
You'll have plans out next week then?
-Steve
quote:
Suggestions would be welcome, but try to include cars that our friends on the other side of the pond (and indeed the world!) can get access to. This would normally mean a Japanese or German car.