What gauge steel and size tubing for locust frame?

What size do you guys think?

Joey

Square 1"x1" will be easier to work with than round IMHO.

93EXCivic wrote: Square 1"x1" will be easier to work with than round IMHO.

Cool. What gauge?

Joey

It would greatly depend on what power and load projections you have.

I will assume you will be using a Miata drivetrain, I will suggest this site for a quick read on the subject.

Locost USA is, indeed, a good site.

What you want are the McSorely Plans. I think they call for 16 gauge square tubing. I'm using 14....stronger and easier to weld because it is thicker/heavier. 16 gauge is 0.827 lbs./ ft. 14 gauge is 1.04 lbs/ft. That's an extra 42 lbs for 200' of tubing.

In a given gauge, round tube will be stronger/lighter than square, but most people stick to square because round is more of a pain in the butt to fit up. (You need to fishmouth every joint in round tubing instead of just cutting the tube at the correct angle like you do with the square stuff.)

I used 14 gauge (.083) for my midget until the "main" structure was done then switched to 16 ga (.065). The 14 definately welds easier but it is heavier..

Lethal Locost #2 is being made mostly out of 18ga tubing, with a lot more round than #1 had.

joey48442 wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: Square 1"x1" will be easier to work with than round IMHO.

Cool. What gauge? Joey

We are using some .065" wall (16 gauge) for parts of the Formula frame. It does depend on the loads you are planning on putting on the car.

.065'' should be fine for the frame, I would also go with round for most of it

.030" W tubing and drill the centers out of all the bolts

Joel,are you thinking of building a locost with your stash of Miata bits?

DeadSkunk wrote: Joel,are you thinking of building a locost with your stash of Miata bits?

Yessir!

Joey

joey48442 wrote:

DeadSkunk wrote: Joel,are you thinking of building a locost with your stash of Miata bits?

Yessir! Joey

I just noticed the thread title spelled it 'locust' even though it is 'locost'.....now I know why some people don't say "low cost"; they're repeating the way they have seen it spelled.

"Locust" was a Sevenesque kit out of the UK that was aluminum sheathed plywood on a tube steel frame.

JoeyM wrote:

joey48442 wrote:

DeadSkunk wrote: Joel,are you thinking of building a locost with your stash of Miata bits?

Yessir! Joey

I just noticed the thread title spelled it 'locust' even though it is 'locost'.....now I know why some people don't say "low cost"; they're repeating the way they have seen it spelled.

Oh, that was just the dumb spell check on the iPhone. I meant locost.

Joey

No big deal, it just reminded me of the comments in that other thread