IamScotticus Posted February 25 Author Posted February 25 So... I have a head, an uprated I believe, flat face, definitely not pre xflow, and I buy these standard ratio rockers on ebay. One thing I an wondering is, with those spacers, how well does everything get the slippery stuff? Good enough for brass guides to get showered on? I'm considering brass guides because the head is over ported already (not my doing) breaching two exhsust side head bolt holes, already needing sleeves there. Thinking of sending it to Ivey to build into something useful. Any Idea what that going to run? Still a good possibility its pooched. A built alloy head is an option. Who sells those here?
anduril3019 Posted February 25 Posted February 25 The slippery stuff is supplied through the #1 rocker stand to the hollow shaft (plugged at both ends) which then feeds each of the rockers. The oil then passes out through the small hole in the top of each rocker and splashes around to lubricate the pushrod tops and valve stem tops and guides. The solid spacers don't really rotate, except from vibration, and the thrust on them from the rockers is minimal, so the oil bleeding out the rocker pivots as well as the external oil flying around is plenty for the spacers. With the type of steel rocker stands you have, typically all four are drilled for oil feed, even though only one is needed. They are rare, but I have seen sets with only a single stand drilled for oil, which means no oil will get to the head if that stand is in the wrong position. (ask me how I know ) 1
IamScotticus Posted July 8 Author Posted July 8 hmmm... There's a LHD 4 to 1 primaries for sale. Should I? on a 1600? Funny thing is, I already have the can for it. Other news, QD steering kit is coming along. Racetech steering and gauges, it will be, going forward. Why? Racetech has 80mm and 52mm gauges. The speedo is GPS and sensor compatible. Bye-bye speedo cable. And they don't look cheap.
wdb Posted July 8 Posted July 8 Given all of the foofaraw surrounding getting my Elan speedo working, I might have been better off with a GPS unit! On the topic of gauges -- I have this Racetech gauge on my to-do list. It's the same diameter of the gauges in my 1995 car. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=1095
IamScotticus Posted July 9 Author Posted July 9 12 hours ago, wdb said: Given all of the foofaraw surrounding getting my Elan speedo working, I might have been better off with a GPS unit! On the topic of gauges -- I have this Racetech gauge on my to-do list. It's the same diameter of the gauges in my 1995 car. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=1095 All the racetech mechanicals, like the one pictured, use capillaries. W How to those work for temperature reads? wouldn't the temps cool off or heat up in the tubes?
wdb Posted July 9 Posted July 9 (edited) 10 hours ago, IamScotticus said: All the racetech mechanicals, like the one pictured, use capillaries. W How to those work for temperature reads? wouldn't the temps cool off or heat up in the tubes? Google foo leans towards mechanical gauges being more accurate, in part due to there being only one item having an accuracy range -- the gauge itself. Electrical gauges have a sending unit with its own separate degree of accuracy. That having been said, I recently had the dubious honor of accidentally melting a plastic oil pressure capillary tube inside my Elan, and the mess was nearly biblical in a very small amount of time. It wasn't the quantity of oil so much as it was the fact that it went everywhere. The Racetech gauge I linked has a metal capillary tube for temperature, and the pressure tube can be had as a braided stainless line, so that concern would be minimized. However your question got me curious in general, and I found a VDO electric oil temperature gauge that would match my current gauges. It would require a new opening in the dash. Hmm. https://gaugesvdo.com/products/1001-310-012-vdo-temperature-gauge-oil-300f/ Edited July 9 by wdb
IamScotticus Posted July 9 Author Posted July 9 I can understand a capillary for pressure, but for temperature? The tube is a heat sink! I don't get it. Calling @MV8 do those things work?
