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My Lotus 7's gestation period

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My Lotus 7's gestation period

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notakit

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An original OR plate complete with a '60 metal tab will be a nice finishing touch to this project.

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The numer two reason to install a radiator; so the second bulkhead's diagonal brace doesn't make the 7 look like a volvo!

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Why, its a transmission mount!

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Lighter, faster, sexier?

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Can anyone tell what this is going to be?

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The horizontal pieces are perfectly level and parallel. The slight asymmetric gap at the top is due to an uneven fiberglass opening. You and I are the only ones that will notice this. On to the three vertical bars!

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out of boredom I decided to build a grill from aluminum.

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Motor mounts with the required clearance for a narrow steering column.

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I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel (or manifold) here, just changing the carbs from 30º to level and adding a half inch to stay as far away from the header as possible.

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One half of the dual SU manifolds

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The head side of the intake manifolds

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An original 1960 Oregon plate complete with it's metal plate shows how the same 7" center-to-center spare tire mounts double as the license plate mount when I leave the spare at home.

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The beginning of a motor mount.

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Someone asked me what kind of mill I was using. ha!

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always checking the frame dimensions after every step in welding.

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I brazed one continuous tube through both bulkheads to assure the lower a-arm mounts are aligned with each other. The next step will be cutting the mid section out.

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tig welds with steel for crucial joints

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Starting the lower A-arm build

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Trying to look original without claiming to be original.

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I've rolled the front fender frames to be 2.5" above the tires. I didn't want the tire-hugging clearance of current fiberglass fenders nor the 4WD looking original design that was mounted to the

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These are the wire frames that border the aluminum fenders. Front fenders in this picture.

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Ah, much better! A 1960 Lotus 7 series II-A nose.

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The rear shocks are on their way from England. I'll weld the lower shock mounts once I have the shocks in my hands.

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The tank strapped in place. I will use a rubber strip under the fuel tank's straps for the final assembly. The next step is welding an angled fill-tube to the tank and picking up a short length of rubber hose to attach it to the Monza cap's nipple.

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Two of these tabs extend beyond the tank for the retaining straps. The aluminum nut-serts allow easy replacement should the threads get buggered up.

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The REAL trick is keeping the jumper cables away from the aluminum fuel tank should the battery die. "lets make a bomb!"

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The battery designed for a Miata leaves plenty of room for access between the seat and axle. Hopefully it will help with the 7's overall weight distribution too.

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The battery box welded in place.

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This is what my shortened rack should look like when its all done except mine will be LHD. Note the boots stay inside the body on this Lotus eleven.

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I've decided to put my steering rack behind the front axle like the early 7's which requires cutting the rack and it's housing down by at least 10". The rack is as easy as cutting then machining new threads and the keyway into the non-gear end.

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Steering rack quiz: Which one is a midget LHD and which one is a Morris LHD? Note the identical lengths.
(the Morris is on the left)

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Starting to look like a Lotus 7 silhouette. funny to think when this car is finished, it will weigh a couple hundred pounds LESS than my flat-table!

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A good fit before welding.

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baffle installed

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forming the end-caps of the fuel tank.

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The standard battery developed for the Mazda Miata was the perfect size for this little Lotus.

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The battery box to be located behind the passenger's seat. Those two holes are for aluminum nut-serts. That way if a thread gets buggered up I can replace it without damaging the paint.

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The beginning of a fuel tank. The design allows me to fill up 10.5 gallons for the long hauls (I live in the middle of nowhere) and the level top of the tank is the right height to support the rear storage area's deck.

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I'm using a Monza style cap so if/when I build a top for this Lotus, I wont have to unsnap the top for every fill up.

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A little sub-frame and plate to support the fuel cap and weight of the gas station's pump nozzle.

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Real knock-offs and the old snow tires off the donor car. Yes, I will get rid of those tires before the car hits the road.

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welded to the same diagonal tube that will be reinforced with the battery tray.

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Drilled to be a little lighter.

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Starting the frame side brackets for the panhard rod.

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The axle side of the panhard rod.

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Once the mounting tabs are welded to this frame, the tire nor frame will touch the body panel.

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The spare tire mount uses a front hub so the same hammer that removes the flat, removes the spare.

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Not a steering wheel but a removable spare tire mount that suspends the tire 1/2" from the body.

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5" off the ground and just a few more tubes left.

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Like the rest of the frame, I'm tig welding with silicon bronze rod. This requires less heat that steel rod, less time than the originally brazed frames and still has that brazed look.

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