Building an R1 Powered Seven
A few years ago I got it in my head to build a kit car. After months of searching I came across the Locost concept. In short, quite a few amateur hobbiests around the world have built their own Lotus 7 inspired cars from scratch, following plans available on a variety of Internet sites and published in a book by Ron Champion.
I started gathering parts and finally began building the chassis in July '05. In August '10 the car was titled, licensed and is now street legal. The following blog captures the progress of the build and driving experiences after completion.
Another good weekend. The steering rack is mounted and works! A quick check showed no noticeable bump steer over -1 to +2 inches of wheel travel. Next I need to get some u-joints and a collapsible section for the steering column. So far I've had some trouble finding a u-joint with a splined end that matches the rack (9/16" x 36 teeth). Need to make some calls...
