SENC

I tested the sealant on the hood, but it added a bit of cloudiness/haze, so I wiped it back off with mineral spirits and will just go bare. I'm happy with how it looks, far from perfect but a big improvement. Finally got my block back from boring and honing. Getting paint on things and hoping to find time in the next few weeks to begin re-assembly.

Remember that the thermostat doesn't necessarily impact the ultimate running temperature and it has very little to do with overheating (unless it is stuck closed or to high a temp rating), it is there to help the engine warm up to its designed operating temperature more quickly. Early Sevens, mine included, didn't have a thermostat - they were open flow - a flow advantage once warm, but since coolant flow through the radiator initiates at start-up it does take longer to get to a good operating temperature. Ie., there may not be a reason to put in a higher temp t-stat, unless you just want to raise the temp further before allowing coolant flow through the radiator. And a lower temp t-stat will not prevent overheating, it only means the coolant flow starts earlier.

If not pressurized, then a longer tube won't do anything because the inverse would also be true and there would be no vacuum to suck coolant back in... If pressurized, then you could be low on coolant just due to repetitive dumping of coolant into the recovery tank/overflow voir without the ability to recover it. Easy to tell looking at the underside of the cap.

5 star worthy, right there.

Doing my part, just changed my phantom 1 star to a 5 star rating.

It is a bit of an experiment, for sure. The recommendation came from a well-known car detailing guru, not because he has done a lot of aluminum work but he was sharing a recommendation from a colleague that does a lot of Harley Davidson work and that swears by it as the best solution he's found for the aluminum bits. Note, this isn't a thick/hard/"permanent" coat type of sealant - rather a wipe on, much like using a ceramic sealant or even wax as a protective sealant on paint, so it will wear and when its is time to polish anything remaining will polish right off. Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Wheel Coating (pinnaclewax.com) is the product that was recommended. Logically it makes sense to me that a sealant should reduce oxidization (in addition to making waterless washes more effective) - but I do wonder how long it will last and whether it will wear evenly or unevenly. I'm also a long way from an expert on this, so welcome any contrary thoughts, experience or advice!

A dirty and sweaty Father's Day weekend, but satisfying nonetheless. Polishing took a full 12 hours. Still far from perfect, and the areas exposed to road rash are rougher than the rear, but fun to see it shine without the oxidization. I still need to put the sealant on it, in hopes it will preserve the finish a little longer, but needed a break from wiping so finished the day by replacing the propshaft u-joints instead. Progress.

To be reasonable, an offer would have to be above your asking price! Put it on craigslist for $4k and it will be gone for over $3k in a week. If I didn't have a trailer, I'd drive down there myself!

Thanks Chris! I'm going to work on it a bit more this weekend, so let me get a bit more done before I start giving how-to advice... but I will say the guidance I was given on starting with a standard rotary polisher, 7.5" wool pad, and Nuvite IIF7 was spot-on. With the size and depth of scratches in mine the Nuvite IIF9 (more aggressive) would probably have even been better, but to really remove them would require wet-sanding and my goal wasn't getting it to perfect - just to a good state of clean. And because of the flaws, I could probably skip the final polish with the IIS. I'll let you know how I get along this weekend. The big test will be how it holds up to prints, etc. and how often it needs to be polished. I've gotten a recommendation from Mike Phillips (autogeek detailing guru) to try Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Wheel Coating to seal the aluminum, so will be trying that in hopes that I can limit polishing to once a year. I am told that polishing aluminum gets easier every time you do it, as the process helps "heal" aluminum. I'm skeptical (and lazy), but we'll see.

Progress! Gets me excited about getting my bits returned to start reassembly! And, yes, that is a proper car on proper blocks!

Thanks, it was kind of fun to see more and more reflective detail. My concern with polishing is that it may show fingerprints more than oxidized as I get in and out, remove/install the bonnet, etc. I've had a recommendation from a detailer to use wheel coating designed for alu wheels to seal it, so may give that a try - if I find I'm having to polish or clean more frequently to keep it up, it will go back to the oxidized look quickly. My intent is to spend more time using it and less time cleaning it!

Restraint. I remember that, vaguely. Not generally seen amongst Seven owners. You might rethink your decision now, while there is still time. Otherwise, welcome to the roller coaster (the old school pre-Nader kind), you'll have more fun than you thought possible on four wheels!

Firsts efforts on the rear of the car - I figured if I didn't like the look it wouldn't be too visible with the spare in place. In sequence are the before, after compounding with a 7.5" wool wheel and Nuvite IIF7, after polishing with the Cyclo and Nuvite IIF7, and after polishing with the Cyclos and Nuvite IIS. As mentioned previously, this car was originally painted all over and scraped by a prior owner around 2008. Deep scratches from the scraping along with other dings and imperfections from 55+ years of life won't be removable without major sanding (even if then), so I knew the result would be far from perfection - and debated a long time whether polishing would be an improvement over oxidized state or just highlight the flaws. In the end, I'm pleased with the result and will continue on - though it is a laborious and dirty job!

well done!

This is the transport I want for my Seven one day... much easier than towing.

While waiting on the engine boring to be completed, I talked myself into polishing up the aluminum... so prepped today by removing all the fiberglass. Looks nekid!

Not the VIN, but a frame number is stamped on the frame, beside the master cylinder bracket (at least on my RHD). And here is a link from the lotus 7 register site, with a little more information... Lotus Seven Register - Miscellany (lotus7register.co.uk)

You might reach out to Mick at xtraspecialsevens.co.uk. The PO of my S2 Seven had him replace the loom and he did an exceptional and clean job. He does a lot of Seven work in the UK and may have a diagram. Very nice and responsive. Mike Ostrov, of Elite fame, Tony Ingram (lotus7.com), and John Donohoe (simplesevens and also a contributor here) are probably the most knowledgeable stateside and may also have leads or recommendations if you reach out to them. Keep us posted!

Not S1, but there are a couple S2 wiring diagrams in the download section... may be useful if you can't find an S1 manual or diagram.

Love those pics by the ocean - where is that?

Quite jealous! I should have pistons this week, so hopefully will get things back together before it gets too hot and sticky to enjoy - but did get a nice ride in my Elan today, in between painting exhaust manifolds and cleaning intake manifolds. The weather looks nice the next few days, think I'll take it to work in honor of Ross's drive up the East Coast.