Lotus Seven in Seven...

With the Seven forum group build deadline looming, I decided that I should start. With just 7 weeks to go till 3.21 the title seemed perfect.
Here's the plan so far. An SCCA spec club racer, therefore the Motorsports placement. I have the 7 kit, a set of Watanabe's and an F&F Supra kit. I'm planning on using the Supra for driveline parts though It may loose it's turbo and even a couple of its cylinders depending on space. I've got a color picked out too.
What I don't have is a roll cage, a narrow racing seat, a fire system, a modern racing digital dash, a fuel cell and a set of brakes that fit in the smallish wheels.
Sounds easy enough...
:licka:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/73480Mini_Slicks-med.jpg

:eek: What brand are the wheels in the picture and where did you get them?

Thanks.
John R

Like most projects, the first part is filled with the thrill of all of the models potential.
The Supra motor is workable but it would require stretching the body in all three dimensions. That, considering the deadline, has killed the engine swap. This has an up-side however as classifying a three liter turbocharged Seven into an SCCA class would be interesting at best.

The wing fenders are gone, to be replaced with cycle style fenders. I spent the rest of day two fiddling with the ill fated engine swap. Next is widening the rear fenders, cleaning up the cowl and deciding the 101 little details that make up a model.
The Wheels are an ancient set of Fujimi RS Watanabe's that I've been kicking around for 15 years or so, while the slick tires are from another set of equally old Fujimi rims.

First mockup minus the front 'wing' fenders.
http://images20.fotki.com/v382/photos/1/11686/4580531/Wing1-vi.jpg
These are easy to remove, the hard part is making their presense disappear.

I've marked the rear fenders for my cuts. I decided they needed to be about 4mm wider to fit the fat slicks. I split some 10mm tamiya masking tape and used the tape to guide my razor saw cuts.
http://images15.fotki.com/v337/photos/1/11686/4580531/Rear1-vi.jpg
I cut a strip of 0.50 in sheet 4mm wide and rolled it around a bottle to get a rough shape of the fender, then I glued that with some fast setting CA to the inner part of the cut, starting in the middle and working to the ends one at a time. I then glued the outer fender on with regular plastic cement.
Here's the glued up fender extension before any sanding or trimming.
http://images20.fotki.com/v382/photos/1/11686/4580531/Wide1-vi.jpg
Although it looks rough in that shot it cleaned up nicely.

I'm not sure what's next...
Though I'm trying to get all of the body work at least roughed in.

I guess converting it to LHD is what's next.

I cut out the foot boxes on both sides and made mirror image replacements.
http://images20.fotki.com/v385/photos/1/11686/4580531/Lhd1-vi.jpg
It's not as wonky as it looks but there is some room for cleanup, which will have to wait till the glue dries.
With the revised cowl and firewall in place.
http://images14.fotki.com/v388/photos/1/11686/4580531/Lhd2-vi.jpg
The opening for the steering is filled ready for putty and the wiper mounts are gone, but not filled yet.

The engine still fits, though I have no idea if the steering will clear the exhaust headers.:licka:

looking good

Progress lookin good so far, Ill be watchin this one!
-btw nice title :grinyes:

My first attempt at 'cycle' fenders.
I first tried simply wrapping the plastic around a suitably sized bottle and holding them in place with rubber bands to form them, but they returned to almost completely flat again within minutes, this even after a couple of days. So into the hot water they went. One Ninety F is my favorite temp. for plastic forming. Hot for about five minutes and then cold to set the shape.
http://images20.fotki.com/v385/photos/1/11686/4580531/Frnt1-vi.jpg
Making those and a coat of putty on most of the body killed my evening. I did find my lost spare set of XS Tuning brakes so I have one less thing on my ever growing list of parts to find for this sucker.
One week down, with just six to go!

The first mockup with the cycle fenders.
One hundred and thirty five degrees if anyone is doing the math.
A little crude is an understatement. They need a lot of shaping before they'll look right.
The body work now with the first coat of putty sanded and a second applied.
http://images17.fotki.com/v304/photos/1/11686/4580531/Mock1-vi.jpg
Looks like a car anyway...
I'm never sure what is next, a coat of primer over the finished bodywork would be nice.

