rejuvenating your alloys - by peter burgess lotuslowflying.lotus7.club/1995/1995_03_mar.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
LOW FLYING The Monthly Magazine of the Lotus Seven Club of Great Br i ta in
MARCH ISSUE REJUVENATING YOUR ALLOYS - by Peter Burgess EXHAUSTS • Your questions answered SUSPENSION & TYRES - Part one
B r i t a i n
LOTUS
• PARTS FOR ALL SEVEN MODELS -1 9 5 7 TO DATE ^ ™
• RAPID MAIL ORDER SERVICE, EXPORT ORDERS WELCOME
• ENGINE BUILDING, TUNING, NEW & EXCHANGE UNITS
• TRANSMISSION, NEW & RECONDITIONED • SERVICING, REPAIRS & RESTORATIONS • ACCIDENT REPAIRS
S P E C I A L O F F E R S F O R M A R C H .... AUTOJACK IMMOBILISER WILLANS SUPER SPORT 4 POINT SEAT BELTS Approved by Insurance Companies. Available in black, blue or red at Supplied & fitted for £130 inc VAT. £30 each plus postage and VAT.
For Spares, Repairs, Servicing or Free Advice Telephone or Visit our premises in Caterham. Only minutes from Junction 6, M25, Short walk from BR Station.
HISTORIC SEVEN PARTS SUPPLIERS
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J A M E S , W H I T I N G Exclusively Seven
• WORLDWIDE MAIL O R D E R S E R V I C E
• S P E C I A L MODIFICATIONS A N D U P D A T E S
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" A L L Y O U R S E V E N N E E D S " Our slogan for the past 10 years!
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As well as having our development and modification facilities dedicated to SEVENS, we have 1200+ cu/ft reserved for parts. A second fully equipped workshop for servicing, general maintenance, yearly or track day safety checks and M.O.T's.
Please telephone us for personal attention with your requirements. D u n n e l l
|Zetec 16 Valve I
24A & 38 Glenfield Road, Ashford, Surrey TW15 1JL Tel: (01784) 241466 Fax: (01784) 250915
In this issue***** .. . . • • .. . . • •
Front Cover:
Peter Burgess ond Scries four
Roys Romblings 2
Area News 3
1 995 Events 8
Stop Press 9
Neujs 10
Nuke the Leuk 11
Glome Lol one) Grim 14
Tyrrell Visit 16
Le Mans 17
Lincoln New Vear Sprint 19
Technical Topics 20
Suspension <5> Tyres 24
Rejuvinating your Alloys 26
New Members 29
Area Meetings 30
Area 'Appenings 31
Members Letters 32
For Sale & UUanted 35
Annual Membership: £30 UK £42 Overseas
Copy Deadline: End of month for inclusion in following
month's issue -i.e. 31st January for March issue.
Chairman: Lol Pilfold
South Norris, 125 North Lane, East Preston, West Sussex, BN16 1HB.
Tel/Fax: 0903 770770
General Secretary: Roger Swift
Lawn Bank House, Wychnor, Staffs, DE13 8BY.
Tel/Fax: 0283 791877
Treasurer: Barry Sweeney
Spring Cottage, Lyoth Lane, Lindfield, West Sussex, RH16 2QA.
Membership Secretary: Nick & Julie Richens
PO Box7, Cranleigh, Surrey.
Tel/Fax: 0483 277172
Technical Information & enquiries: James Whiting
38 Glenfield Road Ashford, Middx, TW15 1JL. Fax: 0784 250915
Magazine €ditor: Roy Blyth
90 Pankhurst Crescent, Stevenage, Herts, SG2 0QJ.
0438 312063 Fax: 0438 745495
UK International €vent: Neil Backwith
Chelworth, Lower Lemington, Nr. Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos. GL5 9NP
Tel/Fax: 0608 652337
Advertising Manager: Steve Davidson
c/o Graphics One, 4 Belmore Road, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk, NR7 OPT.
Tel:0603 700400 Fax: 0603 700301
Club Regalia: PO Box 73 Ashford, Middx, TW15 1XR 24 Hour flnsaphone: 0784 421885
Roys RXMBLINCJ
Greetings! Have you had it out yet, he cried? Right then, without further ado
Check out the New Members list this month and you'll find Peter
and Laura Marshall f rom the North Pole, Alaska - honest!
Personally I don't believe it, so I must insist that you send me evi
dence to support this unlikely claim. I suppose the next thing
you'll be telling me is you've got a Polar bear for a fireside pet?
Finland is off! You are a big let-down, the lot of you! Our trip of
a lifetime has been cancelled due to lack of interest, the Great
British Apathy, whatever.... I shall now go away and sulk after
offering my thanks and apologies to Kalevi Leppa, Mike Butroid
and our friends in Sweden. Sorry chums, but at least we tried.
What next? The clutch was/is not anymore, stuck. I shall patent
my freeing-off method I think (or stop spending so much time on
this magazine and go and drive the car instead!). If you have the
same problem then run the engine up until it gets very hot, then
let it go cold. Repeat this again immediately and then head for the
open road - mine frees off as soon as the nose points down the
driveway.
And before anyone else asks me, I will not be publishing any race
reports this year - oh, alright, I'll see what I can do. The
Caterham race calendar should have been in this issue, but time
ran out. Watch this space
Call that a press release, Guy Munday! "Mothers Ali po l i sh" is
now available again at James Whitings emporium and Supersprint
(oops!) Haydon Cars. I didn't even know it wasn't?
Dany Prignon from the Brasserie Fantome in Belgium - did you
buy the car, or was it one of those nasty replicas? Lets hear from
you soon.
Mr North f rom Kent! What's wrong with the Essex colours,
hmmm? Seriously though, I appreciate your comments on the
new style of Low Flying and hopefully you will see some further
improvements in this and subsequent issues. As for the tempta
tion to call it "professional" - don't even think about it! I am but a
mere amateur in these matters. But a change is as good as a
rest, as they say.
Once upon a time I asked Members for names of recommended
suppl iers (should have known better, I suppose). The only one
(yes, one!) I ever got was from Dicko, who strongly recommends
Auto Marine Interiors in Leicester (01455 840909) for the supply
of fitted covers. He used them to provide a tailor-made cover to
protect the nose on his FF racer whilst in transit. Are there any
more out there?
March 1995
It seems that Lotus Cars have got themselves a new PR agency
- judging by the amount of my fax roll they are using. What's the
next "anniversary" you can think of guys?
Apologies to Tony Hall at Goodwood for my over-simplification of
things in last months ramblings. Gone, but never forgotten....
That's 'yer lot for now. She's taken the old tiles off the wall, so I
suppose I'll have to go and inspect the work before she starts
painting. God, I hate this decorating. Oh, and another thing Nick
Richens. Never mind what my name brings up on the dreaded
spell-checker, I managed to take "Nick" through five levels of
Thesorearse and ended up with "cesspool" - so there! Now Max,
lets sit down and read this little story about Rigsby, the 70mph
P$RT<VS Last chance to book
Castle Combe for Saturday April 1st!! D o n ' t d e l a y -
d o i t t o d a y . !
See this issue for the booking details.
Correction to last months Sprint Booking Form - Cheques to be made payable to - 'Sevens on Track'. See the new form in this
issue.
Cadwell Park Track Day has moved to 22nd September. Get your entries in
now.!
Low Flying
M€W9 HGRT9 A K € A - JdNUrfRY
(Two Sevens DA & T B f roze) .
y n a m i c h a p p e n i n g s at the J a n u a r y mee t ing ! G o d , its
lucky I'm y o u n g e n o u g h to keep up wi th these Her ts
he roes ( thanks to m o n k e y g land h o r m o n e s a n d co ld showers ) so
that , I too, c a n mix it w i th the jet set ters . S O ! O N T H E
C A R D S ! J o h n W a t s o n & Paul , Paul , S teve /Lucy & Co. to
N u r b u r g r i n g . S i m o n Telfer & D a v e , D a v e a n d D a r r e n to
Sw i tze r land (plus s o m e of above) . Tony Boyd p lus Phil Norr is hit
t ing the t racks. N O T T O M E N T I O N . , those a l ready sk i ing,
C h r i s t m a s s i n g a b r o a d or c ru is ing the is lands o n OEM (subject to
bui ld ing regs.) - I'd be wi th you chaps but mul led w ine , st i l ton a n d
lash ings of cus ta rd a n d f iggy pud has taken its toll (a) wi th my
spel l ing a n d (b) wi th we igh t penal ty points or ig inat ing f rom a mis-
pelt you th a n d a p e n c h a n t for the g o o d life (it's why I dr ive a
Seven. . . . ) .
Anyway, to s impl i fy th ings w e (the non-royal W E that is) are keen
to do all that is n e c e s s a r y to enr ich life in its ent i rety S e v e n ,
Soc ia l , Sa tu rna l ien a n d scanda lous ly -w ise . Th is inc ludes be ing
sil ly at soc ia ls , terr i fy ing at t rack days , subt ly s tupe fy ing at spr in ts ,
horr ib le at Hi l lc l imbs a n d naugh ty at the 'Nat iona l ' (especia l ly if
there isn't a s p e e d event - DS, RD, S M , DA + 2 or 3 ) . It's a lso
been m u t e d that t h o s e w h o w ish to jo in us will m a k e a c h e a p day
of it at a spr int circuit for s o m e highly immora l P R A C T I C E ! ! ! !
A L S O ! ! ! It is a lso be ing o rgan ised that T U I T I O N on a cer ta in
T R A C K DAY is be ing of fered at ve ry F A V O U R A B L E RATES just
so that Her ts (and s o m e f r o m Midd lesex , Essex & C a m b r i d g e )
abso lu te ly th rash the doo rs off all t h o s e in s ight at the a f o r e m e n
t ioned func t ions . So, you lubbers f rom Lanes, Leics and Lines,
B i m b o s f r o m Berks , Bucks & Beds a n d Suckers f r o m S o m e r s e t
a n d Sur rey (can' t th ink of any th ing for Kent) get your whee ls out
a n d test yer met t le - you ' ve got compet i t ion - haven' t they fel las.. . .
fel las? er fe l las? now w h e r e have they got to? O h G o d , it s e e m s
that I've just been s u m m o n i n g on my soap-box aga in . Ser iously,
w e are o rgan is ing a n d get t ing together , so for those in teres ted,
contac t m e if y o u wan t to jo in us on a pr ivate pract ice day or cir
cuit tu i t ion. If you ' re g o i n g to Le M a n s , Nurburg r ing or Swiss mee t
there 's abou t ten peop le in terested in hear ing f rom you and any
one new w h o w i s h e s to see w h a t go 's on at a spr int meet - jo in us,
you' l l be w e l c o m e . T h e H e r t s H o r r o r s - 0 9 2 0 8 7 1 1 5 3 .
9 0 M G R 9 G T & WG99GX A R C A - FGBRIMRY
See Area Events for the Somerset & Wessex 1995 Calendar. And
there's a few other things Bubbling under: A v ideo even ing has
been s u g g e s t e d . T h e r e are a few w a y s to set th is up, if t he re is
e n o u g h interest .
A lso, it has been put fo rward that w e have a ' techn ica l ' m e e t i n g ,
g iv ing peop le the oppor tun i t y to s h o w off all t hose nifty m o d s a n d
o thers to t ry a n d get a n s w e r s to all t h o s e technica l ques t ions that
they never actual ly wr i te to the newsle t ter to get a n s w e r e d . O n c e
aga in if there is interest , we' l l do it. My dog and b o n e is 0 1 9 3 5
7 1 3 9 4 . R h e r t L a n d .
NOTT9, DGRBV9, L£\CS, & H A f f S -
NOMGflBGR & DGCGNBGR
N o v e m b e r w a s a d isaster as far as a mee t i ng w a s c o n c e r n e d as
the pub dec ided to have a bonf i re o n the night of our mee t i ng a n d
w e cou ld not move in the bar or ou ts ide . Still the bonf i re and f i re
w o r k s w e r e g o o d .
D e c e m b e r w a s better, a d ry night a l though the fo recast w a s for
rain, wh ich kept s o m e of the Sevens off the road , but in the e n d it
s tayed dry. T h e first p rob lem was that the car park h a d been d u g
up to c rea te a new chi ldren's p layground in the spot w h e r e w e nor
mal ly park. Still I s u p p o s e hav ing a s l ide in t he car park will take
on a new m e a n i n g for J o h n Car l is le w h o a lways l ikes to leave wi th
great gus to !
J o h n Taylor had taken del ivery of his n e w De-D ion kit and is wel l
o n the way to comp le t i ng it. He w a s tak ing p lenty of adv ice f rom
peop le w h o have d o n e this before, i.e. mos t of us. Mick B r o w n
has s t r ipped d o w n his recent ly resur rec ted Ser ies 2 a n d has now
sent it to Derek Moore at C lass ic Car r iage for the chass is to be
w o r k e d on a n d genera l restorat ion.
Af ter m a n y p h o n e cal ls n e w m e m b e r R ichard Hassal l has f inal ly
p u r c h a s e d a S e v e n . He is now the p roud o w n e r of an 1800 S P R
S u p e r Spr int . I know 'cos he rang m e up at C h r i s t m a s to tell me .
Go t it f r o m Ar rows ta r I bel ieve and need less to say is full of it. S e e
y o u s o o n . T e r r y D u t t o n (New p h o n e n u m b e r : 0 2 8 3 538968 . )
PGNNING dRGrl - JrlNU/IRY
Lots of talk abou t Ch r i s tmas presents wh ich then dr i f ted on to the
compet i t i ve events for '95. W h e r e w e r e they go ing to be? H o w
w e r e they go ing to be o rgan ised? H o w m u c h will they be? (New
Year m a g a z i n e not pub l i shed at t he t i m e of o u r mee t ing ) .
Hopeful ly , all this specu la t ion will have been reso lved by now and
w e c a n build da tes into our d iar ies. (How about an evening spent
counting the stripes on the American Flag? Hmmm! Ed.)
A reminder abou t the fun run to Whi tby. If you are half in terested
g ive m e a r ing so I can pass on exact deta i ls (0113 2 5 0 7 7 1 9
even ings) .
That 's abou t it except to thank Mike D e a n for tu rn ing ou t in
" C u s t a r d " - ve ry ded ica ted . Perhaps o thers w h o have s t range
n i c k n a m e s for their cars might like to wr i te in wi th t h e m ? W e
n a m e our Min is af ter f lowers . "B luebel l " , " S n o w d r o p " and "Tulip".
"Daf fodi l " w a s sold to m a k e space for the Seven (no n a m e as yet)
- p lus w e have ano ther Mini ca l led " D o g Dirt"! M A D M A L C O L M
Low Flying © March 1995
WrfRWIOtfHIRG AH€A -G O ™ & CHRI9TM9 DO
W e're made of tough stuff over here in Warwickshire!
Sixteen of us turned up, some cold ones and some fair
ly warm ones, there were only three Sevens, well it was
an extremely filthy night. However, it was brightened
up by the arrival of two new members (bless 'em), welcome to
Stuart and Pam, looking forward to seeing the car (preferably in
daylight) so roll on Spring and Summers. Seven Heaven! God, I
hate the winter! I want to be Jim & Shirley Brooks' excess bag
gage when they fly south for winter! Hi Guys how are you? Hot
eh?
So, on to our Christmas lunch at the New Inn. Well what can I
say? Barry the landlord had fun, so did all his staff, but bless his
cotton socks he managed to feed (Jo typed that as feel! Ed.) all
twenty seven of us (I hope!).
My better half (he tells me to say this!) dreamt up an awards cer
emony (in the bath that morning) so frantic writing and ideas took
shape. We set nearly everyone up with pretty daft awards and
prizes, it was worth all the effort just to hear the laughter! - espe
cially when you didn't know your name was next! I shall give a list
of the awards and winners at the end because I want to state that
considering Barry (the flu) was so under the weather he got right
into the sprit of Christmas etc. because he appeared with two bot
tles of Champers and four bottles of wine with a book of raffle tick
ets. We all managed to raise £100 for LRF. A big thank you to
Barry - you just can't keep a good man down! Steve Winterberg -
a cheque is in the post!
Make I take this opportunity to thank everyone (except Crispin) for
making the effort to come out even on rotten nights to enjoy their
cars and keep the Club spirit going! A very happy new year to all
seven owners and a successful and peaceful one. Lizzie
T H G A W A R D S THe CHRK MCTCALFG AWARD FOR SGWIBLG on TRACK DRIVING in
1994. THC noMinees WGRG:
Gordon Cardew - for fitting a luminous nose cone to let everyone
know he's coming (and later fitting one to his seven).
Jack Newland - for offering unselfishly to let someone else (who
shall remain nameless (Chris M.) race his Vauxhall race car.
Kay Puttock - for demonstrating the art of avoiding the tyre wall at
Rowrah and jumping it instead.
The winner was Kay Puttock.
THG SIMOn TIDMU9 AWARD FOR PRCPARATION & RELIABILITY. THE
n o M i n e e ? W G R C
Pippa Newland - who, although inexperienced as a Seven owner,
(and a girl) managed to turn up at a monthly meet in a Seven only
once!
