SENC

A little more progress - and wondering whether some of the bushes have ever been replaced...

Started putting things back together today, got the generator re-installed then started work on the front suspension. Got the driver's side bottom wishbone, top link and damper/spring unit reinstalled and vertical link (same as on my Elan) reassembled before realizing the traditional trunnion bushing metal seals wouldn't fit in the wishbones. The shop manual makes it look like the outer seal was simply omitted, but given that I'd rather use polybushes so have placed an order. Will get the passenger side bones and links installed tomorrow and hopefully get the bushes before next weekend.

air conditioner?????

Progressing piece by piece, today the motor mounts. Glad I did, they were completely delaminating. Oddly, on one side the bolts appeared tack welded to the mount base - so the failing centers actually played to my benefit in getting them out.

Confirmed KAR 965C, registered in 1965 within days of ex-works date. Should finish the steering rack rebuild this weekend, thought I'd share the attached pdf as it may be useful to others, too. steering rack rebuild.pdf Also found a correct cooling fan and blades:

Don't misunderstand, I'm not offended at all by thread drift. Just commenting that I hadn't seen thread waft before.

Could this be the first official case of thread waft?

Thank you, Anker! I was thinking after reading Mike's post that here I am 51 and buying the damn thing that I'll only be able to enjoy for 10 years - you give me hope!

Many thanks for your help Mike, will send my contact information via pm.

Have turned up a letter from Callanan to Brooklands Cars in 2001 with some history. His full name is Barry Allan Callanan, and in this letter he puts his address as 'Sunsrest' in Lilydale - a rehab or retirement facility perhaps? Perhaps why he had to sell? In it he shares that he bought the car from Slatter in 1968, so Slatter didn't own it long in Australia. He also refers to the Sandown club event and Lakeland Hillclimb, so presumably those were the only 2 times it was run competitively. No dates, but both were pre-1994 when he says he did his second major mechanical overhaul. The first was after he threw a rod at Sandown, I'm guessing from the letter in the 70s or early 80s.

nice!!!!

agree!

Brad Penn and Redline are the stateside recommendations I've gotten over the years for my Elan, both have plenty of zddp and are considered top end. Both are expensive, but I figure it is worth it for these old engines. I'm currently using Redline 20W50 for the twink in my Elan, planning the same for the Seven (pre-crossflow).

Agree, the ability to both search and to connect with others who have additional knowledge and tools is an amazing thing, and really does make this type of research fun! This thread, and your and Croc's signatures in particular, have amply demonstrated to me I don't have enough fun cars!

Wow, that is strong. Looked it up, current owner is Donald Wallace, who started LazyDays RVs.

Great photos on that link, unfortunately none are mine. While in Victoria, mine was JRE396.

Thanks Mike! I found my "suspected" Slatter in one of the Australia National Archive sites. I'll share a screenshot of the paperwork since it is publicly available. [ATTACH=CONFIG]16550[/ATTACH] Interesting that he has "disappeared" since. In the same archive there were 3 other Slatters incoming on the same date that I presumed to be wife and 2 sons based on their ages, so seems odd they would have only remained briefly but that is certainly possible. Callanan was definitely at one point at 111 David Road, I have that on both a c2001 registration document in his name and a c2009 letter he wrote. I would have to believe the Callanan at 49 David was a relative if not the same. Unfortunately, I do not know the year he ran at Sandown - Callanan sold the car to Paul Sabine/Brooklands Cars in 2001 (according to letter I referenced above, that was a heartbreaking sale he had to make). I do not know when he bought it from Slatter, but believe it to be fairly early - and possibly Slatter never used it in Victoria but sold it to Callanan shortly after arrival. On my initial FOI request the first two documents received were the original registration and a registration by Brooklands in 2001, nothing in between, so it is certainly possible Callanan was the original registered owner in Victoria. I have asked for some additional information, we'll see if anything else turns up.

That would do nicely! But where is the work done?

Yes, I'd be interested.

Online archives at Hertfordshire County indicate the KAR1-999 series all end in C (so were all issued in 1965). [ATTACH=CONFIG]16547[/ATTACH] This makes the most sense given Lotus records on when it left the works. I've asked the archivist for a copy of the records starting in KAR96, we'll see what (if anything) turns up.

