IamScotticus

Don't be a stranger. We like pics and stories. You don't come off a drive without a story. A 7 is never boring, is impossible to ignore, and always on the edge of what a 1k pound roller skate can do on a road. Get ready to be asked about the 7 wherever you go. And don't stand with your leg close to the fuel filler when pumping fuel.

Or a voltage regulator?

Welcome to the LBC disease Little British Car

I'll chime. Reliable? Depends. These 7s can be screwed together well and the car shakes itself apart. It's part of the bonding process and journey. Price? With all the 7s that show up for sale, $25k is about right for a good 7, even a Crossflow. I think you could have your tucas three inches off the ground for half of what you're looking at. But, it's the whole package and this is your your chance to get it. Investment? Nope. The next guy will always haggle you down. Wear and tear, damage, etc. You can't be looking at the resale. If you can't enjoy the 7 without worrying about the money hit later, buy a cheaper Caterham. They're all very similar. Just get a DeDion. Maintenance? This is not reliable transportation. If a 7 is reliable, someone knows what they're doing. I would encourage you to "get into the car". Learn all you don't know so you aren't reliant on someone else. That may not be in your priorities. Doesn’t a aircraft pilot know his craft well? Absolutely, inside and out. Its a very simple car really. Knowing the workings is being pit crew and chief mechanic for your race car. I'm not going to say you would do this, but here's a story. I knew a software engineer type who found his dream 7 for sale. It was a used race beater with the typical mods. Well sorted. It was bought and shipped to him via a car currier. He asked me to come by and give him advice on how to operate the car (red flag!) I got there and he had the biggest grin, he was so proud of himself. He had connected the battery and driven the 7. I saw it coming. I opened the coolant cap, no coolant. Probably no oil either. The car had been prepared for shipping and fluids were drained. I got out of there quick and the blame game started between buyer and seller. KNOW YOUR CAR.

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True that. I'll go through my books. Probably have some of the same books.

Good bit of history. I'll add the A40 to the poll.

Correct. Future 7 owners need help in choosing and configuring an axle to the 7. I have always heard the early RX7 is a good option, and the earliest had matching lug bolt circle PCD of 3.75".

Tony Weale's book, Lotus Seven, has an impressive chapter on the S4. 26 pages.

There is Quantum. Not sure how active they are now. https://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6624

How Can I tell an Austin Ital axle from a Morris Marina axle? And why should I care? Virtually everything I've read from Caterham has stated they used Ital axles. Perhaps in the 80's, they did, or tried. When I look at my 1996 Classic, I see it is a Marina. The axles are virtually identical after being stripped of the original leaf spring perches and damper mounts, etc. As Graham Sykes points out, all the seals , etc, interchange. The difference is the hub key. The Marina had a 3/16 x 1/4" wide key and the Ital had a 1/4" square key. Is this problem? It depends. The Ital axles that replaced the Escort axles, and allowed the extension of the rear bulkhead for the long cockpit, have the bearings pressed on and the shafts and were known to walk out from track curbing and lateral hammering from loose A frames. In the 90s when the Itals were offered with the Classics, Caterham sourced remanufactured Escort Sport transmissions and Ital/Marina axles from a supplier, or suppliers. Among some of the questionable things done in the reman process was swapping of hubs and shafts. The hubs needed to be removed so new bearings and seals could be installed. In many instances, the bearings were tack welded to the shafts to fix the walking problem. This procedure was (possibly) Caterham's idea. I won't say who told me that. The possibility that you may have a shaft compromised by a weld is another reason to consider before using a Quaife ATB on the Ital axle. During the refitting of the hubs, if a hub didn't fit on the shaft, it was discarded for one that would which led to the mixing of parts. There have been instances of Ital hubs put on Marina shafts in which case, the wider Ital hub keyway could, and did, shear the key. Having said all this, the Ital & Marina isn't a bad axle, it's just not a great axle for hard use. These are things to check for on your axle.

Should I put a Quaife ATB (QDF8K) in my Ital / Marina Live Axle? https://shop.quaife.co.uk/shop/atb-differentials/quaife-atb-differential-sale/quaife-marina-ital-axle-atb-differential-qdf8k/ An upgrade to the open differential is a very tempting proposition. Yes, they do make the rear end much better. Yes, they are excellent for traction, tractability and all. What I have read is it depends on the driving you do. A problem with the live axle car, in a car as light as the 7, is in hard cornering it is possible for the inside rear wheel to raise off the pavement. This allows the free wheel to spin up then the hard contact when it hits the ground will snap axles. http://www.jameswhiting.com/page17.html These Ital & Marina axles are too hard to source now to risk them when there's nothing wrong with an open diff. No, I wouldn't recommend any differential upgrade for the Ital unless you are positive you are keeping all four on the floor.