Jack Newland - for the same reasons (although not a girl!).
Crispin Feilding - who although as we all know, never actually dri
ves his Seven, always turns up with it carefully prepared to look
like he's been using it, i.e. cow shit, squashed flies and painted
mud streaks.
The winner was Crispin Feilding.
TH€ BARRY TH€ LANDLORD QUART in A PIMT POT AWARD. TH€ NOMI-
NCGS woe.
Ken Puttock - for 17 x compact chairs, 86 x rainbow straps, a four
man tent, full cooking equipment, two sleeping bags, a portaloo, 6
x road cones, two umbrellas and a full set of Rohan waterproofs -
all in the passenger footwell as well as a full tool set and enough
food for 14 x days under the bonnet!
Barry himself - for always managing to hide the steak in his mini
mixed grill under the sausage, chop and tomato and yet still found
room on the plate for a full salad and a portion of chips.
Dave Fender - for simply getting into his K series - and out again!
The winner was Dave Fender.
THG PIMT in A QUART POT AWARD. THG NOMINGG'; WGRG:
Only one nomination, Gordon Cardew, he won it.
THG JACK nGWLAnD AWARD FOR THG BGVT CXCUSG FOR nOT TURn-
IMG UP OR ARRIVING LATG. THG NOMINGG1) WGRG:
Jack Newland - for Oh! is the meeting tonight?
Ken Puttock - for, after a phone call from the New Inn on Club
night said "so where are you all then and what are you doing?"
Crispin Feilding - for "I'll probably come next month" - every
month!
The winner was Ken Puttock.
THG CA9TLG COMBG 9PGCIAL AWARD FOR TGCHMIQUG. THG NOMI
NGG1) WGRG=
Chris Metcalfe - for trying a new starting technique designed to
put several yards between himself and all other competitors - sec
ond gear!
Chris Metcalfe - for unselfishly turning his Seven into a combine
harvester and endeavouring to help out the local farmers on lap
one.
Gary First - for recognising that his first attempt at re-modelling
Quarry bend had been unsuccessful and going back for a second
attempt. The winner was Gary First.
FINALLY - THG LIFGTIMG ACHIGVJCMCNT AWARD - FOR A ONCC in A LIFGTIMG ACHIGMGMGNT! THG NOMINCCS WGRG:
Gordon Cardew - for selling his Seven to buy a Yamaha!
Alan Smith - for contemplating selling his plane to buy his 3rd
Zetec engine.
Lorna Cheshire - for organising an area trip to a vineyard and wine
tasting - which we all had to drive to! The winner was Lorna Cheshire.
March 1995 0 Low Flying
C O N T ' D LINCOLN GROUP - JdNUdRY
Our January meeting was set to be something good and no one
was disappointed. The same old reliable lot turned up and were
rewarded with a really interesting discussion with our guest
speaker Len Terry. The missing members missed out again!
Len treated us to a trip through time and his career with some fas
cinating recollections about Colin Chapman, the early Lotus fac
tory and many other fascinating facts. Len told us about his time
with Dan Gurney and the Eagle cars he designed for him, and his
time working for Colin Chapman on the Indy car project. He told
us about his own car, The Terrier, and how it beat the Lotus Seven
in the Chapman Cup!
What a life this guy led. He said that he had spent the majority
of his life doing something he thoroughly enjoyed. He is on first
name terms with no less than seventeen formula one racing dri
vers, and has visited seventeen countries in pursuance of his
pleasurable career. Two of our group members brought along
their copies of Len Terry's book and Len was able to personally
dedicate it to them. The evening was not long enough to cover all
of Len's interesting career, and after much encouragement he has
agreed to come back at a later date to finish off the story.
Next month, slot car racing at Scotts' place, and hopefully some
thing further to report. Regards, Peter Hull.
WOODCOTE SPORTS CARS
INDEPENDENT CATERHAM 7 SPECIALISTS
We buy and sell new and
secondhand 7's.
We also offer a kit build
facility, and any help you may need.
Please contact Stuart Wylie
Tel: 0737 645213
Beechwood, Gatton Bottom,
Merstham, Surrey R H 1 3 B H
Low Flying
A rather cold crisp night with plenty of snow meant that numbers
were down to about twenty dedicated Seveners and no Sevens on
the park.
It was good to be able to welcome Andy Ledger, Steve Gibson
and David Ecob from the Macclesfield area, and Robert Hesketh
from Horwich who has just completed his Seven.
We hear that Mr Briggs is at it again (well, not IT!!) but has parted
with his sticky Avons and thrown his Seven in with the deal. The
question is, where do we go from here, Colin? GT, K Series, or is
it true along with McLaren you have done an engine deal with
Mercedes? And, by the way, congratulations on gaining your heli
copter pilot's licence (do helicopters have sticky tyres?).
We have a treasure hunt organised on Sunday 26th March, and at
our March meeting on the 30th a talk will be given by Graham
Bracegirdle, "Motor Sport, behind the scenes". Graham is a
RACMSA Technical Commissioner and National Scrutineer and
will be recalling some of his experiences, many of them intriguing
and often humorous. Steve and Doug.
NOTTC DCRBV* L£\CS & S l A f f S -
A nice cold clear night, but only the Sevens of Richard Hassall,
Andy Toon and Harvey Griffin in the car park. Lots of people in
the pub though, most members cars being laid up for the winter.
Welcome to new visitor Richard Toms from Hinckley, this area
gets bigger by the month!. Richard brought his 1700 Super Sprint
last May, but this was the first time he had made it to a meeting.
Congratulations to Helen & Graeme Hunt on the arrival of their
daughter Rachel on the 23rd January. Graeme was playing the
proud father and showing us all photos of the new arrival. Helen
is OK, although some prat tried to spoil the party by "T-boning" her
in a road accident just two days before Rachel was born.
Thankfully they are all alright.
Autosports International was a great show, did you go? Had a
long talk on the Dunnell Engines stand, it's only a matter of time
before somebody in this area goes for a Zetec. Mind you, did you
see that supercharged Zetec that Dunnells were showing,
300bhp in a Seven, can you imagine that!
John Taylor has finished his new Supersprint and was taking it for
inspection the next day. Derek Moore of Classic Carriage has
bought a "pocket" motorbike, 35 mph flat out round Mallory and
shortly to be painted in Caterham colours.
Finally, after months of planning, the Pre-73 Seven racers have
challenged this area to a "Christmas" Karting challenge. Mark
Brown is the driving force behind this and it takes place on the
18th February at 1.00pm at Thurmaston, Leicester. There is a
barbecue afterwards so it should be a good event. Tell you more
about it next month. See you soon, Terry Dutton
March 1995
M A D . 9GVjeh€R9 /4R€d -
Yes, all you other areas out there, we are the recently formed Merseyside and District Local Area. Our first official meeting was held in the 'Swan' on the A49 to Newton-Le-Willows and what a good turnout we had. Sixteen members turned up, some new faces and some old ones (very old!!) and four cars even though the weather was pretty miserable.
It was a delight to see the elusive Butterfly, our local Guru Mike 'Dicko' Dixon turned up in the new 6 x speed K Series demonstrator but the miserable bastard would not demonstrate it. "Dicko" I said "Giz the keys" only to be greeted with a thunderous look of "it's my toy and nobody else is going to play with it".
General talk was about various things we plan to do in the future, you know, the usual things, fun runs, invading other areas, inter area competitions especially with the Lanes Lotus Lovers and a G R E A T BIGGIE we are trying to plan for later in the year, but this is a secret at the moment so nuff said ("Dicko giz the keys" -"Buggar Off" he said, what a superb Salesman).
One of our members John Ryding is actively looking to buy a Supersprint and another, Adrian Sorsky is actively looking for his new K Series Supersport that is being assembled somewhere in the deep South and should have been with him in January. Come on you lot down there, get the poor blokes car ready 'cos he has been sulking for weeks and it is not a pretty sight.
The evening flew by and it soon became time to go home to our little cherubs. In the car park Dicko actually relented on his negative sales pitch and took me for a spin in the new 6 x speed. A very impressive car. He even offered to let me drive it but as we were only 100 yards from returning to the car park I graciously declined.
Next meeting: Again at the 'Swan Public House', Wednesday, March 8th 1995 at 8pm, phone for directions. Regards, Roy Sang. R S . Q: Why is a Caterham engine like an Italian girl?
A: On a cold morning when you really need it, it won't turn over!!
SAbf L O N D O N / N O R F k€MT - JrtMUrtRY
The main topic of conversation this month was the rebirth of K2 R U M , a few members having had a sneak preview since its return from Arch Motors. The curious amongst you might be wondering about the colour given AW's notorious "taste", but I'm afraid we're sworn to secrecy, sorry! Suffice it to say that it is not candy amethyst or plum metallic (been there, done that) or any of the Caterham standard colours (nay, nay, that would never do!) but I half expect to see "STABILO B O S S " signwritten down each side the next time I set eyes on it.... Dave Diss is busy running in his new Roger King 1800 which sounds absolutely gorgeous, goes like dung off a shovel and I want one... Mike Stamper suggested in his absence (?) a move from The Plough to The Kentagon Bar at Brands Hatch, where we could expand our summer evening
activities from the usual anorakory (so what cam have you got in there then?... I run 008R's myself... no mate, that's a load of b*ll*x that is, you don't want to do that...etc.) to perhaps hiring some circuit time or messing around on Honda Pilots, Quad Bikes etc. It ain't cheap but the price is fixed regardless of numbers, so if enough people are interested, it could be affordable.
K2 RUM in glorious colour.!!
How about some inter area jolly japes? - let us know what you think.... Call it naivete if you will but I had kind of expected the (entirely justified) p*sstaking to wane just a little when I finally finished the car. Has it 'ell as like?! No, the tyres aren't crossplies, nor is the chassis a genuine Lotus, and I didn't buy the starter kit with the proceeds from my paper round. It's a good job I'm not thin skinned W A A A A A A H ! leave me alone you rotten b*st*rds, or I'll tell me mum!... A final parting thought, for £X you could buy my car or Arnie's engine. For £Y you could buy my engine or Arnie's con rods. This Upgraditis is a terrible thing - is it contagious? BTTF, HARRIER CRUDNOB, AO X 1/2.
There were twelve present, four Sevens in the car park and we had a beer and went home. If it sounds boring you should have been there! This month Dave Diss arrived in his now Roger King engined 1800 XFlow giving about 180bhp. This engine ticks over smoother than a pint of Boddingtons, despite the race cam! Dave is a bit wary of the competition when sprinting however as he'll now be classed with the Vauxhall boys. Tony Ferguson has not bought the new H P C he was planning to from Caterham because he's bought a used Anniversary 1700 S /S instead. Something to do with Caterham not being very helpful in supplying a few optional extras.
As promised I have included a photo showing K2RUM in it's new livery. Sorry Roy I've only got black and white film at the moment and it was a bugger to get the exposure right.... Actually it's almost completely rebuilt now but I have a problem as I don't have a bleed nipple ( O h n o , ' e r e w e g o ! ) for the alloy radiator I purchased from Caterham. They don't seem to either, but they do like sending me brass (... s t e a d y n o w l a d s ) nipples for the standard rad. Anyone wishing to see my collection of ( T h a t ' s e n o u g h n o w ! ) brass nipples please call me or organise your own by taking a cold shower then standing in front of a mirror! We missed the attendance of Barrie Downey at this months meeting. Although he's now got the day right, he apparently had an urgent appointment elsewhere. See
March 1995 Low Flying
com D you next month perhaps Barrie and we hope you got yer leg over.
(Its all to do with his technique of climbing in and out of his Seven
he tells me!). Next month we start a competition to provide a
photo of the best bent sump. The only rule is the car must still be
driveable.
That's all folks!! Maybe the last time you have to read this self
indulgent drivel, if Roy gets his way don't let him get away with
it!! ( H a h h a a a h ! D o n ' t y o u j u s t l o v e b e i n g in c o n t r o l ? ) Regards,
Neb Barwie & Rich Roadburner (Joint Area Organisers x 1.0)
PS. Club Lotus are holding a Goodwood Track Day for £63 -
what are you waiting for????
MAJOR CRISIS AT OXFORD BRANCH -TAKE OVER BID BY MODERATES.
OLD SCHOOL OVERTHROWN!
At the February meeting of the Oxford area, the majority of the Seven owners attending voted for major changes at the way the meeting was run. Eleven years of leadership by one man was enough so we now have a committee to run things.
First we must thank ALL the members of the National Team for
attending our AGM and helping to keep things calm and under
control. After a long and serious debate the fifty plus members
attending decided that the meetings were not what Seven owners
wanted and changes should be made. It was thought that it was
better to keep things "in house" and a local committee formed,
rather than go to an outside organiser to run our local meeting.
The committee will meet at 7.30 at the Chequers at Burcot on the
first Tuesday of every month for reports from the Chairman, Social
Sec , Events organiser and Treasure, this should only take 30 min
utes so the regular members are invited to attend from 8.00 pm.
If you have been to the Oxford area and been 'put of f for any rea
son do come along and meet the new committee who promise a
much more interesting and serious approach to Seven motoring.
The 'new' Oxford meeting is to promote Sevens and the Seven
Club so Club regalia must be worn and your Seven brought to the
meeting - a FINE of £1 will be imposed on all members defaulting
and proceeds will be to our favourite charity.
The April meeting will be the first under the new leadership so we
hope to see all the old and new faces along to the major re-launch
of the oldest area meeting. Your new committee members are:
CHAIRMAN - Robin Pears
SOCIAL/EVENTS - Piers Broan
TREASURER - Ian Brosper
Do come and meet them all! The secretary post for minutes and
reports to Low Flying remains unfilled, can you do the job?
Nora Breips.
r c E \ G MOTORSPORT LTD N O R T H L O N D O N ' S O F F I C I A L C A T E R H A M SERVICE A G E N T S
ess m ^ KENT C A M S
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Unit 98 AHas Industrial Estate,
Oxgate Lane, London N W 2 7HJ.
Tel: 081 -830 5677 Fax: 081 -830 5688
9am - 6 p m Monday - Saturday.
March 1995
Full workshop facilities
Many years of experience with Super 7's • Full race preparation and computer analysis
facilities + computerised setup analysis. • Exhaust Gas analysis.
Track support
Specialist MOT preparation
Lotus twin cam and Ford tuning specialists
Personalised car liveries • Racewear - full range stocked for all
budgets plus a personalising & helmet painting service •
Competition plumbing & braided hose specialists •
Large stock of Caterham approved parts & accessories
I 1995 e V G K J T S C A L E N D A R {Events in italics are provisional at the time of going to press.)
DATE EVENT CATEGORY CIRCUIT NOISE LIMIT COST
20th March TRACK DAY RMA Silverstone G.P. None *
1 st April TRACK DAY L7C Castle Combe 108 £95 11th April TRACK DAY RMA Mallory Park 105 *
27/28th April TRACK DAY WTQ Nurburgring Festival N/A *
29/30th April SHOW L7C Stoneleigh Kit Car Show N/A FREE 8th May PRE '73 RACE HSCC Snetterton N/A N/A 12th May TRACK DAY RMA Oulton Park 110 14th May SPRINT L7C Scammonden Hillclimb N/A £35 27/28th May PRE '73 RACE HSCC Croft N/A N/A 28th May SPRINT L7C Rowrah Sprint N/A £35 1st June TRACK DAY RMA Brands Hatch G.P. 110 • ' *
10/11 th June PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Croix En Ternois N/A N/A 12th June TRACK DAY RMA Snetterton 110 * 24/25th June TRACK DAY WTQ Spa N/A *
27th June TRACK DAY RMA Mallory Park 105 *
28th June TRACK DAY RMA Donington G.P. 110 * 11:
29th June TRACK DAY RMA Silverstone G.P. None *
10th July TRACK DAY RMA Cadwell Park 110 - ^ 0 *
15th July PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Oulton Park N/A N/A 18th July TRACK DAY L7C Mallory Park 105 £95 24th July TRACK DAY RMA Brands Hatch G.P. 110 *
5th August PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Castle Combe N/A N/A 12th August TRACK DAY RMA Castle Combe 102 *
14th August TRACK DAY L7C Silverstone G.P. None £125 28th August PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Silverstone N/A N/A 28th August SPRINT L7C Curborough Sprint N/A £35 5th Sept TRACK DAY RMA Donington G.P. 110 * 11-15th Sept TRACK DAY WTQ Les Circuits IV N/A *
22nd Sept TRACK DAY L7C Cadwell Park 110 £85 2 4 t h Sept PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Mallory Park N/A N/A 2nd October TRACK DAY RMA Silverstone G.P. None *
Category: L7C = Lotus Seven Club Exclusive RMA = In association with the RMA Circuit Club WTQ = Wheeltorque (Northern) Ltd HSCC = A round of the Lotus Seven Club Pre '73 Race Series
Cost: * Denotes discounted rates direct with RMA Circuit Club or Wheeltorque (Northern) Ltd
HOW TO BOOK SPRINTS & HILLCLIMB: Send a separate booking form and full payment for each event that you wish to enter for, to the
appropriate Bookings Secretary below. Cheques must be made payable to "Sevens on Track":
SCAMMONDEN DAM Mr D Douglass 23 Sheraton Park Ingol Preston PR2 7AZ Tel: 0772 736754
ROWRAH Mr C Smith 34 West Street Kendal Cumbria LA9 5QL Tel: 01539 730769
CURBOROUGH Mrs B Swift Lawn Bank House Wychnor Staffs DE13 8BY Tel: 01283 791877
TRACK DAYS: Booking forms for Lotus Seven Club Exclusive Track Days must all be sent to RMA/7's On Track, together with a £25 deposit (payable to "Sevens on Track") for each event, to the following address:
Anne Davidson Tel: Anne Davidson 01285 810312 RMA/7's On Track or Graham Clarke 01628 779000 Cox's Cottage, Dunfield Gloucestershire GL7 4HE
OTHER EVENTS: Bookings for any other event should be made direct with the organisation concerned and in accordance with specific details as published in Low Flying.
