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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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 Post subject: Barra Seven
PostPosted: June 23, 2019, 4:09 am 
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Joined: June 23, 2019, 3:36 am
Posts: 2
If you will notice my user name, believe it.
I purchased what appeared to be a somewhat competently assembled Lotus Seven replica along with the book "Build your own sports car for as little as £250" by Ron Champion, which I have to assume was the builder's inspiration. Inspired the builder may have been, skilled or intelligent the builder was not ! So, now I have this abomination sitting on my trailer and I am not certain I can salvage very much from it, but I am going to continue on with the purpose behind the reason I bought the "car".
Recently I had made another impulse purchase but with much better promise of a decent outcome. The item was a Ford Barra engine and transmission, complete with all wiring necessary including the complete steering column and steering wheel. I had no vehicle suitable for it but I just HAD to have it ! So, at this time I am putting the finishing touches on another salvaged project started by someone else, a 1968 Triumph Spitfire with a 5.0 Ford V8, four speed transmission, and a narrowed 9 inch rearend. I just bought a trio of other Triumphs, two GT6's and another Spitfire. One of these is going to get a 460 Ford, another was going to get the Barra until I saw this dreadful disaster online. To be fair, it looked good in pictures and in the dark garage where I made the deal. It was not until I was waiting for the ferry ride back that I noticed the first of many problems which started adding up by the second ! Fortunately the skies went dark as it was getting late and I was able to keep from fixing the car with a sledgehammer.
Anyways, I still want a "sevenesque" Barra roadster. Has there been any frame drawings with the centre of the frame widened? I would like to add about another four inches to accommodate the rather large dimensions of the Barra. And once it is a bit wider, I suppose it would be much easier to incorporate the Lincoln LS IRS I have kept in storage for such a build.


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 Post subject: Re: Barra Seven
PostPosted: June 23, 2019, 8:34 pm 
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Joined: November 11, 2013, 4:47 am
Posts: 1617
Location: No. Nevada
Hmm, ferry boat rides, Where are you?

Probably on the opposite side of the country from Nevada.
Too bad, I have a couple of GT-6's, we could swap parts around.
I'm only putting a Buick 3.8 V6 in mine, but get to leave it as IRS.

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 Post subject: Re: Barra Seven
PostPosted: June 23, 2019, 9:24 pm 
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Joined: December 4, 2011, 6:19 pm
Posts: 829
Please post some pictures....I can hardly wait to see this abomination.

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Bill H
Winnipeg, MB, Canada


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 Post subject: Re: Barra Seven
PostPosted: June 24, 2019, 12:56 am 
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Joined: December 24, 2007, 5:11 am
Posts: 1307
Location: Seattle area
If yo are in the PNW I can think of some folk that may have some advice.

Good luck!

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Larry in Seattle


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 Post subject: Re: Barra Seven
PostPosted: June 24, 2019, 1:56 am 
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Joined: April 26, 2008, 6:06 pm
Posts: 3268
Location: Under the weather. (Seattle)
Not very familiar with the Barra family of engines, beyond a quick wikipedia search, but is yours the I6, I6T, or V8 variant?...Any of which should be great fun, albeit certainly a bit on the large side as you've already noted, but I've always been especially interested in the idea of I6 Locosts.

To your question on frames, there are numerous 'common-ish' plan based enlargements of the standard 'book' frame:
1) McSorley +4 = 4 inches wider throughout.

2) McSorley +442 = 4 inches wider in the cockpit and rear suspension but standard width at the front suspension and nose cone, 4 inches longer (2 in the cockpit and 2 in the engine bay), and 2 inches taller.

3) McSorley +442E = 4 inches wider throughout, 4 inches longer in the engine bay, and 2 inches taller.

4) Haynes Roadster = 2 inches wider, 2 inches longer, and 1 inch taller. (Newer and from the Chris Gibbs book, which replaced the original book by Ron Champion)

Take a tape measure to yours, as it's distinctly possible yours already is one of these. Beyond that, I would say that the plans are really more of a general guideline. Many, if not most, builds get modified to better suit the individual builder and/or selected components. So it'll be interesting to see more about what you've got to work with.

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"Orville Wright did not have a pilots license." - Gordon MacKenzie


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