Many questions...

[Josh]

Hi Guys

Its been a while since I posted here, I'm now in my second year of Uni and have had to put the project to the side for a while. I'm picking it back up now for a couple of months before I start my year-out placement in industry and I have quite a few questions... sorry!

Firstly, I'm having some issues with my front uprights and the suspension brackets. I've checked and re-checked my jigs and they are correct by my book (494mm center-center lower and 670mm upper?). When I offer it all up there is a gap of about 4-5mm between the upright and bracket on both sides; on the front and rear uprights.
With the U1 & U2 uprights I imagine I could just grind them out and shift them out a bit till they meet the brackets? However the front frame was built by-the-book on the wooden jig so I'm confused why there's a gap... Has anyone else come across this problem? Could I add a 'bulking plate' to make up the gap rather than move the FF2 & FF3 uprights out?

I'm thinking that I'll go with a Zetec engine, has anyone already taken this path? If so did you use the alternative mounting plate as shown in the book and what did you build the engine mounts from?

Headlights - what are people going for, where’s the best place to buy from and what fixing hole size shall I drill (ie is there an industry standard or shall I wait till I have my 'lights?)

Can I buy a fabricated roll-bar unit? I can't find any local companies willing to help me bend up the tube and I don't have the facilities to do it myself, thinking it may just be easier to buy it as a whole.

I'm pretty short (about 5'7") and it feels like I'm having to move way forward in the car to reach where the pedal box will be, maybe to close for the steering wheel. I'll be putting the seat on runners but has anyone made the pedal box adjustable, or mounted it further back in the car? I'm using a MT75 'box so I've made the adjustments to the TT meaning a smaller footwell - does this mean the pedal box will have to move backwards anyway?

Steering rack and mounts - best place to buy them? what ratio seems to be best?

Are there any pedal rubbers that work well with the book-built pedals?

What brake master cylinder are people using, and what size hole needs drilling in the pedal plate?

Finally, my local shop doesn’t stock bolts with un-threaded shanks for my wishbones, where have you brought yours from?!

That’s it (for now!) - quite a lot in one go I know but any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers
Josh

[Tatey]

I haven't reached the stage of putting the suspension brackets on, however from what I read, you need to add some packing behind some of the brackets to bring them out further. Someone will be able to confirm this shortly.

Quite a few people are going via the zetec route, i know that Spud69 changed from a 1.8 CVH to a brand new 2.0l zetec, so he should be able to advice you on that.

Personally I would wait until you have your lights as you might find a perfect pair , to then find the hole you have drilled is too big. You can purchase 7" headlights from ebay for about £46 delivered i think, Handy Andy has some on his car at the moment and they do look good.

In regards to the roll bar, AshG tends to do bulk buys for people looking to get a prebent roll bar, you then just need to add the plates onto the end of it, the rear stay bars and the seatbelt mounting. Due to my height (6'6") the standard roll bar is too short for me, however I only found this out after buying one and putting it on my car, so if you'd be interested in buying it then feel free to send me a PM.

I'm not sure how tall HandyAndy is, be he is pretty short , however I think he fits fine in his car, although im sure he'll be along shortly to advise you.

Steering rack and mounts can be bought from saturn sports cars (link), the company is ran by Spud69 and HandyAndy, and if you ask anyone on here, they will happily recommend them. You can also buy them used on the Locost Builders forum, as they pop up from time to time.

Im unsure about the pedal bushes, but I think 3GE components can sell them if you email them.

I think people are just using the standard Sierra master cylinder, im unsure of the hole size though.

[HandyAndy]

Hi Josh,

Firstly, its nice to hear that your build is still making progress, keep at it

As for being a "shorty" ( everyones a shorty stood next to Tatey ),
I,m 5ft 8 in tall & the standard roll bar as supplied by Ash G seems the perfect height for me, & i,m having my seats set a little higher than other builders, basically I like to be able to see the top of the front cycle wings from the drivers seat, and I,ll be wearing a helmet when driving & the roll bar still has enough height to offer me protection.

As for headlights, ( as Tatey has said ) I got mine from Kitpartsdirect for £35 plus £7 delivery, they are at the cheaper end of the scale but will pass IVA & do look good on the car, the only downside is the side lights in them are not wired in , so a little work wiring them in is required.
Have a look at the photos on my "Big Day " thread in the Chassis section, the photos in the most recent postings show the headlights & the roll bar fitted.

I,ve used the sierra master cylinder, tho some are 22mm dia & some are 40mm dia for the hole required in the pedal box plate so its best to wait till you have the M/C before drilling the hole.