M a r c h 1995 Low Flying
A UNIQUE NEW CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE LAUNCHED BY CATERHAM CARS IN 1995, DESIGNED SPECIALLY TO ASSIST THE ENTHUSIAST IN
TAKING THE FIRST STEP INTO MOTORSPORT.
The championship will cover most motorsport disciplines including karting, autotests, hill climbs, sprints and circuit races.
The total package is priced at a remarkable £8995 inc. VAT and includes:-A live axle, twin carburetted 1600cc Caterham Sport with a Five speed
box - road and race legal; plus: one days testing, an ARDs training Course, both your medical and race licence, BARC membership, two kart races,
two autotests, two hill climbs, two sprints and two circuit races.
All you need to do is supply fuel, insurance and your time* For further details read the March issue of Top Gear Magazine
or phone our sales department on 01883 346666*
SPARES: 01322 559122 SERVICE: 01322 559124 SALES 01883 346666
Low Flying March 1995
KAR 1 20C - D a r r e n G r e e n has w r i t t e n in w i t h s o m e i n t e r e s t i n g b a c k g r o u n d t o "The P r i s o n e r " se r i es :
I'm sure that many of us were introduced to the Lotus Seven by THE PRISONER and I would like to share with readers of Low Flying some fascinating background information on the series.
The opening sequence was filmed 29 years ago on the runway at Radlett aerodrome and in central London. The Prisoner drives into the NCP car park at Abbingdon Street, back out onto Park Lane, and stops outside One Buckingham Place.
The Seven that we see in the opening sequence is a 1966 116E Lotus Super Seven Series 2, powered by a Ford Cosworth 1500cc pre-crossflow engine. It's chassis number was SB 2036, and engine number S424194E, it was owned by Lotus as the demo or press car.
There are many stories about what happened to this car, but I believe that I can now reveal its fate. The episodes "Many happy returns", "Do not forsake me oh my darling" and "Fall out" all feature KAR 120C, but not the same car as the opening sequence, indeed as many as five cars may have been used.
Every six months or so, Lotus would change its press car, however, with typical Colin Chapman ingenuity a new car would be built, the tax disc, number plates, and chassis plate off the old car would then be transferred to the new car thereby "avoiding" new car purchase tax, the old car would be dismantled. This was the fate of our "original car". I have no idea what happened to the car or where it is now - maybe you know different?
Incidentally, the car used in the episode "Fall out" came from Caterham Cars second hand stock and was a 109E hastily prepared overnight by David Wakefield. In one sequence we see a man in white overalls cleaning the car, this man is Graham Nearn.
Many thanks to David Wakefield, Peter Brandt, Max Hora and Graham Arnold for their assistance with my research. Darren Green.
Somerset & Wessex Scenic Drive - Last year we ran a Scenic Drive/Treasure Hunt in Somerset. Those who joined in seemed to enjoy themselves. In 1995 we are aiming for a wider audience, therefore out goes the treasure hunt and into Dorset we go.
The route will be approx. 80 miles taking in some interesting (hopefully) features and some exciting (definitely) roads. There must be some call for events other than Sprints and Hillclimbs, so show your support by voting with your right foot.
Sunday, 14th May is the day. More details will be published in Somerset and Wessex Area Ramblings nearer the time. Rhett Land.
March 1995 ( l 0
SURREY AREA -1995 CALENDAR
DATE EVENT ORGANISER
Thurs. 16/3 Darts: Surrey-v-Guests. Guy Thurs. 11/5 Run down to Kent meeting at Pluckley. Guy Sun 4/6 Area outing to History on Wheels
museum, Eton. Nick R. Thurs. 15/6 Group photo at the Arkle. Angus Sat or Sun Valence hill climb - convoy run 1/2 July and spectate. Tony P. Sun 9/7 Summer BBQ and boating
at Farncombe boathouse. Nick D/Angus Sun 6/8 Archery/Clay Pigeon shooting and picnic. Terry Mon 28/9 Area outing to Silverstone HSCC
race meeting. Angus Sun 17/9 Treasure Hunt. Nick R./Guy Sun 5/11 London to Brighton run breakfast
and spectate. Matt November Paint balling outing. Guy Sat 16/12 1995 Christmas dinner. Angus
It's a fairly full program, but has been carefully organised to avoid clashes with the national events and the major motorsport events (Le Mans, Goodwood, GP, etc.). Some of the dates are provisional, and all need organising, and I plan to include the calendar in each area report throughout the year so that you can all see the latest position.
With all that event planning going on, what about the January meeting? Well, it was a good turnout, with 30+ people and five cars - not bad for the Surrey area on a wet night. Most of the talk was of the program for the year, but it was good to welcome several new faces.
Finally, all you Club members in Sussex, Kent, North Kent & South London, Middlesex etc. areas, you are cordially invited to show how good you all are at Darts, in a 'Surrey -v- The Rest' match, at the Arkle, on Thursday 16th March. I look forward to welcoming you there. Happy Sevening, 'Captain Clipboard' Angus.
SWITZERLAND HAS A NEW PRESIDENT!
After 14 years as President of the Lotus Seven Owners Switzerland, our good friend Roger Savare has stepped down and taken a back seat as Honorary President. The onerous task has been taken on by Andre Bisang and we wish him every success.
Roger's new position will allow him to sit in and oversee Club policy in an advisory capacity whilst still retaining the mantle of Swiss International Event Organiser and Magazine Editor. His continuing role within the framework of LSOS will be greatly appreciated by members of the Lotus Seven Club of Great Britain as anyone who has ever attended the St. Moritz meeting will readily testify. Hopefully we will still hear the immortal words "Gentlemen, start your engines!" or "Andre, why are you driving a Chesterfield?" (sorry, in-joke!). For those of you who have yet to sample Swiss hospitality the Swiss International event is during the first weekend in July. See you there!! Chairman Lol.
Low Flying
N U K i Still the money rolls in! Is there no end to the generosity of you lovely lot?
The Penultimate chapter perhaps?
A final word from: Warwickshire Area Christmas Dinner
Is this the final chapter and happy ending for '94?
£6091.64
£100.00
£ 6191.64
N U K E T H E L E U K CAMPAIGN'95
T h e O p e n i n g C h a p t e r The book is now open and running with a starter for 10 from our very own Wildman family in the Middlesex Area! £ 10.00
By now Fiona Kerr should be buried up to her neck in faxed recipes and samples of Seven cuisine for inclusion into her Seven Cookery Book and I for one can't wait to try them out. The thought of deep fried NGK's in lightly seasoned Mobil 1 is making my mouth water. Yum yum! (Please note a change of address for Fiona: 8 Hillfield Road, Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22 7EW. Tel: 01788 522482 Fax:01327 302446)
Emporer King Prawn Guess Who?!
I € U K Brian Poulton is definitely going to do the Lands End to John O'Groats run in his Seven. It's something he has always wanted to do and is determined to do it this year. So you lot, while Brian is working out the logistics and dates for the run, get a big jam-jar and start saving some sponsorship money. Sponsor forms will be sent to Area Organisers for distribution to members. It's the best part of 900 miles so Brian's own investment in fuel and wear and tear alone will be substantial so let's do our best to make it worthwhile for him and the Fund.
Brian will welcome company on the trip. He can be contacted daytime on 0923 259620 or fax on 0923 233546.
John Riley, the Area Organiser of the new Merseyside Area, has offered to set up a Corporate Charity Karting Event for our Nuke the Leuk Campaign. John has organised these events twice before for two local hospitals and raised a staggering £14,500 - magnificent or what? - and a load of fun by all accounts. More details to follow soon. Steve Winterberg
S o w h a t a r e y o u w a i t i n g f o r ? C o m e o n , j o t d o w n t h e r e c i p e a n d s e n d i t t o F i o n a , t h e n g e t t h e m a p o u t a n d t h i n k a b o u t h o w
YOU a n d Y O U R A R E A
c a n h e l p B r i a n a s h e t r a v e l s t h e l e n g t h o f t h e c o u n t r y . T h i s h a s t o b e T H E C l u b e v e n t of t h e y e a r a n d t h e t h o u g h t of a l l t h o s e S e v e n s e s c o r t i n g B r i a n a c r o s s c o u n t y b o r d e r s u p a n d d o w n t h e c o u n t r y j u s t m a k e s m e s h i v e r . . . . !
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Sole manufacturers of Lotus and Caterham Seven chassis for over thirty years. All chassis and body unit restoration is carried out using only correct specifications and production tooling. All forms of tubular and monocoque chassis component restoration by the specialists. We do not charge for advice and estimates. Please contact Bruce Robinson or Don Gadd.
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Low Flying M a r c h 1995
X FLOW - BDR • LOTUS T/C • K SERIES • VAUXHALL Specialist engine building, modification and
rebuilding for both road and track. Full parts and machining service, cylinder head work, tu f f t r id ing,
camshaft t iming, one-off components, etc. I provide a personal service backed up by 16 years experience wi th
engines. If you want to rebuild for the coming season, whether for fun , or a serious campaign, give me
a ring and we can discuss your options.
ROLLING ROAD TUNING NOW AVAILABLE! Take the opportunity to have your car set up for
opt imum performance and driveability. Correct mixture strength and ignit ion t iming are essential for best
performance, and if engine damage is to be avoided.
USED AND NEW PARTS Full range of new parts available, (too many to list),
w i th the added advantage that I have the experience to advise on suitability. Ring for your requirements.
I always have a quantity of good condition used spares for sale ranging f rom roller rocker assemblies through
dry-sump equipment to pistons, plus Formula Ford parts. All to be sold as seen and prices are negotiable.
PISTONS Forged pistons available for the fo l lowing:-
Crossflow - 1700cc & 1800cc, Vauxhall - 2000cc, Twincam - various sizes, Pre-crossflow - various sizes.
One-off specials also available if you need something really wei rd! If you are racing, ask me about special
two-r ing pistons for even lower weight and fr ict ion.
Forged pistons are much stronger and lighter than the standard item, and generally show a significant power
gain (up to 10bhp), whilst improving reliability too !
EASY WINTER UPGRADE If your crossflow engined Caterham has an "Unleaded"
distributor (from about 1989 onwards), you can gain approx 10bhp by changing to a different type. From
£70.00 + V.A.T.
CYLINDER HEAD UNLEADED CONVERSIONS From £75.00 + VAT. Allows full t ime running on
cheaper unleaded fuel. The basic conversion involves the f i t t ing of special valve seats to the head; special armour
plated valves also available for very high mileages.
ENGINE CONVERSIONS Crossflow - to 185 bhp, Vauxhall - to 250 bhp, BDR - to
220 bhp, BDA - to 270 bhp, Twincam - to 180 bhp. K-series rebuilding and modification now available.
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C A T E R H A M IN T H E C A P I T A L March 1995 Low Flying
NEW WORKSHOPS & SHOWROOM NOW OPEN
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HIGH STREET (A257), LITTLEBOURNE, CANTERBURY, KENT CT3 1SX
B L A M E L O L A N D
G R I M . . .
for introducing me to your Club, I'm easily led when track time is offered! I first met them when on the first Les Circuits trip to Catalunya when I had my GTD40, so I alternated between overtaking Lol and chasing Grim in their Sevens (when we weren't all in the local garages fixing the cars, but Lol's probably told you about that).
Now I have got rid of the '40,1 am in the process of building a new, bigger and better toy which should be track ready this year for Les Circuits IV in September, and I just thought I'd warn you so you didn't all have coronary's (or wet yourself laughing) when you see it at one of the Goodwood events this year!
I guess the only thing in common with a Seven is that my car is front engined, rear wheel drive and has no roof - but although I built it to beat my old '40 around the track (which means under 1 min 34 around Goodwood), I just couldn't resist putting a silly body on it just to really embarrass anybody I overtook!
The chassis was built from scratch by Wisbech Engineering, and is a round tube affair with independent suspension front and rear,
a limited slip Corvette diff, 13" and 11" discs with AP Racing four pot callipers. Grim persuaded me (easily, it must be said) to put some air jacks on the car since with 3" ground clearance I can't get a jack underneath! The car rolls around on 8'x18" and 10x18" Antera wheels. Lastly, the engine is a dry sumped 383ci (6.2 litres) Chevy V8 with all the bits - is 450bhp enough? The body is a glass fibre 1937 Ford that I've modified to make more aerodynamic (told you I had a sense of humour).
It's all in bits again, and Grim is spraying the chassis as I write this (late January), so when you read this it should be back together and almost running. Then it's off to Goodwood (only five miles away) to see if not being on a circuit for nearly three years (and having a six month old daughter who doesn't want Daddy to die yet) has made me a more careful (read slower) driver!
I'm sorry if my car offends anyone (not!), but as I said at the beginning, blame Lol and Grim... James Shaw
T h e U l t i m a t e Anti-theft System
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V e c t a h a v e l a u n c h e d the n e w V E C T A S H A D O W at a cost of o n l y £235 I N C L U S I V E O F V A T A N D F I T T I N G F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n please contact:
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March 1995 0 Low Flying
H A Y D O N C A R S The 'One Stop' Independent Lotus and Caterham
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Located in Salisbury, Wiltshire, GUY MUNDAY and VINCENT HAYDON are at your service for all your Lotus and Caterham Super Seven requirements.
CAR SALES -Guy Munday
A selection of fully serviced and warranted Lotus and Caterham
Super Seven vehicles always available, to suit all budgets. Please telephone for an up to date stock list, to arrange a
test drive or to simply obtain free advice on Lotus or Caterham Super Seven ownership.
SERVICE & RESTORATION - Cos Di-Martino Fully trained Lotus and Caterham Super Seven technicians are on hand for all your servicing requirements. From regular servicing to engine rebuilds, chassis changes to total restorations. Free courtesy car available whilst we tend to your vehicle. In addition, Lotus Seven Club members can obtain a special workshop labour rate of £20 per hour (+ VAT) upon production of club membership card.
PARTS - Ian Clark From a nut and bolt to a chassis, a vast selection from 1954 to date, covering all models and usually in stock.
Obsolete or unobtainable parts a speciality. We only supply genuine Lotus or Caterham parts where
possible and if it's in stock we guarantee same day or next day despatch.
Entrust with confidence your vehicle to Haydon Cars an unsurpassed understanding of the Lotus and Caterham marques
ensuring the highest standards at all times
Haydon Cars, Harnham Garage, Newbridge Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 8AA Sales & Service: Tel: (01722) 410077 Parts: Tel: (01722) 410099 Fax: (01722) 421212
OPENING HOURS: 8.30am - 5.30pm - SIX DAYS A WEEK - SUNDAY BY APPOINTMENT
Low Flying March 1995
TVRRCLL Fl FACTORV VISIT
Recen t l y I was lucky e n o u g h to be a b l e to visit t he Tyrrell Factory . The visit was o r g a n ised by Rac ing for Br i ta in a n d a b o u t t w e n t y p e o p l e a r r i ved a t t h e f a c t o r y for t he 10 o ' c l o c k star t .
by Mike Stamper.
Yamaha enguine 17,500 rpm! Photo courtesy of Ian (I'll get it out
soon) Clarke!
Is we arrived the cars were being loaded
onto a transporter for a trip to Jerez where they were testing and evaluating new drivers. We started our tour with a look at the 1994 cars and were told that this years would be rather different because of the new regulations. Externally the engine will look the same, only the internals will alter to provide a shorter stroke to produce a smaller capacity. The new engine has already been tested and will rev to over 17,500 rpm!
On to the design room where there are about eight CAD machines which are all linked by a network so that each designer can import anothers work. This ensures that (for example) the undertray designer and the engine cover designer come up with the same dimensions and fixing points.
We then moved on to various departments which produce the moulds for the carbon fibre parts and the model shop which makes the 1/4 scale models for the wind tunnel. We also visited the clean room where the bodies are made, this room has a positive air pressure so that when the doors are opened the draft blows outwards and so does not suck in dust. It also has a highly efficient air cleaning system. Other areas included the autoclave and machine shop.
