jbcollier

No brainers: - sell a roadster/convertible in the spring, not fall. This is for a sale to the general public and/or online auction sites. Letting specialized forums know it is for sale is fine as those buyers are more knowledgeable. - no road tests. If they crash it, watch your insurance company disown you in a hurry. As others have said, take them for a drive.

I would recommend getting a professional alignment at least once. They quickly and easily can point out any bent or damaged parts. I restored my Europa and did a home alignment. Drove fine but I wanted to be sure. The professional alignment revealed two bent front uprights and the rear thrust angle was out. I replaced the uprights and set the rear toe in relation to the front and all was good. The "Triumph" front uprights are easily bent. Of the four used ones I have had on my Europa and Seven, three have been bent. Sadly, the Seven chassis unit is also somewhat easily bent. Not easily as in bent by a bump in the road but hit a curb hard and it is a possibility. Most of us do not know the previous history our Sevens so it is well worth a thorough check.

Without actually inspecting the car in question, I can't help you there. Photos only get you so far.

The problem is caused by the pad not retracting and staying in contact with the disc, greatly accelerating wear on that pad. The pad is not retracting for one of two reasons: - the caliper piston is corroded and is sticking in the bore, - the pad backing plate is tight in the caliper.

The only way those sleeves can wear is if the suspension arm bolt and nut are loose.

Here's a typical chassis: The lower arm mounts onto a pin at the front and the rear bush is bolted to a chassis member. What part are you referring to?

Can you post a photo? Or reference an online photo? Just want to make sure I understand exactly which part you are referencing.

What are you calling trunnion sleeves? These? They are wear items. Change if there is play. Care fully check the trunnions for play when mounted onto the uprights.

Does a short input shaft T9 5 spd with x-flow bell housing fit in a stock Lotus Seven (69 Seven S3 w/stock 1600GT) centre tunnel? Yes I know you have to fab/move the rear mount, the shifting isn't as good, etc. But I want to do a 7+K trip next summer and an 0.82 5th gear would be useful, very useful. I can swap out my 3.9 rear end for a 3.7 but I'd rather eat my cake (fast acceleration)and keep it too (low hwy rpm).

I repair them by brazing them up with brass and then redialing the holes. Works well.

I prefer Hella DIN connectors. Much more secure.

Are you in Edmonton? If so, I can walk you through it, no problem. After I bought mine, I found a loose pinion nut and a howl. So I bought and fit a replacement ring and pinion. Quiet and oil tight now. A good read on ethanol fuels: https://www.amazon.ca/Classic-Engines-Modern-Fuel-Solutions/dp/1787115909?pd_rd_w=BPhpy&content-id=amzn1.sym.5ea934dd-1c86-463a-87ec-1025379fbf16&pf_rd_p=5ea934dd-1c86-463a-87ec-1025379fbf16&pf_rd_r=RB4YHRG13R98XBRA3565&pd_rd_wg=rUd8V&pd_rd_r=44e946ea-afa9-47d8-9a08-a290cfff2f56&pd_rd_i=1787115909&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_1_sc

More to hand, no worries.

If you are going that small, it is a good idea to switch from a reflector type headlight to a projector type. Small reflector type headlights are borderline useless in the dark.

Can’t give advice without an application. A pre-crossflow with a 20 amp generator and a pair Webers is a completely beast to a fuel injected, Duratec with all the mod-cons.

Jump starting is just fine but continually discharging the battery is not good for battery longevity. So, yes to the cut off switch. Please disconnect the negative cable until you get your cut off switch installed. Now the bad news, even with the cut off switch, the battery will self-discharge if left a long time. You will need to bring the battery to somewhere it can be charged if the car is to be left parked a long time.

Bosch WR7DC or WR7DC+ for mild to medium street driving. Bosch WR6DC or WR6DC+ for medium to hard driving, or if you climb steep, long hills.

There are better and more detailed guides to be found online. Just wanted to provide a basic introduction and emphasize that the universally quoted 14.7:1 “ideal” setting is way too lean. My perfect carb are modern Mikuni flat-slides. They easily outflow Weber and Dellorto sidedrafts. At WOT, there is almost literally nothing impeding airflow. Just one more thing, carbs transition from idle to progression to mains. It all blurs from one to the other. In those transitions, you can get fleeting lean spots. Watch carefully for them as we commonly drive with the engine in those transition zones. Lean = heat = burnt valves and holed pistons. While you certainly will toast an engine quickly being lean at WOT, you can do it just as well being lean at part throttle. Just takes longer.

