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Photos taken Thursday evening on our way home from a huge Cruise Night held about 1 ½ hours drive from our home. It was around 8:00 ish and the sun was setting behind us. You can see the setting sun in the headlight bowls. I was asked by a professional photographer; what was my favourite view of my car? I said looking at the scenery in the reflections in the headlight bowls. He said; “I don’t know how to shot that.” So this was my wife’s first attempt at it.

Hi @San Augustine Understood, and my error, apologies. I should have added it to one of Darcy's posts on page 1. Sorry about that. Thanks for the confirmation on the Europa and Elan. It would be interesting to compare prices between the two countries, as shipping from the U.K. as noted by Darcy, has gone sky high. I recently ordered a part from Pegasus in the U.S. (only available from them), and they found a very reasonable postal rate for me. The cost of the item was below the tax level for Canada fortunately, so nothing extra to pay. Cheers W.

Great John. 👍. 2020 helmet are good👍.

When I had my S2 chassis, I ended up swapping out the stock fixed steering column for a complete later Caterham steering column assy. That included the upper and lower steering columns and the clamp assy. This added some adjustability to the steering wheel position and a bit of a safety factor as well. You could get the Caterham quick release upper steering column instead of the stock upper column so you could remove the steering wheel. Not cheap though. I bought some 3/4" cromoly tubing and welded the spline section of my quick release to the upper end and machined the lower end to accept the clamp assy. I forget what the wall thickness was but it fit well with the lower column. It could be an option for you.

@EdWills I wasn’t referring to the hub, just the spindle which is Triumph. The Europa and Elan still used the 3&3/4 bolt pattern hub. Although, Elans were available with knock offs. Now that we have new tariffs the UK is probably a better source of parts for Canadians than the USA. I suppose you can get parts from the UK duty free?

I'm in! Got my HANS recertified & my helmet's an SA2020, so it's still good, right? I have to check my belts.

Thanks, I just tried this. Seems alright. I hear a little clanking, but I'm thinking its slop in the parking brake. @Slonie The A-frame bolts feel tight. As a test, I put another 1/8 turn on them or so. Will test tomorrow and see if there is a difference. In doing so, I noticed some play/clunk when I tugged on the rear anti-roll bar. These are hard-mounted with no bushings, which I was surprised to see. Its probably worth going through all the fasteners, like you took the time to do.

Lime Rock Historics today.

I don’t know for certain but I’d throw a socket wrench on each side of it and give a tug on those, if it moves at all it definitely wasn’t torqued to spec (the spec is I believe 81Nm with a 3/4” socket plus deep socket, ie pretty darn tight) In my case I don’t think I could identify any movement by hand, but definitely noticed the lack of torque on this one during my bolt check. Scientifically speaking I also tightened every other rear suspension fastener as well as my differential mounting bolts, but this one was both the easiest to access, most loose, and most likely culprit for a clunk. One of my diff bolts was also loose — these warrant a torque check as well but don’t be like me and trust the modern IKEA manual for torque specs — older diffs have a lower spec and I definitely overdid mine before realizing this. Check the build manual that matches your car! Hopefully not a huge headache for future me.

lime rock historics today.

I have not changed or done this myself. But online seems like if you pull handbrake and push car back and forth that should replicate the clunk of its the bush https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=101&t=1924694

Some photos of the windshield and doors. Sorry, I don't have any photos with the hood or bikini top on it.

Additional photos

Engine photos

Coffee stop before Santa Fe Cars and Coffee

Found this out from a post by a Lotus Seven designer. He redesigned the front hubs for the Lotus Seven Series 3 in order to take the 4-1/4 inch bolt circle pattern of the Ford wheels to match the same bolt circle diameter of the Escort rear axle after supplies of the Standard Triumph rear axle dried up. The Standard Triumph steel hub could not be modified from its 3-3/4 inch bolt circle diameter to suit the larger diameter, therefore Triumph hubs as fully machined by them could no longer be used. He did not mention if the hubs were specially produced by Lotus, or sourced as blanks from Standard Triumph. The hubs for the Series 4 would likewise be required to have a 4-1/4 inch bolt circle. Would the Europa and possibly the Elan be required to have a different bolt circle measurement, or were the rear hubs still of 3-3/4 inches on these models? Cheers, W.