As this time of year is the busiest, there were a large number of people working (on a Saturday) so we were able to talk to the workers, which made the trip even more interesting.
One of the most unbelievable aspects of the trip was the cost of parts. For example, a brake calliper for £4,000. One brake disk £1,500 and it only lasts two races. An oil radiator core £1,500 dumped after two races because it loses 10% efficiency. One quick release steering wheel at £4,500 and these disappear quite regularly as souvenirs. Wheel nuts which are machined are used only once, so after each wheel change they are thrown away.
At the end of the trip we were introduced to Harvey Postelthwaite who gave a brief talk and then asked for questions. Near the end of the question and answer session he asked "Who owns the Seven?" I can not tell a lie, so I admitted that it was mine. "When we are finished can I have a closer look?" he asked. When we left after a three and a half hour tour he followed me over and asked
if he could sit in the car. I offered him the key and at first he said no, but almost immediately said "... perhaps just round the car park". It seemed odd that the designer of an F1 car would drive a Seven round the car park with a large grin on his face, but on second thoughts a Seven would have the same effect on anyone interested in cars. Following my first statement perhaps I will never wash the seat either?
The tour was organised by Racing for Britain and cost £20. They are arranging more visits this year, including Penske and
McLaren. If you are interested, membership will cost £10 and details can be obtained from Steve Sydenham on 0480 411375.
Mike's model Seven-Yes, a model!
MI D A S E X A L
Racing and Sports Car Chassis Specialists Welding and Fabrication Work
TRADE 8 RETAIL
ORDERS WELCOMED
Manufacturers of Tubular Wishbones, Radius Rods, Panhard Rods, A' Frames, Anti-Roll Bars etc. , , , , „ „ , .
! • » S One-off component work welcomed, i'swtmjoml • imrnmm • Roll-over Bars up to 2 diameter. • urn1 •
Machine Shop Facilities.
We make replacement, tubular wishbones f ront and rear, Elan's, + 2's, Europa's & Elites 6 Sevens + many other components.
SPACEFRAME CHASSIS SPECIALISTS (REPAIRS OR REBUILDS) Partners: Mick and Doug Arthur
O F F I C E 23 Loseby Close. Rushden, Northants NN10 9HT T e l e p h o n e : ( 0 9 3 3 ) 5 5 5 1 2
W O R K S Unit 40, Litt le Staughton Ai r f ie ld ,
Bedfordshi re MK44 2BN T e l / F a x : ( 0 2 3 4 ) 3 7 8 9 9 5
March 1995 Low Flying
M A N S 1 9 5 P a u l T u r n e r f r o m B i r m i n g h a m j u s t l o v e s a c h a l l e n g e — I
Well, it looks like we have a sucker (volunteer?). I'm still wondering how I got into this, one minute I'm thinking "Someone will sort it out this year". The next minute I'm talking to Roy uttering words like "I'll do it". Has anyone seen my marbles ?
o, in an attempt to stimulate a little interest and get plenty of Sevens buzzing around Le Mans this year, I have agreed to be a contact for all the information you want.
First the essential information. The race this year is the weekend of the 17/18th June and as usual runs from 4.00pm Saturday to 4.00pm Sunday. There is final practice on the afternoon and evening of Thursday 15th June, if you can make it this is worth a look - you can never get enough of cars racing at night! It also means that you have to find something to do on Friday and there's only two things worth doing; one is seeing how much of the track you can drive around without getting stopped by the French Police, the other is to get excruciatingly drunk and then get sunburnt sleeping it off in the afternoon (the last two years have been absolute scorchers). You'll recognise me, I look like a lobster!
This years race will include an even greater number of cars in the new Sportscar category which means that none of the cars would look out of place on the high street (much). These cars were really good to see last year - it makes you feel good seeing someone thrash a Bugatti EB110.
There are many different ways to get to Le Mans, but I prefer the Portsmouth-Caen route, it's a decent crossing and a pleasant drive the other side. Any of the routes across the channel can be used, but if you land too far east you need to skirt around Rouen. For more information on crossings and routes give me a ring.
Again, once in Le Mans there are numerous places to stay, all depending on what you want. If you want to be able to sleep at night without the aid of alcohol then you probably don't want to be camping near the track. There are a couple of places that you can camp and they are right at the circuit (some are even inside the circuit). If you want a little more comfort there's the Chateau that the Club has used before, and there are numerous companies that offer hotels in and around the Le Mans area.
Once again if you want to know more give me a ring, I can supply information, telephone numbers and advice but unfortunately not money! Once I know more about what people want I'll get the information in Low Flying. So come on pick up the phone, it's that simple!
See you there. Paul Turner - Home Phone : 0121 705 6276 P S . Here's wishing the Lotus Esprits better luck this year!
MIKE BROTHERWOOD The Lotus Seven and
Historic Lotus Specialist
For servicing, restoration, spares, sales, engine rebuilds, tuning, static engine dyno, one-off modifications,
wiring, chassis work, accident damage, panelling etc.,
You name it, we do i t ! Quality w o r k and personal service
to suit your needs and pocket
COVENTRY CLIMAX ENGINES SUPPLIED AND REBUILT
Tel: 01249 817338 (Days) 01249 760284 (Eves) Fax: 01249 760530 (24 Hours)
M a n y t h a n k s for v o l u n t e e r i n g P a u l . I k n o w t h e r e a r e l o t s of S e v e n d r i v e r s w h o w o u l d l i k e m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a n d w o u l d a p p r e c i a t e l i k e - m i n d e d c o m p a n y o n t h e trip. S o g i v e P a u l a r i n g , e v e n if y o u h a v e a l r e a d y b o o k e d . L e t ' s s e e t h e C l u b f l a g ( n o w t h e r e ' s a n o t h e r t h o u g h t ! ) f l y i n g i n F r a n c e o n c e a g a i n . E d .
FOLDING CHAIRS ABBEY SPORTS
Monks Cottage Court Lane Often ham
W O R C S WR11 5RP TEL 01 386 45304
Ideal lor Sprint, Track Days, club events or whan you're simply out and about; unfolding In a single movement, they are strong and offer superb comfort and support. Each chair Is supplied with it's own matching nylon bag complete with shoulder strap and measuring just 29" i 4" (Appro*). Fits easily Into the boot of all 2-seater sports cars. Choose from two attractive colours - Red or Blue, price £24.95 each ( • P ft P).
For more information, or to place an order (allowing up lo 28 days (or delivery) post cheque wtth your address on the back to Lotus Seven Owner Ken Puttock at: ABBEY SPORTS. MONKS COTTAGE, COURT LANE. OFFENHAM. WORCESTERSHIRE. WR 11 5RP TEL: (01 386) 45304.
n the UK - 1 Chair £24.95 + £4.50 = £29.45 - 2 Chairs £49.40 + £5.00 - £54.90
Low Flying M a r c h 1995
TotalL totalL u committed, totally Cateik am.
SPRING IS HERE'.! So let Arrowstar clear those cobwebs from your car before you take to the road for some serious driving! Choose any two of the special offeq below for an extra £10 discount!'
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IECK'N'1 PRE SEASON CHECK'N TUNE IVe carry out the following • Compression test • Valve clearance check • Carburettor set up & balance • Sun engine tuning check Only £39.50,
PAINTWORK With the utmost love and care we • Strip car as necessary • Prepare and paint colour to match wings • Re-build as necessary • Carry out full valet Only £599.00 OR special colour including wings Only £699.00
• Free MOT check followed by test or list of necessary work. If we put your car in for the test and it fails we will do any necessary work labour free!
Caterham Regalia Full range of this top quality clothing and accessories available to order - call now for colour brochure and price list.
We are now official CATERHAM MOTOR-SPORT AGENTS The total service for all your Caterham | needs including new car sales!
Special Offer Services • 'Complete car' winter rebuild £ 7 9 9 Fixed labour price to strip your car down to a bare chassis and rebuild with new parts, bushes and nuts & bolts as necessary. Engine, gearbox and axle labour extra. Exact all-in quote given on strip down.
• Flat floor suspension set up Full check with minor adjustments and recommendations £ 4 5 . 0 0 Full set up including bumpsteer and all necessary work £ 9 9 . 0 0
• Engine set up and tune and winter checkover including FREE ANTIFREEZE £ 4 9 . 5 0
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Save Money on Sparco Top Quality Racewear and Accessories now! Rules have changed for 1995. Check that your suit complies with the latest FIA marking! • Ring your order now for next season • Special offers every month
FIA 2 racesuit (£298.00) Our price £279.00 Jolly' FIA suit (£185.00) Our price £175.00 Top Driver boots I£85.00J Our price £74.90 Racing' boots (£69.00i Our price £57.95
Gloves from Our price £25.99 Balaclavas from Our price £8.99 We will beat any genuine quote.
Sparco Leisurewear New from Italy - stylish top quality clothing ideal for Seven driving in the winter. Colour brochure available.
ARROWSTAR USED CAR LIST 1987Q 1700 SUPERSPRINT Long cockpit in red. Cloth adjustable seats, roll bar, heater. Excellent condition 1990G 1700 SUPERSPRINT 5-speed De Dion in green with yellow nose. Full S-type trim in red, red weather equipment, heater, Motolita. 8,000 miles 1991H 1700 SUPERSPRINT 5-speed De Dion in red cloth, adjustable seats, Isd, heater, FIA bar, latest suspension. 1992J K-SERIES SUPERSPORT Race car. 5-speed De Dion in yellow. Good spec. fully rebuilt for road or race 1994L K-SERIES in green with yellow nose. Full tan S-type, usual extras. 2.000 miles only, perfect condition 1994 VAUXHALL CHALLENGE RACE CAR in white. Quickrack, 4-pot brakes, etc. TWO RACES ONLY 1991 VAUXHALL CHALLENGE RACE CAR in blue/pink. Has been little used since full rebuild. any part exchange considered
• All cars supplied fully serviced and checked and with extendable warranty. • Free first service on all cars. • Finance available subject to status, written details available on request.
I Centremead, Osney Mead Industrial Estate. Oxford 0 X 2 ODQ
T e l e p h o n e 0 8 6 5 2 0 1 1 5 5 F a c s i m i l e 0 8 6 5 2 0 1 1 7 7
L I N C 0 L N S N E W Y E A R
S P R I N T
(nee again the Lincoln Lot would like to claim our cus-Itomary FIRST for 1995 by reporting that we had our
now annual New Years day Sprint, this time at a different location, R A F Cranwell.
We are of course indebted to Mai (if there isn't a tool for it I'll make one) Page who managed to convince the powers that be at Cranwell that, as they weren't using the airfield that day anyway, he knew some nice Lotus Seveners who could make good use of it. He explained that the safest place to go "Low Flying" was on an airfield, and that we would promise to pick up any bits that might drop off afterwards, and promised that a word would be had in the appropriate ear, re the New Year Honours list.
At the appointed hour, six Caterham and Lotus Seven's arrived at the guardroom to complete all the necessary paperwork to gain access to all that lovely wide and completely empty tarmac. In we went, out went the cones, and off went the first car. He roared down to the first cone and turned right and straight away discovered that R A F tarmac and tyres at sub zero temperatures = not much grip. Poor Scott returned a 54.45 sec. time in spite of that almighty slide, and set the time to beat.
Of the six cars in attendance, as you might expect no two were the same. It was interesting to see that John Garlants' 165 x 13 tyred untuned 1600 returned a best time of 56.49 see's and Kevin Musson's 1600 pre 7 3 racer only managed 51.03 see's, not such a significant difference. Of course Kevin said that his car was off tune, but all these racing types say that don't they! But that wasn't the quickest time of the day though, no that was reserved for Scott Banks with a very creditable 50.25 see's, not quite cracking the 50 sec. mark.
Anyway, we got the camera out and recorded the presentation of the trophy, which happened to be a very splendid example of a plastic Lilly cup which had been rolling about in my boot since the National Event. Due to the excessive amount of mould inside it, we decided to adjourn to the local hostelry at Scopwick to drink his health (and get warm).
An enjoyable day was had by all, and once again my thanks to Mai for making it all possible, and to Ruth Crouch for taking the excellent video of the event, and to Vic Wainwright for carrying out the thankless task of time keeping and recording the results.
An excellent day, hopefully to be repeated for many years to come. Peter Hull.
Results of Lincoln Lots' 1995 New Year Sprint
Name Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4 Run 5 Best Place
Scott Banks 54.45 51.15 50.77 50.83 50.25 50.25 1st
Kevin Musson 67.98 52.18 57.54 51.03 54.13 51.03 2nd
Peter Hull 54.13 52.45 52.37 52.63 53.52 52.37 3rd
John Crouch 52.99 52.69 56.20 52.90 52.59 52.59 4th
Mai Page 55.87 55.08 53.20 54.49 53.84 53.20 5th
John Garlant 61.41 57.77 59.49 56.59 56.49 56.49 6th
PR€-73 LOTUS 7 CLUB RRCING CHAMPIONSHIP
That's right, CHAMPIONSHIP ! We're now part of the 70's Road Sports Championship. All the Sevens will be in one class sharing the grid with the likes of Elans, TVR's , Jaguar and Marcos. Nimble Sevens matched against some fairly hairy machinery. We've got 1600cc and some of the others have 3500cc - so it should be interesting!
Why not nag your Area Organiser into action (Yeh! G o o n , g i v e ' e m a g o o d n a g E d . ) Come along and see us, we will be performing at a track near you. John Rees.
Low Flying Ma rch 1995
TCCHNICAl TOPICS T6CHNICAI SURG€RV - CXHflUSTS. Paul Dunnell of Dunnell Engines is our guest "speaker" this month and
he has some interesting and informative replies to Member's questions on the subject of exhausts.
Q Anthony Shaughnessy poses a common question amongst members looking to change their exhaust system; It would be interesting to find out about the characteristics of the different systems that I could fit on my crossflow. I currently have the standard 4:2:1 rear exit.
A. If your main criteria is for performance, then the side exit system wins hands down. The question of whether to go for a 4:2:1 or 4:1 system depends largely upon your engine specification, and your personal requirements. The 4:2:1 system will generally give a wider torque band than a 4:1 system. The point however arrives where if the engine is in a semi descent stage of tune, and is using higher rpm effectively, then the 4:1 system produces more top end power at the expense of the bottom end torque. But of course, in order to first arrive at this stage you will be using camshafts with characteristics that make the engine groggy in the lower rev range.
I would say however that in my opinion, if your 1600/1700 x-flow is producing maximum power at less than 6,200 rpm, then for road use you would be better off with a 4:2:1 system. It is true that all 1600 Formula Fords use a 4:1 system, and that the most power we would see from one would be 107bhp at 6,400 but with a Hewland 'box you are able to choose nice close gear ratios to keep the engine on the boil!
Q. John Reeve has similar thoughts in mind with his questions: I've got an '88 1700 crossflow SuperSprint with the road going 4:2:1 rear-exit exhaust. I like the idea of changing the exhaust to a side exit, because:-
- It looks better (well, I think so anyway).
The present system rubs on the inside of the rear tyre and if I reposition it, it bangs on the suspension!
The exhaust gasses make the ali body very dirty very quickly and I'm fed up with having to keep polishing the rear panel.
But, a new four into one competition side exit exhaust is EXPENSIVE, would mean retuning the engine and I'm not especially after more power. So how about a cheap solution, like replacing the back pipe with a side exit one - or would I have to cut a few inches off the present system ahead of the silencer and move the silencer forward a bit to put a side exit pipe on the end?
- Will I have to retune the engine because of the changed back pressure -1 was hoping not to have to.
- Is a side exit pipe for the end of the silencer a standard part or will I have to have it made up?
- Any other problems I've not thought of, such as it's very noisy, or it will gas the passengers (and me), or it's illegal, or reduces power, or it's a dumb idea because ?
Oh! ...and just how much more bhp would a four-into-one system give me, in case I ever get rich enough to buy one?
A. The earlier answer to Anthony's question is also applicable to John. Perhaps I'm not the right person to comment on the price of the side exit system, but is it really that expensive? (Try giving James Whiting a call). If you do fit a side exhaust, then your engine requirements will not be radically altered. Yes it is true that you could possibly better optimise your ignition and fuelling, but unless you could guarantee that at present your engine was set to optimum +/- 1%, then who knows, perhaps it might be currently better tuned for the side exit exhaust!
I'm sure that the noise from a side exit will be greater than a rear, but certainly it can be made to be perfectly acceptable and within current legislation for the UK market.
Q. John Cox poses some questions regarding his "Cat". / now run a Vauxhall injection HPC complete with catalytic converter (side exit) and having suffered a problem with the Lambda probe at only 3,500 miles, I wonder is it possible to change the "system", without altering any other components. I seem to get conflicting advice from whoever I speak to.
The Lambda probe failure (which did not show up on two separate diagnostic computers) resulted in the engine running very rich and misfiring badly at highish revs.
- Could this circuit be disconnected from the engine electronics?
Does the catalytic converter sap any power on the Seven's installation?
- Could I change the system and retain the Cat system for MOT time?
- Is the Caterham race system noisier than the standard one?
