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Lotus 7 Project Arrived


ianashdown

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Agree with the recommendation on Tony Ingram.  You might also reach out to Mike Ostrov - if you don't know Mike, he is the Elite guru but also quite knowledgeable about Sevens and all things Lotus in California.  You can probably find contact information for him through Golden Gate Lotus Club - he's also fairly active on lotuselan.net.

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1 hour ago, SENC said:

Agree with the recommendation on Tony Ingram.  You might also reach out to Mike Ostrov - if you don't know Mike, he is the Elite guru but also quite knowledgeable about Sevens and all things Lotus in California.  You can probably find contact information for him through Golden Gate Lotus Club - he's also fairly active on lotuselan.net.

Good thought!  I’ve had contact with Mike before, but it’s been many years.

 

Thank you,

 

Ian

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The Vinyl on my Dash and side panels seems beyond recovery.  I did hear of someone in the UK who had remade a batch of Lamiplate, but cannot find that informatioin now for the life of me!

 

So, it seem that I have a few alternatives.  I have found a Marine grade Vinyl in the correct color that I think would look reasonably good, is not too expensive and could be used on the seats and possibly steering wheel too.

 

Or, I have found a leather texture powdercoat.  See below

ehm35565 red leather powder coating

I feel this would work well for the Dash and side panels.

 

I want to keep my car as close to original as possible, but some finishes are just not possible.  This may be a viable alternative.

 

What are your thoughts? 

 

Ian

 

 

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If you look at the pictures of the interior of the yellow 7 sold in Oct 2022 on BAT you can get an idea of the texture. Most interior shops have this materiel in stock.

BTW, I couldn't re-find the white 7 with red interior I previously mentioned BUT its on this site somewhere!

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55 minutes ago, joe7 said:

BTW, I couldn't re-find the white 7 with red interior I previously mentioned BUT its on this site somewhere!

So it's not just me then! :classic_laugh:

 

Most interior shops have the Lamiplate or the red Vinyl?

 

I haven't been able to fine Lamiplate anywhere, but yes, the red vinyl is readily available.  I just feel that marine grade might be a little mor suitable to a car with little to no weather protection.  UV etc . . 

 

Ian

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1 hour ago, joe7 said:

If you look at the pictures of the interior of the yellow 7 sold in Oct 2022 on BAT you can get an idea of the texture. Most interior shops have this materiel in stock.

BTW, I couldn't re-find the white 7 with red interior I previously mentioned BUT its on this site somewhere!

The Yellow car you mentioned has has the Dash Re-Upholstered but looks very good in my opinion!  Maybe a touch bright perhaps.

 

Here is the Powdercoat sample and the dash mentioned for comparison

image.png.339755937bc6648d30e05cf703759ee5.png

The only advantage I can see with the powder coat is that its part of the steel, much like the Lamiplate.  The Vinyl might feel better to the touch.

 

Here is the Marine Vinyl I found.

image.png.c66048c3c2a45ef602881e9f90f07fb2.png

I think any one would do just fine!

 

Here is an area of my side panel:

image.thumb.jpeg.4d56fa18dbe15542d669486e9fd78ca3.jpeg

image.thumb.jpeg.4c9d41659103e08a8d2a597239ee30f9.jpeg

I cleaned up the small area with some MEK.  Something else might work better, but the vinyl is tatty and really just needs to be replaced.

 

Ian

 

image.jpeg

Edited by ianashdown
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While figuring out the bigger plan I’m going to take on some small projects that can be wrapped up and put away for the final assembly.  Small parts that can be polished or painted etc.  I think the first small job will be to disassemble the windscreen, clean and polish it and reassemble it.

 

The sealant in there now is red and breaking up and falling out, but will be replaced.  The question is, what is the best sealant to use?  A mastic type sealant, RTV, silicone?  Are there any instructions or guidance anywhere?

 

Could be a nice little project!  Photos and description to follow.

 

Ian

 

Just a late thought.  Should there be a rubber extrusion to seal the screen?

Edited by ianashdown
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Bicycle innertube. Mens 26" tube, cut out the valve (no longer a hoop), split with a razor or scissors (no longer a tube). These tubes are folded in a box so cut along a fold seam to keep from making a spiral or shifting cut line. The cut does not need to be perfectly even as the final step is to trim the excess from the assembled windscreen with a razor. No glue/sealer mess. There is an extruded bottom seal at the cowl.

