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this project has been sitting collecting dust for the last few years and lately i have been a little anxious to actually work on it, since i did tote it with me 2500 miles after all i figure it's about time.
some of you who have visited my shop may have seen it stuffed in a corner and couldn't quite make out what it was, well it is a replica of the Lotus Super Seven, the jigs and partially done chassis were given to me by my friend in vegas, chupacabra on this forum, since he didn't have the time to do it as a project after someone who built all of it who has a complete working Locost 7 rotary built off these jigs.
while i'd like to keep it light but this first model is really just to get it roadworthy and pass state inspections so it can be stamped for a VIN as a custom build, eventually i would like to prepare the car to race down at Sebring International speedway which is only about 30 minutes from me. i'd like to keep the weight under 1300lbs and since not much has been going on businesswise income is a bit tight so alot of junkyard scrounging and improvising will be taking place. as it sits it was originally built with the intention of using miata parts with a 12A rotary engine, i will be moving the already placed engine mounts for an FC powerplant.
the engine i will be building is a complete core engine that has been sitting on the floor for about a year, trying to catch my ankles as i walk around so it's on the engine stand to be torn down and revived as a semi peripheral port S4 13b non turbo. eventually i may turbo it, but for now it will simply be n/a.
eventually the goal is to build these replicas and power them with custom 4 rotor engines with all wheel drive and sold as complete ready to kill yourself cars, so really this is the prototype.
sorry no pics of the PP engine yet, will be a little while before that work begins.
the differential is a stock from an NB miata, the transmission will be a 6 speed manual box from an RX8, custom driveshaft of course. ECU is still to be determined, i might wind up just trying to hack a stock S4 ECU to work, since i got a bunch of them lying around and i know a few tricks from working with so many of these cars. the suspension originally used rubber bushings, i'm going to press them out and make all new delrins for it.
updates might be a little slow but hopefully i get this thing done in chunks...
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 02-20-17 at 09:09 PM.
I race with LS, Ecotec and S2000 Locosts, but much to my ire- haven't raced with a rotary powered one yet.
So, maybe do some hillclimbs as well when you get it done?
I have another friend that bought a "T-bucket" (Registered as Ford model T) that is a Subaru WRX drivetrain on a dwarf race car style tube frame chassis. Its fast! And scary if you have ever seen how flimsy these dwarf car square tube frames are (single square tube per side in front of firewall- no top tubes/triangulation).
One of the racers/retailers told me it is so they crumple safely to absorb impact when they hit the wall.
So, if you want to cheap out and use WRX drivetrain for the AWD rotary version, it will be fast even with the engine hanging way way way out front.
maybe eventually, initially i was just going to use a B2600 transmission with transfer case since it will virtually bolt right onto a rotary engine and uses the same Aisin transmission we have with some gearing changes and a front driveshaft, also be pretty much bulletproof in a lightweight configuration up to stupid insane horsepower levels. the AWD car transfer cases would definitely fit much more neatly in the confined space once revisions are made, but also not quite as heavy duty an option.
hillclimbs would be fun, maybe down the road but the biggest hill in florida is probably the one right next to my house which is 100ft elevation and about 200 yards long and the nearest "hill" for about 400 miles, lol.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 02-21-17 at 11:17 AM.
Well c'mon man, if you were planning on staying in Florida you would be building a rotary fan boat instead of a rotary Locost.
maybe eventually, initially i was just going to use a B2600 transmission with transfer case since it will virtually bolt right onto a rotary engine and uses the same Aisin transmission we have with some gearing changes and a front driveshaft, also be pretty much bulletproof in a lightweight configuration up to stupid insane horsepower levels. the AWD car transfer cases would definitely fit much more neatly in the confined space once revisions are made, but also not quite as heavy duty an option.
That would work ok for an off road Locost.
Truck AWD will not work on the track...
Or are you saying use the B2600 trans and a Nissan ATTESA E-TS transfer case with the multi-plate clutch and electronic controller?
funny you mention the fanboats, a guy just up the road builds them and we talked briefly about putting in a rotary engine but that was the extent of it. since i think fanboats are a little silly for this area where i live i see no use in one even though they are still very popular here.
another project i am going to be doing is putting twin rotary engines into the 28' cigarette boat that i got for next to nothing with a missing engine.
the front drive clutch system is still something i was working out, such as a disc hydraulic locking mechanism on the driveline. i'll work out those finer details if i ever even get that far, hopefully but it is still years down the road with how things are going in order to fund that part of the project. other drivetrains are doable too, i just would need to fabricate the adapters and have clutches made for the conversion.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 02-21-17 at 01:20 PM.
last couple days have been spent just cleaning the surface rust from the frame, not really much since last post. for such a small frame there sure is a lot of surface to cover!
i keep looking at my crushed insight and thinking of parts i can use for this build(the car is pretty much scrap now due to a crushed quarter). i was thinking of using the electric power steering rack and steering column. the electric motor assist would be kind of cool but way too small, difficult to adapt and impractical for this. seats? maybe, if i can figure out how to make 4/5 point harness work without a passthrough seat frame. the hydraulic systems are a little small for this project, even though the cars are about the same size. the wheels are the same 4X100 pattern as the NB, so i can use the spare wheels as temporary rollers.
for suspension i think i am going to try to locate a set of R1 shocks, they should be able to handle the weight. GAZ coilovers would be a better choice but a little out of the budget right now, could easily be changed later.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 02-23-17 at 01:10 AM.
02-20-17, 08:54 PM