Crickets...


Not much to show for week two. I removed the rings from the inside of the rims. With the cycle fenders, which look to be about 1mm too wide, the inside of the wheels will show, the brakes too for that matter... Which mean that I should drill out the holes in the rotors as they are only molded on one side. A lot of my time has been spent on sorting the suspension width for both the front and rear and deciding on what I'm going to do to put the brakes where I want them.
http://images14.fotki.com/v386/photos/1/11686/4580531/Wheel1-vi.jpg
I still need to find a seat and I've had no luck finding a MSD ignition box either.
I'd already decided on a shade of green for the body and the Lotus F1 thread makes me want to add a yellow stripe too...

Green and yellow are the traditional colour and, for me at least, what I would choose. The more OOT you got with the car, the more traditional you should go with the paint job, IMHO. Different shades of green and yellow to the norm would be my choice.

Kind regards,
Bill

My choosen shade of green is a Cobra Colors 'tri-coat' Lambo neon green pearl. I'm thinking that a solid (not pearl) yellow stripe may not look right.
Also, that the roll cage and wheel centers painted in yellow may be enough.
Or maybe the combination will trigger a gag reflex in anyone that sees it...

Anyone have a Lucas logo link? (Seems more fitting for a Lotus than a MDS box)

Anyone have a Lucas logo link? (Seems more fitting for a Lotus than a MDS box)

You want to build a model that doesn't run? :grinyes::iceslolan:grinyes::iceslolan

Lucas, prince of darkness! :evillol:

The taper in the rims has bugged me for quite a while. So I took a rim and chucked it in my trusty power drill.
http://images21.fotki.com/v516/photos/1/11686/4580531/Wheelc-vi.jpg
Wheel meet file, file wheel...
http://images22.fotki.com/v518/photos/1/11686/4580531/Wheelb-vi.jpg
A little work with some fine sandpaper cleaned them up nicely.

I just need one seat in a racer. But, what seat to use? After digging through a bunch of kit seats I found a racy set in the F&F Supra kit I was using for an engine donor.
http://images22.fotki.com/v519/photos/1/11686/4580531/Seat1-vi.jpg
Easy enough, just cut it in half to narrow it a bit and sand off the molded in belts.
http://images14.fotki.com/v388/photos/1/11686/4580531/Seat2-vi.jpg
It took a bit to get it narrow enough, and I will likely modify the headrest shape, but I do have a seat now.
http://images21.fotki.com/v516/photos/1/11686/4580531/Seat3-vi.jpg

A little suspension work to show too. Starting with the kit rear coil-over shocks the spring/shock part was removed leaving just the kit spring perches.
http://images21.fotki.com/v515/photos/1/11686/4580531/RCoil1-vi.jpg
To fill in the blank space I added a piece of aluminum tubing, a short piece of aluminum wire and a coil spring wound from small wire.
http://images21.fotki.com/v515/photos/1/11686/4580531/Rcoil2-vi.jpg
The result looks much better than the kit part, and didn't take too long to make either.
http://images20.fotki.com/v367/photos/1/11686/4580531/Rcoil3-vi.jpg
What's next...?

Nice update(s). The replacement shocks and spring look nice and are quite straightforward to construct. Just make sure you treble-check the lengths, as sometimes they don't fit into the recess in the plastic as snuggly as you think. Also, I find it helps to makes twice as many coiled springs as I need. I then select the best examples. I find that it is a good practice to get into as it is difficult to get an even coil when done by hand.

Hope that helps,
Kind regards,
Bill

Nice update(s). The replacement shocks and spring look nice and are quite straightforward to construct. Just make sure you treble-check the lengths, as sometimes they don't fit into the recess in the plastic as snuggly as you think. Also, I find it helps to makes twice as many coiled springs as I need. I then select the best examples. I find that it is a good practice to get into as it is difficult to get an even coil when done by hand.

