Building a wider chassis - Rory Perrett
	The MKII Escort met its end a couple of years earlier and sold in smaller numbers than the MKII, IV and V Cortina. The Capri also went on a lot longer. With Locost builders becoming increasingly numerous MKII’s are becoming an endangered species. The Capri, Cortina and eventually the Sierra will offer more choice and potential for Locosts in the future. These cars are all wider than the MKII which leads to the question asked by many members, “How do you make a wider Locost?” As a builder you are faced with a number of options. 1. Keep the Chassis as per the Book. This is the simplest option. Fit the brackets on the axle to match the chassis. Keep the front suspension arms the same and use an Escort rack. The track at the back will be greater than at the front and the rear wheels will stick out further from the body which may have implications for the width of the rear arches. There are those that say if you are using standard wheels and tyres this can lead to a better looking car as the wheels fill the arches better. Remember that the tyres must be covered and cannot stick out beyond the arches. 2. Increase the Width of the Chassis at the Back. Cortina Axles are about 100mm (4”) wider than Escort MKII’s.The back of the chassis can be widened by increasing the lengths of Chassis Tubes D1,D2 and J1,J2 by approximately 290mm(11.4”) Tubes TR3, TR4, l, m, n and o will also be affected. Unless Tube A1,A2 and N1,N2 are shortened by approx. 286mm the resulting car will be longer. Shortening Tubes A1,A2 and N1,N2 has implications for the lengths of the Transmission Tunnel Tubes a,b,c and d. and Tube TR5 and TR6. Tube P and Z will need to be longer and all Tubes back from B2 will have to be 100mm (4”) longer e.g. B1, O3, O, V, Y and the bent tube that forms the top of the boot. Again the car will use an Escort steering rack and have a different track front and back An alternative would be to increase the angle of J1,J2, D1,D2 and probably F1,F2 so that they are 100mm further apart at B2. This would effectively shorten the overall length of the car slightly and require Tubes C, Q, S, T, E, G1,G2 and R to be altered as well. As the car would become marginally wider from Tube LC/LD backwards there may be implications for the fitting of the nose cone (See 3) and front suspension wishbones. 3. Increase the Whole Width of the Chassis. This approach is fairly straight forward in terms of the affect it has on tube lengths. By adding up 100mm to all tubes that go across the car (LC, LD, C, B1,B2, V, O, P, Q, Y etc.) you will widen it by up 100mm. Tubes O1,O2 and Z will also be affected. At the front a wider steering rack will be required, either an Escort unit with extended track rod arms or the one from the Cortina, and there may be implications for the fitting of the nose cone. The chassis may be too wide to fit inside a bought nosecone. Slightly wider nosecones can be obtained for example Monospares supply nosecones 2 inches wider than standard.