Tonight I started finish welding the chassis.  I still officially suck at welding, but I suck less than I did a week ago.  I am getting good penetration on my welds, but they look like dog poo.  It's like golf if you get one great shot per round it keeps you interested.  I will post pics of my progress soon.

Today I made progress on the frame.  I also got a welding lesson from my friend Marlin.  Thanks Marlin.  This pic is for Ted and Marlin.  See My Work Table is Clean!!!!!

I got my steel this afternoon,  woohoo.  240' of 1" 16g square tubing.  Way more than I need, but I plan on mistakes.  Tonight I cut and tacked up lower frame.

I Built a scale rear and fitted it to the model. Set my ride height to 4" (scale).  Rear is hgoing to be tight, but with spacers I think it will fit.  Also discovered that my diff is offset to right 1.75".

Today I decided to build a 1/4 scale model of the "book" chassis,  in order to determine if my Alfa rear axle will fit.  This is my progress so far.

It seems like I do my best thinking in my sleep!  Woke up this morning thinking about rear axle gear ratios.  After researching the Alfa BB it seems that the '79 spider came with a 4.56:1 gear ratio.  In 1980 it was changed to 4.10:1.  I think I want to stay with 4.56 to preserve acceleration for autox.  I have also been following a build on the Locost board using Volvo drivetrain.  The builder of the Volvo donor claims a 240/740 volvo rear axle is a perfect fit.  Now I just have to find out what ratios were available on those cars.

Today I started building my "build" table.  3/4 OSB glued and screwed to the 2x4 frame.  To that I am going to glue a sheet of 5/8 particle board, then a sheet of 3/4 particle board.  Should make for a stout flat building surface.  I am using 4 steel saw horses for legs.

Today I finished removing rear axle pieces.  Here are Pics of the rear axle completely removed.

I also started on front suspension, rempved shocks, springs and sway bar.

This evening I removed the rear axle.  Measurements are as follows  width at narrowest point (brake caliper line attachment) 43" , width between inside of tires 42.5", tire/wheel diameter 22".  I am not too worried about dimension between tires as those are the widest tire that can fit on the rims, and I may be able to overcome this measurement with spacers.

I may have found a solution to my oil pan being too large.  I've been told that an alfetta pan will fit and it has a more conventional shape.  I will do some research to confirm this.

Today I spent too many hours hanging fluorescent lights in my garage and continuing with the dismantling.  Removed wiring harness.  Not sure why, I don't think I will use any of it.  I will save it just in case.

I got sidetracked by the wife.  Had to change the oil in her '08 G6.  Spent 20 minutes staring at the engine trying to find the oil filter.  Unbelievable.  Owners manual is useless.  Had to get on the internet in order to find the stupid filter.  It turns out that it is a drop in type paper filter.  Hidden under the plastic trim cover on the top of the engine.

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Example of a Lotus7

Donor

I have decided to build a Locost, which is a Lotus 7 type car.  There are numerous forums and books about this home built sports car.  Two very good books on the subject are: "How to build a cheap sports car" by Keith Tanner, and "Build your own sports car on a budget" by Chris Gibbs.

I guess I should say a little about my qualifications to undertake this rather daunting project.  In a nut shell I don't have any.....lol.  I am mechanically inclined, self taught welder,  still have a lot of learning to do before I start the chassis.  I have done a fair amount of wrenching on cars.  I am reading everything I can get my hands on concerning chassis engineering and suspension set-up.

One of the most popular Donor cars is the Miata.  Initially I was going to go this route,  but I already own 2 Alfa Romeo Spiders.  One is a '86 Quad that is in excellent shape, the other is a '79 Veloce which has an excellent drive train but a so-so body.  I am going to use the '79 as a donor car.

This is going to present some challenges.  I have not found anyone yet who has attempted to use this drive train.  There are a few choices for chassis, the original "book" chassis was depicted in the original book by Ron Champion.  There have since been numerous variations on this chassis.  I think I am going to use the "book" chassis as this is the narrowest which I think I need because the rear axle in the Spider is pretty narrow.  This presents a challenge because the oil pan on the Spider is quite wide 18", which may be a problem.

Here are some pics of the Donor dismantle.

This is a link to Keith Tanner's site.

http://www.cheapsportscar.net/