Hi there Great site All. Im thinking of starting a locost project and just wondering if theres anyone out there who makes the chasis. I am a qualified mechanic but welding isnt my strong skill, cutting to the chase im looking at trying the volvo t5 engine on a bmw box will the chasis take this and do i have to use ford parts ie diff, shafts, wishbones, uprights, hubs
No reason not to use all the mechanics off the donor really, they all match.
Hello, Technics and welcome to Locost!
You are in great company here, lots of help and useful info available.
You can purchase the chassis only (if that is all you want to start with from nearly all the kit car manufacturers - there are also individual
members who will be happy to make you a chassis probably much cheaper.
I know of one guy who put a T4 volvo in a seven roadster - but it wasn't the easiest conversion. Write a u2u email to him - his user id is....
matt_claydon.
I am not a mechanic - just an enthusiastic (or obsessed!) ameteur and I am not sure about the running gear question, but I'm sure someone else
will be along shortly who will help.
Good luck - and kit car mags + shows are also a starting point for a new project. The next show is at Newark 20/21st june weekend.
Regards, Steve.
The short answer is yes, there are plenty of possibilities for buying a chassis ready made.
But the chassis really needs to be built around your engine, gearbox and running gear choices. As you're planning something unusual it'd be
worth it a hundred times over to get yourself on a welding course to learn some fabrication skills, so that you can build your own chassis. Even if
you can buy the perfect chassis for your engine, there are so many brackets etc that need to be made as you go a long. I really can't imagine
tackling a project like that without a welder, TBH!
Hope that helps. And good luck!
Take it from someone (a non-mechanic, with not a lot of enthusiasm right now) whose build had EVERYHING go wrong at one point or another (even a wheel
got stuck on), and don't use those parts. Use the ones hundreds of other people have used: Zetec, Vauxhall etc. Please just believe me when I say
that your life is made 1000 X easier when it's been done a lot before. Reinvention of the wheel is best for those with A) unlimited funds B)
unlimited space C) unlimited time and D) lots and lots of knowledge. And patience.
If you don't mind a 5 year project, well go ahead then!
quote:
Originally posted by RK
Take it from someone (a non-mechanic, with not a lot of enthusiasm right now) whose build had EVERYHING go wrong at one point or another (even a wheel got stuck on), and don't use those parts. Use the ones hundreds of other people have used: Zetec, Vauxhall etc. Please just believe me when I say that your life is made 1000 X easier when it's been done a lot before. Reinvention of the wheel is best for those with A) unlimited funds B) unlimited space C) unlimited time and D) lots and lots of knowledge. And patience.
If you don't mind a 5 year project, well go ahead then!
quote:
Originally posted by RK
Take it from someone (a non-mechanic, with not a lot of enthusiasm right now) whose build had EVERYHING go wrong at one point or another (even a wheel got stuck on), and don't use those parts. Use the ones hundreds of other people have used: Zetec, Vauxhall etc. Please just believe me when I say that your life is made 1000 X easier when it's been done a lot before. Reinvention of the wheel is best for those with A) unlimited funds B) unlimited space C) unlimited time and D) lots and lots of knowledge. And patience.
If you don't mind a 5 year project, well go ahead then!
You only live once and it's better to fail at originality than succeed in imitation. Just dae it! m/ >.< m/
While you're at it, I'm sure you can use an old 40 gallon oil drum and get someone to the moon too. Everything is POSSIBLE.
well thanks for the positive answers guys, not mentioning names for negativity. Thinking about the roadster build i want to really go with the T5 engine but i dont want a fully complete chassis im looking for something thats near completion with out brackets etc i just want a square and tru chassis frame work in roadster format. This will be so i can get on my way in a sense and get a clearer path layed out, that way it wont be so difficult if i prepare and weigh things up before commiting
I note your comments about negativity, but I still think RK is right. He is in a good position to know just what it is you are thinking of
undertaking.
If you choose to go a more conventional route there will still be lots of room for individual solutions to the multitude of problems that arise. You
might still be able to squeeze the T5 engine into a book chassis, but I'm pretty sure you will need to redo the gearbox tunnel area.
As far as the other compnents are concerned, especially the front and rear suspension, then you really are better off sticking to Ford compnents
John
i am well aware problems will arise, im willing and confident enough i feel to be able to get around them but just looking for info on the matter before i go guns blazing and come up a cropper. can you tell me what the best literature i can find on different chassis. And do companys still cater for larger chassis ie body panels nose cones............Hell i put a 406 2.0 turbo engine into a 205 gti once that was no easy task
whatever running gear you choose , youll end up modifying things as they go along .
your major question is wether you want a live axle or IRS .
quote:
Originally posted by technics
can you tell me what the best literature i can find on different chassis.