NEW PROJECT – 20vt Locost

Hi All,

I would just like to start my new thread on what I have been planning over the last year, and recently (4months) started building.

I have always wanted to build a Caterham / Westfield style kit car. And for many years I have owned and read the “build a sports car for £250” book. The two major biggest problems with this book in my opinion for the design of this car are that:

1) It uses an engine layout which is now harder to find and would require steering towards more expensive donor options (BMW for example).

2) I feel performance wise I can get more “power” for my money using a FWD car for the donor.

What I started doing last winter, when the nights were cold and dark, was to come up with the line drawings for a Mid engined 7 style car, a locost. From the drawings I have made a mock up in wood, this is 25mm square the same as the mild steel box section I will be using on the real car. The idea of the mock up was to test the sizes and make sure the engine fitted….

The opportunity came up at work to buy a 97’ coupe 20valve Turbo from a mate who was going to trade it in, the only problem with the car was the clutch was slightly slipping – but still drivable!

This I snapped up and since then have been breaking it and selling off some of the parts.

The next stage of the build is to get my garage done out, it currently is not boarded out and is very cold and some times damp.

I appreciate any comments, this has been a long time dream to build a kit car. I reluctantly recently sold my Celica GTfour ST205 in order to buy a Toyota Auris. This is a nice – fairly ordinary car for every day driving. The Locost is designed to be used for filling that gap and I am hoping that it will be a “lot” more fun that the GTfour.



Cheers, Rob

What engine are you opting for?

I hazard a guess being called a 20vt mid engined kit car and the fact he has bought a 20vt that its going be a 16v

Good luck with it, sounds a good project

Thanks JimO - i will post further updates.

I am using the 20valve turbo which came with my donor car....

I am hoping it will be fairly quick.

I am not rushing the build, my garage isn't used for any thing else so can take my time, which is nice.

This sounds very interesting

Make sure you post lots of pics, as it progresses.

How do you plan to mount the engine?

Hi Dave,

You have a nice looking Westfield there!

The plan is to fit the engine in the back of my Locost transverse, so I can use all of the running gear as it was in the Fiat. I probably will put the Brembo’s on the front and fit the rear callipers back on the engine assembly. Going to run ford up rights and hubs front and rear.

See photo below of the frame up against what is left of the coupe!




This one shows the suspension i started looking at, i was hoping for inboard shocks, not sure about it and need to do further develoment i think.

This is the car before and after it saw the 9” grinder for a couple of evenings……




The garage needs sorting next though, so with the money I made back on selling parts of the coupe I should be able to completely do that out.

Rob

i presume you know the website www.locostbuilders.co.uk?

They'll love this project

im confused (which doesnt take much i know)

why did you need to cut the donor car in half?

you say you want to use the engine and running gear as it was in the fiat, but surely you cannot 'graft' whats left of the coupe onto that frame?

you will have to dissassemble and make new brackets/mounts etc?

seems like a lot of work in the wrong direction?

forgive my ignorance.

Cool project man! Interesting to see how it turns out

Hi,

I am removing the engine from what is left of the coupe yes. I will not be grafting the coupe front end onto my frame no....

The reason for cutting it up is to help dispose of it. My garage is up a little hill and with out wheels it would not be possible to remove it from my garage with out trashing my path. And to be certain that no one else uses my chassis number once i have registered my locost.

I am using the running gear as it is in the fiat, ie, transversly mounted sitting in the back of the locost, it will be a mid engined configuration.

Thanks, i think it is a cool project too. will update as and when.

On the locost forum too, b14wrc - same user name.

Rob

Hi Rob,
What a cracking project.. I wish I had the balls to do this.. Not with my 20VT though.. That was a sad slight seeing it cut in two.. Mind you I done the same with a 850 Mini about 14 years ago..
Look forward to following your project

Watching with interest, Rob - let's see if you get the first 20vt kit or I do!

Latest work on my locost!

Any more progress on this?