- Is there another supplier that can provide a silencer/pipe to connect to the standard manifold?
I would really like to just change the silencer without going to the expense (and bodywork cutting) of the race system if possible, but I am concerned about upsetting the electronics of the engine. I
March 1995 Low Flying
TECHNICAL TOPICS read that Cats are very susceptible to damage and failure and are
inevitably expensive to replace, not only that, but they do get seri
ously HOT and SMELL!!
A . T h e L a m b d a p r o b e (or E G O sensor ) is an in tegrated par t of
your eng ine . By m e a s u r i n g the o x y g e n con ten t in the exhaus t g a s
it is ab le to d e t e r m i n e the air fuel ratio ( c o m m o n l y e x p r e s s e d as
e i ther A F R or as a func t ion of L a m b d a 1). T h e e lec t ron ics use this
in fo rmat ion to ad jus t the fuel mix ture to obta in ideal cond i t ions for
cata lys t opera t ion , p e r f o r m a n c e a n d economy . To remove the
sensor wil l result in an uncont ro l led mix ture s t reng th . T h e ca ta
lyst itself d o e s s a p power , genera l ly in the reg ion of 7 - 1 0 % due in
par t to the inc reased back p ressure in the s y s t e m , a n d yes , they
do get hot a n d smel ly !
W h a t e v e r your cho ice of exhaus t s y s t e m , y o u must retain the
L a m b d a p robe . You cou ld r e m o v e your cata lyst f r o m the s y s t e m
to try a n d increase p e r f o r m a n c e but, as you say, it must be
in w o r k i n g o rder for your M O T test .
I a m rather su rp r i sed at the fai lure rates y o u
s e e m to be exper ienc ing . It is p e r h a p s of
note to say that if y o u use leaded fue ls then
you wil l inevi tably suf fer deg rada t ion of i
both cata lys t a n d L a m b d a probe. So I keep to S u p e r G r e e n .
Q. K e n n e t h C a m p b e l l has found the
c a u s e of tha t i r r i ta t ing c l ick . Since
installing a Vauxhall engine with a race
exhaust system I have found that after lift
ing off at about 6,000 rpm there was a
noticeable click which appeared to come from
around the exhaust. I finally tracked it down to
the collector which is held onto the primary pipes with
two springs.
It would appear that when the exhaust gases meet at the collec
tor, the pressure causes it to slide on the primary pipes and on lift
ing off the springs are pulling it back into position.
- Are the springs rated to allow for different tuned pipe lengths
at a specific rev range?
- Do Caterham, or other specialists, provide uprated springs?
A. Try s o m e stiffer spr ings , or bet ter sti l l , m o u n t it so l id , ' cause it
ain' t m e a n t to m o v e !
Q. S t e v e S h a w w o u l d like our exper ts op in ion on the fo l lowing:
- Should the diameter of the primary 'manifold' pipes be greater
than the diameter of the head exhaust ports to aid in prevent
ing spent exhaust gasses being drawn back into the cylinder?
- Should the volume (length/width) of each primary pipe be set
to a specific value depending on the cylinder capacity, so that
the exhaust gasses from one cylinder can help 'extract' the
gasses from the following cylinder, resulting in one continuous
flow at a specific engine rpm?
I'm sure the pipe from the collector to the expansion box has
some overall effect, but I'm not aware of what this might be,
apart from affecting the overall 'tuned length'? Could this be
explained.
The expansion box provides sound deadening by either: (a)
via baffles, which slow the exhaust gas speed but also cause
back pressure and loss in engine power; or (b) an expansion
compartment larger than each cylinder capacity; or (c) a per
forated pipe surrounded with a larger diameter outer cylinder
filled with sound deadening material such as fibreglass.
Which is best?
The exit pipe after the expansion box has little if any effect on
the 'tuned length' of the entire system as the exhaust
gasses are no longer under pressure. True of
false?
Having said all this, some say back
pressure is desirable to increase engine
power output. How can this be?
A . It w o u l d be n ice to th ink that the re
is a g iven f o r m u l a that relates to all
eng ines for exhaus t des igns . W e use
two di f ferent c o m p u t e r p rog rams for
exhaus t s y s t e m ana lys is , but a lways
f ind that a l though they g ive a s tar t ing
point for deve lopmen t , the f inal des ign is
e s t a b l i s h e d f r o m e n g i n e d y n a m o m e t e r
resul ts.
Firstly, it is des i rab le to have the exhaus t p r imary p ipes
sl ight ly larger than the head por t . Th is is w h y we use C N C laser
cut exhaus t f langes to gua ran tee a perfect fit. T h e theory is tha t
by momen ta r i l y reduc ing the gas veloci ty at the junc t ion of t he
f lange to the head , p ressure pu lses can be part ia l ly st i f led before
hav ing any s igni f icant effect on the ou tgo ing cha rge . Go ing on to
your s e c o n d point , it must be s t ressed that exhaus t s y s t e m d e s i g n
is a func t ion of m a n y var iab les, but as a genera l rule in es tab l ish
ing the p r imary p ipe d imens ions , w e w o u l d be c h o o s i n g a d i a m e
ter that is capab le of o f fer ing as little res is tance to g a s iner t ia as
is expec ted f r o m the g iven eng ine at it's pre fer red m a x i m u m oper
a t ing s p e e d .
T h e length of the p ipes are, as y o u say, impor tan t in es tab l ish ing
a t u n e d length . It shou ld be sa id tha t th is length on mos t e n g i n e s
is not cr i t ical to the neares t inch or so, but it is impor tan t that t he
overal l length of E A C H pipe shou ld be equa l . (So go and m e a
sure yours! ) S o m e t i m e s the best look ing s y s t e m s are not all
they ' re c racked up to be if a c o m p r o m i s e has been m a d e in o rde r
to fit it into the chass is . T h e tail p ipe to s i lencer p ipe has to m e e t
the s a m e cr i ter ia as the p r imary p ipes . However , if y o u go exces
sively large y o u risk reduc ing the gas s p e e d to such a n extent that
y o u kill off it's iner t ia a l together at a later point . (A g o o d e x a m p l e
Low Flying March 1995
TCCHNICfll TOPICS
C o n t ' d . . . is the 2 litre Mondeo system, where you'll see that the final pipe run is in a smaller diameter to the preceding section in order to increase it's velocity prior to exit, although in this instance, there's a good reason for the fudge!). With respect to silencer design, we prefer the perforated through pipe system, if it can be made both quiet and reliable. The exit pipe after the silencer is seen by the engine as part of the tuned length and as such it's length is important, although obviously if your system is 15' long, then by ratio 2" is naff all.
And finally, having dug myself a nice hole, I might as well carry on - is a little back pressure a good thing? All exhaust systems create a back pressure of some magnitude, and in any system a pressure wave (back pulse) will be generated that if not controlled can become of critical proportions. By altering the tuned length of the system you are in effect altering the magnitude and/or frequency of this pressure wave. In doing this it is quite possible that you are increasing the back pressure measured in the system, but perhaps the gain is greater than the loss.
With a Seven, the exhaust system is inevitably a compromise between performance and practicality. This point should be remembered in order to keep ones sanity! Paul Dunnell
M a n y t h a n k s t o P a u l for h i s i n v a l u a b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e first i n o u r s e r i e s o f T e c h n i c a l S u r g e r i e s . E d .
S I E V E RACING
L O T U S a n d C A T E R H A M 7 S P E C I A L I S T S
A l l S e v e n w o r k u n d e r t a k e n i n c l u d i n g k i t b u i l d s , a c c i d e n t
r e p a i r s , r e p a i n t s a n d r e s t o r a t i o n s .
• ROAD and RACE ENGINES -REBUILDS, UPGRADES etc.
• SUSPENSION SET UP for ROAD and TRACK.
SEVEN SERVICING SERVICE X/FLOW 3000 £45.00 6000 £120.00 12000 £150.00
COSWORTH VAUXHALL £40.00 £40.00 £120.00 £120.00 £150.00 £150.00
ALL PRICES SUBJECT TO VAT.
T e l e p h o n e f o r m o r e d e t a i l s 0 1 2 7 9 6 4 7 2 6 1 (workshop)
0 8 6 0 4 4 3 7 0 4 (home) W e a r e s i t u a t e d 5 m i n u t e s f r o m j u n c . 8 M i l 3 PARSONAGE EST., STANSTED, ESSEX
B R A I N T E A S E R A N S W E R S
W e l l , s o r t of! You s e e , n o t o n l y d i d w e g e t a n e x c e l l e n t r e s p o n s e t o M a d M a l c o l m ' s l i t t l e q u i z l a s t m o n t h , b u t t w o o f y o u c h a p s a l s o m a n a g e d t o s p o t h i s l i t t l e " d e l i b e r a t e " e r r o r ( d o n ' t w o r r y M a l c o l m , y o u r s e c r e t i s s a f e w i t h m e a n d I ' v e g i v e n a l l o u r A m e r i c a n m e m b e r s y o u r p h o n e n u m b e r ! ) .
S o h e r e a r e t h e a n s w e r s - d i d y o u g e t N o . 8 r i g h t ?
1) Letter of the Alphabet. 2) 7 x Wonders of the World. 3) 1001 x Arabian Nights. 4) 12 x Signs of the Zodiac. 5) 54 x Cards in a Pack ( with Jokers). 6) 9 x Planets in the Solar System. 7) 88 x Piano Keys. 8) 12 x Stripes on "Mad" Malcolm's American Flag, but thirteen
on the real one! 9) 32 x Degrees Fahrenheit at which Water Freezes. 10) 3 x Men in a Boat. 11) 24 x Hours in a Day. 12) 1 x Wheel on a Unicycle. 13) 57 x Heinz Varieties. 14) 11 x Players in a Cricket Team. 15) 29 x Days in February (when it's a Leap Year). 16) 64 x Squares on a Chess Board. 17) 2 x Peas in a Pod. 18) 21 x Dots on a Dice. 19) 18 x Holes on a Golf Course. 20) 20 x Questions in this Quiz.
S o , i g n o r i n g M a l c o l m ' s l i t t l e c o c k - u p , t h e first " c o r r e c t " fax a n s w e r I r e c e i v e d w a s f r o m M i k e C a r p e n t e r i n S u r r e y a n d s i m i l a r l y t h e first o n e i n b y p o s t w a s f r o m R a y H a l s a l l i n S u r r e y - a g a i n !
B u t l e t ' s b e fair a n d g i v e A n d r e w W a l k e r (I d o n ' t k n o w w h e r e f r o m b u t i t ' s p r o b a b l y S u r r e y ) a p r i z e a s w e l l , ' c o s h e w a s t h e first t o p o i n t o u t t h a t t h e r e a r e t h i r t e e n s t r i p e s o n t h e A m e r i c a n f l a g .
S o , d r o p a l i n e o r fax t o o u r " R u t h i n R e g a l i a " c h a p s , t e l l i n g h e r y o u r e s s e n t i a l d i m e n s i o n s a n d s h e w i l l g e t y o u r T-shirt off for y o u - k n o w w h a t I m e a n ? A n d o u r c o m m i s e r a t i o n ' s t o a l l t h e o t h e r e n t r a n t s b e t t e r l u c k n e x t t i m e . E d .
P S . N i c e try P a u l F l e e t w o o d - S t a r s o n t h e A u s t r a l i a n F l a g ( b o t h s i d e s ) i n d e e d !
M a r c h 1995
still reckon we should bring the exhaust up here, through the bonnet and "
Low Flying
T H E 1995 LOTUS F E S T I V A L EXHIBITION, PARTS
S A L E A N D AUCTION DONINGTON P A R K
EXHIBITION CENTRE SAT 8th A N D SUN 9th APRIL
'HUNDREDS OF CARS AND THOUSANDS OF PARTS" SUPPORTED BY LOTUS CARS LIMITED, M A N Y LOTUS DEALERS, LOTUS SPECIALISTS, LOTUS RESTORERS, LOTUS COMPETITION WORKSHOPS, LOTUS BREAKERS, LOTUS CLUBS AND LOTUS OWNERS F R O M BRITAIN, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD. LOTUS TECHNICAL LECTURES, LOTUS VIDEO FILMS, ALSO CONTEMPORARY LOTUS PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION mmmm E m m m m M M a NEW AND USED LOTUS CARS, M A N Y OF T H E M FOR SALE M M ) IHHSSBP TOMBS A N AUCTION O F LOTUS CARS, LOTUS
M E M O R A B I L I A A N D LOTUS R E L A T E D ITEMS ETC. FOR T R A D E STAND, A U T O J U M B L E , C A R SALES OR AUCTION I N F O R M A T I O N , PLUS L O C A L B&B OR HOTEL
A C C O M M O D A T I O N LIST A N D P R E BOOKED E N T R Y TICKET DISCOUNTS, PLEASE CONTACT SUE HICKS THE LOTUS SHOW S E C R E T A R Y TEL: 0362 691144/694459 OR O N F A X 0362 695522.THE W H O L E SHOW TAKES P L A C E INDOORS 1 0 . 3 0 A M - 6 . 0 0 P M A N D IS F U L L Y H E A T E D . C A F E T E R I A , B A R , F R E E C A R P A R K I N G , IMtS]™) PRICES F O R THE G R A N D P R I X M U S E U M .
JUST O F F M l N E A R EAST M I D L A N D S AIRPORT
SUPPORTED BY FOOTMAN JAMES INSURANCE
Low Flying (23 ) March 1995
P a r t
A continuation of Steve Shaw's experience in improv
ing the handling and roadholding of his own car.
S t a g e I
To recap on the story so far. My Seven has undergone improve
ments (in my eyes) in the form of a hotter engine with the help of
Roger King (a hooligan car according to the Good, the Dangerous
and Pip) and new top link and anti-roll bar setup from Caterham,
married to the existing uprights. As we left it I had just ordered
Yokohama A001-R 185/70/13 tyres all round and thoughts were
turning to springs and dampers. The tyres have now been on for
some time and new springs and dampers for the past couple of
weeks. So how has the latest work with tyres, springs and
dampers performed after the previous alterations?
Weight Transfer Under Roll. Well, as was discussed in the last
instalment, the bane of all cars when it comes to handling is their
natural tendency to roll under cornering. This roll sets in motion
a transfer of weight from one side of the car to the other, usually
from the inner to the outer. This reduces the grip provided by the
inner tyres as they lose contact with the road surface and loads
the outer tyres, pushing it towards and eventually over its maxi
mum available grip for a given slip angle. Which end of the car
suffers the initial loss or lessening of grip defines the cars natural
tendency to understeer or oversteer (see later).
Our primary requirement therefore is to equalise the available grip
at each corner, hopefully making a neutral handling car with the
maximum amount of grip available from all four corners. It is, after
all, the little contact patch between each tyre and the road that
provides all the cornering power. Anything else that is adjusted is
to maximise the potential from these four little patches.
Less Roll? Ignoring the static weight distribution of the car, the
obvious answer is strong springs to resist the roll and stop or min
imise weight transfer, helping each tyre contact patch to do the
best it can. However, as we said last time spring rates on all but
race cars can't be set too high as they would give an unaccept
able ride on our traditional British roads.
The next option is stiffer anti-roll bars which have the effect of stiff
ening the apparent spring rates during roll without affecting com
pliance on undulating straight roads. The problem here, as was
stated before, is that the effect of roll can be simulated by only one
wheel falling into a pot hole or traversing a bump, causing the car
body to twist in response. Not nice.
More importantly anti-roll bars 'rob' cornering power or grip from
the tyres by adding more weight transfer from the already lightly
loaded inner wheel to the heavily loaded outer. (This may help
balance the car end to end by robbing cornering power from the
end with more, obviously at the expense of overall cornering
power). Exactly the opposite of what we are trying to achieve.
This is one area where active suspension can be made to work,
by stiffening only the outer end of the anti-roll bar, as with Citroen's
latest advanced Xantia suspension.
Increased Spr ing Rates. With Sevens then, the best compro
mise seems to be the stiffest acceptable springs with a medium
March 1995
anti-roll bar, the stronger springs cancelling out some of the effect
of the roll bar.
Stronger springs, up to a point, bring other benefits. On my car
the old spring rates were too soft, relying on the dampers to
attempt to reduce roll, which as we saw last time is not the job
they perform. Setting dampers too hard results in a very 'jiggly'
ride as they react to a change in state, but do not affect the end
result. For example, they resist the initial start of roll or bump,
causing a sharp jolt, but then allow the car to roll or settle to the
position allowed by the springs. Therefore stronger springs with
better damper settings can reduce roll and squat etc. while simul
taneously providing a smoother ride.
The front springs on my car have gone from 105lbs to 260lbs at
the front and from 75lbs to 115lbs at the rear, a massive change
you might think, but the result has actually been a marked
improvement in ride quality due to the dampers now being set at
a more realistic level and the car riding more on the springs. The
relative spring rates front to rear also affect the amount of weight
transfer at either end, resulting in understeer or oversteer. At the
stiffer end of the car more weight is transferred, reducing the avail
able cornering power. Therefore stiffer front springs increase
understeer, stiffer rear increase oversteer. However true, 'spring
rates' are as measured when fitted to the car, not their individual
values quoted when sold. Unequal length wishbones and angle
to applied force vary the ultimate spring value. The result is the
front springs on a Seven may not be as stiff relative to the rear as
you may think.
