Ste
Premium Member
Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
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I am about to embark on a new kit car. This one will be purely for track days.
It is a home made 'locost' chassis, R1 bike engine and should weigh in when finished at about 375kg.
It won't even be painted to keep the weight down. Just bare ally and carbon.
Should be fun!
Build starts in one month once I have made the chassis jigs and got the metal in.
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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Wrighty
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Registered: 28th Feb 04
Location: Howden
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Jakey
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Registered: 4th Jun 07
Location: Sandbach
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Can't wait for this
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Stu
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Registered: 3rd May 00
Location: Madchester UK Drives: 2014 BMW M135i
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Will be similar to our old MK Indy R1 I'm guessing! Was good fun building that and it was quick too! Bit heavier than yours at 435kgs though!
Got about 300 pics from every stage of the build if you need them Steve, including most of the dreaded wiring!
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Leighton
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Registered: 21st Feb 01
Location: Liverpool
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Is this just me and you or did Ian eventually fold and say that he will do it as well?
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Ste
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Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
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Stu, Pics would be great, especially to get an idea of engine mountings and positions etc. Can you zip all 300 and host them anywhere so I can dl them?
Mine won't have any lights, smaller lighter wheels 14 x 9 on the rear and 14 x 6 up front.
Loom shouldn't be too much hassle for me as I make aircraft looms for a living 
leighton, don't be jumping on the bandwagon now after saying you weren't in yesterday. If you want a chassis building then show me the £
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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Leighton
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Registered: 21st Feb 01
Location: Liverpool
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  gutted
I said we needed to start making new cars so the garrage dose not get so dirty 
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Stu
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Registered: 3rd May 00
Location: Madchester UK Drives: 2014 BMW M135i
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quote:
Originally posted by Ste W
Stu, Pics would be great, especially to get an idea of engine mountings and positions etc. Can you zip all 300 and host them anywhere so I can dl them?
Mine won't have any lights, smaller lighter wheels 14 x 9 on the rear and 14 x 6 up front.
Loom shouldn't be too much hassle for me as I make aircraft looms for a living
leighton, don't be jumping on the bandwagon now after saying you weren't in yesterday. If you want a chassis building then show me the £
No worries matey, shall sort it for you when I get in! Pics tell a thousand words and the engine is really easy to mount!
Stu
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xa0s
Banned
Registered: 4th Mar 08
Location: Dartford, Kent Car: Turbo'd Fabia vRS
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Nice one! Keep us updated.
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Ste
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Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
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I think I'll need to get the engine fairly early on in the build. Due to the fact that this isn't a 'kit car', it's a scratch built, so I'll be making everything myself.
Here is a CAD image of the chassis. Almost identical to the MK and again, heavily based on Colin Chapmans original design.
Does your car have a single or two part prop? It looks really nice your one, but how come I can only see two headers? Isn't the exhaust finished yet in that pic?
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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tom_simes
Show Staff
Organiser: South Wales
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Registered: 12th Jan 05
Location: Undy, Newport Drives: Skoda Octavia vRS estate
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Are you getting the roll bar bent professionally Ste? This is something I also want to do at some point
Are you designing it from scratch? Is it your chassis design, or a generic design but you are building the chassis too?
In that case, are you designing your own suspension layout and pickup points etc?
I assume looking at the chassis layout too, that it's going to front engined?
Sounds like a very quick caranyway, awesome
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DannyB
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Registered: 6th Feb 08
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Cool, make sure you get a project thread up on here then, will be interesting to see how it progresses.
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Ste
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Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
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quote:
Originally posted by tom_simes
Are you getting the roll bar bent professionally Ste? This is something I also want to do at some point
Are you designing it from scratch? Is it your chassis design, or a generic design but you are building the chassis too?
In that case, are you designing your own suspension layout and pickup points etc?
I assume looking at the chassis layout too, that it's going to front engined?
Sounds like a very quick caranyway, awesome
I will bend the roll bar myself, I have a tube bender that will take up to 75mm tube.
The chassis plans are HERE if you want them. I am using a rorty design Independent rear suspension setup as detailed HERE
As you can see, the plans show the positions of the suspension mounts. I have built 2 of these chassis in the past but using live axles on the rear and the suspension geometry was by far the hardest part to do. It is a case of measuring and jigging to within the mm. The engine will indeed fit in the front using the bikes engine mounted longitudinally and a modified sprocket on the gearbox that takes a propshaft instead of a chain.
One of the many advantages to the bike engines is the clutchless sequential gerbox
Have a search on youtube for 'bike engined kit car' and there are a few amazingly fast cars on track. I can't link any as i'm in work and youtube is blocked
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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tom_simes
Show Staff
Organiser: South Wales
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Registered: 12th Jan 05
Location: Undy, Newport Drives: Skoda Octavia vRS estate
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Looks interesting, with fabricated uprights too - what levels of adjustment do you have on suspension settings then? I assume toe is adjusted via a rosejointed rod-end, but is camber adjustable at all?
I helped build a Formula Student car at uni last year, using a single cylinder 450cc bike engine, but that was rear mounted and drove the rear axle via a chain, just like a kart. That had independent suspension both sides though, running Honda quadbike hubs in fabricated uprights.
