2/05

As you can see, the old seven has made quite a bit of progress since last report. I managed to talk my way into some free shop space from an old friend so I have had a chance to get back to FINISHING the car. All that is really left is a little tidying up, some wiring, a lot of little fabrication and then the "sorting" but I should be ready by the time the sun really shines.

I have the Lotus owner's dream/dilemma. Since I am back in the States wondering where I am going to end up I haven't bought a car yet since I'll probably end up moving to Tibet the day after I sign up for a nine year lease on a new F150, so I have been driving my S1 Elan around as a primary driver. Although it is a ball, we have had the worst winter in 100 years here in the mountains, and I have the honor of paying insurance on a 40 year old Lotus as my primary source of transportation. The real good news is that the insurance companies don't check foreign traffic records so I got to start with a clean slate! Anyway, #446 is looking real good. The interior is done, and I just put the motor and gearbox in. I didn't have time to find an original ford flathead, so my buddy Bill at Sierra Autosport in Reno, built this beautiful 1275 with an aluminum head and flywheel to get me by. But in the mean time I found a web site of the guys that bought all of the original Aquaplane molds and are reproducing all of the old speed parts. Their web site is www.Ford-Aquaplane.co.uk. The stuff looks good on the net, but then what doesn't.

I had all of the original shocks for the car rebuilt since the original Armstrongs were still on the car. The re-builder couldn't get the rears to hold the seal so I replaced them with Carreras before Carrera was sold, so I guess they are technically vintage now. The fronts are so original that they are already leaking and the cars is still on the wheel skates. The gearbox is a ribcase. I started out with a smooth case from a 948 and had the guys at Sierra Autosport go through it after I had finished polishing the entire case so it would match all of the other polished aluminum parts including the Metro carrier housing. So just after I finished the three thousand hour polishing job the guys took the gearbox apart and told me all that it needs is new synchros. After about two months of serious searching I found that nobody anywhere in the world makes or has synchros for the 948 gearbox. So we decided to take an old 1275 gearbox apart and swap out the inners so I could keep the shiny case. That didn't work so I decided that all of the 1275 inners should be stuffed back in their right case, but I'll be damned if I was going to polish another Gearbox so as you can see the rib case is a beautifully bead blasted finish. So I got the gearbox mated up to the engine and it went in on the first try with only six people helping and only one minor injury (but its OK because the guy is a Porsche owner). I was so anxious that I decided to work on the car for the entire week end and just get it done.

So I grabbed the keys to the shop and showed up at about 7:30 AM on a Saturday and by about 9:00 Am I have found that the radiator mounts don't line the cap up with the hole in the nose. The new polished cast aluminum valve cover is about 3/4 inch higher than the hood line (bonnet line for you purists), The custom made exhaust system that I had fabricated and Jet-Hot coated fits perfectly as long as you can run the car without the Amazingly pristine and beautifully polished SUs. The exhaust pipes exit the head horizonatally and do not have enough clearance for the fuel bowls. So I have decided to put a Weber on it since it is all that will fit. Mini Mania had one and only one intake available for my application so I paid the price. The bad news is that I understand that Weber has been on strike for the past year or so, and there just are no Weber carbs or parts to be found right now. I got luck, but even race-cars.com didn't have any 40DCOEs listed in the parts for sale. What is happening to our world? So my weekend ended up being the weekend to construct the "to do" list and I am slowly moving toward the ultimate finish of what started out to be a quick 6 month restoration of a Seven.