As for pedal rubbers, most folk seem to glue "Grip Tape" available from "Car builder Solutions", .

hope this info helps .

cheers
andy

[Josh]

Thanks for the replies its helped get it all moving again! Spent the day welding as much of the chassis as possible, leaving the bits that may have to be modified further down the line... Would have done more but the gas ran out !

I'll be out first thing tomorrow to get my hands on some threaded rod and spacers so should have the wishbones attached to to car by the end of tomorrow - I'll experiment with adding plates behind the brackets/moving the uprights out a tad, I'll let you know how it goes...

I'll be at the Stoneleigh show on the monday so I'll have a nose around there for some of the bits before going online (eg headlights), may just save myself a bob or two.

Next on the shopping list is the Maxi ball joints, Transit drag links, Steering rack and mounts. Andy I noticed you sell these on the SSC website, would it be possible to buy them and pick them up at the Stoneleigh show to save on the postage?

Cheers
Josh

[HandyAndy]

Originally Posted by Josh

Next on the shopping list is the Maxi ball joints, Transit drag links, Steering rack and mounts. Andy I noticed you sell these on the SSC website, would it be possible to buy them and pick them up at the Stoneleigh show to save on the postage?

Cheers
Josh

Hi Josh,

No problem at all, contact Spud( the tall Andy ) via the Saturn website to confirm your order, and we,ll bring your parts to Stoneleigh,

Any other questions that we can help with just shout.

cheers
andy

[martin62]

Originally Posted by HandyAndy

Hi Josh,

No problem at all, contact Spud( the tall Andy ) via the Saturn website to confirm your order, and we,ll bring your parts to Stoneleigh,

Any other questions that we can help with just shout.

cheers
andy

Hi Andy just tacked up front frame today and the suspension brackets still seem to have a 3mm gap alround and the book measurment seem to be spot on.I was thinking of making my jigs 6mm shorter instead of packing the 6 brackets out 3mm would this make much difference Thanks Aidan

[Josh]

Well they're on at last, there was a gap of 5mm between all the front brackets and chassis tubes (bar the lower rear of corse) dispite my chassis and jigs seemingly being correct! Oh well, spacer plates in place and the welds are nice and strong so it shouldn't be an issue.

I now have many more questions...!!!!

Where can I source the bolts to hold the wishbones on? Am I right in thinking I'll need a 50mm unthreaded shank... they seem to be very hard to track down.

What have people used to bolt the lower rear upright joint to the lower rear wishbone? I can't use studding or make my own rods as the 12mm round bar I have access to is soft as s**t !

I've managed to get my hands on a Granada steering colomn, will this work in place of the siera one? Also when extending the steering colomn what thickness tube should I use - the book says 'thick' but how thick?!!

Whats the best way to ream my front uprights in order to take the maxi ball joint, and am I best waiting until I have the joint before doing this?

Roll bar - Where can I source seemless tube from, also seems to be pretty rare to the public.

Has anyone used ali for the chassis floor? If so how did you fix it to the chassis and what thickness did you use? Did you use treadplate of just plain sheet?

Shocks - what dimensions should I be looking for? What shocks are people using? I'm leaning towards getting a set from dampertech, they seem to have the upper hand on protech? Does 13" open, 9" closed, 14" center to center sound right?

Finally !!! Have any shorter members of the human race had problems reaching the pedal box?! shall I fix it 'by the book' right up against the plate cp16 or experiment with positioning it once I've got my seat and steering wheel positions sorted?

Thanks for all the help guys, its really coming on now!!

Josh

[twinturbo]

I am using 2mm ally tread for the floor rivited and sealed.

search reamer and get the "village bike" sent on so you can do your hubs.

there was a guy on ebay selling bolt sets...

TT

[geeman]

For the holes for the balls joints use the 19mm tapered reamer from axminister tools.

Floor ,I and others used 2mm 5251 aluminuim, much stronger grade. I got it from Parkers steel as it was the cheapest at the time. for fixing it use a sealant, and then pop rivet it. Its a pain to drill so many holes though.

For the roll bar most people on here havnt used seamless tubing, partly due to cost an the fact Ashg had previously done group buys for roll bars. Not sure if he'll be doing another

For the steering column extensions I used 2.5 mm tubbing, don't remember inner dia. Not sure what others have done..

[gingea1pom]

I have finished with my reamer now and will bring it to Stoneleigh free to someone who buys me a burger.

Cheers Ginge