 

I'd look at year one or other restoration site for '60s mustangs. They may sell a similar or same material by the yard. I'd be concerned about a krinckle paint that could be difficult to touch up evenly. A scrim back marine vinyl on a perfectly smooth, sanded panel and contact cement or weatherstripping adhesive would work well. For a padded panel, headliner foam is added in between and a 3m spray adhesive is used that is safe for foams. Use clothes line clips to glue the 3/4 inch overlap around the panel. Multi-slit corner overlaps around the panel edge radius so it will lay flat. Don't cut out the corner overlaps.

Edited by MV8
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The screen frame came apart with little trouble.  There was a red sealant that had gone hard all around the screen.  There was a ‘home remedy’ of steel strips to keep the screen in position presumably while the sealant was setting up.  I’ll look for the correct rubber extrusion from the usual 7 suppliers, but if there’s nothing available I’ll try to find a generic extrusion that will do the job.

 

In the mean time I’ll clean and polish everything, see if I can find new SS hardware etc, and get it ready for reassembly.

 

Ian

 

IMG_8365.jpeg

IMG_8364.jpeg

IMG_8366.jpeg

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You may want to resist the temptation to use stainless steel hardware for this application.  Stainless steel and aluminum don't play well together due to galvanic corrosion.

 

I mounted an aluminum tool box in my pickup bed using stainless fasteners.  In Phoenix with little moisture and no salt (road salt or sea salt/moisture), the fasteners were seized in about two weeks and snapped when I tried to remove them.  Lesson learned!

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46 minutes ago, straightcut said:

You may want to resist the temptation to use stainless steel hardware for this application.  Stainless steel and aluminum don't play well together due to galvanic corrosion.

 

I mounted an aluminum tool box in my pickup bed using stainless fasteners.  In Phoenix with little moisture and no salt (road salt or sea salt/moisture), the fasteners were seized in about two weeks and snapped when I tried to remove them.  Lesson learned!

You make a good point!  Maybe some plated steel screws . . .

 

Ian

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I for one appreciate the detailed deconstruction processes. I believe the steel in the lower windscreen channel is original. The tapered, lower corners of the glass don't have much strength and can break easily. The steel locks the lower channel into the upper to maintain alignment without relying on the glass. Is there anything inside the upper channel to ensure the top hardware does not screw into the glass?

Another option on the glass sealing is to use butyl rope available at home improvement stores. This is used to assemble plastic head and tail light assemblies on production cars. Treat the rope like playdough and roll it into the thickness needed to fill the gaps and extrude a bit when assembled, then rub off the excess. The problem with butyl is it will shrink and harden after a few decades. Not a problem for light assemblies that can be warmed with heat guns or better yet, placed in a 150f oven for a half hour to soften the butyl but a glass screen is not tempered and if it fit in an oven, the differential expansion of the aluminum frame may shatter the glass. Glass is cheap though; just two layers of regular residential window glass, laminated together. Just need to supply the frame or cracked original glass to the cutter. They will also chamfer (wet sand) the edges.  

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Regarding sealing in the windscreen, I had to replace mine from an encounter with a rock. Had a local glass repair shop provide the windscreen (light tint green and tempered as original) and fit it in the frame, $400. They came out, helped me remove it, took it to their shop, installed the new glass and returned to help me install it. So maybe see what the glass shops recommend.

Noted that the holes in the side panel pics look very large. How were the panels attached to the frame? Are the holes in the frame that large?

And finally, when deciding on what material to use for the dash and side panels, be sure to consider what you are going to do with the seats so as to not get a mismatch.

Edited by joe7
typing error
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OK got it. On the white 7w/ red, its under Gen Tech info pg 6 about 7 or 8 from the top. "Series 2 distributor....."

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29 minutes ago, joe7 said:

OK got it. On the white 7w/ red, its under Gen Tech info pg 6 about 7 or 8 from the top. "Series 2 distributor....."

I’ll check it out!  Thank you.

 

Ive recently had the original color conformed by John Watson and Old English White is the lead contender at the moment!

 

Ian

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