Took the Locost out for a short first drive last night

Certainly is a different experience! I think because you are sitting almost over the rear axle, the way it feels when you zip round a tightish corner is quite odd. All in all not a bad first run, lots of tweaks and adjustments needed, and too much air in the tyres I reckon. First meet with my local club tonight (well, first meet in the Locost anyhow)

I think it's going to take a loooong time for the grin to subside Never thought I'd ever be able to build a car from scratch and drive it so i guess anything is possible?

JB

that is great news, what a great sense of achievement,...!

congratulations

Excellent news.

Now..... You have already just realised these cars drive like no other, and are VERY different.

Please Please PLEASE take it easy for the first few months when you get it fully on the road.
Learn how it drives.
You probably (I dont know for sure) have been brought up on Front Wheel drive cars. These handle very differently to a RWD car.

These cars are fantastic to drive, once you understand them.
They grip and handle very very well. However, When they let go, they go BIG TIME.
It took me a whole summer to get used to my 2.4 Quick rack. I hated it at first (It looked like I was pissed and wandering all over the road!!), now I wouldnt swap it!
It just took some time to learn and understand it.
Its dead easy to make a mistake that can end up in tears or worse.

So learn you cars good and bad points, by taking it steady at first.
We have seen several people trash or damage their cars as they didnt take time to learn how they drove.

I for one dont want to hear you saying, "I have a summer rebuild project" only a couple of months after getting it all on the road.
Sorry if I am banging on about this, but its important, both for you and possibly other road users.

Take care... Do it right, and you will have immense fun with it.

Any vids of the car and run??

the grin will never wear off.

even if it sits in the garage for 6 months the first time you get back into it and open up the throttle the smile comes back and your heart races.

Thanks guys

@wilkingj - with regards rear-wheel drive, I have had several throughout my life, the most recent being an import MX5 so I am no stranger to them. I appreciate what you say about their 'features' and can assure you I will not be pushing the limits for a long while yet

It took me a damn long time to build this baby, and I do not want to trash for the sake of a little adrenalin rush!

I'll get some footage up once I get the camera fitted and go for a run, which judging by the weather forecast won't be too long

Amazing, well done mate.

I clocked up about 500 miles in the first month of getting mine on the road and that was in around august time too.

Im sure there will be plenty of decent sunny days to take it, just watch out when/if it does rain tho, they can be very twitchy on wet roads

have fun

Dont forget to check your nuts ! Have fun.
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Well, racked up another 40-odd miles this afternoon

Changed the wheel for a smaller one, dropped the pressures, and already that's made a big difference!

Had a check of me nuts as advised, only ones a little loose were the rear light cluster mounting bolts, so I fitted nylocks as opposed to nuts and spring washers.

I also have a noise coming from the diff. It sort of sounds like a grating/whining noise, difficult to describe really. I had a look underneath, and there was a tiny bit of side-to-side play in the diff input shaft, so I nipped up the flange nut by a few degrees and eliminated that, but the noise is still noticeable. Not too loud but it is there. Maybe I will have to get the diff looked at by someone in the know?

But the driving just keeps on getting better

Is the diff solid mounted to the chassis or on bushes? If it's solid mounted then you will hear noise from it that would normally be absorbed by the bushes in a tin-top but is just transmitted to and amplified by the body panels in yours.

Take it easy out there and get it on track where you can safely learn it's limits.

Congratulations

For the first year I would regularly spanner check everything. New nylocks shouldn't come undone, but I did find on mine that incorrectly sized bolts (fitted as part of the manufacturer supplied rolling chassis ) did mean that the rear end used to get sloppy over time (only 0.5mm in it). New bolts fixed this.

I'd also reccommend tuition - go to your local BARC track or other, and book some tuition. I would often find I'd get faster with tuition than with a new widget. You also have a safe zone to explore and lose it.

If you have an LSD then they do tend to whine a little - my quaife does that but is bomb proof nonetheless. Adithorp is also right - manufacturers go to great lengths to design their bushes to absorb vibration and sound whilst giving a good balance between location and handling, and then we in the kit car fraternity throw all that away for precision handling (as it should be). Removing all the compromises may mean you get more of the vibrations translated to your arse.

quote:

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Originally posted by adithorp
Is the diff solid mounted to the chassis or on bushes? If it's solid mounted then you will hear noise from it that would normally be absorbed by the bushes in a tin-top but is just transmitted to and amplified by the body panels in yours.

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