I still have to knock a hole in the hood to fit the massive Weber through and fabricate the linkage for the throttle and gearbox. After that it is just finishing the brake plumbing for the dual brake cylinders that turned out to be a very poor decision, and then some wiring for the lights and it should be ready for the final phase of "what's wrong this time?" Also, while I was up in Canada I saved a 1969 Lotus 61 Formula Ford from almost certain death. The thing was rotting away in a Canadian barn with very poor weather protection I felt sorry for it and you can see in the background the Seven has a stable mate. All you amateurs out there reading this, do not think that there are any efficiencies with owning multiple Lotuses. If there are five parts that are interchangeable between the Elan, Seven and the 61 I would be surprised. I also have an S1 Europa with the Renault drive train and I think that the only thing they have in common is the need for a large drip pan. I should buy stock in a jack stand manufacturer. Anyway, the next update should include pictures of the Seven in front of some hokey landmark just like all sports car owners feel obligated to take.

3/03

The winter has been long and cold here so I haven't felt like spending much time in the garage working on the car. It is hard to get motivated when it is 35 below absolute zero outside! I went to take some pictures today and I guess that I have been making some progress, so I thought I would update everyone on the car's status.

I have been trying to stay the original route as much as I can. Again I have attached a bunch of pictures to help others that are going through the same experience. I threw in a picture of the original Wilmot Breedon steering wheel just in case anyone is interested in hunting for one.

As you can see the dash is ready for the finish to be put on. I think I am going to go with leather, since I had some left over from the seats and I know it will match. I went with leather for the seats, since I used to live in Las Vegas and I still have flash backs from sitting on vinyl that has been exposed to the sun for too long. I got the front brakes together and benefited from the help of Bob at Kip Motors. Bob took the time to study pictures I sent him to match up the right parts. I turns out that the front brake springs attach at one end to the backing plate. When the car is complete, I am going to publish the cross reference that I have been able to verify from all of my dealings with the obsolete parts guys. Some of these guys really know what they are talking about Like Bob at Kip Motors and Marshall at Mid Town Auto Supply in Syracuse NY.

The lower trunnions gave me some problems. I managed to pry the trunnions out of the lower A Arm when I took the car apart, but had a hell of a time putting them bask together. I couldn't find the proper seals for the trunnion fulcrum pins, so I went to the local plumbing supply and got some 5/8" hose washers. They look terrible, but work well. I couldn't find anyone who could identify what the lower trunnions were out of. Everyone said they should be old Triumph, but when I sent pictures of how the lower pin screws together, it confused most people, especially me. The seal for the trunnion to the upright is standard Triumph of the time. I also had a hell of a time identifying the tie rod ends. My rack turned out to be a cut down Morris rack as John Watson's information indicated if should be, but the tie rod ends were not off of the Standard 10 like the Master Parts list called for. It turns out that mine were from a Morris Minor. They may not be original since there is an arm extension between the rack and the tie rod end, but they sure look like they are.

Any way I put in the rear end this morning, and that was uneventful. I took way too long polishing the pumpkin, but hey, it's my car. In the end I sprayed it with cheap clear lacquer from the auto parts store and the finish turned a bit cloudy. That will teach me for not using Eastwood's Diamond Clear, great stuff. I did get some spray paint that looks like cast iron for the cast parts. If you are going to go through the hassle of cleaning the parts any way, you might as well keep them looking good as long as you can. I sprayed my uprights and brake drums with "cast iron" paint, and they look super! You can also see from the rear suspension pictures that I am putting wire wheels on the car. I am keeping the Rubery Owen steel wheels as well as the WB steering wheel so don't bother asking. I had a machinist make a removable steering wheel adaptor for me that is kept on with the original jamb nut, just in case I ever want to put the big ugly plastic steering wheel back on. I hope to see everyone at this year's LOG, and hopefully I will be in my car. Take care until the next report.

8/02

Progress of restoration of Lotus Seven #446 First off I have attached photos of the car as it sits today. They are self explanatory except the picture of the brake master cylinders and the left rear wing/fender. The brake picture shows what happens when you forget that the steering shaft has to go some where. I think I have a fix, but it is going to require a grinder. The picture of the rear fender shows where I had to have that wing repaired. There is a barely visible line running horizontally through the fender/wing about five inches from the bottom. It shows but the guy that did it did a hell of a job in my opinion. Of course anyone that can weld aluminum is a wizard in my mind.

