You Gotta Love My Dad!

My Dad is an amazing guy! You probably wouldn't think of him as a "Gear-Head", but he is knowledgeable about cars and things mechanical. As a little kid, I can remember my dad and my uncles overhauling the engine in one of the family cars (a Hudson I think), and when I was about 15, I helped my dad rebuild the 4 banger out of our '59 Volvo. I don't think he did this because he enjoyed it, it was just something that needed to be done. We did have some fun though in the '70's when my brother Rick and I decided to go dirt track racing. We built a '67 Le Mans and then a '66 4-4-2 and went racing at Ascot Park in Gardena, Ca. More often than not, Dad would be out in the garage wrenching on the cars with us, and he was at the track every weekend in the pits for us.

While Rick and I were into "Muscle Cars", Dad's tastes ran toward classics like the Packard roadsters or the Hollywood Graham (Google that one!) and he sometimes thought about restoring one or even building a replica. When we would visit "Kit-Car" shows, Dad would be scoping out a Mercedes 540K or boat-tail Auburn while I was drooling over Cobras and Grand Sport Corvettes. Ever the practical person that he was, dad's automotive dreams stayed on the back burner. This was to change though.

Some time around 2002, Rick, our brother-in-law and our nephew presented Dad with an unbuilt CMC (I think) Bugatti kit and a VW pan that someone had purchased years before and then left sitting in their garage. Working on a very spare time basis, Dad built his Bugatti in about 6 years. It sits on a Karmann-Ghia pan with disc brakes, IRS and a 1776 cc motor with dual Solex carbs. A few weeks shy of his 82nd birthday, dad had the car completed, licensed and headed off to Knotts Berry Farm for the Association of Handcrafted Automobiles "Fun In The Sun" car show. First crack out of the box and he comes home with a trophy. Several more trophies came from other shows since then, and Dad's still having fun with his little car. After one "Cruise Night" type gathering, Dad was stopped while leaving by none other than Jay Leno who wanted to get a closer look at the "Bugatti" replica.

I can only hope that when I'm in my 80's that I'm still having as much fun. Like I said, "You Gotta Love My Dad!"

New Color

New Color Scheme!

Here's the color that we've settled on. It's still Keith Tanner's car used for illustration. I can't wait until I have my own car to show off. I may add some stripes or graphics to really make it POP! I'm still undecided as to whether to paint the side panels or leave them plain aluminum. Still have lots of time to decide, though.

WARNING! WARNING!

In some of my previous posts, I mentioned that Locosts have been built using any number of cars as a donor. Everything from English Fords, to Pintos, Miatas (mine), Chevy S-10 trucks, the list goes on and on. It has come to my attention that there are some who are considering a donor that I feel dooms their efforts to total failure!

If You Try to build this



Using this



You'll Get This!

Again, a little fun with photo-Shop. Special thanks to Keith Tanner and whoever sent me the Smart Car pic.

"Gathering" News

The 2011 Midwest Gathering is "Gathering" momentum. First of all, they have added a day to the schedule to allow for an impromptu Auto-X. The dates are now June 9th through the 12th (Thurs - Sun). Secondly, they have doubled the block of rooms that are reserved at The Hub Hotel for the Locosters. I have been anxiously watching the posts for other "Locost celebs" in addition to Jack McCornack and MAX.

MAX in his newer, more aerodynamic form.

UPDATE!

Nothing much to report as to progress on the car. At present, my garage is jammed with household storage for our son and daughter-in-law until they can get home to Missouri. At this time, they are stranded in So-Cal 'til they can get a new engine for their SUV. Maybe they can make it home this month. Carol and I are anxious to see them and our grand daughters, including a brand new one that we have never met!

We're also looking forward to the Mid-West Locost gathering in June. I just learned today that Jack McCornack of Kinetic Vehicles, is planning to be here along with MAX (see above), his 80 mpg, turbo-diesel Locost. You can learn more about MAX at http://www.kineticvehicles.com/MAX10.html

MAX in his original configuration.

More to come soon (I hope!)

Great News!

