Meeting the challenges of the steering & front suspension


I found the front suspension and steering to be a very satisfying but technically challenging aspect of building a Locost clubman.  I learnt a lot during this exercise and now understand more about suspension design than I thought possible. 

There is a great deal going on at the front of the car to make sure that the wheels stay attached and the car goes in the direction that you point the steering wheel. Nothing can be taken for granted when building your own steering and suspension as your safety depends on the effectiveness of every weld and design element.

Wrong choice for steering rack


Once the Locost was on the road I realised that I had made the wrong choice on one main component.  I installed a Holden Gemini (Isuzu) steering rack and this proved to have too many turns lock-to-lock, resulting in "slow" steering.  It's fine for cruising and general use but lacks the feel and quick reaction of a rack with less turns lock-to-lock.  In hindsight I now realise that I should have used an Escort Mk2 quick rack with 2.4 turns lock-to-lock which would have provided much sharper and more responsive steering as expected from a car like the Locost.

The Holden Gemini rack is very similar to the Escort rack and the mounts are almost identical.  Perhaps I will get around to changing over to the Escort rack in the future.

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