Although Locost stuff has been happening for a year (planning etc) I have only now been able to start collecting parts for my car.
I hopefully have the loan of a garage for a couple of years while I carry out my build.
So what has happened so far?
CLICK ON PICTURES TO SEE THE FULLSIZE IMAGE
Steering Rack
I got hold of a Mk2 Escort steering rack for £30. Not too bad I thought. Problem is one of the track rods (tie rods whatever you want to call them) is bent (see pics) which is a total arse because you canít get new ones anymore. Simple to solve though, I will just swap it for an exchange rack at my local motor factors (£40+£20 surcharge refundable when an old rack is taken in). More expense, but itís the only way forward. Also the bonus being the rack will be as new, fully reconditioned (what more can you ask for?).
I have also bought a pair of new track rod ends which broke the bank at £4.95 each!
So the total spent on steering so far is £79.90!
Front Wishbones
As mentioned I am building the GTS Pather De Dion car. This normally uses Sierra front uprights, but I donít like those much so I got a pair of Cortina uprights (see below). The Cortina uprights are much lighter, neater, more compact, and have better geometry than the Sierra items. Due to me being awkward I had to ask Darren (GTS Proprietor), nicely, to make me a set of Cortina wishbones (36mm shorter and a different offset to the sierra ones). He kindly said he would, and they have been ordered. The wishbones also incorporate a quick camber adjuster (more info on the GTS website) this makes setting up the suspension nice and quick and easy, without the need to dismantle the top ball joint from the upright. They are also made from oval section tube, which is stronger and looks better than the standard round tube used. (Pics should be along next month!)
Total cost for the front wishbones (including delivery) was £157.
Front Uprights
One of my mates knows a lot of the banger racers around our area and was able to get hold of a pair of MK3 Cortina uprights off a wrecked car (see pic below). I need to check that they are not bent (apparently the steering arms are susceptible to bending a bit) and then recon them. Pic below shows my uprights (bigger pic in photo gallery).
The uprights will be stripped and checked. Attacked with a wire brush (probably mounted in an electric drill if I am feeling lazy) and given a couple of coats of zinc primer, then gloss black enamel. The callipers will be checked, if they required reconditioning this will be carried out (depending on how bad they are I may just get some new callipers). The discs will be replaced with standard plain discs, and Kevlar brake pads will be fitted. New wheel bearings may be fitted depending on if it is required. I am going to remove the splash shields as they dont look very nice and arent really needed on an open wheeled car. (You may notice that the splash sheild on the right upright is bent anyway!)
Costs here are £40 for the uprights, new callipers are £38 each (if needed), discs are £20/pair, pads (Mintex M1144) are £30, wheel bearings £15 per side.
Bright6 Dashboard Warning Light Module
These modules are very light and small. They are also very bright and I was left seeing spots after Ďtestingí it. I think it will give a professional look to my dashboard and it has all of the correct symbols required for SVA (other than the hazard light and fog light). They have only 8 wires to connect which will keep the wiring tidy behind the dash. This was sourced from Europa Spares (good service, but I would recommend putting in a big order to cut down handling costs!)
Total cost here was £35 including postage.
Whats next?
There wonít be much else bought for a while now as I am officially skint! I also have to revise for my second year final exams at Uni, which really come before all this Locost stuff!
I would like to invest in a full set of adjustable shock absorbers soon (£220 from GTS) as I would like to get a rolling chassis as soon as possible. The aim is to get all of the smaller parts (pretty much all but the chassis) so I can just put it together when I get my chassis and I am not waiting around for parts. Other parts to get would be the trailing arms and panhard rod for the De Dion axle. I am using poly bushes on my suspension, this will give quite a harsh ride, but will offer much better handling than metalastic bushes.
