Serious musing- lotus 7: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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May 17, 2011 7:03 p.m. Rustspecs13 Reader

So gas prices will never go down. I'll always want to build a lotus 7 clone. Why not now?

I'm thinking all cheap 240sx s13 suspension parts, with what ever steering rack works best, and a VQ30DE from a 95-01 maxima. My moms 3500lb+ maxima gets 30ishmpg on road trips fully loaded with weight/people. Its 190hp/205tq 10:1 compression, cube of awesome. The 00-01 bumped it up to 225/220ish with a varible intake manifold. Oh and I can get them from upartit for $240 all day.

Add that to a KA24 5 speed (with a custom bellhousing) or a 350z 6 speed (bolts up) and you have a very fun 1500ish-lb car. Of course consumables would be super cheap which is of course is the point. Not like i need to go into details for you guys.

Rear suspension would be S13 based since I can get all of the links for something like free, and they are strong, yet decently light. With the stock diff I can go any where from 3.5:1 to 4.4:1. Maybe down to 3.3:1 if 350z ratios work, I believe they do.

My only problem is my current line up is a 88 300zx turbo 2 seater. A 90 240sx gutted race car thats now a 2 seater, and a lotus 7 clone would obviously be a 2 seater. No 4 seaters unless I get a 2+2 Z and swap my parts on it, which is a possibility.

So any kind of guess what kind of mpg I could achieve? Oh and I would be doing all the work my self.

Any input?

~Alex
May 17, 2011 7:05 p.m. Woody SuperDork

You're asking people here if they think that it's good idea for you to build a Seven? Seriously?
May 17, 2011 7:11 p.m. triumph5 Dork

Can you weld?

"My only problem is my current line up is a 88 300zx turbo 2 seater"--this is a problem?

If you built the race car--not just gut it--but built it, you've got a good leg up on building one. If you didn't build it, you have a lerning curve ahead of you. Not impossible, but, one that you will find "interesting".
May 17, 2011 7:14 p.m. Keith SuperDork

I can't comment on your particular list of components for the Locost, but generally speaking you should be in the high 30's for fuel economy on the highway and probably not far off that around town. They're aerodynamically terrible so they don't do as well as they should on the open road. But that's okay, because you'll have to pull over frequently to let some of the sensory overload dissipate.
May 17, 2011 7:27 p.m. JoeyM SuperDork

Woody wrote:

Rustspecs13 wrote:

So gas prices will never go down. I'll always want to build a lotus 7 clone. Why not now?

You're asking people here if they think that it's good idea for you to build a Seven? Seriously?

What Woody's trying to explain is that we'd tell you it was a great idea if you wanted to power it with a helicopter turbine and use it for your daily driver.
May 17, 2011 7:30 p.m. kreb Dork

If you want MPG, get an old Honda. If you want a four-wheeled superbike, build a Locost. Seriously, the experience is more akin to a bike than a modern car in many ways. Oh yeah, and forget being incognito. After a few weeks you'll be sick of being the motorhead version of the "most interesting man in the world".
May 17, 2011 8:10 p.m. Stealthtercel Reader

I would never try to dissuade anybody from building a Locost, but... I did read something once that stuck in my mind. That amiable guy who built the diesel Locost out west somewhere said, "I call it my 'all-weather car,' because whatever the weather is, I get all of it."

Keep alternative wheels handy.
May 17, 2011 8:16 p.m. alfadriver SuperDork

I've thought about cutting a Vette closed body for a Locost. Would do a lot better on aero. And just using the outer shell, that should be pretty light....
May 17, 2011 8:43 p.m. tuna55 SuperDork

alfadriver wrote:

I've thought about cutting a Vette closed body for a Locost. Would do a lot better on aero. And just using the outer shell, that should be pretty light....

Build a Locust under a Vette body? Is that what you mean? Hmm... What's the advantage over the Vette? Just weight? Why not just buy a Vette and gut it?

To OP: Really want to do something like this, bit it'll never happen... If you have the means and the time, go for it!
May 17, 2011 8:55 p.m. carguy123 SuperDork

You don't have the Lotus way of thinking, you have heavy car way of thinking.

You don't need nearly as much power and torque as you are anticipating.

Smaller (read that lighter) is the way to go in a Lotus. Not only will the engine be easier to build around, but it will handle better and get the better gas mileage you want.
May 18, 2011 6:47 a.m. alfadriver SuperDork

tuna55 wrote:

alfadriver wrote:

I've thought about cutting a Vette closed body for a Locost. Would do a lot better on aero. And just using the outer shell, that should be pretty light....

Build a Locust under a Vette body? Is that what you mean? Hmm... What's the advantage over the Vette? Just weight? Why not just buy a Vette and gut it?

To OP: Really want to do something like this, bit it'll never happen... If you have the means and the time, go for it!

Something like that. i would think the outer body shell of the Vette isn't all that heavy. And you would be forced to cut and fit some to the compact dimensions of a Locost.

Really- it was an easy/cheap glass body to find on e-bay. If there are other options- that's cool, too. If you can get a Sammio closed car, well.....