Xhilr8n Posted June 22 Author Posted June 22 Thanks, those splines would make unscrewing it a lot harder 😊
Xhilr8n Posted June 22 Author Posted June 22 Simple enough, I rigged a “gear puller” and it came right apart. Will be posting the fancy wheel and upper steering column as available. So now the next challenge, reseating the apparently undamaged upper bushing. Both dogears intact. Surely someone has found the trick to put the genie back in the bottle? I’d appreciate your experience reseating the bushing.
Xhilr8n Posted June 22 Author Posted June 22 8 minutes ago, wdb said: Nice vise. Yeah I went big on that vise. Figuring my son will use it after I’m gone. My Dad had a big heavy metal table with a vise attached I wish I’d haved room for. The wooden bench I made that this vise is on is not really heavy enough for serious use.
IamScotticus Posted June 22 Posted June 22 OP, You've had older Loti, you know how hard it can be to find replacement parts! I suggest keeping the steering shaft in a box of parts in case you want it later and to go with the car when it moves on. If it isn't broken, keep it. Sell the hub and wheel, if you must.
Xhilr8n Posted June 23 Author Posted June 23 Just back from a few fun miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, thanks to the help I’ve found here and Josh at Rocky MountainCaterham. The Momo so much more fun to drive than the beautiful (and available) flashy British wooden wheel. it was too easy to reseat the upper steering bushing. I used some red penetrating oil liberally inside the white plastic liner and on the outside or the dogesrs. I did trimmone slightly to make a more tapered entry. On my car the gray rubber bungs on the bushing orient to left and right. This fixed the squeak as well. So fun getting to know your car, they just plain drive better when we know they are put together right. I was hoping to be lucky but the D shaped wheel is set clockwise 45 degrees with the tires straight, so the next thread looks to be about aligning splines in the steering rack. Suggestions of established threads on this? Hopefully alignment and set up don’t require my attention too soon to get the wheel better. As it is now my left fist obscures the speedometer below 70. Handy.
Xhilr8n Posted June 23 Author Posted June 23 (edited) And there you go. And literally a reflection of Lotus’ past. You can see the thin white plastic liner that actually touches the upper steering column. White tab on left lines up with the dogears going left and right. Could have easily pushed the bushing in too far, using the C clip on the column to push it in. Now on to the steering rack splines… Edited June 23 by Xhilr8n 1
Xhilr8n Posted June 27 Author Posted June 27 (edited) And here we are, installed with lower steering rod splines reset. Not driven yet to confirm how straight it is. Anyone know of a service that could do a proper job to recover this Momo 27 in red alcantara and black stitching? Going for that classic look.The original owner choose the red leather console accents, I’m going with it. Edited June 27 by Xhilr8n
IamScotticus Posted June 28 Posted June 28 (edited) Hate to here, but I doubt you will come out better than buying the wheel the way you want it. I would just have the black suede wirh single red 12 o'clock stripe. Or rattle can that center red. Red leather wheel is fun but too vintage for your spec. Any excuse to use that emoji. Edited June 28 by IamScotticus
Xhilr8n Posted June 28 Author Posted June 28 1 hour ago, IamScotticus said: Hate to here, but I doubt you will come out better than buying the wheel the way you want it. I would just have the black suede wirh single red 12 o'clock stripe. Or rattle can that center red. Red leather wheel is fun but too vintage for your spec. Any excuse to use that emoji. I may give you time to use it a lot as I aquaint myself with Sevenland. I’d buy that premade red alcantara wheel if I knew of such.
toldfield Posted June 28 Posted June 28 Here you go... https://jacobengineering.co.uk/index.php/steering-wheels-2/
IamScotticus Posted June 28 Posted June 28 (edited) Bob likes his 3 hole flat bottom Momo and went to a lot of trouble replacing the shaft to use that wheel. There should be something out there that suits his car. Bob, are you willing to drill and chamfer 3 holes on a wheel? What diameter is that Momo? I've always wondered how wheels are measured, front the outside edge of the rim, or the centre of the rim? I suppose outside as this is the surface the leverage is applied. A wheel with a 13" rim center and a 2" thick rim ought to be a 15" wheel from edge to edge? What matters in these 7s is you have a wheel you can scootch under. Good info here https://low-offset.com/guides/best-aftermarket-steering-wheel/ **************** Bob, there's red wheels there but that 3 hole.. Everything is 6 hole now. Edited June 28 by IamScotticus
pethier Posted June 29 Posted June 29 On 6/20/2025 at 4:22 PM, Xhilr8n said: The car came with the good looking wood rimmed Caterham wheel, non removable. It’s nice to look at but not so comfy to drive, and does not suit the rest of this particular car. I have a nice alcantara OMP on the track Elise, feels so good especially with gloves on. Today I received a nice little MOMO removable and the upper steering colume. Looks pretty straight forward but two questions. * I don’t have a shop manual for this car, can someone show a link to this procedure? * What to lubricate the bushing in the instrument panel? The one I have now is quite squeaky. Yes the pretty wheel will be available. Perfect for the Sunday picnic sort of themed car. That looks like a Moto-Lita wheel. Nine bolts around a big hole.
