can anyone suggest what i should do? i am in california so i dont have access to the parts most of you guys use. I am looking to get a rear end that fits the +4 chassis. What car should i get it from? Are the old (60's) ford and chevy rear ends suitable? Also where should i get a rack and pinion from? I didnt go the donor car route and am just getting parts here and there.
You might want to check out the North American resources:
www.locostusa.com (join the forum)
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Locost_North_America/
Many have used mechanicals out of the Toyota Corolla GTS (RWD), and the Miata seems to be the up-and-coming choice.
I am using the rear end out of a Merkur XR4Ti (Ford Sierra) in a De Dion format, along with Hyundai Stellar (Ford Cortina) uprights for the front
(just like the book).
Another one that has been described as a "perfect donor" is the mid-eighties Isuzu Impulse (RWD). I can't comment on that as we
didn't get those in Canada.
Good luck!
Shaun
thanx bro
No problem!
Another one to consider is the Chevy S10, as they are cheap to buy and plentiful.
There is a manufacturer in the US who makes a kit that uses this as a donor, and both the car and the company are excellent, by all accounts. Check
out:
http://www.angelfire.com/biz6/stalkerv6/
Please note that this is a larger and heavier car than the standard Locost, as it is build from more sturdy materials. Still, if you don't mind
a bigger car, the power that you can get out of these is just silly (check out the Super Stalker!), and the suspension is VERY well sorted.
Another popular donor option is first or second generation RX7, but be careful of these. The rotary can be an issue to muffle adequately, and I
believe that there is an issue with rear axle offset for the Gen 1 car.
Good luck!
Shaun
I'm in Canada - the Ford Pinto/Mustang II fits nicely, cheap & bulletproof, too.
I have just restored a 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo, the whole car looks suitable as a donor except for the steering rack
kaizokuace
I built my chassis +4" and will be modifying the rear end from Sierra to Jag IRS - it's very very close to the dims of the Sierra unit.
There's gonna be a weight penalty, but it's not something that worries me. May even change the fron to Jag IFS. Definately some advantage to
rather large discs (oops, sorry rotors
)
ATB
Simon
[Edited on 28/7/06 by Simon]
where can i get info about the jag irs? even though i will stick with a live axle setup since its just gonna be more simple and there is a lot of support in the states for this kind of rear end being muscle car land and all.
http://www.cwiinc.com/ seem to be quite popular, your side of the pond.
Bear in mind that they'll take about 450bhp, have an LSD and come in quite a wide variety of ratios!
ATB
Simon
Live axles, from Volvo 240 and 740, are often used here. At least they were sold in U.S