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Brief bit of history/ the story so far (this is a bit tedious, skip to the pictures if you want).
My house mates and I don't exactly get along with our landlord and letting agents. As some of you may have read on my mini's build diary I was rebuilding a C20XE redtop in my living room with my house mate Dom who is a fellow engineering student.
After being given no prior warning my landlord came round one day and was not happy that there was an engine in bits in his living room (the whole ground floor is tiled incase you were wondering). I was falsely and incorrectly threatened with eviction if I did not remove the engine however at no point have I ever been told what I have done wrong despite on numerous times asking them to send it to me in writing. I think this may because as far as my parents, my house mate Dom's parents, the student union's housing advisor at Coventry University and I am aware, we did not breached the contract. My landlord is trying to hold us to the contract yet has broken it himself on numerous occasions.
I was originally looking for plans to build a swing bin racer for my cousins daughter. In my search I came across the plans to build a full locost, a lotus 7 replica (never found the swing bin racer ones).
My house mates and I were joking (alcohol may have had something to do with this) that we should build a locost for the simple purpose of annoying my landlord. After sobering up, checking our contracts and what was discussed in a meeting I had with the SU advisor we found that if we were to build one then there would be no breach in contract.
I have now begun to turn our drunken joke into a reality. Mwhahaha...
Step 1: Build work bench
Built in a truly student way, all wood was scrounged for free. Paint and screws as well
The frame work for the table has had to have all the legs different lengths to make it level due to the poor job of laying the paving slabs in my garden. I have made it so it lines up with the edge of the paving slabs so if it ever moves I know where to put it back. It has also been positioned so that I can plug my welder in though the window into the sockets just inside the kitchen.
Top applied to the frame.
You may all think that this is a bit extreme but:
a. I do not like loosing in an argument. I will go to excessive lengths just to prove my point.
b. I have worked out I will only need to put in 1 hour a day until the end of term to finish the chassis at which point I will carry it though my house (I've checked it fits), strap it to my roof rack and drive home with it.
c. I already have some of the steel to build the chassis from. The cost of the rest will be more than covered by selling the complete chassis afterwards. Either that or my mum may being getting one hell of a birthday present. She always wanted a sports car.
d. I did consider building it inside the house however this may breach the no smoking laws if welding indoors. The ground floor is less level than paving slabs outside anyway.
e. I would have brought the mini to my house to work on but it is currently stuck on axle stands and it won't fit though the house. The locost chassis is light enough to be turned up on edge and carried through by two people.
f. I am seriously bored and want something to build. I have university work to do but remember all work and no play makes Jack an axe wielding psychopath.
If it is dry tomorrow morning then I will begin marking out the chassis on the work top. Next week the rest of the steel will be ordered and I will commence cutting it to length and tacking it together.
