I am now on the third trial fit with the engine in what I now believe to be a Luego Locost chassis.

Just to refresh your memories for those not yet bored to death with my wittering....

The first told me to cut the long diagonal out, and weld two short diagonals in (as per velocity and viento chassis).

The second fit went better - It at least dropped in to the approximate place engines are supposed to go!

Then some bright spark who is - if you like - one of my 'mentors' (Steve Lovelock) u2u-d me and said - basically, don't count your chickens until you have trial fitted the engine WITH the gearbox.

I have spent the last two days doing this - and how right he was! this has shown how little room there is to play with!

I've got it to 1/2 inch gaps all round most places - gearlever hole-chassis member / oil pump-chassis member / inlet manifold-chassis member / steering knuckle-alternator mount.

Problem places are - height - it touches the inside of the bonnet line, and is also pushing the underside of the nose cone upwards. At the other end, the Luego's mounting plate for the gearbox is fouling the sloped part of the 'box.

Now, the entire engine can go further back in the car about an inch before the clutch arm starts to foul the front of the bulkhead upright. This wil help with the clearance from the GRP nose and in front of the oil pump. This will mean moving the short crossmember behind the gear lever port further back, it also means cutting away about 1+1/2 " of the gearbox mount plate.

Then, when I've done all that, and put the engine back in again, try and work out how to fabricate the mounts.

Phew! But something tells me this is THE key part in the build - get this right and most of the rest is easy peasy - get it wrong and ...... well ...... just don't get it wrong?

I'd be interested to hear of other guys experiences at this point in their builds? Also any comments on my "thinking-out -loud" blog, (above), are more than welcome!

Eleven photos uploaded to my photo archive for your comments. ( give me ten minutes! ) (mixture of all emoticons is appropriate!)

Mine has loaaaaaads of space

Not very constructive unfortunately... sorry I cant help with chassis questions!

p.s. on a side not, it does sit about a foot too high - so I'm going to have to heavily modify the bonnet- although I'd rather be gluing on a scoop than having to struggle with the chassis

Oh the happy memories of fitting my XE came flooding back!
lots of fabrication and trial fits!! - you will succeed!
heres a pic of mine


xe trial fit front



xe btm engine mount



xe trial fit o/s

rubber mounts were from Rally design

all the best in your quest!!
regards
Greg

Oh well, on the upside you know when it's done it'll be QUICK, I've just this evening been out in an XE powered Nova and if the speed of that thing was anything to go by it'll fly!!

Mmm strange one this. I thought the luego was a lardy fat and bigger chassis ( no offence to luego owners.
My XE fitted into my 442 with plenty room.
Maybe you don't have the chassis you thought???

quote:

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Originally posted by omega 24 v6
Mmm strange one this. I thought the luego was a lardy fat and bigger chassis ( no offence to luego owners.
My XE fitted into my 442 with plenty room.
Maybe you don't have the chassis you thought???

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Ok I stand corrected. ( Again LOL)

It will then be a tight fit but will be possible. i mean there are V8's in a book chassis.

Hi mate, on the subject of moving the gearbox back, why not fit a hydraulic clutch as per Mondeo/Saab/etc. Then you will not have to worryabout clutch arm clearance.

Slave cylider mounted

Master cyls all plumbed in

Hi Steve,

I have a vague memory of you saying that your bonnet does not have the air duct in that the Velocity does. If this is the case then it could be possible that you have a set of locost rather than Velocity panels. The main difference, if I remember correctly, is the height and the lack of an air duct on the bonnet. This might explain some of the challenges you have faced?

On another matter, that clutch looks pretty cool, are the expensive?

Nice Idea Clive (jolly green man) - I don't think I'm going to need to go down the road of hyd clutch activation - Its another £200 I can ill afford - Steve Lovelock likes it, too - does look good, and can solve the clearance problem in that area at a stroke, but I don't think I'm going to have move it far enough back to worry the arm. The gearbox bottom is tight, too.
Thanks for all replies so far - Yes, the bonnet has no scoop and that is just one of the tight bits - but GRP is relatively easy to work with.

Regards, Steve.