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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: November 19, 2016, 8:23 pm 
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Your project is looking REALLY good! And I'm really enjoying watching you do the work. I always open your posts as soon as I see them. Bill

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PostPosted: November 23, 2016, 1:42 am 
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Location: Colorado
BHRmotorsport wrote:
Your project is looking REALLY good! And I'm really enjoying watching you do the work. I always open your posts as soon as I see them. Bill

Thanks Bill! I try to take as many pictures as I can to keep everyone here entertained, and keep me honest.

Past couple days I felt tired, but today was an energetic day! Put in about 5 hours today bringing me to here:
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These two engine bay pics were taken before I got the firewall well shaped and fitted in. I should have enough room for the distributor and I'll have a removable panel in the middle above this section to give me better access to everything at the back of the intake. The trans tunnel will also be removable to access the bellhousing bolts (you can see the sockets I stuck on the bolts to make sure I maintained clearance. Ran out of time before I could get things tacked in place though. Have to go to bed to get up in the morning and go to work, as much as I would have liked to ride this wave of energy out. This part of the build is feeling rewarding; there is a clear sense of progress with every step.


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PostPosted: December 1, 2016, 12:00 am 
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Location: Colorado
My dad wrangled up a 55-57 column and an old S-10 column. I stripped the s-10 column and upgraded my vroom vroom play time after mounting the steering wheel to it and tying it in place with string. All that was missing was a gas pedal to mash to the floor!
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Got the firewall more put together.
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And there is a good amount of room at the back too! I can just barely fit the distributor in. Once I pull the engine, I'll cut back the extra metal on the firewall (just past the weld line) and blend the edges all together.
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I don't think the heater box will all fit back up under the dash. I'm going to have to figure out something custom. I may try to put the heater core and blower on the engine bay side of the firewall and come up with some kind of ducting under the dash that will allow me to defrost, heat, or shut off the air.


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PostPosted: December 4, 2016, 1:39 am 
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Tacked in place:
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Put the column together some and fit it in place:
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It's an older S-10 column. I didn't need to cut it down at all. What I did need to do was grind flats on the steering shaft, and weld tabs to those flats to get the required double D shape for the corvette stuff:
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Steering wheel on, and even without power steering, it turns easily. It may be too light with the power steering!
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Then I got the rear bulkhead tacked in place
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Hopefully more tomorrow!


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PostPosted: December 10, 2016, 2:06 am 
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Location: Colorado
Well, it's been cold and snowy. And by cold, I'm taking sub zero. We hit -9 at my house, and the garage gains another inhabitant when it gets cold. Tonight, I wrestled the spot away from the wifey and did some work!
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The exhaust is out, and the motor is prepped for it's final pull. My dad is coming up tomorrow and hopefully the engine will come out, the exhaust will be final welded and given a spray of silver VHT on the welds and then go back in. I'm hoping to get the engine all prepped, the firewall cleaned up and painted in the way back corners, then put the engine back in for the last time. We'll see how far I get!


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PostPosted: December 11, 2016, 4:02 pm 
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That's some solid progress. Good luck and godspeed!


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PostPosted: December 11, 2016, 6:35 pm 
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Well, not as far as I'd hoped, but it is good progress:
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Engine is out!
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Exhaust is final welded and painted.
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And I made this to connect the 2 exhaust sections. I'll use some thin shim to seal it up, and this piece as the clamp.


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PostPosted: December 12, 2016, 10:52 pm 
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Location: Colorado
A little 3D printer action! I need to sand, prime, and paint it still but it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.
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PostPosted: December 12, 2016, 10:56 pm 
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So it occured to me today that I may not have wanted to paint the flanges that hook up to the rams horns. As things get hot the first time and things cook off, it may ruin the O2 sensor. What do you guys think? Maybe a little pre-cook with a map gas torch around the O2 sensor and upstream of it?


