How Lo Cost is a Locost really?
Discussion
JohnL said:
I have serious doubts about being able to build one for £250 ... How far could I get if I set aside say £1000-£1500 (plus tools), any suggestions?
I think there's a few locosters here who should help with more specific advice but I think your right, it is very hard to build a Locost for £250 and I'm not too sure ultimate cost cutting is as important as a safe car!
However I think £1500 is more realistic but suspect that once you get going you may be tempted by shiny things that cost more etc.
Are you planning on making the chassis yourself, if so be careful, I've heard the Ron Champion one may benefit from a few alterations but this will be better answered by people with more experience than me.
There's plenty of Locost web sites around and these can be a good source for spare parts, advice etc.
Good luck.
The temptation of shiny things will never go away!
What I'd aim for is to get it on the road within the budget if at all possible, and upgrade to shiner bits later on, as the magpie tendency takes over!
I'd like to build the chassis myself, what sort of alterations might be good from the Ron Champion design?
I'd also had in mind adapting it to use a BMW 3-series donor rather than a Sierra - just for the hell of it, plus a bit of uniqueness - but bearing in mind my kit car building experience - zero - this may not be too wise!
What I'd aim for is to get it on the road within the budget if at all possible, and upgrade to shiner bits later on, as the magpie tendency takes over!
I'd like to build the chassis myself, what sort of alterations might be good from the Ron Champion design?
I'd also had in mind adapting it to use a BMW 3-series donor rather than a Sierra - just for the hell of it, plus a bit of uniqueness - but bearing in mind my kit car building experience - zero - this may not be too wise!
custardtart said:Yep, a good one is at www.mcsorley.net/locost and also has drawings for a 4" wider chassis for more considerable posteriors.
There's plenty of Locost web sites around and these can be a good source for spare parts, advice etc.
Good luck.
? JohnL said:If you built a car from one donor such as a cortina or a sierra you could probably do it for that much. You start to spend the money if you get other people to build your chassis, stick a motorbike engine in, want a LSD/expensive seats/nice alloys etc.
I have serious doubts about being able to build one for £250 ... How far could I get if I set aside say £1000-£1500 (plus tools), any suggestions?
McSorley does a book chassis but with all the mistakes rectified. The 442 chassis is a bit longer and wider but still uses a standard nosecone. The +4 chassis needs bodywork modifying or someone to supply you wider bodywork or you to make your own.
I'm about to start building one. I've cleared the garage and am about to start to learn to weld. I'm going for the McSorley book chassis, probably an R1 engine and probably a DeDion back end from GTS using a sierra LSD. The interior will be completely stripped out and only an aeroscreen. I'm going to SVA what I build. I'm hoping to build that lot for somewhere between 3 and 5k.
Good luck,
Mark
You could definately build one for £1500, but you are going to have to accept it's not going to have all the shiny gadgets that a more costly build would. You may also have to spend a bit more time in the scrap yard and browsing the yellow bargain papers etc and avoid impulse buys. However, most of the work in building a locost is in the details, and if you can put the hours in you should be able to make a pretty respectable car.
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