Thousand oaks is about 4hr 30min for me... Hummmmm

The Gibbs version of the book is basically a newer version of the Champion book.

I ordered the Gibbs one today. Some of the reviews on amazon said it was not as good as the original.

The frame in the Gibbs book is a bit larger in length (2"), width (2") and height (1") to accomodate more modern engines and more modern larger people. The frame in Ron Champion's book is closer in size to the original S3 Lotus 7's dimensions.

yes. most built a "442" frame, which IIRC is 4 inches longer, 4 inches wider, and 2 inches taller.

Yes, the Gibbs frame is a compromise. Book frame isn't long or wide enough, so many went the 442 route. Only to find they wished they'd gone smaller. Makes it look a lot leaner the narrower you go, but you have to have the front frame width for modern intakes.

I hate you all. I now really want to build a locost 7. I just need a garage that I can fit a car inside and a welder.

I have both. Relocate to Rochester, and I'll provide the space.

They are sweet.

BUT. before you start.. realistically see how much time you can devote to it. Its probably 200-400 hours of work. there are 8760 hours a year, and 5840 of those are spent working and sleeping. There are kits that can give you a big head start. Some places even sell turn key cars for the price of a VW GTI, but you need cash up front. Its all about how much your time is worth to you, and how much you'd rather be driving vs. building.

And a turbo, of course. ;)

Yeah, devoting time to a project like this is the challenge. It's been almost 2.5 years since I bought a donor and the Locost is still more dreaming than reality!

Wouldn't be a Miata Locost build if you didn't turbo it. I'm 4 years into my build and I can attest to the time/money/effort it takes to bring one of these cars to fruition. But if you enjoy the fabrication side of building cars it doesn't get any better than this.

LocostUSA.com • View topic - JAF's +221-Haynes/Custom-Miata

Don't you get a lot of snow up there, and isn't it always cold? That does not sound like a good environment for having a 7.

I am not in any hurry of getting started. I have wanted to do a Westfield 7 ever since FM has started selling them. Unfortunately I am not that keen on spending 18k or whatever they are up to now for the kit. So I have been looking heavily into the MOV Exocet because it is around 6k for the kit. I have the spare miata ready and waiting to be taken apart for use in whatever I decide to build.

Truthfully the lack of fabrication skills is the biggest hold back for building my own. Maybe in the future that will change. For now I will spend time enjoying the books, and if in the spring things change and that car up in NY is still for sale I might go for it.

Yes, and the garage is unheated. You wanna build a man's car, you have to cowboy up and take a little discomfort.

Or you could just get a salamander type heater.

Question.

The 442 Frame from Sevenesque like the Champion frame is setup for a live axle. The Gibbs book outlines a frame for IRS.

Has anyone combined the two?

The easiest route is to integrate the entire Miata rear subframe.

Others have designed their own rear control arms and modified the "Book" frame as necessary to locate the pick-up brackets and differential mounting points.

There are also plans for modifying the Haynes chassis for Miata uprights. http://www.ntsengineering.co.uk/asse...Guide-rev3.pdf

I moved the thread to the Insert BS section since this has become more of a discussion.

I really want a 7 now.

You know what I really want? A 356 or 550 style roadster that doesn't rely on a 60s vintage VW swingaxle rear suspension and torsion-bar front suspension.

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Or aircooled VW powerplant...

I've wanted a Locost for years and have ridden in one on a large autocross course before. Do want.

To be honest, the ACVW engine doesn't bother me. It's extremely compact, extremely lightweight, and can, if properly built and cared for, be made to produce respectable amounts of power (admittedly, at the cost of respectable amounts of money.) Even though the T4 (aka Porsche 914) engine is the choice of serious hot-rodders today, the T1 (Beetle / Ghia) engines are still quite capable and well-supported in the aftermarket- you can even buy brand new all-aluminum cases and mega-port heads for them, along with pre-fabbed turbo headers, injector-ready throttle bodies, dry-sump systems etc.

All in all, it's a good engine for a car like that. If Subaru could shave 150 lbs and about 12" of width off of an EJ20, and eliminate the need for a radiator, then it would be an excellent choice as well. Of course, it would also be a VW engine at that point.

It's the suspension that kills those cars. I remember once reading a review of either the Beck or Thunder Ranch 550, and one thing the said in particular stuck with me (emphasis is mine):That kind of sucks, especially for something so beautiful and with such an awesome power:weight ratio.

It bothers me. And that thing is heavy, no way an ej20, full of water, and a radiator is heavier than that.