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PostPosted: January 29, 2017, 1:25 am 
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Location: Colorado
Sorry I haven't been updating this. Work got hectic, then x-mas and new years, then more hectic work. All the while it has been pretty darn miserable cold. Progress has been made, although not like in the summer when I was putting in 5 hours a day and 10 each on the weekend. I'm probably down to 8 a week. Persevere! Weather was warm today and is getting warmer this week, so stuff is going to happen! Due to the garage finally warming up enough, I was able to bondo the firewall.

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That is a nearly finished firewall! I need to do some more bondo work to smooth things out so I don't shred my hands working in the engine bay the future, but hopefully primer early this week and paint more towards the middle of the week. If all looks good, the engine may go back in for the final time next weekend. Hopefully, there will be no more 1.5 month breaks in the build log. Everytime I look at the car I feel like I'm so close to driving it that the engine is practically reving in my ears. I'm not far off now. I'm praying that the electrical goes smooth, but I'm having a real fun time completely removing the dash in the corvette to get the rest of the wiring harness out. Here again, the warmer weather and ever longer days will help.

I'm hoping to drive this by my birthday in April. It doesn't need to be fully legal, just running enough to drive it around the block and let me know how the 1400+ hours (as of now, more by then) of labor have turned out. I'm hoping for legal street use by June, which by my definition means lights and speedo working so that I can avoid encounters with the police.


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PostPosted: January 31, 2017, 7:32 pm 
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Joined: May 16, 2013, 2:49 pm
Posts: 84
Location: DFW Texas
Loving your build, go check mine out, I'm dropping a '46 Ford cab on a tube frame. Lots of similar issues!


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PostPosted: February 1, 2017, 12:26 am 
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did some painting tonight.
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I'm hoping this blue is similar enough to the blue I paint the body that it won't stand out. I plan to take the body blue onto the firewall up to the edge of the motor inlet I made. It bothers me that it looks like this now, but I can't do anything better really without painting everything. No matter where I draw the line, it'll look weird having fresh new paint next to the old. I think the engine is ready to return for the final time!


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PostPosted: February 1, 2017, 12:29 am 
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WireAddict wrote:
Loving your build, go check mine out, I'm dropping a '46 Ford cab on a tube frame. Lots of similar issues!

I like your build. I've been checking your log but haven't felt I had anything to add so I haven't posted. It's gonna be a cool car!


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PostPosted: February 11, 2017, 2:40 am 
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So I was all revved up to get stuff done this week, and life just decided to stop that. I got the worst stomach flu I ever remember having. Today I finally felt better and cranked out some stuff on the car:
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Exhaust is all done. All brackets are bolted up, and everything is good to go! Tucks under the car pretty nicely.
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Mmmmm. This is gonna be a fun car. I've got 5.5inches of ground clearance at the lowest point, which is where the 3.5" center exhaust runs under the differential, it bends up and becomes 8" at the exhaust tips. I'm hopping this won't drag anywhere, we'll see. I'm liking the stance, and the front end should come down just a hair once I get everything together (radiator, fluids, grill, bumper, etc.).
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There is JUST barely enough room to get the cap in there. I had to remove the rotor, get the cap tipped in there, hold the cap up and screw on the rotor, then drop the cap down on top. Even 1/8" less room and I'd have been SOL. Luckily, my planning seems to be working out so far (knocks on wood).
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Here is the lid on the top. This is a pretty sweet lookin engine. More to follow!


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PostPosted: February 11, 2017, 6:49 pm 
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Alright guys, I could use some suggestions. Here is my serpentine system right now:
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I've got the power steering pump, alternator, water pump, and crank. The tensioner is cast into the bracket. What I've removed is the egr pump and the AC compressor. I can't see how to route the belt with the brackets and pulleys I have. At the bare minimum, I think I need a slotted idler pulley, though I'm feeling like it may be easier to take the whole serpentine bracket system off and sell it complete, and buy/build something to support the PS pump and the alternator. What do you guys think?


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