PhilS4

Thank, yes it seems they have a drop down menu and you can specify either type of pipe.

Brilliant, many thanks

Dear all, Im progressing my build (see separate thread) and I’m moving on to hard brake pipes. Thinking of buying an Automec kit here in the UK. However, I don’t have any photos of the pipe runs and bends. I’m concerned that I really only get 1 chance to shape the pipes! id be eternally grateful if someone with an S4 could post some pictures of the routing of the brake pipes please. The pipes on the rear diff are in place, so it’s the front to back run, the junction area and all around the front suspension that I really need to understand. many thanks, Phil

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything about the car, but things have been happening. I decided to strip the top end to see what sort of valve sizes the head had and found one snapped head bolt and that the head had small 38/32 valves. Therefore, I bought a Mexico head and bolted that on. The inlet manifold leaked coolant when first fitted, but some Hylomar Blue sorted that. I’ve also fitted an Accuspark non-vac distributor and sports coil. anyway, tonight I put some petrol in the tank (and stupidly spilled a lot on the garage floor too!) and got her to fire and run nicely. Initially, the float valves were stuck closed, but once freed off she ran well enough for me to set the timing and she now idles nicely with good oil pressure and no smoke. A pleasing hour or two, but I do now smell of petrol and the fumes from new parts getting hot for the first time! Please excuse the red rocker cover - I was experimenting but really I’m looking to use a tasteful alloy cover when I can find one at the right price.

Ok guys and gals, I’ve made a tiny bit of progress. First, I found a generic fuel filler hose that should fill the air gap between my tank and the bodywork. Second, this morning my wife was pestering me to get to grips with my new (second-hand) mig welder and fix the frame of a kitchen stool that the kids broke. Great! Something to practice on before I do any welding on the car! Anyway, after a bit of trial and error the stool frame looked ‘functional’ but rough.By the end, I thought my welds were good enough for me to make a front suspension turret brace bar. So I took 2x rose joints and a piece of plain steel tube in which they were a snug fit and then welded it all up. Here are some pictures. It won’t win awards, but it’s a lot better than the kitchen stool! Have fun in the garage! Phil

The Dellortos are here so I spent 10 mins taking off the 32 DGV and putting them loosely in place. The Dellortos are set up with 32mm chokes, 50 idle jet, 132 Main, 33 pump and 200 air correction tubes. The emulsion tubes are 7772.5. Looking at Des Hammill’s book and various posts online, that seems like a recipe that might work for a 1600gt engine. Probably a bit rich across the range, but I don’t know what internals my engine has. I think it is fairly standard as the rebuild receipts just list bearings etc. I just need to fit the handbrake mechanism and buy a new inlet manifold gasket and side entry dizzy cap before I can bolt them up tight.

Thanks all. It’s really helpful to hear that we all have similar views about the aesthetic problem areas. I was playing with the idea of doing the dash inserts in sheet aluminium or crackle black paint to make the distinction between dash and scuttle. Even the red leather of some earlier cars might work with a green body. I also thought that covering the dash top in leather might improve things, but I expect that will cost proper money to have done well. Thanks for all the encouragement. And if anyone has any photos of any areas of the S4, please post them here as I only have the photos in books, and a few on the Internet, as reference points! For example, it took me about a day of searching to work out where to drill the holes for the handbrake mechanism! many thanks, Phil

Thanks John. I can’t promise fast progress, but perhaps moving it will give me motivation to get stuck in!

Thank you for allowing me to join your forum. As the title suggests I have just found a S4 project which I have started work on. The chassis has been restored, as has the 1600GT crossflow and 2000e gearbox. I have a pair of Dellorto DHLA 40s in the post to me which should get the crossflow above the 100bhp mark, with the assistance of the tubular manifold. Maybe a hotter cam will be required too. The bodywork is sound but the bonnet has been repaired and retissued meaning that it was not as smooth as I would like. So I have a selection of fillers, blocks and a DA sander and I’m teaching myself how to fill and fair the grp. It’s certainly getting much flatte and smoother, but there is a lot to do. Weird puzzles are the missing holes for the handbrake mechanism and a home-altered right side engine mount - I don’t know why the mod was necessary?!?! colour-wise, I’m thinking British Racing Green, perhaps with the Lotus racing yellow stripe. It’s presently yellow but was red and white when sold 52 years ago. In my view the relative unpopularity of the shape is partially related to the bold 70’s colours. In the right colour, I think they look classic and aggressive, i.e more ‘7’ and less ‘beach buggy’. I attach some photos for interest. The first was as found. You can see the mess I’m making of that bonnet! kind regards, Phil