Hi Im just making plans for a scratch build, I have the vodou and mcsorley plans but might go the way of the complete subframe in the rear. My question is, can the front wishbones from the doner MX5 be used, for budgetary reasons :-) and what would I need to do to make that happen? In NZ I understand we have to have built wishbones design certified, TIGed and then crack tested. Here that is about 2k in NZD
cheers
john

The main issue I can see is the shock absorber mounting. The standard MX5 wishbones are designed to have the shock absorber coming up through the top wishbone, whereas a standard 7 has it mounted between the wishbones. Here's an image;




If you're happy with the extra height on the front then you can reuse them. Or if you can change the set up of the shock absorber then that's good as well, although I assume that would then need the full testing process applied.

[Edited on 6/3/13 by Slimy38]

thanks for the help, I picking that I might be able to do inboard coils like these.
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10701

plenty of room for a push rod replacing the current coil..... or am I still dreaming :-)


just did some more research and found dimensions of the mx5 wishbones and compared that to the vodou plans
MX5 are 44mm to short, is it possible to pack out the mounting brackets on the locost chassis by this much?

the wishbones will be ok, so wont have to re cert those.
need to learn some CAD or something
cheers
john

[Edited on 6/3/13 by johnl63]

Won't the pushrod mechanism need to be part of the certification? I think you'd also have to have quite a substantial top arm as the pushrod would still be quite close to vertical.

Here's one I made earlier, 2008 if I remember correctly, this was the Haynes chassis we displayed at the Exeter show, which was to be Triton's chassis, Mark sold it on, and it changed hands a couple of times before it got to the stage it is in the pictures.

I think I've still got the drawings for it somewhere, if not it would be easy to redo them if people wanted to go down this route.

yeah I thought if it was easy everyone would be doing it by now
might just be a standard build using the Voudo plans and find myself a friendly tig welder
cheers for reading and responding