Hope that helps,
Kind regards,
Bill

when winding your own springs. If you aren't satisfied with the spacing, find some object to wind through the spring, this will give you the separation that you are looking for and everything will be nice and even.

Thanks for the tips. This one was more of a test than a finished spring. My first one was a bit big, while this one is a touch small. I'm going to use larger wire as well.
Here's more or less where this is all headed, it just needs a full cage. I was thinking yellow accents with the green but the black is very nice too.
http://images21.fotki.com/v517/photos/1/11686/4580531/Greeeeeeen-vi.jpg

when winding your own springs. If you aren't satisfied with the spacing, find some object to wind through the spring, this will give you the separation that you are looking for and everything will be nice and even.

The easiest way to create equal-length spacing is to wind the wire around a bolt, interlacing the wire within the lands of the threads.

hth,
Bill

Up on all four for the first time.
http://images22.fotki.com/v520/photos/1/11686/4580531/On41-vi.jpg
Fujimi rims and XS Tuning brakes meet Tamiya kit suspension parts.
I like the front track now and I only narrowed it 2mm over the rear, I also narrowed each front fender nearly 1 mm as well. The seat has evolved a bit too, though it still needs harness holes and a bit more smoothing.
http://images22.fotki.com/v519/photos/1/11686/4580531/NoseBW-vi.jpg
The above original shot on my monitor, at about ten times normal size, really shows areas that need attention.:licka:

Some work on the "Aeroscreen". A piece of thin stock wrapped around the cowl and the deflector from a thicker piece. CA'd in place with a dab of putty to even the contours.
http://images21.fotki.com/v516/photos/1/11686/4580531/aero1-vi.jpg
http://images21.fotki.com/v515/photos/1/11686/4580531/aero2-vi.jpg
http://images22.fotki.com/v518/photos/1/11686/4580531/aero3-vi.jpg
I still need to sand it a little and trim the base.
On to the roll bar.

The rear section of the roll cage in place. Looks large but it is the proper size tube for a racing cage. Next comes the front, I'm just waiting for the glue to set on the front mounts now.
http://images22.fotki.com/v520/photos/1/11686/4580531/Roll1-vi.jpg
:licka:

Looking good... the roll cage looks beefy but as you say, on race cars they are quite substantial.

Kind regards,
Bill

Great job on the roll cage and the windshield... amazing. Seem we have to run now 'till the deadline: isn't?

Time for the rest of the cage. I started with the front mounts, added the complicated front bar and the rest just to fill in the space.
http://images22.fotki.com/v519/photos/1/11686/4580531/Roll2-vi.jpg
http://images22.fotki.com/v519/photos/1/11686/4580531/Roll3-vi.jpg
I'm not sure what I'm going to use for roll bar padding. Maybe some primer on the big pieces next. Anyone remember who did the CF nose?

Hey man, great work on your roll cage. Can I ask how you did it? I tried making one, and everybody killed me over it.

The cage is out of 2mm Evergreen round stock. I would say the front and rear 'hoops' establish the shape so they should be the best you can do. I kept a candle nearby to just warm the plastic to hold a bend. I'm not sure what else I can add as this is my first cage.

Looking very good so far!
I like the cage.Are you going to make belts for the seat also?

The cage is out of 2mm Evergreen round stock. I would say the front and rear 'hoops' establish the shape so they should be the best you can do. I kept a candle nearby to just warm the plastic to hold a bend. I'm not sure what else I can add as this is my first cage.

Thanks, I appreciate it. As for roll bar padding, maybe use painters or masking tape? Just wrap it around the cage where you want it until it's as thick as you want it, and then paint it with a brush? Just make sure you get the edges to line up.