I recently found out that the Midwest Gathering of Sevens for 2011 will be held in North Central Arkansas, more precisely, Marble Falls. In the past few years, it has been held way up north, Minnesota or Wisconsin, or somewhere. Marble Falls is about 2 hours from home, and the weather in June is usually beautiful around here. What really excites me is that I'll get to meet some of the people that I now only know as names on the locost web groups that I subscribe to. Anyone interested in joining the fun? Mark your calendars for June 10, 11, & 12. The location is The Hub Motorcycle Resort, Marble Falls, Ar.

We Have A COLOR!

OK! This is it. No more voting. No more consulting with "focus groups". I've made an executive decision. The car will be bright lime green. Think "Kawasaki dirt bikes" or "Porsche Signal Green". I know the traditionalist will scream out for British Racing Green, but no one ever accused us of being overly traditional. I still have to work up some ideas on graphics, striping, etc. I am also undecided as to whether the aluminum side panels should be painted (as on our yellow/blue car examples) or left natural. Oh well, that decision can wait 'til we actually have a car to paint.

We Have A New Philosophy!

"Car Lovers drive Lotus Elises, psychopaths and crazy people drive Se7ens." - Mr Know on Jalopnik

I Love it!

We Have A Problem!

Well, after some consideration, Erik (my step-son, project partner, and competition driver) said he prefers the blue dominant paint scheme. I, on the other hand, like the yellow if only for the visibility factor. OK, we'll go back to the collection of paint samples and see what we can come up with.

We Have A WINNER!

Well folks, it looks like we're going to have a yellow car with blue stripes. While the blue dominant car was making a strong showing a few days into the poll, the yellow car came on with a vengeance in the closing days. The final vote was 23 votes for the blue car, and 43 votes for the yellow one. Thank you, one and all, for your input.

What Do You Think?

I would like to get some feedback from all of you. Whenever I discuss my plans with someone new and show them a picture of what a Locost looks like, one of the first things they usually ask is "What color are you going to paint it?" Well, Being more the mechanic and engineer type, I really hadn't given it much thought. As long as the project is sort of on the back burner 'til I get some other stuff out of the way, I thought I might as well at least decide what to do about the car's graphics.

The two pictures to the right are what I came up with. The top one was my first idea. This one goes back to my dirt-track days, and is the basic scheme that I used for my Figure-8 race car. Yellow-on-bright blue (sort of like Dale Earnhart's "Wrangler" car of the late "70"s) was chosen for visibility on the Figure-8 track. I wanted the other guys to see me when I was coming into the intersection. Apparently it worked. I never did get involved in an intersection wreck! I also thought that the visibility factor would be a great idea with a small sports car that's not much bigger than a large motorcycle.

Next, I thought that increasing the yellow-to-blue ratio might increase the visibility, so I came up with the paint scheme seen in the second picture. Although the yellow-on-blue was my first thought, I believe that was more a nostalgia thing than anything else. I think the reversed (B-O-Y) color pattern will actually increase the noticeability of the car.

Now, what I would like from you is your honest opinion of which color you prefer. Please keep in mind that these colors are not the precise shades I will use, only as close as my computers pallette will allow. Also, the stripes are just a hasty cut-and-paste job, not an exact representation.

So, look at the pictures, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment here, on my Facebook, or E-mail me. Any other comments, ideas, or suggestions are most welcome.

More Info For "7" Newbies

Thought I'd show you what I'm going to be building, or at least the base of all the structure. At left is a Photo of the frame of Keith Tanner's "7" ( courtesy of cheapsportscar.net) with a dummy engine installed for initial measurements. As you can see, there's not much to it. A bunch of 1" & 3/4" square tube, a little 1/8" steel plate and not much more. The whole structure weighs in at little more than 100 lbs. Keith purchased his as part of a kit from a company that is now defunct, but I plan on making mine from scratch. Not a big deal for a someone that knows how to weld. I do! You can see my first post from February about my technical background.

A New Record!

July was a very active month for this Blog, with a total of eight posts. Before this, March and April were tied at Four posts each. Now that I think of it, July was very active for the project as a whole, what with researching and purchasing my Miata donor. Can't wait to see what August has in store for us.

Here's something new that my research has uncovered. I recalled reading that Keith Tanner was having a problem with roll steer due to the geometry of the steering on his Seven, and I have been digging through his build diary to uncover his solution. It turns out that the main solution was to replace his front suspension uprights with a pair from a '99 model Miata. The problem has already been solved for me.

