TheDingo8MyBaby

I'm a he, but my australian accent is pretty horrible.

I agree it depends on finding the right buyer. In addition to what Ross states about S3's, they are a bit less desirable for vintage racing as they may be too "new" for some production car classes. The stronger axle does make them well suited for a road car. To me, this seems like a great car for someone looking for a driver/collector genuine lotus 7. Here are the Pros in my mind: Very Honest Mostly Original Car with Great History (from a great guy) Rear Axle Rare S3 (this may or may not matter to the potential buyer) Lots of miles and fettling behind this one - reliable platform Chronometric Tach (it's not stock, but this is a huge pro for me) A potential pro could be how many original parts he has laying around (wheels, etc) Cons: Some people may not appreciate the patina downdraft, & the bulge in the hood (at least it's not my cup of tea) 85 horsepower Kent Age and preparation if wanting to go vintage racing Taken this all into account, I'd say closer to $30-35K, but it's difficult to tell with so few S3's out there. If it was a later car and had the Holbay 1600 CFR with DCOE's, I'd say closer to $35-40K. Lotus Sevens are a bit more valuable in the UK, so with this being a RHD example, it may be more likely it would sell to someone over there.

A few more I found: 1962 Lotus 7 Vintage Race car http://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-Lotus-Super-Seven-/252103946573?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3ab290f14d&item=252103946573 Also here: http://vintageracecarsales.com/portfolio-view/1962-lotus-super-7/ There's also a 2001 SV on that same site: http://vintageracecarsales.com/portfolio-view/2001-caterham-sv/

Considering 4 spoke Revolutions were available in '67 and minilites in '64, I'd still consider them a period correct choice for this car. The wider rear wings look like they are needed to accommodate the width/backspace revolutions though. This car was on ebay previously (and did not meet reserve). I think it had many of these same parts, so it seems the new other just had Tony Ingram complete the project and is flipping it. I generally prefer the slimmer S2 fenders, but otherwise I remember the car looking pretty nice in the ebay ad. There's no doubt Tony finished it to a high standard. I do think the price is a bit optimistic..especially as I think it is fitted with a crossflow instead of a pre-crossflow. The twin cam itself is worth quite a bit more than a crossflow, So I think this one is actually not too far off (maybe a couple grand too high). It should be pretty comparable to an early caterham and it's got some nice details like the wingard 1055 lights (Though I can't figure out why they're mounted sideways?) I suppose it depends on how much work it is to bring it to driving standards after sitting for so many years. 18" wheels on a caterham? That's a first for me...

If you have the 116E front cover, this should be of some help: http://freespace.virgin.net/tommy.sandham/strobe.htm Otherwise, I think most of the later (i.e. crossflow) front covers have the timing written on the cover. Valve clearances will depend on a lot of variables (cam, valves, piston to valve clearance, etc) and you should contact your engine builder if you do not know.

I really like the color. I'm usually not a fan of the stalker shape, but it really hides the girth. Very nice build quality as well (as evidenced by the 37 pages of work). Can you see over the rear fenders with those sideview mirrors? Any comments on it's "lateral capabilities" yet?

Not mine, but it is a friend. I agree though. There's something about his car that just makes it look small...

SOVREN is a bit different than SCCA. Rules are pretty relaxed when it comes to most vintage race organizations. For example: http://i.imgur.com/T0QjJ4v.jpg Nice work Bruce. If I ever get my Series 2 on track it would be fun to race with you. 260 Hp from your duratec (on pump gas) vs. my 160 hp full race pre-crossflow (on race gas) would be interesting...

Tillets are suprisingly comfortable, even just as a fiberglass shell. There are several here that would fit your criteria: https://www.tillett.co.uk/car-racing-seat.asp I find Bride seats to be well made and are also small as they are made for the Japanese domestic bum. the 470mm should meet your needs here: http://i.imgur.com/DozLpww.jpg

Allan, see PM. -Geoff

My experience here is with Formula Fords, but the majority of them sit on the belly pan. In a 7, you're in a much more upright position than a formula car, so the loads on the sub-straps should not nearly be as high. I still run a Formula style harness in my car, though, due to my seating position. Most of the FF guys are looking for a low CG, so sitting on something is not desirable. Most use Bead seats, confor foam or SFI Molded Foam Seats. I shudder to think what your accident would have been like in a FF. Best of luck on your recovery, Shane. You can find Confor foam on Mcmaster as well. I have some of the Blue Foam. I plan to use it in conjunction with some Green as I think it may be a little bit too soft for my taste.