For those with the Ital or Marina axle, here is some helpful information: The Ital Axle Debate by Graham Sykes https://lowflying.lotus7.club/1993/1993_03_05_Ital.pdf And here Compatibility of the Ital Axle with the British Leyland parts bin by Elie Boone https://lowflying.lotus7.club/2017/2017_11_04_Ital.pdf Marina Owners Workshop Manual by Haynes and Chambers-Hunt Haynes Publishing Group ISBN 0 85696 489 1 Morris Ital Owners Workshop Manual by Mead Haynes Publishing Group ISBN 1085010 075 6

In the mid 50's, Mr. Chapman and company built the Lotus Mk 6 and then the 7 with de Dion final drives. But there was a problem, the de Dion was too expensive. The Lotus boys went poking around the auto jumble and found a solution. The Live Axle would be the 7's primary final drive for the next twenty-eight years. In the mid 80's, Mr. Nearn and company were developing the Caterham 7 into a faster car with higher performance engines. But there was a problem, the live axles were too weak, too heavy, availability was diminishing, and rear drums weren't ideal. The boys at Caterham went poking around the auto jumble and found a solution. The de Dion would be the 7's primary final drive for the next fourty years, and for the foreseeable future. In the mid 90's, Mr. Nearn and company wanted to sell a basic economy 7 kit called the "Classic". But there was a problem, the de Dion was too expensive. The boys at Caterham went poking around the auto jumble and found a solution. The Live axle would be the primary final drive for the "Classic" range up to the late 90's, or the end of Ford Crossflow availability. All this means is that there are a lot of 7s out there, Lotus, Caterham and other makes- with the live axles. They will need maintenance, parts and rebuilding. Owners will need the knowledge, parts and help to do all this. The next generation of live axle owners will not have owned or wrenched on a live axle car in their lifetimes, even if they did get an ASE certification. I believe the last north American market regular production live axle car was the 1983-93 Chrysler 5th Avenue, with a few exceptions. This thread is open for live axle discussion. Please contribute all you can to help the other guy.

its not unusual to space the mounts with washers to level things out. This is very much a hand fitted car.

What are you using for fuel pump? If its an electric, definitely use a 3 psi regulator. If you are using the cam driven mechanical pump, you shouldn't need a regulator, but some have disagreed. There are many FRs from the various parts sellers. Pegasus is a popular supplier for Formula Ford and Kent engine parts and they do have these. Dave Bean Engineering is also excellent for parts and knowledge. You can call Ken there and he will know what you need. Your choice of FR may be determined by how you plan to locate it and the angles you need your fuel line to go. I would recommend an arrangement where you can have a pressure gage on the output to verify the actual pressure. Another thing you may be interested in is the Solex B26570 Pressure Stabilizer. I got mine at Pierce Manifolds. It's not a pressure regulator, but a surge suppressor. It evens out the flow to the bowls so acceleration peaks aren't slamming the inlet valve. Speaking of which, become familiar with adjusting your bowl float height. This is critical to be correct for good running. It's not to be assumed it is correct. This can get bent out of adjustment itself and you can adjust this yourself. From Pegasus: "Our third recommendation is to CHECK AND ADJUST THE FLOAT LEVEL. In racing, the fast guys check the float level at least once every weekend. Usually they do it when they arrive at the track, because towing the car to the track can knock the float out of adjustment. Meanwhile, you've been driving your street toy over potholes and speed bumps (or even off-road), which hammers the float even worse. And if you just bought your carb, how gently do you think the shipper handled it? CHECK AND ADJUST THE FLOAT LEVEL. This is particularly critical on downdraft carbs (DGV / DGES), where just a 4mm (5/32") drop in float height can take you from plug-fouling rich to plug-melting lean. (A book on Weber carbs would come in really handy right now.)" And my last word on pressure regulators, prices are all over the place on these. $50-100 will get you a good unit; no need to spend $300, unless your engine is a science lab and that's what you're into. But for fun driving, inexpensive (but not junk) is fine. http://davebean.com (209) 754-5802 https://www.pegasusautoracing.com 1-800-688-6946 https://www.piercemanifolds.com/default.asp (408) 842-6667 https://www.piercemanifolds.com/product_p/b26570.htm https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=1135

Do you have 1 3/4" pipes?

I don't want to be the guy who says, look what I have, and is no help at all. But for educational purposes, I happen to have this shield that came with the car. Mine is what appears to be made of a fiberous material, like asbestos. Or something known to the state of California to cause cancer. I think my gas station hot dog had a label that said California cancer ingredients. Sorry, I don't know where it came from or where to get one now.

Ahhh, the 70s

My mid-90s Caterham Live Axle parts catalog has alternator 432836 45Ah. These early part numbers were often the generic aftermarket numbers.

I suppose consistent tension across springs is more important than actual tension?

Can anyone vouch for this type of tool? They're selling for $70-90 on Amz

Exactly. Forget about the hood. If the outter hood stick is on top of the boot frame tube, it is correct. Have it there to fill the boor cover. The difference is some sticks have a bend in them to accommodate the FIA bar hoods, etc. From 1995 Another situation are differences between DeDion and Live Axle chassis. It's possible you could have mixed parts.

I prefer the 24 hrs of LeMons

If the master is a TRW PMC146 (GMC226TRW) buy new and replace