Thank you, LORD !!!

More Pics

Just thought you all might like to see a couple more pics of my "Prize". It's not a bad looking car, is it! Nice looking trailer, too. Thanks for the help, Karl! You too, Leslie! I couldn't have done it without the help you two gave me.

More Good News!

One thing that you must keep in mind is this. Despite my love of sports car, most of my experience has been with American iron, primarily Chevrolet. I'm still very much on the steep part of the learning curve when it comes to Japanese sports cars. Because of this, I have been doing a lot of research to learn the ins and outs of Mazda Miatas. Now here's the good news. Apparently when Mazda increased the Miata's engine to 1.8 liters, they also beefed up the differential. This I knew. What I didn't know was they also enlarged the brakes. The front discs were increased to 10" from 9.25", and the rears went from 9.125" to 9.875". This means the brakes from my '99 should work very well at retarding the forward velocity of a vehicle as light as my Locost. I consider this to be very good news. I should have world class deceleration without the expense of world class brakes.

I Found Some Digital Film

OK, here are the pictures of my prize. It's a complete '99 model with an extra engine and trans. Except for that R/F fender, the body's pretty straight. Can't wait to start in on it. The pic to the left explains why I got it so cheap. In addition to the rumpled fender, the frame and the A-arms are bent. That's OK, I don't need them for my Locost build.

This Is Going To work Out Very Nicely!

I am SO blessed! First, after a day or two to recover from the trip to Kansas, I started to check out the Miata to find out just what I had bought. The poor car has definitely seen some harsh duty. I believe the cowboys would say "she was rode hard and put up wet". Still, it has everything that I need! The damage to the right front suspension seems to be confined to the A-arms, the wheel, and the frame (none of which I need). It has three good wheels, four good tires, and a good spare, all of which are immensely saleable. With the exception of the R/F fender, the body is still pretty straight, and all the windows, lights, lenses, etc. are good. The convertible top is good and the interior is fair. I did a "quick and dirty" inventory, then ran it through some car parts websites. I should easily be able to part it out and sell the unneeded stuff for $1000 more than I paid for the car. That will really help keep my "7" a Locost. Besides all the stuff that I don't need, The car has an extra engine and trans. The engine is partly dismantled and in boxes, but it's all there. Under the hood, there is a K&N air filter and someone has installed a remote oil filter along with a secondary oil pressure gauge. I have been praying about this since I decided to go forward with the project, and I truly believe that the Lord has answered my prayers. Needless to say, I'm a happy camper.

Secondly, I got to take a ride with Keith Tanner of "Cheap Sports Car" fame in his "7" ( courtesy of "Photo Shop". I can dream, can't I?). Someday, I'll take Keith for a ride in mine.

I GOT IT !!! - Mk II

I left home this morning before 6:00 am. Now, 600 miles, 13 1/2 hours, and $1500 (plus, about $150 for transportation) later, I am the proud owner of one slightly misused 1999 Mazda Miata with extra engine and transmission. Let The Fun Begin! I still need to get my garage/work shop in order, and build my frame table, but things are definitely coming together. I'll try to get some pics up as soon as I figure out how to use our digital camera (I don't even know where to buy digital film) and how to post them. I am so a product of the early 20th century.

YES !!!

Well, looks like my dream is about to become a reality! By this time next week, a not so shiny and not so new Miata will be mine. I found a 1999, complete with extra engine and trans for $1500. It's been in a wreck and the right front corner is pretty sad looking, but none of the parts that I need appear to be damaged. With the loan of an SUV and a flat-bed trailer from friends, I'll be picking it up this weekend.

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together!

Well, it looks like I'm finally going to get my donor car! No, haven't sold the truck yet but an angel (figurative, not literal) stepped forward and offered to front the money for a Miata until I get the truck sold. I have a couple of good prospects on the line, just need to contact the seller(s) and finalize the deal. The car that looks most promising isn't drivable so will have to arrange for truck and trailer. Hope this time it goes a little quicker than it did with my chassis table materials! Happily, things seem to be falling into place.

Thank you, LORD!

