Timothy Keith-Lucas

The positive earth tach from UK eBay has arrived and is installed and works. The only blip was that RVI "accessory" tachs do not ground through the case. They require a separate ground wire to the frame. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. I have enjoyed and most importantly learned from the shared wisdom. A very useful source for our tachs is "A Gentleman's Guide to Classic Smith's Electronic Tachometers" put out by the New Zealand Triumph Club as a PDF at https://triumphclub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/A-gentlemans-guide-to-Smiths-tachometers.pdf That's where I found the note that mine needed a ground separate of the case to frame.

Thank you, Senc. Great stories! I think the good news here is that a part shipped September 2 did not run into US tariffs or delays that I and others have feared.

I ordered a tachometer on the UK eBay September 2. It shipped the same day via the postal service and arrived in Florida on the 12th. The shipping cost was L29.50, and no tariffs were noted. That's pretty good. But, I do note that the Customs Declaration was, shall we say, creative. It was called "Old Dial," the value was listed as L60 (I paid L188) and it was called a "gift" rather than "sales of goods."

Oh, how much fun it is to refill the coolant in my Seven. It's a long process of burps, boil overs, and out and out geysers, all blown aft by the engine fan, covering the car with slightly rusty coolant so the car and I need a bath when it's over. Then, of course, it wasn't really over, and we have a second session of burps, boil overs, and geysers. Just how many places can this system hide air pockets that have to be driven out, making burps, boil overs, geysers, and coolant all over my Seven?

GORGEOUS! Let's see some other pictures as well. I hope to follow in your footsteps.

Lotsats, you speak with wisdom. I think I've resisted that move because each problem seemed small relative to the task of conversion, as in "how difficult can it be to buy a new tach?" Then I find that it really is difficult to buy that tach. I'm also scared off by "All you have to do..." because that phrase often precedes months of figuring things out while I have no local guidance. And, I've invested in a positive ground alternator, etc. Maybe the day will come. Thanks for the reminder.

The tach has been shipped without tracking information. I'm holding my breath that it will appear on my doorstep. I definitely will report on my experience - I just hope that placing the order with UK eBay was not the endo of it.

Hmmm. My trashed tach already was converted by Clocks4classics. Thank you for reminding me of this route. With one tach on the way from the UK, I think I will open the trashed tach and see what its potential is for a second go around.

Thanks to you all for your help on this frustration. Straightcut - I bought the UK Ebay mini-cooper tach. Thank you SO MUCH for the lead. I think that I will put a dummy in the place for appearances' sake, and shift by sound until it arrives. It will be a delay - I hate to close up access to the back of the panel from the top before I finish the wiring. Actually, I do have an agent in the UK, but I won't need my cousin Christopher's help on this one. Check out CKL Developments Ltd.

I've tried everything, and not found an 80mm/3.15" positive earth electric tachometer. Moss doesn't have them, eBay doesn't have them, my Sprite engine doesn't have a mechanical port, zip. I've tried isolating a negative earth tach and burned out that sucker in a few seconds. 95mm tachs don't fit between the top and bottom frame on the panel. Does anyone have an answer, preferably in the US given the international shipping situation?

Thank you, Toldfield. I've printed out a copy.

Having had to explain to countless visitors at car shows that my wife, not I, restored her 1924 Ford Model T, and that my role was limited to handing her tools, and that she loves no birthday present more than a pile of rusty antique wrenches or a gift certificate to Harbor Freight, I get your point. Let's hear it for Hazel Chapman's inspired creation of the Lotus Seven.

I've been going through the forum library and really appreciate the people who have contributed to it. Colin Chapman grabbed a lot parts off the shelf when he put together the Lotus Seven. They are identical to Triumph and MG and so forth parts. But the parts houses today don't list Lotus Sevens, and you're dependent on recognizing the part in an exploded view in guessing that this is the one you need. Sometimes there is not a picture. Has anyone annotated a Lotus Seven parts list for where Mr. Chapman borrowed the parts? I'd love to see "(MGA 1961)" beside a Lotus Seven part listing.

More bang for your buck! Use enough and it might remove the tire from the rim for you. Reminds me of the time I tossed a can of starter fluid into my burn barrel....

Perhaps the final word.... The air gun on the end of my air system didn't supply enough air fast enough to seat the bead on my wheels, despite having 60 gallons of 175 psi available, due to friction loss. A very simple rig of scrap 3/8" air hose, a ball valve, and some fittings solved that problem.

Amen, IamScotticus. Aside from the PITA of cross threading a stud, do you want to place a bet on how many air wrenches deliver the right torque for the stud? I bought a Jeep that had oversized tires torqued to 200 ft lbs., a miserable case of "It's bigger so we should put it on really tight." My rant, but I doubt many tire shops understand that they are aiming at the elastic range of the stud, not "tighter is better."

Thank you, MV8. I will clean and polish up each rim in turn. I have not seen anything but surface corrosion so far, despite the wheels being over 60 years of age. Actually, I do have a compressor capable of a very rapid dump; it sits at 60 gallons of 175 psi air. It's biggest problem is that it shatters the glass beads in my blast cabinet, resulting in silicon dust which is basically a hazardous material. So far, I've had no problem getting the bead to seat. It's getting it to unseat that is the challenge. You've gone to a lot of trouble to coach me. I really appreciate that. --Tim.

Thank you, Dreamer. I'm getting a short course in tire care. Right now (with a day out for volunteer stuff) I'm working on a bead breaker. I'll be back soon. Many thanks to the several forum members who have contributed to my education. I really appreciate your patience and the wisdom you impart. I started in on a Seven as a step up from 60 years overhauling and maintaining small motorcycles. Some of those skills transfer well to the Seven, but a lot do not.

Thank you for the coaching, MV8. Right now I'm building a bead breaker powered by a 1/4 inch impact driver.

IamScotticus asked for a photo of my magnesium wheels. They look a lot like the stamped steel version but weigh 9.5 pounds. I think you can see that they are cast. The white powdery corrosion is typical of magnesium. I have a fifth one, but it is damaged, I'm guessing in the same accident that messed up the left side of my Seven.

My compressor will do 175 psi. Should I give it a shot? I'm a bit concerned about the structural integrity of the garage.

MV8, thank you for that street tire recommendation. I'm aligned with your perspective, since I only drive my 7 on paved streets where I cannot push the car to it's capabilities. --Tim.

Sure, but give me a day. I'm taking two tires off rims either late today or early tomorrow.

I'm learning a lot. Thanks very much. One issue here is that I have lost my basic S2 manual and forgotten about it. A new copy is printing out now. Thanks for making the download available. Yeah, at 240 pounds per wheel plus me, it's not going to take much pressure to create a good patch on the road, and the ride should be much better. Our paved roads are very bumpy as a result of hurricane Michael seven years ago, so I'll look forward to that. 13 inch wheels. A bit of a surprise was that she came to me with magnesium wheels, which I'm guessing were added for racing. A set of mag wheels ain't cheap.

Thank you. When the renovation currently in progress is complete, I'll give it a try.