IS THERE LIFE AFTER BUILDING A LOCOST ???

You bet there is , well after finally getting my car licensed after 3 years building part time at the end of September , I went on 2 weeks holiday on a coach trip through the outback so I didnt get to drive it until the middle of October . I did manage to put about 700 kms on it the first day I got back though half of that in company with Nigel through the hills to Mundaring Weir etc. It took me awhile to get confidence in the speed with which I could go round corners ( and still does ) and that you need to push hard on the brake pedal to stop ( which it does ). So far I have not found my standard wheels and cheap Nankang tyres wanting in the grip department, and neither has anybody who has driven the car (25 to date) although I keep getting told it would look really cool with mag wheels and low profile tyres, but I am not persuaded.

The first fault I found was that the gearbox jumped out of gear on the overrun, however once I removed both of the Toyota gearlever boots the problem was cured. I used instead the Escort boot which is quite floppy , I think the problem was that the original boots are much closer to the gearbox in the Corolla and were acting like a spring towards neutral.

I also found water appearing on the windscreen when it wasn’t raining , this I thought was a coolant leak but thankfully this was not so. I believe that the “G”force generated whilst cornering is causing the water from the washer bottle to spill out under the bonnet and then find its way up onto the screen. As I don’t use the washers, as I would get wet, I have noticed that the level is dropping. I am reluctant to empty the bottle as it is near the exhaust and would probably melt .

The full harness seat belts have proven to be a real pain , they are very hard to adjust. You can’t turn round when reversing and the outside ends keep whacking you in the face. The last problem I have cured with elastic bands although the belts do keep you firmly in the seat over bumps.

The suspension seems to be about right with regards ride and grip which is just as well, as I made my own coil overs they are not adjustable. I have 200 pound springs on the front and 170 on the back and no preload on any of them.

I have run the car on unleaded and it seems to go fine and return about 40 miles per gallon in the old language, giving me a range of about 200 kms bearing in mind my speedo is not accurate in the odometer. Wind turbulence in the cockpit is pretty bad I don’t know how you guys with aero screens are going to manage? Crosswinds are the most uncomfortable as they tend to blow my glasses off, I bought some industrial goggles from BOC that work well but are bright orange I also bought a balaclava for cold weather. Top speed is restricted by the wind resistance, the top speed being the same in 4th and 5th. Although this is not at the top of the rev range I don’t feel it will go any faster.

I think the diff ratio is about right for general use although I could pull more revs with a 4:2 I think it would make all the lower gears too low. As it is I can trickle along at 60 kph in 5th and cruise along at 110 kph in 5th at about 3500 rpm which is comparable to most road cars.

The cooling system has been spot on maintaining about 80 degrees and only rising when standing still when the electric fan has kept it below 90, and I have driven it on some hot days. The biggest problem on hot days is the lack of shade I have not been able to keep a hat on I might try some strong elastic as a chin strap. Also I have found that the transmission tunnel gets very hot. This has not been a problem as I don’t actually contact it, but have felt it with my hand to see how hot it is. It would not burn you but is uncomfortable to touch, I have no trim or insulation on the sides of the transmission tunnel and I doubt it would make a lot of difference.

The seatbelts and wind apart I have found the car quite comfortable to drive, although there is nowhere to rest your left foot, I find I can pull my knee up and rest my foot on the floor and this is what I do on the freeway etc. If you could lock the clutch pedal in some way that would be good but there is no space to put a footrest, mind you many cars have the same criticism.

I have had a couple of small oil leaks, one was from the diff to housing gasket which I managed to cure by tightening the nuts (I think I used too much sealastic on the gasket) The one from the engine I haven’t located yet. I suspect I am getting oil surge up the dipstick when cornering, as the dipstick is not a tight fit in the tube. I may also have a pinhole in my sump welding as I shortened the sump moved the pickup pipe to the rear added baffles and made the sump the same depth front to back. Oil pressure seems to be ok and my engine runs an oil cooler, however the oil warning light switch is under the dash so it is a bit slow to react, there is no room for a “T”piece on the engine, so it might come on too late.

Night driving seems to be ok at normal road speeds and I only have ordinary sealed beam small headlamps, halogen lamps would be better but that’s what I already had (LOCOST remember) The only complaint I have is that the high beam warning light is too bright and right in my line of sight, not sure I can do anything about that though.

I have not had any bonnet lifting due to using overcentre clips, I have found that the windscreen shakes and as all my mirrors are attached to it they are very blurred. Nigel does not have this problem as his mirrors are mounted to the body. I have various rattles from the exhaust shield at times and also due to jack and wheel brace being loose behind the passengers seat, but generally the car feels nice and taut and several people have mentioned this. Most drivers have enjoyed their drive of the car and most members of the club have driven it (provided they could fit in it, and some pretty big drivers have) There would appear to be better pedal space than some cars of this type, but a few drivers have had to take their shoes off, you have to be positive when braking or you can catch the accelerator at the same time, but it is easy to heel and toe.

I still keep grinning when driving the car and everyone who has driven it likewise, If for some reason you have missed out on a drive, come and see me I am happy to share the fun and encourage builders to stop re inventing the wheel and just get the car built, it will end up fun to drive anyway you build it.

Obviously this report is going to be biased, although I have driven quite a few cars of this type I would welcome someone doing an objective road test to see how it compares, and remember this car was built with the LOW COST being the prime objective. I would say the car has cost about $5000 to build and another $1000 to get it licensed, tested and insured and on the road.

Any questions please give me a call.

Barrie Nelson.