More Progress

As I work on getting the garage ready for the table project, other things seem to be falling into place. Last week our water well quit on us. We called a well guy that was highly recommended and got it fixed. After repairing the well, he expressed an interest in my 4WD Ford F-250, and told Carol to have me call him when I got back (I was on my way to Kansas City). I called and told him the price that I wanted and he was still interested. Said he would come over sometime next week and look it over.

I pray that this deal goes through as it will give me enough to buy my donor car and get the project going at last.

I GOT IT !!!

It's been a long time coming, but I finally got my steel for the frame table. Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! Time to start building something instead of just dreaming about it. Got a little more electrical work to do in the shop for the welder, but that won't take too long. I have to get some insulation up on the shop walls too. With outside temps approaching triple digits, it's no cooler inside that steel barn. I have foam sheeting for the walls and a wind turbine exhaust for the roof. That should help.

I just realized it's been over seven weeks since my last post. It's true that there hasn't been much activity here, but I still could have done a better job of keeping in touch with my followers. Sorry gang, I'll try to do better.

I Want To Get Started !

Still haven't got the table material. It's just a matter of logistics, though. Trying to make my schedule coincide with my friend that has the flatbed trailer. Lord, please grant me patience. Oh well, I've waited close to 50 years for this, a couple more days won't hurt me. Going to Mtn. Home tomorrow for church, guess I'll visit Home Depot afterwards to see about the stuff I need to wire in the outlet for my welder. At least I'll be doing something.

Excited

OK, it looks like I've found my table materials, and I should have it by this time next week. I have been working on my drawings for the table so that I'm not just flying by the seat of my pants when I actually start building it. It's going to be 11' long by 4' wide by 30" high. I've chosen the length to allow the frame to remain in one place on the table until all the members are in place and tack welded. The table will be mainly made up of 3" channel iron so the completed weight will be somewhere around 300-350 lbs. Could be overkill, but most of the successful constructors that have gone before have said you need a level, plumb, and rigid table. Who am I to argue with success? Portability would be a problem if I wasn't blessed with a 740 sq. ft. workshop.

Once the table is built and I wire in a 220V outlet for my welder, I can... No, wait... I guess I'll need to wire in the outlet so I can weld the table. Duh !!! Must have been a senior moment. Anyway, then I can actually start construction of my frame. Since I only have a fraction of the tube that I'll need for the car, the search goes on for more free and/or cheap tube. I'm trying to keep the retail purchase of materials to a minimum. I am building a "Locost", after all. My other quest is for the funds to purchase my donor car. Maybe if I can sell my truck and fishing boat... Hmmm.

Anxious!

Well, looks like I may need a change of plans. Still no word from corporate on the channel iron I need to get from work for my table. Guess I'll have to make other plans. Will start shopping around for material. I do have a line on some more 1" tube that should be cheap-to-free. I'm really getting anxious to get started.

Still dealing with frustration with the donor car situation. I've found several Miatas that would be great deals, IF I had the money to buy them.

It's A Sign!!!

Last night, my family and I were down in Mountain Home, Ar on business and we decided to have dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. At the end of the meal we got our fortune cookies as usual. Mine said "Something on four wheels will soon be a fun investment for you!"

Hey, with advice like that how can I go wrong with my Locost project! :-)

Nah, I'll stick with prayer and faith.

Progress (Sort Of)

Well, I scored some Major brownie points . Took delivery of our new dish washer and got it installed without too much flooding. My Sweetie is a happy camper! I can redeem said brownie points at a later date for parts, materials, a helping hand in the garage, or ?

I know, it doesn't seem like much, but it meant a lot to Carol.

Dream Update.

Still very little solid info to report as far as construction. Still waiting to find out if I will be awarded ownership of some 3" channel iron left from a remodeling job at the store. My boss is willing, but must get the OK from corporate. Once I have that, I can start on my frame table. One worry is there are others with their eye on this material. I can only hope their ethics are still in order. There was a time when I would probably have just made a Midnight appropriation, but now, how my actions reflect on the Glory of my Lord Jesus Christ are important to me. I will leave it in His hands. One more thing on the table. With Springtime finally here, I have some construction/repair jobs to do around the homestead. Surplus material from these should net me a top for the table.