Hi @San Augustine and @Darcy. Just some info. that I added to another forum and found on-line regarding bushes used on Lotus cars in general. A poster had inquired regarding the source of a certain bushing, and a model of car (not Lotus) was quoted as the source. This from from AI: "Metalastik (often spelled Metallastic) is a famous historical British brand of rubber-to-metal bonded components, including flexible bearings and bushings, founded in Leicester in 1937 by engineer Mac Goldsmith. The brand is now owned by Trelleborg and distributed in the U.K. by Robush. Numerous car manufacturers used these bushes, including Ford, TVR, Jaguar, Lotus, and numerous other road and racing car manufacturers, plus kit car producers. Back in the day before computers, manufacturers would have catalogues of products from the various supply companies, and the car designers would source bushings and other necessary parts from the catalogues to suit the car they were designing. Although a Metallastic mount was used on say a Jaguar front and rear bumper, it was not exclusively a Jaguar part, as other manufacturers would make use of the same item (Lotus Seven 2,3 engine mount). Lotus would buy the bushings directly from Metallastic, not say Jaguar, as doing this would reduce profit margin. Although interesting to some where a certain bush was used on another car, I don't think it would be necessary for a rebuild of a Lotus Seven to source a set of bushings from all of the different car manufacturers who used a certain bush in order to replace it on a Seven (or even a Caterham 7), unless a required bushing was so rare and only available from another car company parts bin. I hope during the winter months (when it's freezing in my garage and too cold to do any work) that I will add a list of bushes with photos identifying the various part numbers of the bushes - used on a Seven - to my web site. This is not to say that Robush for example, will still have the same part number. Many bushes are probably metric measurements these days Chris Mintoft at Redline would be the go to for these bushes, unless he can no longer get some of them. Just a note: I am not sure if Chris uses Lotus part numbers. Mick Lincoln of the original Redline Components advised me ages ago, that he did not use the numbers from the Lotus Seven Owners Manual, instead relying on a description of its use or photo of the required part? @Darcy I would be interested to find out which is cheaper, purchasing - with the cost of shipping included - from the U.K. and the U.S. please? Cheers, W.

I've listed mine....

For sale is my 1999 Caterham Seven S3, a genuine factory-built Caterham powered by the Rover 1.8-liter K-Series VVC engine. This is a well sorted and dependable factory built Caterham with approximately 28,000 miles, extensive documentation from new including the order sheet, original Caterham factory build sheet, receipts for maintenance, MOT’s, and improvements from new to present. It has a North Carolina title in my name and listed as a 1999 Caterham 7. The car is right hand drive and I have had no issues at all with that. The original number plates from the UK are on the car. I toyed with the idea of removing them but I liked the idea of keeping them. Specifications: ● 1999 Caterham Seven S3 ● Genuine factory-built Caterham ● Rover 1.8-liter K-Series VVC engine with 4-2-1 stainless steel exhaust ● Ford Type 9 five-speed manual gearbox and Sierra differential and FIA rollbar ● De Dion rear suspension, Arrowstar springs, lowered driver floor, Momo steering wheel with quick release, Caterham upgraded brake package on the front ● Motogadget tach and speedometer and factory carbon fiber dash ● 13-inch wheels ● Toyo R888R tires (205’s) in back and 185 Nankang Sportnex NS2R's in front ● Carbon Fiber Aeroscreen and SPA F1 mirrors ● Factory windshield, hood, doors, and bikini top included in the sale ● Spares such as second aeroscreen, starter, and oil filter ● Ford Pacifica Blue (the graphics are easily removable if they are not to your liking; they are in the style of Mondrian/Swiss Modern and I have received many compliments about them at car shows and just out driving) Also included is a Softbits for Sevens wind deflector (you can see it attached to the headrests) and one of their bespoke rain covers specifically for the S3 with FIA rollbar and carbon fiber aeroscreen. The car offers the classic Caterham driving experience: very low weight, direct steering, a manual gearbox, excellent feedback and a high-revving engine. I have found the Rover VVC to be a particularly good fit for the Seven, providing strong performance while retaining the light and compact character that makes these cars so enjoyable. The car is 27 years old so there is some patina in the paint but it presents amazing well. The car is complete and running and driving. I had considered a Duratec conversion and acquired some components for that project, but I decided not to take this Caterham apart. The car is being offered in its current configuration so the next owner can drive and enjoy it immediately. I have a deposit on a different spec Caterham that is more track focused so although I am in no great rush to sell this one, I am somewhat motivated and don't "need" two of these cars. The car has several desirable features, including the factory-built specification, lowered driver's side floor, VVC engine, De Dion rear suspension, Arrowstar springs, FIA rollbar, low mileage, documentation from new, weather equipment and existing clean North Carolina title. Will you fit? I'm nearly 6'2" and 260 pounds, so if you are like most people and under those dimensions: yes! This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a genuine factory built, low-mileage Caterham that is properly titled and ready to enjoy. Located in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. Asking $32,500 OBO Inquiries and offers are welcome. I can provide additional photographs, documentation and videos of the car starting, running and driving. I'll be taking more interior, engine, and exterior photos and adding to this post/thread as I take them over the weekend.