Coincident Roll and Gravity Centres. A final method of reduc
ing roll, and one that many race cars come close to, is to arrange
it so that the car's centre of gravity and centre of roll at each end
are coincident. If this occurs no roll will be apparent and effec
tively spring rates could be selected for comfort and not used to
resist roll. In most cars the height of the engine, petrol tank, occu
pants etc. makes this ideal impossible, however... this knowledge
of roll heights can be used to great benefit.
Roll Transfer via Chassis. The car's chassis can be used to
affect the apparent handling by acting as a large torsion bar, trans
ferring weight, or better still roll, from one end of the car to the
other. This causes the suspension at one end to work harder than
if it were isolated, balancing the total cornering power requested
from both ends. For example a car that rolls more at the front, due
to a larger difference in roll and gravity centres, will transfer some
of that roll to the back because of the stiffness of the chassis. This
causes the rear outer suspension to be compressed by a greater
amount than its roll rate alone would require, while reducing the
front roll angle. This evens out the total amount of cornering avail
able, increasing it at the front, reducing it at the rear. Knowing
this, suspension can be modified to incline the car's roll axis to
increase roll transfer front to rear during cornering, decreasing the
usual understeer. This can be likened to having stronger rear
springs during cornering.
Low Flying
Inclined Roll Heights. With all Sevens the rear roll height is set by the location of the 'A' frame mounting bracket, mounted below the axle casing on live axle cars. It is about this point that the rear of the car will attempt to roll during cornering (as an aside this is one reason why these bushes wear out so quickly as they are resisting the natural roll centre(s) of the axle/suspension setup). With this roll centre effectively fixed the adjustable platform dampers will lower/raise the centre of gravity at the rear relative to the roll centre. At the front the roll centre is set by the point of intersection of three invisible lines drawn from a) the upper wishbone, b) the lower wishbone to their point of intersection and c) a line drawn from the contact patch of the tyre to the above intersection point. Where this last line crosses the centre line of the car is the location of the roll centre, as shown below.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 1
i ^Roll Centre
Obviously altering the damper spring seat will lower/raise this roll centre enabling the roll axis to be inclined if wished. Therefore, lowering the front roll centre below the rear, assuming similar centres of gravity, will cause a greater 'chassis' transfer of weight at the rear reducing understeer.
Front roll height 'A' wants to roll a greater amount than rear 'B' . But as body can't twist, 'B ' is forced to roll more, reducing 'A' roll (B and A roll same amount). Therefore less weight transfer at front, more at rear so rear grip reduced, front improved. Result, less understeer.
Altered Suspension Pickups. One of the effects of Caterham's choice of shorter uprights for the latest Bilstein cars has been to lower the front roll centre, reducing the natural understeer ten-
Front roll centre
dency of De-Dion cars. This is one of the common 'tricks' used in one make racing to gain handling advantages. Note also the effect of castor angle on the turned wheel, increasing negative camber in the direction of load, towards the outside of the radius (although, granted, in a neutral steering car this has no effect as the wheel will not be turned).
Static Corner Weights. If weight transfer affects roadholding it should be obvious that ensuring (as near as possible) perfect static weight distribution will give the best possible start for a car's handling. Looking at the individual corners of the car it should also be apparent that the weight applied to each wheel under static loaded conditions will be different if nominal suspension setups are used, especially if only the driver is the usual occupant. This affects each wheel's ability to supply grip under similar conditions. Adjusting individual spring rates/weights by changing the spring platform height can be used to setup equal corner weights and hence even out the available grip.
Centre of Gravity. In addition to static corner weight, lowering the centre of gravity, as we have seen, will reduce the amount of body roll. In addition to the adjustable platforms of most dampers, which in front suspension geometry will also affect the roll centre, wheel and tyre combinations can be chosen to lower the overall car's height. My reasons for not going to the usual 185/60/13 combinations were given last time so I have restricted this option for my car.
N e x t m o n t h will s e e t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n of S t e v e ' s w o r k o n c l a m p e r s a n d s p r i n g s . E v e n if y o u d o n ' t r u s h o u t a n d c h a n g e y o u r o w n s e t u p , i t ' s w o r t h r e a d i n g j u s t t o g e t a b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g of w h a t h a p p e n s w h e n y o u t u r n t h e s t e e r i n g w h e e l ! E d .
LOTUS SEVEN CLUB OF
GREAT BRITAIN
S U N D A Y lVTAV 14th 1 995 S C A M M O N D E N D A M ( N E A R R I P P O N D E N , W E S T Y O R K S H I R E )
Completed Entry Form, Cheque and S A E to:
Doug Douglass 23 Sheraton Park Ingol Preston L A N C S P R 2 7AZ, T e l : 0772 736754
Signing O n 08:30 First Practice 09:30
Entries Limited T o 75 Drivers £ 3 5 . 0 0 Per Driver
Low Flying M a r c h 1995
R C J U V C N R T I N G V O U R A L L O Y S
by P e t e r B u r g e s s
The first section of Low Flying that I always turn to is the
small ads. I sometimes wonder why, for in all the eight
years I have been a member, I have never seen anything
that I particularly wanted to buy. The main problem is that with a
Series 4 Seven there are few people selling off second-hand bits
that I really want or need, and usually those that do are asking
realistic (i.e. high) prices.
But in the November issue it all came up trumps. There was an
ad for a set of Dunlop alloy wheels, the original £40 (for five!)
optional extra for the Series 4 and some earlier Sevens, when
new. Even though I had been quite proud of the fact that my car
still ran on its original steel wheels, complete with Cortina GT hub
caps (it made it stand out in a crowd if nothing else), the thought
of the genuine alloys made all the years of pouring over the For
Sale and Wanted worthwhile.
A call to Gary confirmed that they were in 'very good condition',
and although they were off a Sunbeam Tiger rather than a Seven,
the hole centres were identical. No problem, I was passing by
Leicester that weekend on the way to visit my sister-in-law, so I'd
take the cash and give them a thorough going over on the spot.
However things conspired to prevent my trip at the last minute, so
to avoid the risk of losing them to the dozens of other eager buy
ers (eat your heart out) I asked aforementioned sister-in-law to
buy them sight unseen.
Stage 1 - Cleaning After
removing the tyres, the dirt,
corrosion and paint have to
be blasted off with very fine iron grit. Chris says he has never had
any problems with bi-metallic corrosion, and favours this method
over the chemical cleaning favoured by some other companies.
Stage 2 - Painting Diamond Styling use a three-stage paint
process, which they reckon gives the optimum long-term protec
tion. First an etch primer is applied which forms a strong bond
with the aluminium alloy. A filler-primer then obscures small blem
ishes and finally the finish coat, usually black or silver, is applied.
In between each coat of two-pack chemically-setting paint the
wheel is oven-baked at 100 degrees centigrade.
Stage 3 - Machining To get the profile of the wheel dead right,
and to provide the best possible finish to the 'exposed' areas of
aluminium, the wheel needs machining. This can be done by eye
or with a copy lathe. Diamond Styling has hundreds of patterns
for different alloy wheels, and makes up fresh ones as they are
needed. The cutter on the lathe copies its movements from a
plastic template which ensures that each wheel is machined iden
tically. Usually it is necessary to machine off just a few thou
sandths of an inch of material - enough to remove the unwanted
paint from Stage 2 and to get rid of any remaining surface blem
ishes. Wheels which have a totally painted finish are machined
before they go through the paint work stage.
the idea of a quick rub with wire wool and then a spray with black
paint evaporated instantly.
Of course they were far worse than I had imagined, and the idea
of a quick rub with wire wool and then a spray with black paint
evaporated instantly. But all except one seemed structurally
sound, the main problem being that they looked like they had been
left outside for five years, with the consequent problems of surface
corrosion. The fifth wheel was a bit knocked about in the centre,
but would do as a spare as the damage would be covered by the
number plate.
Mark Oliver at Ratrace suggested I talk to Diamond Styling in
North London about reconditioning, and it was the best move I
could have made. Chris Talabi at DS runs a specialist wheel ren
ovation business, and I am pleased to say that the finished result
is probably better than the original ever was when it left Dunlop.
The story below details what goes on.
Stage 4 - Finishing Although aluminium alloy doesn't rust like
steel, it still corrodes pretty quickly when its gets wet - the first sign
is that the beautifully shiny finish turns a dull grey. So to keep the
appearance as well as to provide long-term protection, it needs a
coat or three of clear lacquer. Chris bakes the lacquer on like the
paint, and then rubs all but the final layer with Scotchbright to
enhance the finish.
That's it really. The finished job was a revelation, probably better
than the wheels ever were when new. The fifth wheel, with the
damage in the centre, has been filled with aluminium weld and
now looks indistinguishable from the others. Of course, there is a
finite limit to the amount of repair work which can be done, but it's
always worth asking if you have a damaged wheel.
Replace or refurbish? The price of alloy wheels varies enor
mously, but while it is quite easy to buy a wheel made for the
accessory market for as little as £75, the cost of replacing the gen
uine original-equipment article is likely to be much more. Even on
a humble Nova GSi the bill for a single wheel is going to be well
over £100, while a forged alloy on a Porsche 928 needs a second
mortgage!
March 1995 Low Flying
H A Y D O N C A R S Independent Lotus and Caterham
Seven Experts
LOTUS SEVEN CLUB MEMBERSHIP
RECRUITMENT DRIVE We have a list of potential members
waiting to buy your Super Seven!
To help us increase club membership numbers, please allow
us to buy your car today!
Contact Guy or Vincent on: 01772 410077
or Fax the Facts on: 01722 421212
After hours: 01483 232578 (Guy) 0590 682508 (Vincent)
Harnham Garage, Newbr idge Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 8 A A
As long as the damage isn't too severe, refurbishment is a much more economical proposition. Diamond Styling charges £35.50 for a 13 or 14 inch wheel, £6.25 more for 15 and 16 inches, plus VAT. Judging by the amount of work that goes into each wheel, and the quality of the finished job, that's good value. And, of course, refurbishment is the o n l y option if you have a set of irreplaceable alloys from a classic car, like my Seven.
Cleaning your alloys There are ways to clean your alloys which take the hard graft out of the job. Spray-on cleaners are readily available at car accessory shops, though they work with varying degrees of success. Usually the idea is that you spray the liquid onto the dirty wheel, wait a short while, and then hose it clean. The effectiveness is largely down to the strength of the acid in the cleaner, but to avoid the risk of acid eating into the wheel or its protective coating, the strength is kept down. If you try hard enough you might find a garage workshop which will sell you a highly acidic cleaner - but be warned. Leave it on too long and you could ruin your wheels.
You can try to stop the wheels getting dirty in the first place. There's not much that you can do about road dirt, but you can buy shields which are fitted between the wheel and the brake disc to cut down on brake dust. They cost around £20 a pair.
Fitting and balancing Most tyre fitters, and it must be said, the car manufacturers themselves, fit the same knock-on balance weights to alloy wheels that they use for steel versions. These clip over the edge of the rim and are knocked in place with a hammer. It's not a very clever solution on alloys, for even if the fitter avoids damaging the wheel with the hammer, the sharp edges on the clips will almost inevitably scratch the lacquered finish which will be the starting point for water seepage and corrosion.
The alternative is to use stick-on balance weights. These are more time consuming to fit, but all good tyre fitters should have them on the shelf. Diamond Styling go further and insist that they are fitted out of sight on the inside of the wheel.
Chris can be contacted at D i a m o n d S t y l i n g , U n i t 2, W a l d o W o r k s , T r e n m a r G a r d e n s , L o n d o n N W 1 0 6 B D . Tel 0 1 8 1 9 6 9 9 6 9 0 . He'll give Seven Club members a 10% discount if you ask him nicely!
Our thanks to Auto Express for allowing Low Flying the use of their photographs.
Low Flying © M a r c h 1995
> • • • •
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( includes EMS unit, twin thrott le bodies, l inkage/fuel ra i l , injectors, dedicated Seven wir ing loom, thrott le potentiometer, pressure regulator, user software e t c . . )
PRICE: £1,695 or a s a n o p t i o n o n o u r n e w e n g i n e r a n g e ( f o r e x a m p l e t h e D u n n e l l Z e t e c 2 l i t r e b i g v a l v e n o w p r o d u c e s 2 1 5 B H P w h e n f i t t e d w i t h D u n n e l l E M S a s a p p o s e d t o 1 9 0 B H P
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March 1995 Low Flying
If m m m ^ m
The Lotus Seven Club welcomes the following nel Sean Brearey & Son ia Fletcher Keith Marriner HUDDERSFIELD, W Yorks DUBAI, United Arab Emiral Mark Brown Peter & Laura Marshall • TUNBRIDGE WELLS, Kent NORTH POLE, Alaska William Christie Sean Martin GRIMSBY, S Humberside ST PETER PORT. Guernsefl Morgan Cleasby John Mee BIRMINGHAM, W Midlands POOLE, Dorset Mr Couzens Miles Moseley EPPING, Essex MAIDSTONE, Kent Jack Davies Mike & Tina Neumann BICESTER, Oxon LONDON Francois Delegue Ian & Vera Noble PARIS, France ROMFORD, Essex Mike Dixon & J Hopkins Martin Nowell LIVERPOOL, Merseyside NORTHOLT, Middx Stephen & Jacquel ine Dodd Graham & Vivienne Ridgway WIRRAL, Merseyside WORCESTER PARK, Surrey David Eaton & Anne Hannah Peter Ringwood BARNSLEY, S Yorks NR MALDON, Essex Daniel Eaves Willo Roe TODDINGTON, Glos DUBLIN, Eire Alistair Falconer Char les Rogers & CANTERBURY, Kent Sarah Warrener Bruce Fogerty CHIDDINGFOLD, Surrey TIGARD OREGON, USA James Shaw Richard Galloway WATERLOOVILLE, Hants BEVERLEY N, Humberside Paul Soffe John Greengrass LONDON CROYDON, Surrey Simon Taylor Soren Haldager NEWPORT, Gwent STRAND, DENMARK Adrie & Paula Van Den Berg Simon Harris ROSMALEN, Holland LOUDWATER, Herts Christopher & Delia Vince Ian & Patricia Hoper LEIGH ON SEA, Essex WATERLOOVILLE, Hants Graham West Jeremy Hurlstone & READING, Berks Bridget Smale Eddie White & Marie Griffiths SHIFNAL, Shropshire NR ALFRETON, Derbys Timothy & Charmian Knight David Will iams HARROGATE, N Yorks MAESTEG, Mid Glamorgan Richard Koeberle Peter & Jean Wood LEICESTER, Leics KENDAL, Cumbria Malcolm & Sylvia Lanfranchi COLLINGHAM. W Yo rks Total Membership 1692
FORD GEARBOX SPECIALIST
STANDARD & SPECIAL RATIOS FOR CLASSICS, RACING, RALLYING, FAST ROAD W O R K & TRIALS
HELICAL C L O S E , S P O R T I N G C L O S E , R A C I N G C L O S E , 4 & 5
SPEED 1300 - 3000cc L O N G 1 ST G E A R S T H R O U G H O U T
WITH SLICKER SHIFT, I M P R O V E D S Y N C H R O M E S H &
LUBRICATION
LOTUS SEVEN WORK A SPECIALITY For technical talk or to obtain your information
pack contact BRIAN G. HILL - Designer of the Caterham 6 Speed Gearbox -
Evenings Mon - Fri 7.30pm - 8.30 pm on
0580 7141 14
ibers: BIASED? WELL, SINCE THE
EDITOR ACTUALLY OWNS A SEVEN
Low Flying 0
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Cars and Car Conversions is still the most authoritative,
technical, performance tuning, motorsport
magazine on the market
ONLY £2.20 (and there's nothing in the Caterham parts
list to match that price, so spoil yourself this month!)