I have recently been in contact with Keith Tanner ("How To Build A Cheap Sports Car") via e-mail. When I started this Blog, I used a picture of Keith's Seven to illustrate what I was talking about. This seemed appropriate since it was his car and story that rekindled my interest in building a Seven. It occurred to me later that this action may not have been appropriate because I had not been given permission to use someone else's intellectual property. So, with hat in hand, I fired off an e-mail to Mr. Tanner confessing my sin, begging forgiveness, and asking permission to continue use of the picture (Since I don't have anything of my own to share as yet). Keith was most gracious in his reply, stating that he was pleased and honored that his car helped to inspire me in my build. Permission was granted for continued use. Thank you, Keith!

I have been spending time researching the build. The Locost web groups have been invaluable. One thing that has bothered me is the use of a rod end bearing in place of a proper ball joint on the upper front A-arms. Maybe this is a non-issue with such a light car, but I don't like rod ends in single shear mounting in a hyper critical area like the front suspension. It seems that the upper ball joint in the Miata is non-replaceable. If you wear one out, you replace the whole control arm. Seemed a little odd to me, but it meant that a stock Miata ball joint wasn't the answer. It seems that this very question bothered others before me. I found my answer in the forums of LocostUSA.com. I can recommend this group (as well as the "Yahoo" locost groups) to anyone contemplating a sports car build, be it Locost or not.

Another source of frustration has recently surfaced. While I am not yet ready financially to go Miata shopping (you know, those homestead projects as well as buying my better half a new, much deserved dish washer), I have been "window" shopping just to see what's out there. Much to my chagrin, I found a couple cars that would work beautifully. One of the sellers even dropped his price to where I couldn't say "No" IF I had any money to spend. I really hate to let this one go so I'll start beating the bushes to see if I can beg, borrow or... No, wait, that's just beg or borrow the cash. What makes it more frustrating is that the price is low enough that I'm certain I can sell the surplus Miata parts for as much or more than the price of the donor car. Oh well I'll pray about it. If God wants it to happen, he'll make a way! In the meantime, I'll keep looking for ideas.

Well, that's it for now. I'll keep you posted.

An Old Dream; The Plan Mk II

It just occurred to me that there are probably more than a few of you that don't have the slightest idea what a Lotus/Caterham/Locost 7 is. Basically, it is a small, front engine sports roadster built with an emphasis on performance through light weight. It has a multi-tubular space frame constructed primarily of 1" tubing. The bare frame weighs little more than 100 lbs. The body is best described as minimal. There are a few fiberglass pieces such as the fenders, scuttle (cowling for us Yanks) and nose cone. The rest is simply aluminum sheet metal pop riveted to the frame. A complete, road ready 7 will weigh in at about 1200-1500 lbs. depending on running gear and extras. Colin Chapman, the designer of the original Lotus 7, had such an obsession with light weight that there was a running gag among Lotus fans about it. The gag went something to the effect that Chapman would build a new car and then proceed to lighten it by removing one tube at a time from the frame until the frame collapsed of it's own weight. Then he would put one tube back. All joking aside, light weight was (is?) sort of a Lotus trademark.

Sevens have been built with all manner of drive trains. The Lotus used running gear from English Ford and BMC as well as others. Locosts have been built with every imaginable power plant known to man. I have seen everything from 2-cylinder Citroens to LS-1 Chevys. Jack McCornack of Kinetic Vehicles in Cave Junction, Oregon, built one with a Kubota diesel tractor engine. Last I heard, MAX (Jack's name for his Kubota 7) was getting better than 75 mpg and Jack is still refining the design in an attempt to achieve 100 mpg+! The current crop of Japanese engines seem to offer the best features for my project. The only problem is, they're almost all front wheel drive. Now, this is not an insurmountable problem, but it's more than I care to tackle right now. The best source for front engine, rear wheel drive is either sports cars, SUV's or trucks. I have decided to select my donor from the sports car realm as I want my 7 to have independent rear suspension and 4-wheel disc brakes, so the Miata is my first choice. You could also get these features from a Honda S-2000, a Mazda RX-7 or some of the older Japanese sport sedans.

