Lotus 7/Locost Aero Rebody

[The Toecutter]

If you end up with a CdA ~2.5 ft^2, that 50 hp will have no problem getting you to 130 mph with the proper gearing.

[kreb]

Hi Jack. I think that the Lotus Eleven body is a great idea for your car. It might not be the most slipery possible (50 YO technology and all) but it'll be worlds better than the seven, and a delight to look at. Did you build the buck with your 3d milling machine, or pull a mold off an existing piece?

btw - do you still have that rambunctious BEC?

[dmac257]

Originally Posted by botsapper

Another source for inspiration & study. Maybe a little bit more that what you have in mind (budget) but maybe you could source out their cool compound curve wind screen.

Welcome to Hypercars.co.nz

Wow the clearance on the wheels is TIGHT. Not for real world driving huh?

Don

[kreb]

That's a very pretty car IMO. (The Hypercar) I don't think that the windscreen is a compound curve, however. It looks to me like the screen is cut out of a conical section.

[Grant-53]

The overheating with the new body may be due to turbulence inside the nose. The inlet is now lower, wider, and farther away from the radiator now than the Lotus 7. I suggest tipping the radiator forward, ducting with aluminum and foam sandwich material, and venting at an angle through two hood louvers ala the XKE Jaguar. See the book on areo design for racecars by Dr. Joseph Katz. The foam will stiffen the aluminum and help absorb crash energy before damage to the tube frame occurs. Are you going to fit a roll bar at some point?

[JackMcCornack]

I'm currently working on blending the rear fenders to the door line, and better get it done soon since I'm driving it to Pennsylvania next weekend. I found the overheating problem (I believe); the hose from water pump to radiator had just the right bend in it so it was fine when cold, but softened sufficiently when warm to kink flat in the middle. Sheesh!

MAX will be a roadster this trip, it may get couped over the winter but I might also just start fresh.



dmack257, your comment re Hypercar's wheel clearance is right on. MAX's front fenders had to be high to deal with street suspension travel and steering lock, higher than the rears in fact, which makes the body look a bit goofy but such is life. And by "high" I'm only talking 29" from the asphalt, it's definitely a small car--it looks really small parked next to a Miata, and really really small when covered with a tarp. Seriously, with a tarp on top to take away the visual cues, it doesn't look like there could be a car under there.

A roll bar at some point? For the roadster, I'm thinking two roll bars a la Cobra, but with the one on the passenger's side foldable for drag reduction.

[COcyclist]

Originally Posted by JackMcCornack

MAX's front fenders had to be high to deal with street suspension travel and steering lock, higher than the rears in fact, which makes the body look a bit goofy but such is life.

Goofy?? Not to my eye. Add some Insight style radius to the trailing edge of the front fenders and she's stylin'. I like it!

Oh, and Salt Flats racing disks.

[JackMcCornack]

This is pretty embarrassing. I bought an automotive GPS two days before I left for Pennsylvania, and wow was it fantastic! I wasn't in much of a hurry, so I set it for "shortest route" instead of "quickest route" and it took me on some fun and lovely side trips.

And then, at 2:30AM, I couldn't sleep (too cold) so I left Lakeview, Oregon, following my GPS, and it led me up a dirt road, up a mountain.

You probably know where this story is going.

Coming down the other side, the dirt road got significantly worse, eventually turning into a National Forest Road, or "fire trail" as the forest service folks call them--but the GPS said this was the shortest way to Pennsylvania, so I stuck with it. Here's a picture of me high centered, around 4AM.

A deputy sheriff fished me out of there with a winch, a little after dawn. The dispatcher said (between guffaws) that I wasn't the first person to follow his GPS in there, but he did credit me with getting deeper into the forest than anybody else this year. All the officers involved were amazed that I got there in a sports car, much less a 2-1/2 foot tall sports car.

But before that, I was cruising at better than 80 mpg.

[Varn]

I did something similar in my econoline. I was on a clay road in the rain. I got to a high point some how and had to stop to get out and catch my breath. I am not the driver that I used to be. Lesson: Do not trust GPS to get you where you are going. I sold mine to a guy in Australia and never looked back... Bad JUJU.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by JackMcCornack

I found the overheating problem (I believe); the hose from water pump to radiator had just the right bend in it so it was fine when cold, but softened sufficiently when warm to kink flat in the middle.

Do you mean the hose from rad to pump (lower hose) which is on the suction side? Well I learned my lesson about those hoses after I did my first Frankenstein engine swap (Toyota into Triumph). I rigged up various hoses and connectors to get it all together, then found out that lower hoses have those coil springs inside 'em for the purpose of preventing collapse! Eureka! Could that be it?