March 1995
LOTUS SEVEN CLUB AREA MEETINGS
AREA ORGANISER TELEPHONE VENUE DAY Cheshire & Staffs Peter Fletcher The Bickerton Poacher, Bulkeley, A534 between Nantwich & Broxton istTues Devon Tim Powell The Silverton Inn, Silverton, Nr Exeter - Cullompton to Exeter 1st Sun Durham Alan Walton 0325 300126 Cock of the North, on the A167 near Durham 2nd Tues Essex Paul Thrower 0787 280272 The Ship, 0.5 mile from A12 on B1007, between Stock & Galleywood,
South of Chelmsford 2nd Thurs Gloucestershire Andy Couchman 0451 821982 Puesdown Inn on the A40, 1 mile west of Northleach in Gloucs 1st Thurs Hants (Nth) & Berks Jon Pippard Phoenix Inn, on the A30 at Hartley Wintney Last Thurs Hampshire (West) Rupert Short 0425 657756 The Elm Tree, Ringwood 1st Tues Hertfordshire Dick Dixon 0920 871153 The White Horse, Wareside, Nr Ware (B1004) 1st Wed Kent & East Sussex John Cordingley 0795 874323 The Dering Arms, Station Road, Puckley, Nr Ashford 2nd Thurs Lakes & Lochs Eric Little 0228 710616 Roving venue, ring for details 2nd Wed Lancashire Doug Douglas 0772 736754 The Sirloin Inn, Hoghton, on A657 Nr. Hoghton Towers Last Thurs
Steve Liptrott 061 366 5866 Leics, Notts, Derby & Staffs John Shaw 0664 822688 The King's Arms, Hathern 1 st Thurs
Terry Dutton 01283 538968 Lincolnshire Wally Liles 0526 861210 The Royal Oak, Scopwick (B1188, 8 miles south of Lincoln) 3rd Tues London (S) & Kent (N) Richard Brunero
ftrnio U U a W i 081 300 5110 The Plough, Eynsford, Kent 1st Tues
Merseyside & District Roy Sang U O o J O r l ' '
0151 486 7120 (w) The Swan at Newton 8th March John Riley 0925 728370 K
Middlesex & West London Craig Wildman 081 561 6884 The Red Lion, Hillingdon Hill, Hillingdon 2nd Tues Norfolk Steve Davidson 0603 700400 (w) The Swan, B1118 (off A140 Nr Scole) Last Sun
0603 714707 (h) lunchtime Northumbria ,John Sweeney 0661 25623 Newburn Motor Museum 2nd Wed
The Aero Club, Middle Drive, Woolsington, Ponteland 4th Wed Oxford Brian Soper 0235 531632 The Chequers Inn, Burcot, Nr Dorchester-on-Thames 1 st Tues Pennine David Pearson 0532 509025 The Devonshire Arms, Cracoe, 4 miles north of Skipton, 2nd Wed
Robin Oldfield 0535 652284 on B6265 Skipton to Grassington road Scotland John Cherry 0141 649 9974 Lea Park Hotel, Bo'ness Road, Grangemouth. 2nd Wed Somerset & Wessex Rhett Land 0935 71394 Sporadic meetings. Phone for specific details. Suffolk Robin Baldwin 0787 210391 Joint meeting with Norfolk as above. Surrey Angus Denny 0483 301999 The Arkle Manor, A25 between Dorking & Reigate 3rd Thurs Sussex (West) Steve Winterberg 0903 892016 Crown Inn at Dial Post, off A24 2nd Wed Warwickshire Lizzie Backwith 0608 652337 The New Inn, Wroxton, (A422, 4M north of Banbury) 1st Wed Wiltshire & Berkshire Steve Shaw 0672 810419 (h) Winterbourne Arms, off Wantage road, north of Newbury, J13, M4 3rd Mon
0635 48222 Ext. 3317 (w) Yorkshire (South) Nick Henstock 0226 765463 The Royal Oak, Ulley, off A618 Nr J31, M1 Last Wed
Andrew Barefoot 0709 530190
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March 1995 Low Flying
AREA v A P P £ K l i K j q S
L O N D O N CLASS IC M O T O R S H O W - 18/19TH M A R C H . X T A L E X A N D R A
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PRE-TRACK & SPRINT CHECKS * ROGER KING ENGINE
REFITS • POWER MODS * FACTORY KITS FITTED
STEERING CHECKS ALL WITH PERSONAL SERVICE
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A N D C L U B S T A N D S .
Low Flying 0 March 1995
E M B E R S L e x x e R g ViXK 6D , Could anyone tell me if the Bickerton Poacher is still, as advertised in Low Flying, a meeting place for Club members? We attended on 3rd December 1994 - but there was no-one there! Yours, Karl Roberts.
Your l e t t e r w a s p a s s e d o n t o P e t e r F l e t c h e r , t h e A r e a O r g a n i s e r for C h e s h i r e a n d S t a f f s a n d h o p e f u l l y h e w i l l h a v e a l r e a d y b e e n i n c o n t a c t w i t h y o u t o e x p l a i n t h a t t h e m e e t i n g s a r e v e r y m u c h " a s a n d w h e n " . S o r r y a b o u t y o u r w a s t e d t r i p K a r l . E d .
Dear Ed, Would you have any record of the present ownership of Lotus Seven, Series 2 (1962) Reg. Number 7 JDV. I owned this car many years ago, and would like to know if it is still going. Yours faithfully, Mike Cheesman.
C o m e o n , o w n u p , w h o ' s g o t i t t h e n ? S o u n d s l i k e o n e for J o h n W a t s o n , o u r C l u b A r c h i v i s t , u n l e s s a n y b o d y o u t t h e r e k n o w s a n y t h i n g . . . . ? W e l c o m e t o t h e C l u b , M i k e . E d .
Dear Ed, In response to John Rees's letter regarding badge engineering, I thought long and hard before putting a Lotus badge on the front of my car, eventually fitting one when I received it as a birthday present. I feel that as these cars would never have existed without a certain Mr Chapman's know how and innovation at the time, a badge bearing his initials and the name of his company is hardly out of place on a car which can be so directly related to him.
I wonder how Mr Rees would have reacted a few weeks ago, when confronted with a very sub-standard type of kit car, (not even to Westfield standards) and adorned with no less than seven Lotus badges, parked next to my own '92 live axled Seven! This vehicle parked next to my own looked like it had been produced from left overs from a Mark 3 Cortina and various parts of scaffolding and RSJ 's .
While I can see the point John is trying to make, it's not that long since a car known as an Isuzu Piazza Turbo was produced, complete with Lotus badges, because Lotus happened to sort the suspension for them. Anyway no doubt everyone has their own opinions and ideas which I for one am quite happy to accept - live and let live as they say.
Anyway onto another point, the Technical Surgery page says you would like any questions or queries by the 20th January, well up here in the frozen north the mag. didn't arrive until the 19th!! I appreciate the distribution aspect to a certain degree is out of your hands, but a bit of leeway with dates might help!!
I would be very interested in helping/taking part in the Lands End/John 'O ' Groates effort, but would need more info on dates, expected duration etc. If Steve would like to contact me, please phone on 0253 354518. Also Gail , the Missus, is going to get some recipes together to let you have as soon as she gets round to it.
Finally (at last I hear you say) just a quick note to anyone within travelling distance of the Preston area, I am finally getting the treasure hunt together which I will run sometime when the weather gets warmer, and any proceeds will go to the Nuke appeal; it will happen, but don't hold your breath. All the best, Brian Croston.
I t j u s t w o u l d n ' t h a v e h a p p e n e d B r i a n - y o u o n l y e v e r s e e J o h n ' s c a r s o n t r a i l e r s ! ( W h a t a b i t c h , e h ? ) . A s for t h e T e c h n i c a l S u r g e r y d e a d l i n e s , w h a t ' s y e r ' p r o b l e m ? - y o u h a d a w h o l e d a y to t h i n k a b o u t i t ! S e r i o u s l y , i n r e a l i t y I h a v e h a d t o e x t e n d t h e d e a d l i n e a n y w a y , s o e v e n if y o u r m a g g e t s t h e r e l a t e , w r i t e i n a n y w a y .
A s for t h e L a n d s E n d r u n , y o u r n u m b e r h a s b e e n p a s s e d o n a n d d o n ' t l e t G a i l o u t o f t h e k i t c h e n u n t i l s h e h a s f i n i s h e d t h e r e c i p e s ! E d .
Dear Ed, Could I please ask your help? Rev Limiter and myself reach the golden half century this year and we are planning to celebrate by attending the Swiss International Meeting. Last year's attempt did not come to very much so I am trying to put this together as early as possible. Perhaps the magazine could run an advert under either Letters or Wanted sections and contain the request for any other idiots of a similar age who are planning the journey. I have discovered that the AA provide an excellent service in arranging for modestly priced hotels along the route so there is no thought of regaining lost youth, rheumatism or pneumonia by camping!
W A N T E D - A N I V O T H E R I D I O T S
F O R T H E SW\SS T R I P
Apply as above.
With no other desire than to help a worthy charity I enclose a cheque for £5 for Nuke the Luke and look forward to being flooded out with telephone calls of people keen to join us. My phone number at home is 01635 201914. Many thanks, C.C. Good.
( T h e r e , d o y o u t h i n k t h e y ' l l n o t i c e i t ? E d . )
March 1995 Low Flying
Dear Ed, With reference to Andy Briggs' letter in the January LF, about fitting a stereo. Until a few years ago my everyday transport was a +8 Morgan (that's the wimpy one with D O O R S , but that V8 is a lovely engine). It had a stereo fitted which I could not hear very well, especial ly with the sheepskin helmet on in the winter, me being normally topless. I made a headrest with two wings angled forward slightly and mounted a speaker in each wing - it was a bit bulky and it was difficult to hear anything else but I could hear the music perfectly - Wagner of course, not Madonna.
Now the important bit - it involves money. There have been a number of exhortations about taking care not to get ripped off when buying a second hand Seven, and there are always some advertised in LF. Can I take it that rip-off incidents are not related to cars advertised in LF? Have there been any duff cars sold deliberately through LF? If so, would you blacklist the vendor? I will be looking for a car soon and with no Seven experience it would be nice to have some confidence in the ads. I appreciate you cannot take any responsibility for ads, but it would be nice to think that conmen are excluded. Peter Oates.
R e s t a s s u r e d P e t e r t h a t , if w e a r e t o l d a b o u t a n y u n s a v o u r y c h a r a c t e r s , t h e n t h e y w i l l n o t b e a l l o w e d t o a d v e r t i s e i n L o w F l y i n g . P e r s o n a l l y , i n t h e t w o y e a r s I h a v e b e e n E d i t o r , I k n o w of o n l y o n e s u c h i n c i d e n t a n d w o u l d c e r t a i n l y d o e v e r y t h i n g I c o u l d t o p r e v e n t a r e o c c u r r e n c e .
A s for t h e s t e r e o , m i n e c o n s i s t s o f a 4 : 1 i n t h e l e f t e a r , t w i n 4 0 ' s i n t h e r i g h t a n d t h e w i n d f i l l i n g i n t h e b a c k g r o u n d - s h e e r h e a v e n ! E d .
Dear Ed, I write as a pensioner and veteran of many World Wars in response to the so-called explanation given to the House by Chairman Lol of the newly privatised utility SevenNat, formerly the Lotus Seven Club of Great Britain, and published recently in your august organ. It may be true that the Club organises more events, more track days and more racing than ever before. It may even be true that the Club is becoming more organised and professional, but this can hardly be an explanation for the massive six pounds increase in charges.
May I remind your gentle readers that, even in these so-called progressive times, one can still purchase two pairs of incontinence pants in Boots Dispensary for this tidy sum and still have sixpence for the bus home. I submit to your readers that this increase is entirely due to the extravagances of those fat cats in their chauffeur driven "limousine" and entertainment of this Beryl woman, whoever She is? We should be told. Yours sincerely, J . R. Hartley (Mrs).
P.S. On a serious note, thanks to Kevin Russell for investigating the mystery of the damaging De-Dions. I discovered I had the same problem recently and was more than a little concerned. I hope that Jez updates the dear-old Assembly Guide with some notes on the subject for new boys.
I don't suppose you want to know that I like the idea of race coverage too?
W h a t ' s a s i x p e n c e ? E d .
Dear Ed, With reference to your published book list, you may also like to include two of the Brooklands series; "Lotus Seven Collection No. 1" and "Lotus Seven 1957-1980". As far as I am aware, these, plus those already included in your listing, are the only books solely devoted to the Seven that are available, (excluding the Workshop manuals). I would be very interested to hear of any others that Club members (or other readers of "Low Flying") might know! Best wishes, David North.
T h a n k s for t h e u p d a t e D a v i d . E d .
Dear Ed, I refer to the Lotus Seven track days driving rules as detailed by Chairman Lol in January's Low Flying.
Given the appropriate concern over safety I am somewhat dismayed at the 'drive on the right rule'. As most circuits in this country are driven in the clockwise direction, the majority of bends and corners are approached from the left side of the track, apexed right, and completed on the left. To obey the rule would result in cars 'weaving' across the circuit at the beginning and end of each straight in order to adopt a racing line and use the turning and clipping point markers appropriately.
AUXHALL
1 6 V A L V E 2 L I T R E V A U X H A L L E N G I N E P A R T S
STANDARD AND PERFORMANCE T A L K TO US FOR A L L Y O U R 2 LITRE 16 V A L V E
V A U X H A L L ENGINE R E Q U I R E M E N T S .
WE C A R R Y IN S T O C K THE ENTIRE R A N G E OF R E P L A C E M E N T C O M P O N E N T S FOR Y O U R ENGINE,
BE IT IN A N ORIGINAL UNIT J U S T NEEDING A F R E S H E N , OR IF Y O U A R E E M B A R K I N G ON A
S E R I O U S HP P R O J E C T , OUR M A N Y P O W E R P L U S OPTIONS WILL H E L P Y O U .
N o t to f o r g e t o f c o u r s e o u r p r o v e n r a n g e o f p a r t s a n d s e r v i c e s f o r t h e
LOTUS TWINCAM ENGINE
P l e a s e p h o n e o r f a x f o r o u r p a r t s c a t a l o g u e + l i s t s of e n g i n e u p g r a d e k i t s e t c . s t a t i n g e n g i n e t y p e .
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PHONE 0509 412317 FAX 0509 416555
QED
Low Flying M a r c h 1995
u M G M B 6RS L6TTGRS " AKID EVEN MORE
Assuming the racing line is not common knowledge, would it not be safer to adopt a drive on the left rule, (although the rules should be appropriate to each circuit) as not only should this result in eliminating any unnecessary manoeuvres from one side of the track to the other, but in addition, drivers are more used to being overtaken on the right, with mirror use and settings in the standard position (what mirrors?!).
Having driven gearbox karts at speeds in excess of 100mph, only to find a driver moving across the racing line without apparent reason I am acutely aware of the danger caused by weaving on the track and the unnecessary responsibility placed upon the quicker driver fast approaching from behind. If my views are considered nonsensical I would be very interested to hear the reasons for the 'drive on the right rule'.
As a new member may I offer my thanks to the organisers of the North Weald event, which gave both Leah and myself an excellent introduction to sprint racing, Supersprint Cars for a superb car, Roger King for the help, and all those people whose ears I have 'bent' over the past months. Yours sincerely, Darren Smith.
G r a h a m C l a r k e , of R M A , e x p l a i n s a r u l e t h a t h a s b e e n q u e s t i o n e d b e f o r e : " D a r r e n , I h a v e b e e n a s k e d t o r e s p o n d t o y o u r l e t t e r d a t e d 2 4 t h J a n u a r y r e g a r d i n g o u r ' d r i v e o n t h e r i g h t ' r u l e .
W h i l s t I f u l l y u n d e r s t a n d , a n d t o a d e g r e e c o n c u r w i t h y o u r v i e w s , d r i v e o n t h e r i g h t , o v e r t a k e o n t h e l e f t , i s a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l m o t o r s p o r t r u l e t h a t h a s b e e n a r o u n d f o r e v e r . It m a y h a v e s o m e t h i n g t o d o w i t h t h e f a c t t h a t t h e g o v e r n i n g b o d y of m o t o r s p o r t i s F r e n c h !
Q u i t e s e r i o u s l y t h i s r u l e i s i n c o r p o r a t e d i n a l l t h e c o n t r a c t s w e s i g n w i t h c i r c u i t o w n e r s a s it is w i t h e v e r y g e n e r a l t e s t i n g s e s s i o n c o n t r a c t i s s u e d t o r a c e r s a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d . T h e i d e a i s b a s i c a l l y o n e o f o v e r t a k e o n t h e o u t s i d e . W h i l s t w e a c c e p t t h a t t h i s c r e a t e s a m a n o e u v r e w h i c h i s c o n t r a r y t o n o r m a l r o a d d r i v i n g i n t h e U K , it d o e s w o r k w e l l a n d i s s t r i c t l y e n f o r c e d b y o u r staff, e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e N e w c o m e r a n d I n t e r m e d i a t e s e s s i o n s a s i s t h e r u l e o f a b s o l u t e l y n o o v e r t a k i n g i n t h e b r a k i n g a r e a s . I r e a d i l y a c c e p t t h a t n o t a l l S e v e n C l u b M e m b e r s a r e r a c e r s b u t s o m e a r e a n d s o m e m o r e m a y b e . C a n y o u i m a g i n e t h e p o t e n t i a l c a r n a g e if w e c h a n g e d t h e r u l e !
P l e a s e b e a s s u r e d w e t a k e o u r r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s very s e r i o u s l y e s p e c i a l l y a l l m a t t e r s c o n c e r n e d w i t h s a f e t y . We a r e i m p l e m e n t i n g a s y s t e m o f C i r c u i t D r i v i n g M a n a g e m e n t w h i c h is w e l l p r o v e n w i t h a first c l a s s s a f e t y r e c o r d , r u n b y a t e a m w i t h a g r e a t d e a l of i n t e r n a t i o n a l m o t o r s p o r t e x p e r i e n c e . I a m s u r e y o u w i l l f i n d t h e C l u b d r i v i n g d a y s j u s t a b o u t a s s a f e a s i s p o s s i b l e . W i t h b e s t r e g a r d s , G r a h a m C l a r k e , R M A .