Yes, I believe the Spitfire uprights are the same. So if you redo the trunnions go with Triumph parts. Also found a cheaper source for the 636 bushings. They are the same for the Europa and Seven S4. SJ enterprises. https://www.sjsportscars.com/parts-and-accessories/X036C6004Z.htm

OK. Let's try again. Your steering shaft is 3/4", and this adaptor can be welded onto it. The shaft slides out easily once you release the semi-universal joint down at the steering pinion. But then, the hub on this quick release is only about 2.5" while center to center across the screw holes on your wheel is 2.6", so you'll need to get your friendly local machine shop to make a plate that adapts your wheel to this hub, complete with threaded holes. I think there is enough space to put it together without moving the wheel into your ribs, but before you pull the shaft out take some measurements because you might want to trim the shaft. need to https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Aluminum-Quick-Release-Steering-Wheel-Hub-Splined-3-4-Inch,29178.html?_gl=1*1vk549l*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjw--7UBhCpARIsAGJBptjYwhL47QqsrRSfCRHUv5uSe4V5NUse8GXgNZzVW7r0CTqpy-Z3c8EaAmyDEALw_wcB&gbraid=0AAAAAD8-Mcm9VL9IJkvpcn9i4Ts_oR_Vp

Thanks. A local Seven owner loaned me his copy of the book and it fell into my scanner. Oops. I found an interesting link today to a repair manual for ancient triumph heralds and spitfires. You need an ad blocker because the site is terrible but you can read the document without signing up for anything. Some of it looks applicable: https://www.scribd.com/document/48540023/Group-4-Suspension-Steering

Ouch! Here are some pictures from the Tony Weale book that you might find useful especially if you tackle the front suspension. The Y9 and Y16 bushings are MG parts and are readily available. If you decide to replace your engine mounts know that they are from a Jaguar E type and easily obtainable on this side of the pond.

Joe, I have the same situation. I'm 81 and have a 1962 S2 with a standard wheel. I researched putting a quick release on the steering last year and never found a solution that would work - there is so little space between the wheel and the panel, and the adaptor would be a challenge to mount. This car was designed for English men who were malnourished during WW2, not post-war 73" Americans. I gave up. Upper body strength is one clue. One hand on the transmission tunnel and one on the "door" and lift. I'm sorry that I cannot be more encouraging. If you find a way, please share it.

I couldn't find a diagram of the steering column in an S2, but if it's like my Westfield, you'll have difficulties. The wheel is too close to the dash for any QD adapter I've used. And, there's a flange welded to the end, that the wheel bolts onto, which would need to be cut off, and the wheel will end up closer to you. If I were doing it, I'd certainly fab a new shaft to mount the QD on, and not muck up the original check the ID of the QD, you might have to sleeve it to fit the shaft