dvl

Have you talked with any of the Kent based race engine builders, such as Dave Bean, Craig Chima, Tony Ingram, Jeff at JAE, MWE, Ivey, or any of the others? I know Dave Bean sells press in restrictors for Twincams and BD-series engines, which are sometimes used on push-rod motors. I'm building a similar spec engine for track and street (it's been on my engine stand for a long time, while I work on other aspects of the car) and am not currently planning to run a restrictor. I'm interested to know what you're heard or hear. Thanks, Dave

Harmon Racing Cells built me a complete FIA certified bladder, with foam and a collector, for an old Fuel Safe Lotus Seven cell, for around $1K. It might be worth giving them a call to compare prices. They are a small shop of prior Fuel Safe employees, from when FS was in California. I hope this helps. http://www.harmonracingcells.com/Fuel_Cells.html Dave

Nice car! I'm glad to see another Seven in the LA area too. Dave

My Seven is in pieces and is a slow moving project, but I'm in LA as well. Dave

http://lotus7.com/PUSHROD_PARTS.html Full disclosure, Tony is a friend of mine. I hope this helps. Dave

Here's the 4 speed version, with the large diameter center thread for mounting. There's a long version as well. http://www.taylor-race.com/part.cfm?id=3671&popup=1 I have one of each and I'm in the process of determining the proper bend in the rod, so the shifter clears the dash board. I can email pictures if that will help. Dave

I have a copy of the factory manual, but it had no additioanl information. If I had to guess, I'd put it together similarly to the 3 rail shifter. If Quaife doesn't have one in stock, the shifter can sometimes be found on eBay. Dave

Hi, I have a MKII Cortina manual at home and will look tonight to see if it contains rebuilding instructions (or an exploded view) of that shifter. Quaife builds a nice spherical bearing version of that shifter. I'm also running a single rail 4-speed in my Seven and am using the Quaife shifter. I hope this helps, Dave

I purchased a Type E "Rocket" transmission (4-speed from which the T9 was derived) gasket kit from Taylor a few weeks ago. They definitely still stock T9 type parts. Dave

Hi Darrell, Finishing with wet 2000 grit or better is necessary to achieve a near scratch free appearance, from my experience. As I built up to 2000, I alternated sanding parallel and normal to the grain direction. I used Mothers to hand polish after sanding, using a damn microfiber cloth to apply and buff. It is hard work. I hope this helps, Dave

$150 I have two copies of this book, after finding a 2nd copy at a relatively discounted price, compared to current Amazon listings. I'll pass the savings on to a club member who needs a copy, for $150 plus shipping. It's the 1995 reprint, in good shape, with no torn pages or stains that I could find. If interested, please PM me or email at dvanlueATgmailDOTcom. Thanks, Dave

Harmon Racing Cells in Laguna Beach, CA recently built a new bladder for my Fuel Safe "Lotus 7" fuel cell. They did an excellent job and the total price was around $800, including the addition of an in-tank collector box. They are a small shop of at least one prior Fuel Safe employee. Anyway, I hope this info helps. I found their business while hunting around for shops to inspect and/or replace my bladder. http://harmonracingcells.com Dave

My resolution is to finish my Seven and take it on my Angeles Forest/Crest motorcycle riding loop. I sat in the car last night and made engine noises for motivation. I can't wait to get it on the road. Dave

Wow. Incredible

I'm in the process of fitting Tillett B6's to my S3, that was orginally fitted with a bench seat. The seats drop right in, after a little trimming on edges. They will be bolted to the floor, with a u-channel under the floor for added support. Dave

I'm predicting an engine speed of 3748 RPM for my car at 60mph (I'll verify when it's finally finished), with a 4 speed, 185/60/13 tires, and a 3.90 to 1 rear final drive ratio. I hope this helps, Dave

It's starting to look a little more like a car. The engine and other parts a strategically placed around my garage. I'm still aiming to complete it by the end of the year. Dave

My parents lived in La Quinta (20 miles from Thermal), for a few years during my childhood. I recall it being extremely hot (I also recall being chased by golf course security, while my younger brother and I cut across the private courses on a short cut to school...). That's too pricey for me. Wow, he has some nice cars. Dave

Very cool. Congrats. I recall checking out this car at Thunderhill in 2010, as we were pitted next to their team. Dave

I spoke with the owner, Smoke, on Thursday of last week and it sounds like an interesting project. I'm tempted to check it out, buy I need to finish my own Seven first, before looking at other cars. Anyway, Smoke seems like a great guy and seemed to love talking about his Seven. -Dave

Glad to hear your OK. Sorry about the car. Dave

Wow. That's nice work Dave

I highly recommend an Aeroquip (Eaton) Port Idenification Kit. The kit contains a booklet, a special pair of calipers, and a series of thread gauges. It's available for around $60 and helped me to figure out the fitting for my brake system. I hope this helps. Dave

I'm continuing to make progress on my Seven. The brake lines are complete, so after completing the fuel plumbing and electrical, I can actually start assembling the car. The finish is starting to tarnish a bit, so it looks like I'll be doing some more polishing before I set it on the ground... The most recent pictures are at the bottom of the link. https://plus.google.com/photos/107842303641673876589/albums/5513939936660402577 Cheers, Dave