Never Say Never
Early Spring 2022:
I was browsing Facebook Marketplace looking for a good used lawnmower when I ran across an ad for an incomplete Lotus Seven Replica project for sale in Sooke, not 20 km from home (1.5 km as the Bald Eagle flies across the Sooke Basin). I rushed right over, checkbook in hand.
Nothing was assembled. The engine was hanging from a hoist; the tranny was in the corner; the chassis was leaning against the wall; fenders and nose on a shelf; parts and material were laying around all over the shop. But all the bits and pieces for a complete car looked to be there.
I met Mike, who informed me that he had just sold the project not 15 minutes before I arrived. Disappointed as I was, I hung around and chatted with Mike. It turned out I had chatted with him a few times on the LocostUSA forum a few years previous when I was building my Merlyn.
He told me that about twenty years ago, he and another car enthusiast from South Vancouver Island, Al in Metchosin, decided they would like to build a pair of replica Lotus Sevens. After collecting major components like engines, transmissions, rear axles and steering/suspension components Al, collaborated with Jim McSorley, the famous Locost Seven chassis designer to come up with the McSorley 222. The 222 signifies 2 inches longer, 2 inches wider and 2 inches taller than an original Lotus Seven. This design was used to build their chassis.
Mike was now moving to Mexico and was heartbroken that he was not able to take the car with him.
I also met the buyer, Keith. I told him how lucky he was and warned him that building a car was not for the faint of heart and that if he ever decided to sell the project, I would be very interested. I gave him my contact information.
Late Fall 2022:
Unexpectedly, Keith called and asked if I was still interested in the car. He had assembled the chassis, drive train and suspension and done most of the wiring but for various reasons was not prepared to complete the project. I rushed right over to his shop and here is what I saw:
Wow! All I have to do is slap on a few side panels and I’m good to go! Even a 75-year-old pistonhead like me should be able to handle that. [Spoiler Alert: Things aren’t always as simple as they seem]
Home:
A deal was made and the car was now in my shop.
I had to replace the patio doors with commercial double doors so I could get the car into my shop. It just fit.
Uh-oh!
Keith had told me there were two “issues” that would need sorting.
• The clutch would not disengage.
• Windshield wiper would not park
Only two issues? No Problem!
OK. Let’s tackle the bigger issue first. The clutch.
This entailed disassembling the entire car down to the bare chassis so the engine could be separated from the transmission.
Al, Mike and Keith each had differing theories on the fix but what it finally boiled down to was the Pinto clutch disk was 0.185” thicker than the Zetec disk that was designed to go in the Zetec clutch. (Sounds so simple now) I installed some 0.185” shims between the pressure plate and the flywheel and adjusted the throw-out bearing spacers to suit. All was well. This only took 3 months and at least 10 engine pulls. All this assemble/disassemble wore out the threaded holes in the flywheel and I had to helicoil them. I’m pretty sure that problem is solved.
The wiper motor was an easier fix. I took it apart and found the internal contacts broken. Not repairable. A new motor was purchased from Moss Motors and relocated from its ugly location on the firewall to a hidden spot under the dash. To paraphrase Colin Chapman: Add More Neatness.
I wonder why he did that.
All the time I’m working on the car I’m thinking, “Well, I would have done that differently”, so I proceeded to rework a lot of the wiring, the unsightly throttle linkage and windshield washer system, and much of the cooling system. Not really necessary but I felt the need to put my brand on it. I scrapped the original Zetec complex engine management system and bought a NODIZ module from the UK. Completely programmable and preset for the Weber Zetec. I added a throttle position sensor, and wired it in to the ECM.
I also thought that the reservoir for the clutch master cylinder was too close to the exhaust manifold so I remote mounted it and added a substantial heat shield. This may not be enough protection but time will tell.
While the bare chassis is on the stands, it would be a good time to set the wheel alignment. I disconnected the springs and clamped the suspension arms at ride height. Using a digital angle gauge and some specially made brackets I fabricated, I was able to set caster, camber and toe-in to pretty close specs. I went for 6 deg caster, neg 1 deg camber and 1/8 toe-in. When I get the car inspected for licensing, I’ll get the setting fine-tuned at an alignment shop.
(The red circled box is my angle gauge)
I wasn’t happy with six sections of rubber hose for the cooling system so I simplified by making up aluminum pipe sections to replace three hose pieces.
I think I have most of the mechanical stuff under control so it’s time to tackle the bodywork.
The Body:
I’ve never done any bodywork before so I was quite nervous about tackling this. Hoping to get my skill level up I started with the inside panels which would not show too much.
There is not a lot of room in the foot well for my size 12 feet so I expanded it as much as I could. It’s still pretty tight – just like any other Lotus.
It didn’t go too badly using pop-rivets for some panels and screws for panels I was sure I would have to remove later for access to internal components.
I templated all the aluminum exterior panels with floor-protector paper from Home Depot. Then I transferred the template to aluminum sheet and cut it using jig saw, bandsaw, router, and angle grinders and files.
Amazingly, no blood was spilt during this process. Some pieces were bent in place using Clicos.
This worked really well. I made a trunk template to fit around the gas tank and the frame out of cardboard then transferred to aluminum. Painted with truck bed liner spray.
(Before spray)
I had a local upholstery shop make me a tonneau cover for the trunk.
Now, the worst part of the build: the hood.
Has to fit to the dash cowl. Has to fit to the front nose. Multiple bends in multiple angles with variable radii.
I made a buck to form the hood panels.
I like the centre-hinge design better than the ‘lift the whole hood off and lay it on the grass’ method.
The curves at the front and rear don’t quite match the curves of the body but I think they will pull down when I attach the straps. (They did)
I’m starting to run out of things to fix.
But Wait – There’s More
My first 5-minute test drive showed up a few problems:
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Backing up was a problem. Mirrors are small and my 78 year old neck doesn’t swivel as well as it should.
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The 1950’s vintage Smiths speedometer reads slow.
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The Smiths tach is jumpy and sticks.
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Seat belts stick and won’t retract.
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Webers desperately need tuning.
The backing up problem was solved by installing a back-up camera. Bonus: Monitor has Carplay and Navigation!
No luck fixing the neck.
Speedo was replaced with a GPS speedo that looks almost identical to the original Smiths. I also replaced the tach with a matching unit. Both are dead accurate.
Seat belts were replaced with aftermarket hotrod belts.
Al, who owns the sister to my Seven came over and helped me tune the carbs. Better, but still need work. This is the fourth car I’ve had with Weber DCOE’s and not one of them ever ran really well. Any adjustment I make only makes them worse. I am truly Weber Challenged.
Finally:
Ready for DOT inspection and licensing.
Other than a couple of suspension bushings needing small spacers and needing a decal showing gear shift pattern (DOT requirement), the car passed inspection with flying colours.
Registration, Insurance and plating also went well so I’m now legal.
What a job. I’m never going to do that again!
Now, what did I do with those model steam engine plans?....
Hmmm, I wonder what’s on Marketplace.