So now I spend a lot of my time window shopping E-Bay & Craigslist for old, worn out Miatas. I'm also still scrounging materials for my chassis table, but things are slowly coming together. I have found a local source of steel tubing that has decent prices, and since it's local, shipping will be no problem. So that's good news!

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by. More to come.

An Old Dream; The Plan

So here's my plan.

I'm very close to having my shop ready to begin work. I have, or have access to, most of the equipment that I need. The next thing that I do need to get done is constructing a frame table so I can actually start assembling my frame. I was fortunate enough to acquire some sturdy channel iron from the scrap pile at work when they replaced some of their big walk-in freezers. This material will make for a rigid frame for the table that I plan to top off with some heavy plywood. I realize that a metal top would probably be preferable, but the plywood should be adequate for the construction of a couple of frames. Yes, I said "couple". Back in '07, "Grassroots Motorsports Magazine" did an article on Locosts and in a subsequent letter-to-the-editor, someone suggested building two frames since you would already have your jigs and "sure as the world", once you got your car built, your next door neighbor (or somebody) would want one just like it. You could sell him that extra frame that you built, and help pay for yours. Well, this train of thought made sense to me so that's what I'll do. Even if we don't sell the extra, we do plan on racing our car, and since accidents DO happen, it won't hurt to have a spare frame on hand.

As soon as I get a little more channel, I will start on the table. In the meantime,I'm working on my drawings of the chassis. While I have been inspired by Keith Tanner and Jim McSorley, I do have some ideas of my own as far as the design of my Locost. Like I said in my last post, "MY car, MY way".

In addition to the channel iron that I got from work, while they were remodeling the store, they replaced the shopping cart corral. The new corral was made of 1.5" pipe, The old corral was tossed in the scrap bin. It was made of 16 ga., 1" square steel tubing! I gladly gave it a new home. Now, I know that I still need more tube, especially if I'm going to build two frames, but this will allow me to get started as soon as the table is ready.

Whenever you attempt a project like this on a shoestring, you are always looking for ways to offset your expenditures. Selling an extra frame is one way. In his book "How to Build a Cheap Sports Car", Keith Tanner talks about selling off parts from his Miata donor that were not needed for the Seven. This is one of the reasons that I will probably go with a Miata as My donor car, too. Now, I realize that this will work (to some extent) with just about any donor, but the miata is so popular that parts for it are easy to sell. It 's conceivable that you could buy a running Miata with a reasonably straight body, strip the parts needed for your Locost, and sell the remains for a profit. Makes financial sense to me.


More to come.

An Old Dream; About Kits

In my first post, I mentioned that I considered going with a "Kit Car" to satisfy my sports car cravings. The fact that I decided to "roll my own " should not be construed as a slam at kit cars in general. In fact, I love kits. They offer a lot of options that you can't get with some "real" cars, and they do it for a lot less money. If I wanted a '54 or '55 Vette (Let's face it, the prices for '53's are astronomical), a real one would run somewhere in the neighborhood of $60-70K. Then, once I had it, I would have a 55 year old car that was built on 60+ year old technology, and if the car was a '54, you would be stuck with an old "Stovebolt" 6 with a cast iron Powerglide. If it was a '55, you could have a V-8 (265 cid) with a 3-spd manual box. And, have you looked underneath a '55 Vette. You'll find better glass work on almost any kit car currently produced. Now, I'm one of those people that believes that any car can be improved, but if you "improve" a classic Vette you'll suffer a big penalty in resale value. With all this considered, you would be much better off to go with a Lone Star Classics "Route 66 Roadster" body kit, an Art Morrison chassis, a crate motor and trans. You'd be into this for about the same price (probably, a lot less), and you would have a classic look with totally modern performance. The same can be said for sports cars of the serpentine reptilian persuasion. Ol' Shel hates for kits to be called Cobras! Fair enough. A lot of modern kits are actually much better cars than the Cobras ever were. True, the Cobras were about the hottest thing on the road in their day, but their day was almost 50 years ago (Good heavens, am I that old?). A modern replica, such as the Factory Five Racing MkIV roadster has a completely modern Chassis, and the drive train is up to you , the builder.