Dear Ed, I just wanted to add my name to the "Ratrace Fan Club" membership list. At the end of last year I had a bit of a con
frontation with a curb near my house. Needless to say, the curb came off better than my Seven!
Well, by the time the pick-up truck arrived at the scene it was getting late on Saturday afternoon, but the chaps at Ratrace were relaxed and happy to wait. By Tuesday morning, when the insurance assessor arrived, Ratrace had produced a comprehensive list of work and components required. Although the damage looked superficial it turned out that some internal components had been bent.
Since then Ratrace have handled the work, liaised with the insurance assessor and basically done a great job. Plus they provide tea and jam doughnuts on Saturdays. I only have one suggestion for improving the service, and that is to get some of those custard doughnuts. Many thanks, Andrew Walker.
Dear Ed, Thanks for putting my letter in the February edition. I would be delighted if you would include my details in the list of Area Meetings. At this point in time we have hopefully four cars travelling in convoy to Le Mans in June. Anyone in Scotland and the North of England wishing to joining us can tel. or fax. on 0141 649 9974 or my address is 162 Mount Annan Drive, Kings Park, Glasgow, G44 4SA. Yours sincerely, John Cherry.
C o n s i d e r y o u r s e l f e l e c t e d , J o h n . R e a d e l s e w h e r e i n t h i s i s s u e for d e t a i l s o f P a u l T u r n e r w h o i s t r y i n g to c o - o r d i n a t e t h i n g s for t h o s e t r a v e l l i n g t o L e M a n s . E d .
W A L L Y LILES R A C I N G
CATERHAM & LOTUS
• R A C I N G C A R R E S T O R A T I O N & P R E P A R A T I O N
• FULL T R A C K SERVICE • DRIVER T R A I N I N G
TEL: 01526 861210
M a r c h 1995 Low Flying
S A U . . Please remember, ads must be in writing, enclosing payment where appropriate. Cars for Sale - £7.50 (Non-Members - E10) Parts & Wanted - FOC payable to Lotus Seven Club, quoting your membership number. Thank you. Oh - and please in your best handwriting!
F O R S A L E : 1992 C a t e r h a m 1600 d e d ion in black with metal ic blue
w ings a n d nose cone , w i th leather seats looks terrif ic. O n a Q plate,
5000 mi les , re -manufac tured engine, 4 speed box, lumeni t ion,
wea the r equ ipment , t onneau a n d car cover. £10,500 O.V.N.O. Call
A n d r e w B i n g h a m o n 0 5 9 8 7 5 3 5 9 7 (Devon) .
F O R S A L E : X F Block 6 9 1 M S q u a r e cap (+20 Bore) £25 . X F Head
por ted g o o d valves £45 . 4 C o n rods £25. 90 De dion shock and
spr ings f ront a n d rear £ 2 0 e a c h . Front upr ights and t runions £20.
Front ant i roll bar + moun ts £ 1 0 . 9 0 spec, bot tom w ishbones , 2 left
1 right £ 3 0 . 9 0 s p e c , t op l inks + 1/2 w ishbones £25. L ightened &
ba lanced X F f lywheel A P plate and cover £40. X F fuel p u m p £5.
90 Spec , de dion bench seats £30 . Call J Drury on 0775 7 1 1 0 6 1 .
F O R S A L E : Pair of W e b e r 40 D C O E s , secondhand but c lean, c o m
plete and boxed £ 2 5 0 . 4-2-1 Comp le te stainless steel rear exit
exhaust sys tem for a 1700 Ford Crossf low £100 O N . O Also, offers
invited for: 7000 R P M Rev. Counter ; we t s u m p oil pressure gauge,
non-al loy bel lhousing for crossf low/Ford gearbox, Lucas electronic
ignit ion unit. Call Jan Koszuta on 071 615 6338 (work) or 071 7 0 0
6045 (home, answer ing mach ine) . All par ts can be seen/col lected
f rom T h e Seven W o r k s h o p in H o d d e s d o n .
F O R S A L E : 1700 X/F low Super Seven, red, long cockpit 1989 chas
sis fully checked and updated by Arch in 1994 to latest spec.
Bilstein suspens ion , de d ion, quick rack, FIA rollbar. Professional ly
built 160 bhp eng ine 1200 mi les o ld , dry s u m p e d . Supal i te whee ls
with n e w N C T tyres. Compet i t ion exhaust , 5 x s p e e d box,
adjustable cloth seats , 5000 mi les only, £11950 . Call Mr Hatt on
0763 8 3 8 4 0 1 .
F O R S A L E : Ca te rham Seven w indscreen sur round £10 . A lso Seven
car cover as new, cost £76 - offers. Elan Spr int 4 x speed gearbox
- offers. Call Nigel Pennington on 01923 267036 .
F O R S A L E : Set of 5 x K N Alloys wi th Goodyear NCT's, very well pol
ished, spare unused , 1000's of miles left, about 1 0 % wear or less,
Ital centres, possible del ivery to new owner, £250 or near offer. Call
Br ian Cros ton on 0 1 2 5 3 354518 .
F O R S A L E : 1990, 1800cc Holbay Ca te rham Seven. Long cockpit ,
live axle in BR green wi th 6000 totally reliable miles. Adjustable
cloth seats , heated screen, full weather equ ipment , intermittent
w i p e r s , hea te r a n d t o n n e a u . Moto l i ta s t e e r i n g w h e e l , K N
a l loys/Goodyear NCT's . This car was built for regular road use and
reliability. T h e eng ine is built on a new thick wall block wi th forged
pistons and d y n o tested to 135 bhp. M u c h more power is easily
available by fitt ing a big valve head , compet i t ion exhaust and hotter
c a m . £9 ,950 O N O . Call S i m o n W a d e on 0 1 4 7 3 611573 evenings.
F O R S A L E : 5 x H P C whee ls and tyres, only 3,000 miles f rom new,
spare unused . All as new condi t ion, accept £ 5 0 0 O N O . Call Paul
Dal las on 0484 6 5 3 6 4 5 or mobi le 0378 135093.
F O R S A L E : Four 185 x 60 x 13 Yokohama A 0 0 1 R , used 4 x t imes as
new £110 . Four Pirelli P6's 185 x 60 x 13 wi th approx. 8 0 0 mi les
use very good condi t ion, £80 . S tandard roll bar £ 2 0 . (Live axle '93
car) . Call Steve O w e n on 0831 507819 dayt ime or 0 1 4 2 2 824592
after 7.00.
F O R SALE.- 1700cc crossf low eng ine approx. 165 BHP, tuf t r ided
crank, shot peened rods, o m e g a forged pistons, big valve por ted
head , inlet mani fo ld, tw in 4 0 D C O E Webers , l ightened f lywheel ,
c o m p . c lu tch, electronic ignit ion, a ldon distributor, d ry s u m p e d .
Ideal for hill c l imbs, spr ints or fast road use, very reliable, £1050. 4 -
1 S/S compet i t ion exhaust sys tem, £250 . Call Dave Gr indrod on
0161 723 4 7 1 3 (day) or 0161 761 1653 (eve.).
F O R S A L E : Ca te rham Seven , Augus t 1992 'K', long cockpit , de d ion,
red, 11,500 miles, S P R 1700 155 bhp engine, compet i t ion exhaust ,
heated sc reen , leather seats, pr isoner whee ls etc. £12 ,950 O N O .
Call Char les Brown on Banbury 0295 2 7 2 2 7 2 Ext 3042 (Work) o r
Covent ry 0203 599876 (Home) .
F O R S A L E : Ideal registrat ion number for a Lotus or Ca te rham Seven.
A 7 B O M , £ 9 8 5 inc lud ing t ransfer fee a n d plates. Call M r
Wate rhouse on 0734 699203 .
F O R S A L E : Ca te rham Seven, de d ion, K ser ies "Superspor t " . R e d ,
f lared wings, s tandard leather seats, t onneau cover, 1994 "L" regis
tered, 6000 miles. Absolute ly immacu la te condi t ion. £14 ,950 . Cal l
Philip Brodey on 01869 245395 (evenings and weekends) or 01295
270333 (week days) .
F O R S A L E : Full rear d r u m to disc brake convers ion for De Dion car,
£180 ; Pre-1994 De-Dion tube as new £ 1 5 0 ; Radiator fan & cowl
pre '94 type £15 ; J P E front grill (7 logo) £ 3 0 ; Bare ali dash panel
£10 ; 2 x front f lared w ings - new but painted purple, sui table for
spray ing £35pr ; Fresh air heater wi th valve & cable £ 7 0 ; Steer ing
rack £35 ; Facet solid state compet i t ion electr ic fuel p u m p £25; Ford
spare whee l spacer £10 ; Vauxhal l ignit ion sys tem inc ECU, coi l ,
l oom, etc genu ine Ca te rham - Of fers?; 2 X 205/60 /13 A 0 0 8 R Tyres
2 5 % used £ 2 0 e a ; Bilstein spr ings 1701b fronts & rears £ 1 0 ea ; Set
of front d iscs/cal ipers fit all cars £75; Set std horns £10 . All used
parts max 5,000 mi les use, possibly a lot less!! C A R B O N F I B R E
PANELS! ! N e w parts manufac tured to order e.g. dash (inc corner
panels) fully cut out £125 ea ; Front cycle w ings to fit 13" whee ls per
fectly £200 pair; race seats - similar to Ca te rham type but w ider
£ 2 5 0 e a N O VAT!!! Call Arn ie W e b b on 01883-627254 or on mobi le
0973 -187584 anyt ime.
F O R S A L E : Ignit ion pack for 16 valve Ca te rham Vauxhal l or
West f ie ld instal lat ion, comple te wi th coil £180 O N O . Coo lan t kit for
pushrod to Vauxhal l 16 valve convers ion (hoses, submar ine , head
er tank etc.) offers. Tel or Fax J o h n Cher ry on 0141 6 4 9 9974
F O R S A L E : Diff, 3.92 ratio, for de dion car, 2 0 0 0 m only, £ 4 0 0 . M B E
Ignition pack for Vauxhal l H P C , £250 . Luke four point harnesses ,
black, £35 each . N e w front f lared w ings , red, £30 each . N e w
chrome head lamp bowls, £25 each . N e w Cibie head lamps £ 3 0
Pair. Call A lan Yule on 0 1 4 4 4 4 8 2 9 8 8 dayt ime or 0 1 4 4 4 4 8 3 1 4 0
evenings.
Low Flying (35
F O R S A L E : Clutch cover, dr iven plate and cable for x- f low/Sport box.
500 mi les only, £20 . Pair of s tandard static seat bealts f rom long
cockpit car only £5. Call Nick Richens on 0 1 4 8 3 277037 .
March 1995
ALe.. . . W A N T E D : Lotus or Caterham Seven - books, advertising material, videos, models, kits, etc. Please send details to David North, 18 Swallow Close, Stone, Greenhithe, Kent, DA9 9PT.
F O R S A L E : Caterham Super Seven, 1992 long cockpit, live axle, 5,500 dry miles, BRG/Yellow nosecone. Yellow 4 x spoke Revolution wheels 6" x 14". SPR 1700 X/Flow engine, sports exhaust. Excellent condition £9,500. Call Colin Gibson on 01462 851138 or 01462 811741.
F O R S A L E : 1970 Lotus Seven Series 4, less engine. Rolling chassis. Car requires finishing. £4,000 no offers. Call John Rees on 01438 840268 evenings.
F O R S A L E : Caterham Super Seven Sprint, 1989. Immaculate condition, 6000 miles only. Live axle, short cockpit, BRG/Aluminium, new interior 1994, full weather equipment, inc. hood, tonneau and hood bag, Motolita steering wheel, Superlite wheels, 1700 X/Flow, new Webers (40's), large cooling kit and heater. £9,500 OVNO. Call Tony Hamer on 01327 858231.
F O R S A L E : Caterham 4 x point harness in black x 2, £70 as new. Steering rack, standard cycle wings model very little used £35. Call Paul Dallas on 0378 135093 (mobile) or 0484 653645.
F O R S A L E : 1989 de dion Seven (registered 1990), Dunnell Zetec 175 BHP engine, quaife 4 x speed gearbox, Bilstein suspension, painted white, full weather equipment, 4 x point harness, leather trans cover etc., choice of wheels/tyres and seats. As featured in Low Flying engine shoot out (December 1993). New car ordered. Price: £11,500 ONO. Call Steve Davidson on 01603 700400 or fax 01603 700301.
W A N T E D : Caterham Seven Supersport, standard or race prepared, cash available for right car. I want to race this year, so come on phone me. Call Paul Coombs on 0722 329414 or 0374 287713.
W A N T E D : Chris Rea "Auberge" and "Freedom" prints, framed or unframed. Best price paid! Call Guy Munday on 0483 232578.
W A > J T £ D : I am a big enthusiast of the Lotus Super Seven and am looking for a Lotus Caterham "Super Seven" to export to Switzerland. The car should have the following requirements:- It should be pre 1982 (Swiss noise and emission laws). LHD preferred but not necessary. Valid MOT not necessary. It should run, but it does not need to take me back to Switzerland! All papers for export should be available (Owners Registration Papers., etc.). It can need major restoration work. It should not cost more than £7,500. I know my budget is not that generous but I hope you can help me. You may send your offers, by post, to my postal address Konrad Leu, Bodenackerstrasse 7c, CH 4334 Sissein, Switzerland. Or you may send a fax to my office, fax. no. 010 41 61 901 42 00. Please mark clearly for the attention of K. Leu on the fax.
W A N T E D : Long cockpit Seven urgently required by private purchaser, up to £10,000. Prefer competition car, damaged or kit that needs finishing considered. Please call Adrian Olsson on 0483 579864.
W A N T E D : Entries for 7 Club Scammonden Hill Climb, 14th May 1994. Call Doug Douglass on 01772 736754.
F O R S A L E : Lotus twin cam engine, dismantled ready for re-condition, complete with two hole mounting starter motor, generator (yes that's right, generator!) distributor type 23D4, fuel pump, paper element type oil pump, flywheel and clutch and Miles Wilkins book on how to put it all together again. £200 the lot. Race tech oil pressure and temp, gauge (capillary type) £10. Smiths oil temp (capillary type) £10. Oil cooler kit for Ford 1600 X/Flow, 9 x row rad fits upright at offside of water rad. with thermo static sandwich plate, braided hoses, temp sensor pick-up point £20. 2 litre Sierra 5 x speed gearbox with quick shift lever £50. Oil thermostat for in line application with sandwich plate £5. Micro Dynamics EMS3 ignition system with rev. limiter, ballast resistor, mega spark 2 coil and instructions, £40. Rear exit exhaust as supplied with my 1982 car, no manifolds £35. Also heater matrix and valve for the same year, £20. One of those nasty engine cooling fans that mount ahead of radiator on the older Sevens ( W h a t , l i k e m i n e ? Ed). Yours for the price of the postage. Something for the weekend? 1965 Hillman Minx gearbox with laycock de-normanville overdrive - try getting that to fit! Free to any one who collects it! Shorrocks C142B supercharger, complete with all pulleys, hoses, brackets, 2 inch SU carb, air box, trunking, drive shaft, throttle cable, boost/vac gauge, 2 x sets of 8:1 pistons + .060" for Ford crossflow, all balanced, one set less than 3000 miles the other less than 1000 miles, Kent cam shaft 224 special grind at 112 degrees lobe centre, less than 1000 miles. Make me an offer. Call Nigel Riches on 01734 666106 (H) or 01734 359087 (W) or fax on 01734 668543.
W A N T E D : Goodyear NCT 195/50 VR 15 unused spare or nearly new condition. Call Robin Stevens on 01869 338670.
W A N T E D : A (damaged?) Lotus Seven (S2/S3) for restoration and rebuild, engine up to 1500cc/95 bhp twin Weber. Please write to Soren Haldager, Elmevang 10, DK2660 BR. Strand, DENMARK.
W A N T E D : Long cockpit 1700 Super Sprint, live axle, painted body, full weather equipment, must be a tidy car, preferably not on a Q plate. I've got about £9,000 to spend, so if your car is anything similar to the above, give me a ring on 0181 398 3936, ask for Harry Simons or leave your tel. no. on the dreaded answerphone! (I will return your call!!).
W A N T E D : Set of 5 x Superlites 6 x 1 3 must be as new, for Ital fitting, money waiting. Call Brian Croston on 01253 354518.
W A N T E D : 14" Minilites, Supalites or Revolution wheels for Triumph centres. Call Harvey Griffin on 0115 9497850
W A N T E D : FIA roll over bar for my 1987 Caterham de dion RHD. Call Bertin Seibold on 01049 8141 15875 (evening) or fax on 01049 8141 15743.
8k W A March 1995 Low Flying
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J-0
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SEVEN ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN HOSTLER. TEL: (01603) 667048