All of the suspension parts are painted and ready to install. I am waiting for the shocks. I have a guy rebuilding the original Armstrong tubes so I could go with the original shocks, since they are dated. I will let everyone know who he is once I have a look at the craftsmanship. He seems to be quite thorough, but time will tell. The rear end gets put back together next. I polished the rear end since I was having so much fun polishing the rest of the car. The next piece is the gear box, once I get all of the rouge out of my teeth. This weekend I am going to punch the holes in the dash for the gauges, and the hole in the foot well for the steering shaft, just so I can see how horrible the placement turned out to be on the brake masters.

You can see that I went for dual master cylinders, since I have had way to many Girling equipped cars in my life I know that two is more than twice as good as one. The steering rack is the original, and the brackets for the front sway bar are also the originals. I have tried to keep as many original parts on the car as I could. When I take the photos of the rear of the car you will be able to see that I reused all of the original interior panels. The rear end ratio is 5.375:1, and I plan on putting a beefed up 1275 in the car. I am putting it in in such a way so I can go to the Ford in the future. The roll bar has been removed, and the car appeared to be hit in the left side at some time in the past. My Wingard tail lamps are locked up in my safe and they will probably be that last parts that I put on. I am figuring out how to make them removable, so I can take them with me when I park the car!

5/02 The new owner writes...

The car is coming along very well. The guy doing the aluminum skin is a wizard. The frame looks great. I pick it up in less than two weeks to be painted and then it goes back to him for the skin to be riveted on. After that it is just a matter of putting it all back together. Great thing about old Lotuses, they seem to go together easier than they come apart. I haven't decided what I'm going to do for shocks yet. I was hoping to find someone who can replace or rebuild my Armstrongs. Anyway, once I get the frame sitting in my living room and start to polish it, I will start getting pictures off to you. I dropped the negatives off at the printer about a week ago, but haven't got around to picking them up. The guy who sold me the car was going through his late uncles stuff and came crossed a couple of pictures of the car sitting on a chassis dyno. He was kind enough to send them to me. I had the guys at work scan them so I could send them to you as I thought you might enjoy them. Keep in touch.

12/01 New Owner Reports!

Hi there! I was surfing through your web site when I saw a picture of the Lotus Seven that I bought last fall. I have been in contact with John Watson of the Lotus Register in London and he has given me some history on the car. It is in the middle of a complete restoration and I have taken detailed photographs of most of the car as it was being disassembled. I am currently trying to collect as many original or period pieces as possible so when I finally turn the corner and start putting it back together, it should go quickly. My goal is to have it on the road this early summer, but I have never hit my goals when it comes to finishing a British car. Something always isn't available. You wouldn't have a spare lens for a Wingard rear lamp would you? Anyway the car is in good hands. This is my fifth Lotus so I know what I'm in for.

I am trying to keep the car as original as possible, yet make it drivable for a 6 foot tall American. I am going so far as to find bias ply tires of the correct size and design to run around on. The car is now totally apart and the frame is about to be painted. After the frame is painted, the car will get all new body skin and under panels. The fenders or wings were all in good shape as was the nose cone, so I had the local panel beater pound them back into shape after I stripped off seven coats of paint. The guys at Rocky Mountain Sports cars (The US Caterham distributors) are having Caterham make up a new scuttle for me. According to Caterham in England, they still use the original bucks from back in 57 for the scuttles on today's Caterhams. I had to have one specially made since the current models have all kinds of holes and stuff punched in them for the steering and things like windshield wipers. The guy that is going to do the body panels is also going to make up a bonnet for the car. You were right, there were a lot of original and usable pieces on the car, but unfortunately some of the car was just plain used up. The bonnet had holes in it from at least three different carburetor configurations. The belly pan was also modified and abused to some degree. I have removed the roll bar. I cleaned the shock housings up enough to see that they were Armstrong shocks with a manufacture date of 1957 or there about.