No, I have nothing against kit cars. I simply decided to roll my own as a matter of financial expedience. With something as simple as a Locost/Se7en, anyone with a smattering of fabrication skills can construct one. One of the beauties of the Locost is there are so many options that almost anyone can find a route to ownership that suits them. I know how to weld, so building my own frame is not a daunting task. For those not so trained there are sources of pre-built frames. There are some fiberglass body pieces (nose cone, scuttle, and fenders) that I may buy from existing sources as a time saving move, but for those with glass working experience, these parts wouldn't be hard to make for yourself. If your fabrication expertise is limited , but you're a pretty fair mechanic, try a full-on kit such as a Westfield or a Stalker.

No, I have nothing against kit cars, they suit my desires very well. Some people have to have an original "whatever" with matching #'s and factory perfect restoration. Not me, I'd rather have MY car, MY way.

More to come.

An Old Dream, Soon To Be Realized

Nearly 50 years ago, my family went out for pizza in Manhattan Beach. Along the way I talked Dad into stopping at Bob Challman Sports Cars on PCH. There, front & center in the showroom window, sat a Lotus 23. A small (tiny, actually) mid-engined racing sports car, the "23" had just made a good showing at a race in Riverside at the hands of some big name driver (Jim Clark, I think). The "23" was small, low, sleek, and incredibly fast for such a small package. I was 12 or 13 at the time and just starting to take an interest in Hi-Perf cars, so needless to say, I was in love! My thoughts turned immediately to things like "How can I make this thing street legal?", or "How soon can I get my drivers license?" Of course, there were no mundane questions such as "How do I pay for it?" No sense letting reality mess up a good dream.

While the "23" held the center stage spotlight in the showroom, off in the back corner sat a quirky little roadster called the Lotus 7. It was not quite so small, not so low, and definitely not so sleek, but it was still interesting nonetheless. Compared to the streamlined "23", the "7" almost looked like an antique. It was front engined, with a long hood, sweeping front fenders, and a big flat windshield growing out of the cowl (sorry, scuttle). It looked much like the old MG "T" series cars, but much smaller and lighter, and more rounded. The salesman was kind enough to give this star struck kid a spec sheet for each car, and we continued on to dinner.

For the next couple of weeks I drooled over the specs on the "23", but the "7" kept creeping into my thoughts. It was already street legal, for one thing. It was also available in kit form, which would make it more affordable. Eventually, the "7" became the car that I had to have. By this time though, reality had finally set in. How do I pay for it? The "7" was moved from my shopping list to my "wish" list.

Over the years I've had a few cars that were pretty cool. The first car that I actually owned was a '55 Chevy with a 327 & 4-speed trans. There was a '61 Biscayne with a 427 & 4-spd Hydro. My first truck was a '57 F-100 with a Big Block Chevy and Turbo 400. Over the years I've messed around with V-Dubs and Corvairs. I've even done a little stock car racing, but sports cars have always been my first love. I helped a friend keep his TR-4 running. I had my own TR-3 for about 3 days 'til the crank fell out of it. I bought a Spridget as a project, but never had the cash to make anything of it. Champagne dreams and a beer budget, the classic dilemma. All this time the closest I ever came to participating in a road race was a couple of "Solo" events run in my brand new, shiny '73 Civic. Lots of fun, but still not quite what I was looking for.

As the years passed, my life took a lot of twists and turns as most lives do. I've been married and divorced several times. Third time's the charm, they say. If I'd been smart, I would have married Carol the first time ( she's definitely a keeper). The only problem was, we didn't like each other back then. I've raised some kids, had lots of different jobs, and moved around a bit in the So-Cal area. I grew up in Culver City on the west side of LA, But by the time Carol and I were married, we were living in the Victorville area of the Mojave Desert.

The old desire for a sports car was still there, especially with the wide open spaces of the desert right outside my door, and the great roads of the San Bernardino Mountains just minutes away. I was looking at "kit cars" as a possible answer to my yearning. Not the old "Ford GT impostor on a VW pan" deal, but some of the new, purpose built cars like the Cobras, Grand Sports, Cheetahs, or GT-40s. At one time I was even researching the possibility of building and manufacturing for sale a Reventlow Scarab replica, but as usual, finances were not available.

