Hi,

Just joined the site, I've been lloking at building a Locost for a long time now and have finally decided it is a goer!

I am going to base it around the sierra as escorts are becoming as rare as rocking horse doo doo! I have a million questions, and altjough I have searched plenty of places on the 'net, I cannot find too much info on the pro's and con's of IRS modifications required to the book chassis.

Really I am after any feedback/recommendations regarding my choice of donor and whether or not I should go IRS or what.

Any help gratefully received.

JB

Hi mate welcome to the loony bin.
I think sierra with IRS is the way to go,in fact I wish now I'd gone that route.
Lets face it really its the only way now what with the lack of escorts.
Download the plans on jim mcsorleys site that'll definately put you in the right direction and just use the book for bog/bedside reading.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Bob

hi and welcome
most of the questions you want answers to have already been asked, doing a search will give you most answers, any more specific questions you have, just post 'em up
and enjoy

Hi

I've almost finished the IRS on my book chassis, search for a thread 'IRS mods to book chassis PDF' in the chassis section to get an idea of one approach.

Mick

[Edited on 1/7/05 by Mix]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Don't discount a live axle car because MK2 escorts are hard to find. The only real "must have" items from the MK2 are the axle and steering rack, both of these will pop up on ebay from time to time if you keep a watch. I'm sure others on the forum can suggest many alternatives to these anyway.
A live axle car will give you a much easier (and cheaper) build than the IRS option, and give you a car which many seem to think handles just as well. Anyway mines live axle, so I'm biased.....

Live axle is easier to make as u have no extra brackets etc to make.

Sierra bits are much easier to find and the brackets all available from GTS etc.
De dion is another option to look at. Runs similar to live axle.

Blimey! Thanks guys, didn't expect such a quick response. I did read that you can use the cortina or capri axle too is that true?

JB

de Dion setup from GTS is the way to go with Sierra bits easier than irs very little modification from live axle chassis.

there are loads of sierras driving around birmingham so if you want one, they can still be had. If there are none near you then they are likely to be in scrap yards and so you can get one cheap. Failing that, there are several companies who sell the important bits stripped from the car and cleaned (reconditioned for a bit more cash). There is no shortage of sierra bits for locosts.

Capri axle IIRC is 2 inches wider than the Escort, easily acommodated using slightly wider rear wings, or FWD offset wheels on rear. I think the Cortina is 4 inches wider, probably a bit too wide for a book car IMHO, but wings are available to suit if you want to use one.

Welcome to the board
If you really want to go live axle, you should have no problems getting an escort axle from ebay and use a sierra for the main donor. Steering racks can be modified. or you could sell the sierra rack and diff on ebay and use the money to buy escort bits. as stated above de-dion is another option. i have heard that IRS can have a lot of problems

Thanks for the input guys. Think I'll try and go down the Sierra donor/Escort axle route. No major rush to get it all 'cos I've got to brush up on my welding skills first anyhow.

JB

Welcome to the nut house. A lot of guys log on to this forum in the morning so its not that unusual to get a prompt reply !
Afterall, were mostly in the garage building the cars in the evenings.

Managed to get an escort RS rear axle, diff and half shafts off eBay. No brakes with it though. Will any Mk1/Mk2 drums fit?

JB

Yup, but try to get the Ghia / sport drums, they're bigger.

Marcus

ps disc conversions are also popular on this axle