Get a O2 sensor bung welded into the exhaust right after all the pipes come together but before the muffler. Then buy an Air/Fuel Ratio gauge with a wide-band 02 sensor. I haven’t bought one in a while so I can’t give you any current advice there. I use an Innovate LM1 which is out of production now. I’m sure someone will chime in with more current recommendations. There are bluetooth gauges you can run off your phone. No need for a dash gauge. You’re going to dial in your carb and then unplug everything so no need for anything fancy, just functional. Warm up the car thoroughly. Then fit the O2 sensor and hook up your gauge per its instructions. Now go for a drive. Here are the critical modes to test: - part throttle, low rpm, steady state, between 25 and 35: in other words just moseying along. - part throttle, steady state around 50. - part throttle, steady state at hwy speeds In all these cases you want mid to low 13s. Anything exceeding 14 is too lean. This is mostly adjusted using the idle jets - medium acceleration from a rest to 35: low 13s to high 12s. Watch for faltering and lean/flat spots which may indicate too small an accel jet. - WOT, hard acceleration 3000 to 5000 rpm: low 12s to high 11s. This is all on your main jets. Once the mains are set, then: - WOT, hard acceleration 5500 and up: low 12s to high 11s. This is where you set your air correctors. A larger air corrector leans the mix. I rough set my idle jets and idle mix so it is ok. Then I dial in the mains. Next the air correctors. Finally I go back and fine tune the idle jets. Time spent here can find valuable fuel efficency. Side draft carbs can have a seemingly infinite variety of jets, chokes and nozzles but really you find the recommended settings and are just using the AFR to fine tune things for your local climate and driving style. Downdraft carbs are easier and harder in equal measure. Easier because there just isn’t as many options available, and harder, you guessed it, because there aren’t as many options available. You’ll have to compromise as you can’t nail it like you can with a sidedraft. Just remember, always err on the RICH side, never lean!

In your case, the plug failed indeed. The failure is not mixture related. Please do not set your air/fuel ratio using spark plug colour. Get an A/F-R gauge!

The four speed tranny gives high revs at speed. High revs and light throttle can lead to mix issues. Too rich may lead to running issues such plug fouling. Too lean and you may run hot and/or burn a valve.

Champion racing plugs are top notch! Ordinary, off the shelf, Champion plugs? Not so much. As a shop, we stopped using Champion plugs decades ago. Bosch or NGK, please and thank you.

Getting back to the original question about what to run if you are in Canada. Well, that depends. What engine are you running? And, in what tune is that engine? I have a 69 Lotus Seven S3 with a somewhat modified 1600 Ford crossflow. It has a stupidly-lumpy cam (not my idea), larger valves, and mildly ported. I run premium rated 93 or 94 (rating on the pump in Canada) with no issues. Ford crossflows have very good swirl flow and can run high compression ratios with few issues. Lotus Twin Cams are not as good in that regard. The issues with ethanol have little to do with running and performance. The issues are with humidity, long term storage, and reactions with other materials. I live in dry Alberta and do not fuss much but I will drain my tank and run the lines, pump and carbs completely dry before winter storage. First, regardless of fuel you are running, if you can’t remember changing the fuel lines, change them ALL. Use ethanol-proof lines and change them at least every five years, whether the car is run or not. If you live in a dry climate, do the above two and relax and enjoy your car. If you live in a humid climate, then you still need to do the above but also add a fuel additive specifically designed to stabilize ethanol fuels. For winter storage, still drain and run dry your pump, lines and carbs but leave the tank full to the brim with the fuel + additive. Come the spring, do not run that fuel. Drain it off and run it in your commuter. Only use fresh fuel in your Seven. Lastly, ethanol and old, lined tanks do not mix well. Getting tanks cleaned out and lined is getting difficult these days. I’d recommend either acid dipping the tank and properly repairing any leaks. Or, fit a new tank.

180°F is a nice temp. Oil is good and warm and flows well but not yet thinning too much. Water won't stick around very long at those temps, no problem there.

It was a mighty convincing act what the trail of oil and dripping engine compartment. Fill it with oil, start it, and see where it leaks.