The donor is on the premises! It arrived
yesterday, and it was just like getting a huge shipment of Locost parts. A big package of wheels, tires, engine, brakes,
transmission, spindles, rear axle, wiring, gauges, steering column, and much, much more. A veritable treasure trove of
40-year-old British hardware. The only downside is, some of the parts look like they might be a little too far gone for the Locost. The
switches and gauges are sort of questionable. The fuel lines are kind of rusty. Just about everything else looks useable, though.
Okay, yes, it needs a little cleaning
It was something of an ordeal to retrieve the car. We arrived on the scene with our rented truck and trailer, ready to load
the car up, but it turned out the rear brakes were locked solid. Luckily the seller was motivated to get the
thing on the trailer, so he hooked up a winch and dragged it up the ramps. We had the same problem getting
the car off the trailer at home, but with judicous use of jacks and wooden boards, and a system of ropes
and pullies that would've made Archimedes proud, we managed to get it into the garage just far enough to close the door.
Locost Rear Brake and Axle
Today we cleaned the car up and took some pictures. Tomorrow we need to fix the brakes, so we can at least roll the car back
and forth into the garage. The brakes look okay from the outside, but no telling what all those years of sitting outdoors
under a tarp has done to them. And we're not exactly certain how many years that was. The guy who sold us the car said a couple, as in two, but
the "brand new" sticker tires have a manufacture date of June 2004. Not too promising. We can only hope the PO bought the
tires two years ago through some kind of shady closeout deal.
Locost Steering Wheel and Shifter
Best thing about having the donor? No more guesswork. The first thing we did when we got the car in the garage was
measure the rear axle tube diameter. This had been a major point of contention for the rear suspension. We had
estimated 2-3/4", which would've reduced rear wheel travel to the bare minimum, and the actual measurement turned out to 2-1/2",
exactly 2.501 on the dial caliper. Which is excellent. We're looking forward to taking a lot more measurements.
Having the donor is a huge milestone, and it's going to keep us very busy for the next couple of weeks.
Still Classy After All These Years
There's just one problem. Well, maybe not a problem, but something we're going to have to deal with. When we got the car home,
and it was sitting in the driveway, looking all classic and M.G.-like, there was a part of us that just wanted to get the car
running and go for a drive. The MGB looked like so much fun, just sitting there in the driveway, like a page out of my
misspent youth. Such a timeless sports car. But we have to resist the temptation.
There's a time and a place for everything, and right now it's time to build a Locost.
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