The cage off of the body. I'm a little surprised it didn't change shape much.
I guess I should add that I glued the mounts to the body with white glue, then soaked the whole thing in water for a half hour before I pried the mounts loose.
http://images22.fotki.com/v520/photos/1/11686/4580531/Roll4-vi.jpg
And my second attempt at filters for the carbs. I made a big single filter on Monday and the size of the filter element came out way too small. So tonight I went with a couple of single filters. Looking at my pix I think another try at the filter element may be in order. lol
http://images22.fotki.com/v518/photos/1/11686/4580531/Filter1-vi.jpg
Its hard to believe i've been at this for a month. The fact that there are just three weeks left is kind of a relief at this point.:licka:

Noooooooooo: that's fantastic! This rollcage remind me some Mad Max combat vehicle LOL really I love the badass design, not sure if it suit well the thiny S7 shape but so far is terrific ;)

Something in color. It still needs detail painting.
Lots of painting over the weekend though everything else is primer grey.
http://images22.fotki.com/v723/photos/1/11686/4580531/Engine1-vi.jpg
:licka:

You want to build a model that doesn't run? :grinyes::iceslolan:grinyes::iceslolan

Lucas, prince of darkness! :evillol:

why do the british drink warm beer?

lucas makes their refrigerators.

and, since it's a british car thread....

why don't the british build computers?

they can't figure out how to make them leak oil.

thank you, thank you. i'll be here all week, shows at 7 and 11...


the 7 looks great... especially the cage. :)

Wow, terrific looking work! That rollcage is awesome. I like your box filters. :wink: I'm sorry I haven't been watching this one closer.

For doing an SCCA 7, I would seriously consider converting the engine from a Sidevalve to a Crossflow. It's easy- really it's just moving the carbs from the left side to the right. The sidevalve engine hasn't been put into 7s since the late 60's but the Crossflow has been hugely popular in 7s from the late 60's up to the present day (you can still actually get one, albeit a rebuilt one, in a brand new 7 today). The Crossflow and the Rover K are the two engines most likely to appear in motorsports 7s. If your interested, I can send you some pics and descriptions.

Yeah, the deadline.... Winter weather still grips my dismal little corner of the world. As such, I can't paint- so at this point I'm very likely not going to be finished in two weeks. While a number of people have or will make it, I think I won't be alone in being a bit behind. :rolleyes: (Wish I could build fast....)

When the deadline was extended I parked this sucker. Sometimes life gets in the way of little cars too. Anyway, progress has been slow. hopefully I can get some new progress pix up this weekend.

With the green base coat on. I cracked one of the rear fenders so I've had to repaint a section again.
http://images23.fotki.com/v805/photos/1/11686/4580531/GreenUn-vi.jpg
I hope to get the pearl top coat on tomorrow night.:licka:

Can't wait to see how this looks in color :)

Oooh! A rare jar of CC paint! ;)

Coming along well. Looking forward also to seeing how the paint looks!

Such cool paint. The shade isn't much darker but the pearl shifts yellow to green. My coat of smoke on the CF parts looks way to dark, hopefully they cf detail will still showup in sunlight.
http://images23.fotki.com/v803/photos/1/11686/4580531/MidGreen1-vi.jpg
:licka:

The colour makes my mouth water :lol: it looks "sweet"

Outside photos should be great!

Miiiiiiiiii, it's terrific in lambo colors and with those massive off-road roll cage: awesome! Can't wait to see a mock-up, BRAVO! :bigthumb:

Wow, this has been sitting for two months, yipe!
Does anyone know how big a stack panel is?
http://images25.fotki.com/v897/photos/1/11686/4580531/Stack1-vi.jpg
I think I can still get this to look like a car in a few days.
We'll see.

Wow, this has been sitting for two months, yipe!
Does anyone know how big a stack panel is?
http://images25.fotki.com/v897/photos/1/11686/4580531/Stack1-vi.jpg
I think I can still get this to look like a car in a few days.
We'll see.
Wish I could help you :uhoh:

Can;t you just take the dial as a reference point and "wing it" form there?

I doubt that there are any set rules for an add-on item like this, so just make it as big (or as small) as you want ;)

All you need to know about Stack's ST8100: click me! (http://%3Cbr%20/%3E%0A%5BSIZE=-1)

Pedro for president!
thanks!

Excellent color the cage looks great with it!