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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: January 20, 2010, 11:58 pm 
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Location: Kamloops, BC, Canada
craigv wrote:
BTW today, I had one of those nice Charger police cars pull a screeching U-turn when I went by (I just knew they were going to pull me over) follow me for about a mile (probably long enough to run the plate), pull up beside me, give a thumbs up and turn off.


I have a plated dirtbike and get that fairly often when riding in town.

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PostPosted: January 21, 2010, 12:55 am 
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Location: N. Versailles, PA 15137
Yes, it's made from 1/4" alum. Tubes are .035 wall and allow short bolts to be used in the original lower manifold bolt pattern.Thanks guys for the measurement information and pix. Let me see if I can find the picture with the upper intake mounted on the engine (engine NOT in car)
Can't find it and it's getting late. Will add later when I find it. Thanks again.
Don


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PostPosted: January 23, 2010, 4:38 pm 
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Location: N. Versailles, PA 15137
Craig & Anyone else interested in the 2.3 Turbo engine,
Had to take a picture today to get one small enough the the site would accept. To many pixels. Good thing I'm better at building the Sevens than I am with this computer stuff. But anyway, here it is completed and mounted on the Ford lower intake. Thanks for all the help from you guys over the past couple years and
thanks for the interest. I'm sure I'll need some help before final assembly.
Don


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PostPosted: January 23, 2010, 11:18 pm 
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Location: Beaverton, OR
Don,
Awesome plenum! What year engine are you working on? You have an inline lower intake I assume from a 90's or newer 2.3, but v-belt pulleys. I could not tell if you have a round or square tooth cam belt on it. I also have challenges with the file size on pictures. I now just email them to myself, when I do that my MAC gives me the "opportunity" to resize them to a smaller file, I them save them and post them. It is a pain but it works.


Rod,
I mounted my Brooklands, I was amazed at how well they work! It was only about 45 degrees today but we had a little sun, my new windscreens, Summit heater, leather jacket and I was in great shape. I spent about 3 hours in all driving around. Two of my trips were to Ace hardware to get nuts and bolts, any excuse to go out and drive when it is not raining. I'll send or post some pictures soon. Thanks again for the response.


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PostPosted: January 24, 2010, 3:41 pm 
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Don

I have to admit, I am thoroughly confused by your picture. I have six of these motors, most of which have no interchangable parts, so this isn't anything new! It appears that you have discarded the upper half of the plenum, and attached the throttle body to the front of the lower. Is this correct?

Lenny


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PostPosted: January 24, 2010, 4:08 pm 
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Location: N. Versailles, PA 15137
Thank you Craig. Having been a real machinist in my younger days and with 2 milling machines and lathes at home and over at my Step-Son's is a good thing when making "stuff" Before I made it, I went to the Turbo Ford web site and ask how to "gut" an upper manifold. They said: use a sawsall and then grind out the remaining webs using a burr. I said to myself. I can make one with less work and get the T/B headed the right way and get the turbo plumbing off the cam cover to lower the engine profile. All was accomplished when my Buddy got mine welded!!! Your OR neighbor, Jack Mac would be proud.
Good thing I'm smarter than I look, SOMETIMES.
I'm really impressed 'cause I think you know more about the Turbo Bird than I do. I bought it Summer before last from a young fellow in WV. Bought it home and other than the plenum, have not touched the engine yet. He was very nice. Said it was an '86 if my memory serves me. Craig. For $2.25 a HP, we came back with a T-5 tranny, a complete spare OHC Ranger motor, 4 wheels with tires that held air, computer, engine harness, drive shaft and enough pieces to fill a full sized Doge pick-up. As you observed from the previous pix. of the unassembled plenum, the four passages to the lower manifold are more or less - straight. They started in a sq. pattern in the cast Ford upper manifold and exited as shown on my base plate in the pix. After reading your post, I went to look if I could see casting nos. on the head or block. Still to much grease so don't really know what I have other than what I was told. Need to get it to the car wash once this Pgh. Winter goes away!!!
Sorry for taking up your weekend with all the baloney, but nice talking with you and, again, thanks for your help and comments. I'm glad you like it.
Don


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PostPosted: January 24, 2010, 4:25 pm 
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Location: N. Versailles, PA 15137
Lenny,
Yes, you are confused. Yes I have discarded completely the upper half of the intake manifold which originally had the T/B on top of the manifold to accept the turbo plumbing coming from the right side of the engine. I replaced it (the Ford part) with the rectangular alum. box you see in the 2nd pix. which was welded from the 1/4" flat pieces you see in my previous pix. I intend to run the turbo plumbing forward on the right side to the intercooler and then rearward on the left side back to the forward facing T/B. (can be seen in the pix.) The "holes" you see in the upper alum. piece are actually the I.D. of .035 wall tubes allowing the use of the stock bolts down inside these tubes to squish the gasket while maintaining the pressure integrity of the plenum. Hope this helps. The plenum is very common among the TurboFord.net guys. My approach is somewhat different than most.
If I can be of further help, please do not hesitate to ask.
Later,
Don


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PostPosted: January 24, 2010, 10:25 pm 
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Don,
I am really jealous, I can only imagine access or knowledge to use a lathe, I did work as a mechanic, then an army aircraft electrician before getting into healthcare (another type of mechanic). Unfortunately I have been a manager a lot of the time, I can deal with the financial stuff but dealing with the people stuff sucks more, than the mechanic work.

