hi again. happy new year!
i will start my build in May (cant wait!!!) so for now im sourcing parts and by now im quite known in my local scrapyard!

one question roaming inside my head is about choosing the type of chassis i will build.

i will use a sierra as the donor and i wanted to know if the mcsorley plans accomodate the sierra's rear axle dimentions. should i build the +442?

one other thing: i cant quite get all the info i would like about building the locost based entirely on a sierra. i have searched here and seen a couple of good websites, but not quite satisfied. can anyone give me a linky to a good source of info?

oh, about the ford transit hubs and whatnot: what model or year of transit van are we looking at? i mean, they're still building them! after what, 20 years?

thanks!!

Hi
I may not be best person to comment as I've just started on a 442 chassis myself, but it would seem to be the perfect size for the extra width of the sierra axle

The plans are accurate (unlike my measuring skills ) but watch out for the front suspension mounting points (checkout omega 24 v6 pictures) which don't fit to the book measurments without modification, and be aware that the book nosecone does not appear to fit either (new discovery!).
There seem to be quite a few others who are either building, or have built to the McSorley plans though, so you should have plenty help available if required.

Cheers

Alex

It all depends on the type of rear suspension you plan to use. McSorleys plans are for live axle rear. have a look at Rorty's plans for both DeDion and IRS which fit to a book chassis (rather than the 442).

A standard chassis can be modified to take Sierra running gear but ends up with a wider track than with Escort bits the book suggests.

i was planning on just using a live axle, but the sierra has a de dion setup right?. so can i just widen the book chassis to accomodate the rear axle?. thats great!

you dont *have* to widen the chassis at all, you can buy wider rear arches

quote:

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Originally posted by robertst
i was planning on just using a live axle, but the sierra has a de dion setup right?. so can i just widen the book chassis to accomodate the rear axle?. thats great!

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If it's any help i'm basically doing the same thing. Except i started with the book chassis before i got on this site. I just made the book but as a +44, ie the same height but 4 longer and wider. Mainly because i'm 6'3" and have size 12 feet. If need be, you can make the de-dion tube wider and just go the big arch route, which is simpler if you've got stuff already cut/built. or just alter everything you've prob done already to suit the width. I'm going with a wider chassis and things sticking out in the wind approach

im 5'9" so i guess i'll fit OK in a standard chassis. maybe ill do the book chassis, widen it just a bit, and get bigger arches. thanks!

The book chassis really could be doing with and extra 1" or even McSorleys 2" in height, the foot wells are really tight, extra height makes getting a better pedal ratio easier.


[Edited on 21/1/06 by britishtrident]

I've gone for 2" extra height, mainly because of the engine size (2.0 DOHC, with otential change later) - don't know what it is going to look like yet though.