New Tools = New Progress

Oh sure I could’ve just grabbed the 400 lbs of engine and accessories, pulled it out of the engine bay with my bare hands, and tossed it into the corner of the garage, but buying an engine hoist spared me from getting coolant on my shoes in the process! The engine stand was a super inexpensive version that cost only slightly more than a wood pallet but is much easier to move around the garage.

Lifting the engine out was pretty straight-forward and uneventful other than disconnecting the fuel line and discovering this part of the system still had some pressure left over. Luckily my cat-like reflexes allowed me to get my face out of the way right after getting hit in the cheek with gasoline. Life sometimes tosses me little reminders to not be stupid and this was one of them. Safety glasses were quickly located before continuing.

The other big development is having a guy in Michigan respond to my ad on Craigslist. He’s got a buddy stopping by Road America this weekend who’s going to drop off $500 in return for the front and rear subframes, the hood, the doors, the internal bumper supports, the power plant frame (ties the tranny to the diff), and all the suspension arms off the car. It’s not as much as I was asking for, but the chance to clear all this stuff out in one shot is worth a discount. My basement will look empty again and I’ll have more room to work in the garage.

The total of money received from selling unneeded parts off the car now totals over $1300. I should be able to make a couple hundred more before the parts are pretty well cleared out and the building of the locost can begin.

Here are some photos of the adventure:

Saturday was a good day and quite a bit of progress was made. The rusty condition of the Miata made things interesting as I had to stop to sweep the pile of rust flakes off the floor every so often- especially after using the impact wrench. The six bolts that hold braces under the rear subframe sheared off further helping along my decision to not reuse the subframe in my chassis design. The exhaust downpipe and transmission are now laying on the garage floor.

It’s starting to look less and less like a car more and more every day.

Break is over- back to work.

There are two sayings you’ll hear quite commonly among car guys. One is known as the “Hotrodders Creed” and states, “fast, cheap, and reliable… pick two”. The other isn’t so much a saying but rather a guideline stating, “whatever you think a major project could take as far as time and money- even in your most conservative estimates- triple each of them and you’ll probably be getting close”.

 How do these apply to my Locost? There’s no doubt the car will be pretty spirited in a straight line and should be a monster in the corners. By basing it on a Miata I should also have a large degree of reliability and affordability built in. My downfall will likely be the upgrades I’d like to build in such as aftermarket retro gauges, a dual master brake system with remote balance bar control, and the fancy racing pedal assembly. While not all completely necessary I think my ideas will add to the driving experience enough to justify the added costs.

With the budget presently remaining under control the only variable that has been slipping quite a bit has been time. Hosting an exchange student, taking a large family vacation last month, and spending a lot of spare time goofing off with my boys had placed the project on hold. I’ve recently been sneaking back into the garage for an hour or two every couple nights and have made some more progress! As of now the donor Miata is sitting on jack stands waiting for the transmission to be pulled. After that I can pull what’s left of the rear subframe/ differential and gas tank. On the front of the car I have yet to pull the dash and have nearly everything ready to lift the engine out. Once those things are complete I will try to sell or cut up the unibody in addition to selling off more parts. Hopefully I can generate the money quickly and begin welding a frame together yet this Fall… my original plan was to have the frame largely completed by winter.

Here you can see the suspension arms are gone as is most of everything else.

The engine is also becoming a lot easier to work on and will be pulled out soon.