Christopher smith

I thought the Chima info said it was a Sprite type ( Nash metropolitan or an old A40 like the one I have in my 1959 series 1). But he seems to have a lower A frame lateral location a bit like the series 2 had with their TR-10 axles which always cracked unless modified ( by the way- I have an old stock Tr10 casing I want to give away)- I am sticking with my series 1 set-up that has a very different lateral location approach.. Looks like a great set-up from the photos. It also said his axle had the double bearing modification ( like most Sprite racers have used). The Escort and Cortina axles would be quite different dimensions and reinforcement design I guess.

I am pretty close, right at the northwest edge of Philadelphia but I know for sure you will not fit in my 1959 Series 1 since I have an internal roll cage connected to the floor with side bars also. I am 5 ft. 10 in and 150 lb and it is tight. Watch your shoe size as well.My size 9 is just about max in my car but hope you find a newer version that will fit ok.

You may want to look at the Ron Champion book on how to build a Locost 7.It has loads of detailed drawings with dimensions for the frame etc. Happy to lend you my copy.. I never actually used it since my 7 is a 1959 Series 1 Lotus.

Never had CN36s on a Lotus but if they are like the ones I had back in the late 1960s they should be great

Sorry dumb move on my part. Will give more thought to things in the future. Hope the race goes well anyway

Carlos got it by beating LeClerc. But LeClerc has a major grid penalty and so does Perez. So Verstappen is up there next to Sainz for the start. Hamilton was looking good.

Sorry- I was watching the Formula 1 practice. Now I recall the Stalker is pretty heavy with loads of power so please disregard my GT6 comments. I would think Wilwood or Tilton might have some ideas.

Not sure on your car but Triumph GT6 front brakes were an easy fit to my Series 1 Lotus and should handle any sort of speed you might give it.

Great info! I guess the various organizations have very different rules. I recall a vintage race at NJMP a few years back where one of the 7s had adapted big finned Datsun drums on the front since disc brakes were not allowed. I think it was a series 1 . On my 1959 series 1 ( #475) I have Triumph GT6 discs up front and the regular small drums in the back on my Austin A40 solid axle that is apparently the same as a Nash Metropolitan/ AH Sprite type. The Tilton dual master cylinder with bias bar adjustment makes it work great. I used to run F Production SCCA in a Sunbeam Alpine a long time ago and was impressed with the 7s back then that ran in F with 948 engines and in D with the 1340 and 1500 Cosworths. SCCA got a bit crazy later and moved the super 7s into C and then B since they made the old Corvettes look bad in the corners anyway. Then back to D I think, and now it looks even crazier since some Sprites are beating Super 7s sometime, somehow. Anyway, so I got one as a basket case in the UK but then got too old to race by the time I collected all the parts and time to work on it. But it is great fun to drive even if I am 14 years older than the car. If anyone needs old parts I have tiny front drums and I have a TR10 rear casing that is intact but no Lotus attachment brackets.

For anyone wanting to get maximum performance from a 1500 may I suggest a look at Vizards great book on head design. The 1500 is one of several examples with detailed drawings and even templates showing deshrouding the valves and porting for much improved flow. But that does bring down compression so a head shave is needed. But I understand you should not go too wild with that as cracks may become an issue.. Happy to share those several pages for anyone interested.

I put a bit of peppermint oil in the shallow oil catch pan under my 1500 pre- crossflow. It mixes nicely with the drop a week of engine oil.

The one problem I had as a spectator to the Glen was the strict exclusion of us from the paddock area for the pro events. At Bridgehampton we could jump the fence right by the bridge. Had a nice tech talk with Bruce McLaren, met Pedro Rodrigues and Stirling Moss. Also helped load the team 250 GTO cars onto the transporter--- the good old days!

I bought some peppermint oil, soaked a cotton ball in an open plastic bag and wedged it in the engine compartment of my son's Subaru. That is after almost $1000 to replace a unit with the wires chewed off. Hope it works and hope my Lotus wiring is not tasty.

For sure the Glen is the best! From 1961, first as a spectator and later as a competitor (FP SCCA), it was a blast. Happy they moved that Armco back away from the edge in a few critical places.