IamScotticus Posted June 29 Posted June 29 I think the Momo wheel you have is perfect. Not colorful, but then 7 cockpit typically haven't been colorful. Your two-tone tunnel cover is an exception. I looked around but didn't find much in 3 bolt. The 70mm 6 bolt is much more ubiquitous. Perhaps a 3-6 bolt adapter? It would space the wheel back a bit. Is it safe? I don't know. If that's the wheel you like, it's a very personal thing that adds something to the car you have a connection with. It's a personal touch. Id keep it. Don't leave it in the car when you go in to Hombre Depot. 1
Xhilr8n Posted June 29 Author Posted June 29 3 minutes ago, IamScotticus said: I think the Momo wheel you have is perfect. Not colorful, but then 7 cockpit typically haven't been colorful. Your two-tone tunnel cover is an exception. I looked around but didn't find much in 3 bolt. The 70mm 6 bolt is much more ubiquitous. Perhaps a 3-6 bolt adapter? It would space the wheel back a bit. Is it safe? I don't know. If that's the wheel you like, it's a very personal thing that adds something to the car you have a connection with. It's a personal touch. Id keep it. Don't leave it in the car when you go in to Hombre Depot. The Momo 27 comes undrilled, Josh at Rocky Mountain drilled it. “Surgery” he said. I’m pretty spoiled from some of the cars and wheels we’ve had. A nice OMP on the Lotus track car is worn in but holds great memories. It’s just the best driving experience. My son pointed out though last night how cheap, “chalky” the material feels on the Momo, but I’ve made sure he’s driven new McLarens and such with proper alcantara. He knows like I do how good it can be from a driver’s perspective. Not for everyone but if you know… Since I want to recover with better material anyway red just fits this car and the Lotus legacy. Detachable wheel easier than shipping the whole car, gotta find the sesmstress though. It can be done.
IamScotticus Posted June 30 Posted June 30 On 6/28/2025 at 10:18 PM, IamScotticus said: 7 cockpit typically haven't been colorful I do realize that Lotus 7 S 1&2 typically had red pannels and seats. But the black Caterhams have since outnumbered them. I can understand an homage and I love those red leather Springalls. I know a source for those early Lotus center caps.
pethier Posted June 30 Posted June 30 2 hours ago, IamScotticus said: I know a source for those early Lotus center caps. I bought Grant GT steering wheel ifor my Europa. Wonderful wheel at a great price. The car had come to me with a different Grant model on it that was dreadful in every way. The Grant GT had a red center cap with a stylized "GT" logo. When I went to Texas to pick up a TR4 I had bought for my wife, Jay Mitchell asked me to co-drive his Europa in an autocross in Waco. I got in his car and realized he had a Grant GT wheel with a Lotus center cap. Not long after that I saw an Email from a guy in Nottingham England who had two boxes of OEM center caps, one box full of yellow/green caps and one box full of black/silver caps. He wanted 19 US dollars in cash for each cap. I sent him a $20 bill for a yellow/green and a note to keep the change. The cap installed in seconds with no tools. That wheel with that cap was in the running for the best-looking part of that car, along with the koa-wood-burl dashboard. 1
Anthem Posted June 30 Posted June 30 Would something like this work on the original steering shaft? https://usa.minisport.com/mini-quick-release-steering-wheel-boss.html 6x70mm 9x105mm
IamScotticus Posted June 30 Posted June 30 (edited) 2 hours ago, Anthem said: Would something like this work on the original steering shaft? https://usa.minisport.com/mini-quick-release-steering-wheel-boss.html 6x70mm 9x105mm Way too much kit there. See: https://www.sevensandclassics.com/online-shop/p/quick-release-steering-wheel-boss Edited June 30 by IamScotticus
Xhilr8n Posted July 4 Author Posted July 4 (edited) On 6/28/2025 at 1:31 AM, IamScotticus said: Bob are you willing to drill and chamfer threes holes on a wheel? I’m a retired Dentist. Check the license plate on my Tundra What diameter is that Momo? Turns out the Momo 27 is 270 mm Edited July 4 by Xhilr8n 1 1
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