11Budlite Posted July 9 Posted July 9 1 hour ago, IamScotticus said: I can understand a capillary for pressure, but for temperature? The tube is a heat sink! I don't get it. Calling @MV8 do those things work? They actually worked very well, and were used on many early British sports cars and race cars. I found them to be very accurate and the only downside was the cost, and the capillary tube near the cylinder head had a tendency to fatique and break. You had to coil up the capillary tube to give it room to move when the engine rocked on the mounts. One neat thing with the mechanical gauge was the temp range was 90-230 degrees F and if it was a really hot day they would show the actual outside temp even though you hadn't started the car yet. 1
11Budlite Posted July 9 Posted July 9 6 hours ago, wdb said: However your question got me curious in general, and I found a VDO electric oil temperature gauge that would match my current gauges. It would require a new opening in the dash. Hmm. https://gaugesvdo.com/products/1001-310-012-vdo-temperature-gauge-oil-300f/ I used that same oil temp gauge in my old Birkin and it worked well. It did show how much longer it took for the oil to heat up compared to the coolant. I think I used one of the metric adapters to mount the sender in the drain plug location. 1
pethier Posted July 9 Posted July 9 9 hours ago, wdb said: Google foo leans towards mechanical gauges being more accurate, in part due to there being only one item having an accuracy range -- the gauge itself. Electrical gauges have a sending unit with its own separate degree of accuracy. That having been said, I recently had the dubious honor of accidentally melting a plastic oil pressure capillary tube inside my Elan, and the mess was nearly biblical in a very small amount of time. It wasn't the quantity of oil so much as it was the fact that it went everywhere. The Racetech gauge I linked has a metal capillary tube for temperature, and the pressure tube can be had as a braided stainless line, so that concern would be minimized. However your question got me curious in general, and I found a VDO electric oil temperature gauge that would match my current gauges. It would require a new opening in the dash. Hmm. https://gaugesvdo.com/products/1001-310-012-vdo-temperature-gauge-oil-300f/ This has a plastic case just like the one on the VDO fuel gauge that came to me broken in my Seven. Probably due to a DPO losing one of the mounting nuts and trying to compensate by over-tightening the one remaining nut. 1
IamScotticus Posted August 26 Author Posted August 26 (edited) This shouldn't interest anyone. I've always been interested in the seat back angle. What is the angle? Why? Who made that decision and what is the reasoning? I finally was able to get an exact angle measurement with a digital angle guage. Zeroed to the top chassis tube, I measured the seatback bulkhead angle at 62.75°. Now you know. This information makes no difference in most people's 7 world. For me, it's a significant piece of minutia. Presumably, all Lotus and Caterham S3 7s share this same angle. It is one of the last un-changed items connecting all Cat & Loti to the original design. I think it's something worth knowing. Edited August 26 by IamScotticus
anduril3019 Posted August 26 Posted August 26 Never assume what may or may not interest others! I'm building a Locost and after reading your post, I had to run out and measure my seat back angle. It's 63.5, so I guess I can't call it a replica anymore.
IamScotticus Posted August 26 Author Posted August 26 2 hours ago, anduril3019 said: Never assume what may or may not interest others! I'm building a Locost and after reading your post, I had to run out and measure my seat back angle. It's 63.5, so I guess I can't call it a replica anymore. How did you measure that angle?
anduril3019 Posted August 27 Posted August 27 I have an old adjustable drafting triangle. Not doing much drafting duty these days so it lives in the shed. 1
MV8 Posted August 27 Posted August 27 (edited) On 7/9/2025 at 2:47 PM, IamScotticus said: I can understand a capillary for pressure, but for temperature? The tube is a heat sink! I don't get it. Calling @MV8 do those things work? It is still pressure, but there is a gas or liquid in the bulb that changes pressure with temp. The gauge is essentially the same as a mechanical pressure gauge (bourdon tube instrument). I guess Colin liked the seat back angle. Edited August 27 by MV8
IamScotticus Posted September 24 Author Posted September 24 Browsing my AES electronics catalog, lots of nice surface mounted things, I found a cable operated pull type starter switch. I am completely enthralled. Used on MGs, this eliminates the starter solenoid if I understand the functionality. I love the idea of a turd trying to hotwire my seven, and he finds a shoe string, lol. Has anyone any experience with these?
pethier Posted September 24 Posted September 24 2 hours ago, IamScotticus said: Browsing my AES electronics catalog, lots of nice surface mounted things, I found a cable operated pull type starter switch. I am completely enthralled. Used on MGs, this eliminates the starter solenoid if I understand the functionality. I love the idea of a turd trying to hotwire my seven, and he finds a shoe string, lol. Has anyone any experience with these? Stock on my 1961 SAAB. In fact, it was not just a starter switch. The cable pulled on an arm that mechanically engaged the pinion gear into the ring gear on the flywheel. That accomplished, the same arm pressed the button on the starter which was the high-current switch. The original cable was messed up, so I replaced it with a piece of clothesline. The car was my first ice-racer, so the glovebox and the door therefor had been removed for weight reduction. This left the steel outline of the bottom of the glovebox doorway sitting there like a towel bar. A handy place to tie up the end of the clothesline. Just reach over and grab the line and yank on it to start the car. 1
7Westfield Posted September 24 Posted September 24 https://www.ebay.com/itm/153048650510?_skw=sprite+starter+switch&itmmeta=01K5Y348HK413BMFMM4X4EZQ32&hash=item23a269130e:g:a08AAOSwSatbFMkR&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eSgjrQhLqXR%2FaUJneLxZ2Ij0VC this is the correct starter switch for a bugeye sprite It mounts beside the battery, operated by a "choke" cable on the dash designed to work with Lucas inertia starters If using a starter with a solenoid, you just wire the solenoid terminal to the main on the starter, so that they both get power together 1
IamScotticus Posted September 25 Author Posted September 25 Yes, love these old quirky parts. They did jobs with springs, vacuum and other mechanical trickery to do what electrics did later. The thermal fan clutch is another.
wdb Posted September 25 Posted September 25 I sense that a starting crank handle is about to sprout out of the front of your car. 1
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