There's also this S2 Racecar which I'm a bit partial to since its quite similar to my car: http://vintageracecarsales.com/portfolio-view/1962-lotus-super-7/

Car is on jackstands and not well lit...sorry for the poor photo quality http://i.imgur.com/jj5lfO3.jpg

http://www.foxsports.com/foxsportsgo/

According to Schroth's mounting instructions, "Note: FORMULA CARS where the driver is sitting on the sub-straps: Attach sub- straps rearwards in approximately the same location as the lap belts. This type of setup is typically used with a “Formula Style” or “Hybrid Style” looped sub-strap" I prefer schroth because their webbing is made of polyester which has a much longer life than nylon. I'm personally not a fan of pull up lap belts in a 6 point harness. I run a set of 6 point formula style in my car, but my seat is a bench style seat (I have an original S2), so my configuration is very similar to a formula car.

Rear springs are 10", 150 lb/in., but I'm debating about going down to 125lb/in. Primary use is for street, but it's close to a track setup.

I have a S2 with a cortina axle. Can't say that I've heard many positive things about spax and the old ones fitted to my car were not good and also too long. The optimum length depends on several factors including what ride height you intend to run and intended spring rate. I wanted at least 30mm of compression at normal ride height, so I went with 16.5" length shocks (as measured from the center of the hole in the axle to the bottom of the plate mount on the chassis) and my car runs at 15" compressed. I also opted for spherical bearings on the rear axle as the rubber bushes cause binding of the axle. There are several options for coilovers, the most popular being Spax, AVO an protech. Here in the US, we also have some manufacturers to choose from: Carrera and QA1. After doing a lot of research, I purchased Protech coilovers from a company called "procomp" in the UK which takes the protech bodies and custom valves them to your specifications. The problem with all of the above companies is they valve their dampers for much heavier cars, meaning you'll only get a few clicks of meaningful adjustment (instead of the whole range) and very often they are not balance from right to left.

http://i.imgur.com/wv0A8J2.jpg Is that photo helpful? I agree that the super sprints use the type 14 calipers as used on spitfires. Do you happen to post on BAT often, by any chance?

I'm not sure that it's quite that easy. There are a number of things that it could be, but to ensure a good seal, I'd suggest spraying starting fluid near the seal to identify what cylinder the leak is occuring in. Have you made sure your thackeray washers are set with the appropriate tension? Another thing to note is that webers are generally mounted as a cantilever beam, but to add stability, a brace running to the outer end of the webers will do wonders as shown in this diagram. http://i.imgur.com/XjQfIYs.jpg Once you get a good seal, then I would adjust the idle mixture. The best process for setting the mixture is to use a wideband O2 sensor. I have yet to find any other process that gets you anywhere close.

There seems to be some differences between bonnet latches supplied to sevens. I'm not sure what an "early" Seven means. Series I? I believe they were mostly fitted with original cast latches, but there seems to be others who claim the stamped ones and even spring latches were fitted to their original cars. The original cast latches are not available anywhere to my knowledge and are very expensive when they come up for sale. You can find the stamped style here: http://www.classiccarexchange.co.uk/toggle-catches-p-418.html and I think redline in the UK sell them as well. The spring style is still sold by caterham: http://caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=977

I'm assuming the head has a surface roughness of 50RA or finer as cometic specifies. People seem to love or hate MLS. Have you considered going back to a standard head gasket?

It all depends on the extent of the damage - but more than likely you'll need a new block and rod (at the very minimum!). A S2 would not have had a x-flow originally. The question is what displacement it was. A lot of the pre-crossflow parts, blocks, etc are becoming harder to find. Ford has started to manufacture the 1500 block again though.

Curtis Unlimited ( http://www.kineticvehicles.com/Curtis.html) used to be able to make them, but I understand Bert passed away. I think the caterham bar should be the same http://caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=3993, but I can't confirm. EDIT: my apologies - I read it as anti-roll bar. Are you looking for a bolt-in piece? I'm not sure that I've seen one for a series two...

Just to clarify: Spitfire rotors are different than GT6 rotors. If I'm not mistaken, Spitfire rotors are about 9" in diameter while gt6 are about 9.7".

I think that can be said about most vintage race cars. At least this one has traceable history and the seller is upfront about it's issues over time. That being said - I'm not sure this one would be terribly competitive on track, but it sure looks nice. I had a word with Mr Elite - Mike Ostrov yesterday about the craigslist Elite. He's had 4 calls and 3 emails about it. Based on the pictures he's seen, it's a gamble as to what the bodywork may or may not due in the sun. He estimates another $30-40k to put it right.