As you say, suspension is definitely the most important, and needs to be millimetre perfect or the geometry will be all over the place on a car of this size!
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Ste
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Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
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On that chassis there is quite alot of adjustment to the suspension. Castor is usually fixed and is set by the mount positions but everything else can be tweeked as it will be fully rose jointed. You could potential adjust the castor by having a wider top mount and use a washer either side of the top bush thus giving you movement. Not usually neccesary though as the chassis design gives a spot on setting. I need to get my hands on a CNC milling machine and have some billet aluminium cut into front hubs. I don't really fancy cast hubs as the front also has to cope with the mudguards adding to unsprung weight. I'm hoping to use aluminium mudguard brackets and carbon mudguards.
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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Butler
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Registered: 2nd Jun 05
Location: London
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Any idea how much its going to cost you altogether if you dont mind me asking? I imagine the BHP per tonne is an impressive figure on something like that.
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Ste
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Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
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I expect about £6k as i want a decent spec engine. Been doing more research and 180bhp is gettable from some of the 1200 engines. so that would give 495bhp/ton or 0-60 in 3 seconds.
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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Leighton
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Registered: 21st Feb 01
Location: Liverpool
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Fook it Ste, we are making all the jigs so i might as well build one as well
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Stu
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Registered: 3rd May 00
Location: Madchester UK Drives: 2014 BMW M135i
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quote:
Originally posted by Ste W
Does your car have a single or two part prop? It looks really nice your one, but how come I can only see two headers? Isn't the exhaust finished yet in that pic?
Its a two part I think, it sort of auto extends so it can be used in a range of applications.
Weird, the pic makes it look like there are only two pipes coming out on the manifold.......there are 4 there!
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Stu
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Registered: 3rd May 00
Location: Madchester UK Drives: 2014 BMW M135i
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quote:
Originally posted by Ste W
I expect about £6k as i want a decent spec engine. Been doing more research and 180bhp is gettable from some of the 1200 engines. so that would give 495bhp/ton or 0-60 in 3 seconds.
£6k is what it "roughly" cost us as well. There are things that you forget to budget for as with any build but Im sure £6k will cover it!
One thing we never got round to doing is fitting the paddle shift! The stick shift is needed for the SVA test so thats how we built the car, just never put the paddle kit on!
You will need to uprate the clutch as well, standard bike clutches dont seem too happy in cars, down to the extra weight and grip I guess? We found this out the hard way.....the clutch kept slipping and gears wouldnt engage properly! Ended up bending a couple of forks and smashing a gear!
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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Ste, I know IL4's are the "engines" that most kit car bike engined users use (that or a hyabusa)...
But has anyone considered a Vee Twin? More torque at a lower rpm, but without as much peak power (but still enough to keep up with an IL4).
Plus you get a decent engine soundtrack then as well. Slimmer engine, better to balance the weight.
Or even a triple?
IL4 have been done quite often (obviously a reason), but it would be so good to hear a Vee Twin powered kit car and go just as well?
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Stu
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Registered: 3rd May 00
Location: Madchester UK Drives: 2014 BMW M135i
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quote:
Originally posted by VXR
Ste, I know IL4's are the "engines" that most kit car bike engined users use (that or a hyabusa)...
But has anyone considered a Vee Twin? More torque at a lower rpm, but without as much peak power (but still enough to keep up with an IL4).
Plus you get a decent engine soundtrack then as well. Slimmer engine, better to balance the weight.
Or even a triple?
IL4 have been done quite often (obviously a reason), but it would be so good to hear a Vee Twin powered kit car and go just as well?
Im sure there have been a few twins put in Indys yknow! Work pretty well as you say!!! There should be some info on their website!
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RichR
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Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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I have redesigned the drawings for the entire locost chassis as I'm sure you'll find the supplied ones don't give all of the information/dimension required or occassionally give misleading dimensions and you end up having to fiddle cut individual members to suit.
I'll try and dig them out and send a copy over.
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Leighton
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Registered: 21st Feb 01
Location: Liverpool
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quote:
Originally posted by Stu
quote:
Originally posted by Ste W
I expect about £6k as i want a decent spec engine. Been doing more research and 180bhp is gettable from some of the 1200 engines. so that would give 495bhp/ton or 0-60 in 3 seconds.
£6k is what it "roughly" cost us as well. There are things that you forget to budget for as with any build but Im sure £6k will cover it!
One thing we never got round to doing is fitting the paddle shift! The stick shift is needed for the SVA test so thats how we built the car, just never put the paddle kit on!
You will need to uprate the clutch as well, standard bike clutches dont seem too happy in cars, down to the extra weight and grip I guess? We found this out the hard way.....the clutch kept slipping and gears wouldnt engage properly! Ended up bending a couple of forks and smashing a gear!
Not planning on doing the SVA test as it will just be a track car by all accounts, so no lights or any of that crap as well
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Stu
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Registered: 3rd May 00
Location: Madchester UK Drives: 2014 BMW M135i
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Will be a doddle then! Thats the only ballache of them really!!
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