Locost Donors
Ingredients Candidates Recommendations What you need
What are the ingredients for a good Locost donor car?
- rear wheel
drive
- manual shift transmission
- solid/live rear axle (although IRS has been used)
- high power to weight ratio (limited physical space)
- availability of donors and spare parts
- availability of after market "go-fast" parts
- low cost
- reliability
- manual rack & pinion steering
- adaptable uprights/spindles
Ford: Pinto, Mustang II, Ranger
Toyota: Celica, Corolla, Pickups
Datsun/Nissan: 510, B210, Pickups
MG: MGB, MGB-GT, Midget/Sprite
Chevrolet: Chevette (Pontiac T1000)
Mazda: RX7, Miata, Pickups
BMW: 2002, 320
Alfa Romeo: Spider
Fiat: 124 Spider
Isuzu: Impulse
What are your recommendations? Let us know about your experiences with these and other donors. donors@championmotorcars.com
While many of the candidates listed here may have certain advantages in one area over another, it is our opinion that the pre-1988 RWD Toyota Corolla is one of the best all around candidates -- particularly the fourth generation Corollas (all 1980-1984 and all RWD 1984-1988). The biggest reason for this selection is that the Toyota Corolla was the number one selling automobile in the United States between 1974 and 1984, and to the benefit of us Locosters, the bodies for these years are very prone to corrosion. As a result there are an abundance of rust-buckets out there in fine mechanical condition that can be acquired at very reasonable prices. .....
The early Corollas used the engine designated as the 3K. The 3K is an 1166cc OHV engine which produces about 60hp stock. The later Corollas were equipped with three engines: the more common engines are the 2T and the 3T-C. Both engines are OHV, they displace 1588cc and 1770cc respectively, and each produce about 75-80hp in stock form. And finally, there is the 4A series engine. The 4A-C is a 1587cc SOHC engine which produces about 78hp in stock form. For those who want yet more bang for their buck, the Corolla GT-S and MR-2 are equipped with the 4A-GE; a twin cam 16-valve engine. These engines are powerful and fairly plentiful, but are, of course, more pricey.
All of these are excellent donor engines. They are light, physically small, durable, abundant, and reasonably inexpensive. Additionally, there is a considerable amount of after-market "go-fast" parts available for these engines. The inexpensive 3T and 4A engines are very buildable -- obtaining over 100hp is no problem, and as you can imagine 100+hp in a sub-1200lb car is very exciting. Just allowing these engines to breathe a little better, with different carburetion and exhaust, produces enormous gains.
Locost Sevens have been successfully built using the RWD Celica as a donor, too. The only problems with the Celica are that its 20R engine is quite tall and the transmission bellhousing is fairly intrusive into the cockpit unless the engine is moved forward. However, these limitations can be overcome for the Seven, and pose less of a problem for the Eleven where engine height is not as limiting.
The Corollas are available with the K40 and K50 manual four and five-speed transmissions, and these transmissions were shared among many models. So, again price and availability of this transmission for Locosters is excellent.
Of course, the easiest, most cost-efficient way to make a Locost fast is to keep it light. This well-known factoid also makes the Toyotas an excellent choice. All of the Toyota components necessary for a successful Locost build are very light, but also extremely durable and easy to work on.
The biggest draw back of the Toyota donor is its use of McPherson struts as opposed to the use of spindles for the front suspension. The struts require modification, but can be converted using the same method Ron Champion uses for strut cars in the UK. The modification involves cutting the strut at the appropriate height and mounting a tapered plug into the strut tube, which will receive an upper spherical bearing. We are working on adapting this solution to US Corollas right now and will post results soon.
Another possible objection to the Corolla as a donor is the fact that some of the Corollas were equipped with a steering box instead of a rack. Our proposed solution for this is the use of a pre-84 Tercel manual steering rack. This gets away from the one donor car concept, but there are tons of these racks around, and they are usually under $40 in salvage yards.
Please keep in mind, these are only suggestions. The whole idea behind Locosting is building your own custom sports car. After all, you are the chief engineer in your project. So, please take these suggestions with a grain of salt and just enjoy building your Locost -- you will be very pleased and proud of your results!
For the very adventurous, large displacement motorcycle engines and transmissions can be used for incredible power to weight ratios. Its not unusual to find 900cc engines that produce 120+hp that one person can literally pick up (including the transmission!). These are typically challenging to install, because of drive train mating problems, shifter mechanisms, off centerline mounting, and no reverse gear to name a few. But what an experience; most Locosts fitted with these engines report comparable 0-60 mph times to their donor motorcycles (3.5 sec in the case of the 900cc Honda Fireblade). How many G's would a Locost pull with a 1300cc 180hp stock Suzuki Hayabusa ?
What are your recommendations? Let us know about your experiences with these and other donors. donors@championmotorcars.com
What do you need from your donor car?
- Engine
- Carburetor
- Distributor
- Starter & starter motor
solenoid
- Alternator
- Water Pump
- Inlet & Exhaust manifolds
- Radiator & hoses, include electric fan if available
- Exhaust pipe and silencer
- Battery and cables
- Wiring loom
- Flasher unit for signals
- Fuse box
- Horn & horn relay
- Fuel tank sender unit
- Ignition coil
- Choke cable
- Master cylinder for brake system
- Clutch assembly including mounting brackets
- Clutch, brake, accelerator pedal assembly including cables
- Brake light switch
- Transmission
- Speedometer cable
- Drive shaft including universal joints
- Rear axle with brake drums
- Front hub assembly including brakes
- Handbrake lever including mounting bracket
- Steering rack including mounting clamps, track rods and
swivel joints
- Steering wheel
- Wheels including tires and wheel nuts
- Windscreen washer system
- Heater and fan unit
- Seat belts