When I was a kid, So-Cal was a great place to live. The beach was close, mountains were nearby, and there was still open space in parts of LA. Heck, I can still remember when Disneyland was an orange grove. However, the last few decades of the 20th Century saw changes that were not for the better. Open farm lands were plowed under to build more belly-button homes. More and more people crowded into the area. Crime increased. I saw a government that inserted itself into peoples lives to the point that personal rights were trod upon rather than protected. Businesses were harassed 'til they left and took their jobs with them. Home prices increased to the point that if you wanted to own your own home you had to be either very wealthy, willing to live in the worst parts of town, or willing to move so far out that you faced a 4 hour daily commute. In February of 2000 I made not just another job change, but a career change. After twenty odd years of working as an industrial maintenance mechanic, I decided to become a truck driver. And not just me! My loving wife joined me as we started truck driving school in Little Rock, Arkansas. We did this for several reasons. I was getting tired of that 4 hour daily commute. Although I made good money as a mechanic, the cost of living (as well as child support payments) ate up most of it. As a result, our home was in foreclosure. A big reason for the change was the fact that we wanted out of California, and we felt that driving would allow us to see the rest of the country and decide where we wanted to live. As always, more of life's convolutions followed but in 2005 we made the great escape, and moved to Gainesville in the Missouri Ozarks.

We've now been here nearly five years. We have a nice little home on 5 acres of land that is surrounded by hills and forests. The cost of living is much lower here so our financial situation is some better. I have a part-time job at a local supermarket and a union pension that covers our few bills with little left over. The problem that remains is (yep, you guessed it) I still have that old itch to own a sports car. Not just any sports car, mind you. I want that lotus 7! Now, Lotus quit building the 7 back in the 70s when they sold the rights to Caterham Cars of Surrey, England. Unfortunately a new Caterham, in kit form, is somewhere in the neighborhood of $36K. Oh well, let's check out the replicas (kit cars) to see what we can do. Hmmm, the Brunton Stalker is about $10K plus donor parts. A Westfield Miata kit is $14K plus the Miata. A Birkin is over $30K, but that includes donor parts. Coveland Motorsports sells a kit for about $8K plus donor. These are getting better, but still pretty steep for someone on a (more or less) fixed income. The solution that seems best for me is a "Locost" rather than a "Lotus". I have learned of a British gentleman by the name of Ron Champion who wrote a book titled "Build Your Own Sports Car For As Little As £250", and apparently he coined the term "Locost" to name a homebuilt 7 replica. There is also a semi-secret society made up of people like myself who find themselves financially challenged but technically gifted. I will build mine from scratch! As a maintenance mechanic I spent many an hour honing my skills as a weldor, a machinist, and a sheet metal fabricator. Some of my hobbies helped in my training also. I mentioned the stock cars. Did I also mention the sail boat I built or the airplane that I helped construct. I can do this! I can buy parts and materials as I need them and as finances allow. The largest single expense will be a Mazda Miata, but I have found them for as little as $1200. The Miata will also provide many parts that I don't need that can be sold to help finance the project further.

OK, here's the plan. I have already started researching the design. I have read books by Chris Gibbs (Build Your Own Sports Car), and Keith Tanner (How To Build A Cheap Sports Car). Keith's book is the definitive work for me as I intend to use a Miata donor as he did. BTW the car shown in the picture above is Keith's Seven and my inspiration. Thanks Keith! You can learn about Keith, his seven and his book on his website, www.cheapsportscar.net . I haven't yet read Ron Champion's book as it is out of print and something of a collector's item and therefore rather pricey. I have also gleaned much information from Jim McSorleys website, http://www.sevenesque.com/. Thanks to you too, Jim. Much education was also had by joining some of the Locost groups on the web. Next, I need to set up my shop in preparation for construction. I already have most of the equipment that I will need, and my garage is a 740 sq. ft pole barn with a concrete floor and 220VAC already run in. The first project will be a work table to construct my frame on. I already have much of the material needed for the table and the frame itself. The best part is, so far all this stuff has been free. I still need to find a Miata and figure out what other parts and supplies will be needed for completion. I have some excess stuff around here that I plan to sell this spring to raise money for this project. Hopefully the Good Lord will bless my efforts and show me the way to make it all happen.

Well folks, that's it for now. keep checking back for further updates.