The rear end is 5.375 to 1. The car was raced as an H Mod car in the past and had a Mercury Marine motor at that time. The car actually came with the Mercury motor and a bunch of spare parts, so if you know anybody looking for an old H Mod engine, I can make them a hell of a deal. By the way, the original front cycle wings came with the car. They look like they were taken off early in the life of the car, and put away for safe keeping. They shined up real well. I plan on going back to a polished aluminum finish for the entire car. The wheels were the original Rubery Owen steel wheels. I need a fifth one for a spare if you have one lying around. The steering wheel is original and hideous to look at. I am relocating the brake cylinder back to the original position, but I may make it a dual system. I am thinking about Brooklands racing screens, but I have the original windscreen with the car.

There were also an original seat back and one seat bottom that were almost gone, but good enough to take dimensions off of and probably make good patterns. I will probably go with a BMC engine for a lot of reasons, but if I do I will probably make it a 1275 since the 998 that is currently in the car isn't the right motor anyway. The number plate gives an engine number that definitely is not BMC. All of the pedals are the real McCoy as is the gas tank, radiator, brakes, and complete frame. The car is a good complete example of a very early Seven.

I look forward to giving you a ride this summer. If you need copies of all of the pictures that I have taken to date, all you have to do is ask. It may take me a week or so to getting around to ordering another set of prints, but I will get them to you. I will be taking pictures all along as the car gets put back together. I am not promising that I am a good photographer, but the pictures aren't blurry. If you have any questions, just ask away. I have already located an Original AC temperature gauge, and now I'm looking for the speedo and the pressure gauge. Aside from that I am in pretty good shape. Thanks for putting the site together.

Original Report, November, 2001

A very rare Lotus Seven Series One has recently changed hands. This seems to be the very first Lotus Seven to be exported from England to the U.S. as a new car in 1958.

This appears to be a very important U.S. car with some very original features. The car has only ever been in the U.S. It was sold by Lotus as one of the first four Series One Sevens to be sent to the U.S. sometime between August and November 1958. Two cars went to Jay Chamberlain and two cars, one of which was #446, went to John Posselius of Detroit. We know nothing else of its history. #446 is the first of the four cars which may have been shipped together.

The chassis plate looks fine. The original engine would have been a 100E side-valve Ford 1172cc. and this has been changed for a BMC "A" Series. The rear suspension looks to be fairly original as is the placement of the battery and small aluminum fuel tank. None of the instruments is original but the big ones look to be frog-eye (bug-eye) Sprite. The steering wheel is original Standard 10 type. Most of the body panels look to be original but it is difficult to say. The front wings, however, are not. The clutch and brake master cylinders are not in the original place. Originally the clutch and brake cylinders would have pivoted on the floor and not as they are now from above. The steering rack looks to be in the correct place behind the centre of the front wheels and not infant like all other Lotus Sevens (Series 2, 3, 4 and Caterham etc.) The radiator looks to be original, as does the hole in the nosecone for the water filler car which is an early Series One feature. The throttle pedal bar has been moved forward for some reason (tall guy?). It should be mounted on the small triangular pieces about 3" or 4" behind.

Very original for its age. Unfortunately all Sevens are messed about with but this one appears very good considering it is 43 years old and has probably been raced.

In Lotus Seven terms it doesn't get any better for a U.S. car. Ford 100E engines were, rightly, considered as 1930's technology by Americans. Chapman had to get his act together and install BMC "A" Series in order to sell to the U.S. This has to be a rare car.

Should the current owner come across this web page, I would very much like to hear from him. It was I who made the connection between a potential buyer and the knowledgeable parties who generously provided research and information as to the interesting historical value of this particular Series One Lotus Seven. I would like to document the restoration of this car on this web site for the benefit of all Seven owners. I would also be glad to share further information with the new owner. Please contact John Donohoe