I was really bummed today, I wanted to drive and it has been raining sheets all day long. I finally tacked in the "R" brace in the engine bay and another diagonal brace in the front, did some more planning for completing the car and went about my day. I did do some more reading about bracing the engine mount are to the front and rear sections of the engine bay and plant on doing that later. I have homework tonight and a long week at work ahead so have to get on it, life goes on...


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PostPosted: February 6, 2010, 9:06 pm 
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Well here is a couple of pictures of my car top one is from today in the Home Depot parking lot via my cell phone, the bottom one is last weekend with my friend Chuck, who is now working on his own seven now. I finally got a license plate light on it so there is one less reason to get pulled over. I think fender stays are next, I am not sure about my fenders I made a wooden buck and beat 0.60 aluminum over it so they are a little rough. SO far it seems to be holding together pretty well. Drove about 100 miles today had a blast.

I really think it will look better with a roll-bar, the back of the car seems to be missing "something".


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PostPosted: February 8, 2010, 2:02 pm 
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The car looks awesome! But when you add in some people, I'd agree, you need a roll bar to complete the look. (And safety). :wink:


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PostPosted: February 8, 2010, 8:53 pm 
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Location: N. Versailles, PA 15137
Craig,
I agree with Ross. Beautiful!! A Seven that you can actually roll around 'cause it has wheels. What a concept!!! Yea. You need a roll bar for the reasons mentioned.
And front fenders would be a good thing. Let me see if I can find a pix of mine. That is actually the left side Mustang II spindle with fender backwards on the right corner of the car, because it was easier to work on there. That's a Curtiss Unlimited (nice folks) fender with my own design alum. tube & 1/8" X 1" alum flat bar mount welded by my "handicapped" Buddy. I have 1/4 - 20 stainless steel screws to hold all together from McMaster-Carr.
Fenders and other fiberglass pieces are presently out to the same guy for painting. Another one of his many talents. Just another idea from an old. short, fat guy; Craig.
Don


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PostPosted: February 9, 2010, 7:28 pm 
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Don,
That is perfect, I have mustang II spindles as well. Do your fenders stays attach at two points or one? The picture is a little blurry. I have made my front cycle fenders, bent them over a form annealed and beat the edges over with body tools. I don't think they look too bad but I have not started the fender stays yet so they sit in the corner of the garage.

I love your grill!

Have you decided what color yours is going to be? Craig


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PostPosted: February 10, 2010, 6:36 pm 
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Location: N. Versailles, PA 15137
Craig,
Thanks for the nice comments. Lets see. Mustang II spindles should have (2) 5/16-18 or 3/8 - 16 tapped holes running horizontal I used top (1) of those with a 5/8" X 2" long spacer with bolt running thru. The other mounting place is the castlated nut that holds the top ball joint to the spindle. If I have actually attached a picture of the left side mount I just took, it should be more clear.
Good thing I'm better at the cars than computers and cameras.
Lets see what we have. If not successful, I'll try later.
It says the files to big, so let me try later. Sorry about that. Got that Mama !!!!.
Hope this helps,
Don


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Last edited by N. Versailles Cobra on February 12, 2010, 2:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: February 11, 2010, 10:00 am 
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Thanks, exactly what I needed to see! Now did you decide on a color scheme yet?


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PostPosted: February 12, 2010, 2:14 am 
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Location: N. Versailles, PA 15137
Craig,
Yes I did. I picked up enough 2007/2009 Corvette Atomic Orange and clearcoat to do 4 fenders, a Jack McCornack 4" wider nosecone and his 2 piece adjustable width scuttle. There out for paint now. Just need the weather to break for final hi-build primer, base and top coat and they should be done. Glad you like the grill. Was going to use some horizontal arrow shafts and ask my wife if she liked egg crate grills and showed her some in the books. Much to my surprise, she did, and ask that I make one for the Seven. So. I ended up putting the 1/8" X 3/4" horizontal and vertical pieces on the mill and running an 1/8" end mill 1/2 way thru them to permit the H & V pieces to egg crate together. Wrapped the whole deal in an outside loop, tack welded the backside with T.I.G. and is held in place in the nose with 4 stainless steel screws. Right side grill mount weld pad added to 1/8" flat bar can be seen in backward fender shot. Do you know how unsymmetrical the grill opening is in a Seven nose to get that subtle top and bottom shape??? I think every V & H piece is a different length (by 1/4 - 1/2" or more depending on position), to mate with the free form hoop piece. The "Boss" really liked it when completed and was able to appreciate the amount of work it entailed, so everybody was happy. :cheers:
Don


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