Would like to have driven to The Queen's funeral but an ocean was in the way 1959 LOTUS 7 2022

Seems there are at least 2 areas of concern with ethanol doped fuel for old cars. Some of my parts, like the DCOE2 carbs, were designed back in the late 1950s maybe. So I was concerned about the difference in solvency aspect on any rubber parts and of course the foam in my ATL fuel cell. Alcohols ( ethanol, methanol and isopropyl) are quite different than hydrocarbons and you hear rumors that long term use might cause seal failures although I have not seen any really solid info on this type of failure. The other aspect is very different and that is the alcohol's attraction to water and possible line freezing or separation of an alcohol-water mix. I looked into avgas 100LL ( $8/gallon) and understand it might fit the bill if you can find a friend at the local airport. I guess I will stay with the racing fuel and not try to save money since I do not use the car for long or cold trips anyway and the lead lubricates the valve seats. I should mention that in boosting octane ratings when refiners had to take out the lead, they have used significant content of aromatic hydrocarbons like toluene and xylene ( I hope no benzene) so be careful of the toxicity. Thanks for all the inputs.

I think all the gas station fuel in my area has some ethanol all year.

Does anyone have personal, good or bad, experience using unleaded fuel in an old 7? I have the 1500 Cortina with 2x40DCOE2, 10.2 to 1, electric pumps, ATL Sports Cell and new fuel lines. I have been using Sunoco 110 octane but really do not need 110 so diluting it a bit with local premium may be of interest. I do have the old unhardened valve seats so will still want some lead in the mix.

SENC- Great advice. I used Advanceddistributors.com that show a 2-3 week turn around on their website. You need to specify some engine details and the use intended so they can set the advance curve.I have a Lucas 25D4 in my 1500.

Henry Looks great! I have a bare TR10 axle housing I will give you (? shipping cost?). It should be the same as yours was originally ( unless the previous owner swapped out for an Escort or Ital rear assembly) but with no reinforcements or Lotus weld on attachment points, so a bit of a task to adapt to your car but a decent welding shop could do it. My car has the original Austin A40 (Sprite/ Metropolitan type) since it is a Series 1, so the TR10, common in series 2, is of no use to me. By the way, if you tear down the engine, you should see if it has a "rope seal" or newer type rear seal before you order the gasket set and get hardened valve seats so you will not need lead in your fuel like I do. Bean Engineering can fix you up. You might also want to check the valve lift (easy to do) to get some idea on the cam spec. . To check compression you can cc the head and I have some great diagrams/template info if you want to further deshroud the valves. Do you intend to track the car or street? I am curious about the rear strut brace diameter. That front brace looks like a good idea.

Just a thought. If dry sump, I would guess it also has a higher lift/longer duration cam as well. So that might make for some unusual idle effects. i doubt a previous owner would go to the expense of dry sump just for street use so probably has high compression as well. I think competitive racers back in the 1970-1980 era were running as high as 13 or more to 1 so good to watch the plugs for signs of detonation unless you use race fuel( you may not hear it with all the other noise going on).

Sounds like we have the same engine that was early Cortina based but now with 2x40DCOE2s, worked head, 10.2 to 1 , Newman cam from UK. Running on Sunoco or VP 110 octane to get the lead and no alcohol (way more octane than I really need).I sent my distributor to a specialist for a complete redo, elimination of the vacuum advance and an advance curve suited to track. I eliminated the stock type condenser and have an external one I adapted to make it all work and reliable.Happy to discuss and send all details/documentation. I am in Philadelphia area.

I think it is because Ferraris started to look like Toyotas or was it the other way around? So who needs aerodynamics anyway? And yes, we stand out!

Thanks MV8. Maybe I should go with that carb set up but the dual side draft are a real Joy when the RPMs are up.

Sorry if my info on scoops was confusing to anyone. I chose aluminium to match the look since my bonnet is unpainted 3003-H14. For anyone contemplating a composit approach and may be less familiar with the technology, the term "hand layup" refers to the method real craftsmen use employing a carefully done mold (female in this case) and appropriate layers of gel coat, surface veil and then the layers of glass cloth or chopped strand mat unless you want carbon fiber or Kevlar. Such a product is far superior to SMC (sheet molding compound -think Corvette) or spray up as used on mass produced items. It has a superior stiffness to weight ratio and should be less prone to cracking as well. My opinions are based on 30 + years spending time in many shops and factories employing all these materials and methods. So I have seen a lot of fine work and cheaply produced manufacturing as well. I will admit my communications skills are lacking however, but I am trying to share some important info and very much agree with others who shared info previously and it is fortunate that scoops are now already available.