Thank you for looking, I have not found either of them. Last known address I found for Callanan was David Road in Lilydale Vic, but that was 10 years ago.

Thank you Mike, I greatly appreciate the offer of assistance. Of course, I don't know for sure that I found the right John Slatter, but the one I found whose return to Victoria from England generally matches the story that goes with this Seven was named John Slatter, born November 1939. The tax situation you describe seems the most plausible explanation, and if I can find someone with access to UK records I suspect I'll find the registration their to end in C (which would indicate 1965) rather than B (1964) regardless of what the Victoria registration actually says. I do not know whether Slatter raced, nor do I know how long he owned the car in Victoria. At some point a Barry Callanan bought the car from him, and he owned it until 2001. Some notes from Callanan that were in the records I got with the car indicate he ran it in a club meet at Sandown and at least once in a hillclimb at Lilydale Lakeland, but condition suggests it was mostly a road car and lightly raced if at all. I have traded notes with Marc Schagen and he does not have any record of it racing - regardless, it introduced me to an interesting guy and his book, which I bought and have fully enjoyed!

I'm still digging into the history on the car, and have an interesting possible twist (or alternatively nothing), I'll share here on the outside chance someone reading it may have a tip for further research. From Andy Graham at Lotus and John Watson, the HLR 7 Registrar, my car left Cheshunt in 1965 - and its unit number (SB2042) fits for mid-65. The frame number, engine number, and carb numbers on the car today all match the Lotus records for SB2042, and the pictures and records I have pieced together from over the years convince me this is the same car recorded in the logs. According to those logs, the car was sold to a Mr. Slatter. A couple of the Australian owners since have said that Slatter was an Australian national who lived in London and who worked at Lotus at the time he purchased the car, and who took the car to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia when he emigrated back in 1965 or 1966. (I've found an online record of a Slatter (John D) who was a metallurgist that relocated from London to Melbourne in late 1966, who may have been the same person.) Until now, an oddity in the history is that a registration document indicates the car is a 1964, and that is how its various Australian owners have referred to it. The running theory has been that it was either an error or that the owner claimed it a 1964 to avoid being taxed as a new car on import. Pursuant to an FOI request, I've received a copy of the original application for registration of the car in Victoria (unfortunately with name and address redacted, as is the custom). According to this application SB 2042 (with matching information to the Lotus logs referenced above) was registered in January 1967. An unexpected finding on the application is the previous registration number, which as it turns out is a registration number from England (picture below). Unfortunately the last 2 digits are unclear, but I've asked if vicRoads can identify a clearer copy. What I can read is the first five digits, KAR96. The last digit could be a C as one would expect from a 1965, but also looks a bit like a B as one would expect from a 1964. [ATTACH=CONFIG]16520[/ATTACH] I understand the AR in KAR indicates the car was originally registered in Hertfordshire County (Cheshunt?). Can anyone here confirm that is accurate? If that is the case, I wonder if the following is a possibility: could the car have been a factory or test car of some sort, registered originally by Lotus in 1964 (with a "B" suffix), known to Slatter and eventually sold to him in 1965, at which point it got its unit number and entered in the logs? That all seems highly unlikely to me, but enough pieces fit I thought it an interesting possibility/theory on why the car was eventually registered in Australia as a 1964.

With rear brakes back together, I started dismantling the front suspension and steering. It is in surprisingly good shape for a 55 year old car. Wishbones and ARB in excellent shape, really don't even need much cleaning and probably won't waste time putting paint on them right now. I'll clean and repaint the vertical links, caliper brackets, steering arms, and dust shields, but they are all solid. Vertical link threads show almost no wear at all! The front brake calipers were visually ok but pistons seized. Not knowing the history, I'm taking the safe road and having them fully reconditioned and rebuilt (or more accurately exchanging them for a set already reconditioned). I debated doing it myself, but reconditioned type 12s are fairly inexpensive and it is worth it for piece of mind. Steering unit likewise looked pretty good on initial disassembly, just tired grease and muck of age but nothing a good cleaning and fresh grease won't handle. I suspect I'll find the same when I pull out the pinion assembly and rack. The car does look a little funny, though, with no front end!

Thanks. No, I found it in the UK (or it found me) and imported it myself.