Lotus 38 ish Replica

Well. . . thanks to several thousand dollars of unexpected bills early this year my budget for the car took a major hit. As of right now, I have just enough to finish the car assuming nothing unexpected happens. Which I would say something unexpected always happens, but I'm pretty closed to finished so there's less and less that can go wrong.

That said, I won't have any money left over to buy a new trailer (my current one is too small for this car-- I used it for my Formula 500 which is tiny). So once the car is finished, besides idling it around my neighborhood as a shake down, there's nothing I'll be able to do with it until next year. So I'm kind of drawing it out a little bit so that I don't run out of things to do.

I got the brakes filled and working this weekend, and finished most of the electrical wiring. Next I'll mount the new wheels and tires (when they show up) and will then move the car out of where it is now so it'll be easy to get the engine to it. Then I'll be bringing the engine over from my dad's shop (he lives in a dryer climate where things don't rust so the engine has been with him while I assemble it). Then once that's in there'll be plenty to hook up including running the coolant lines. Once that's all done and transaxle is back in, I'll have to make the exhaust and then it'll be ready to break down. . . I mean run.

Whenever I do get a trailer, I'll be driving the car at the local autox's nearby. I'm one of the club execs with the Golden Gate Lotus Club and they put on some really fun autox's. I don't have any intention of tracking the car as I know from experience that a car this weight with an engine half this size is enough to scare the crap out the average person at the track so I'll save my underwear and keep it in double digit speeds (though I said the same thing about my F5 which I ended up getting my road racing license with so who knows).
 
I realize I'm a little behind on my updates although a lot of that has to do with wrong parts showing up or things I intended to install being back-ordered for a month so I've been working a little here, a little there.

Of note, the brakes are all hooked up, filled, bled, and work. Most of the wiring is done, the fuel lines are hooked up, and I got the cv axles made. They were made by a place called Constant Velocity of Ocala (in Ocala FL). They were $750 for the pair and completely assembled. They got them to me in under two weeks too and this was despite being $200 cheaper than what Drive Shaft Shop quoted me. So I'm pretty happy with them.
 

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I want to, but I'll be broke and accommodations alone were going to run $500 for the weekend. $500 buys a lot of needed engine parts. Though if I got a decent bonus at work before then I will be there. It happens from time to time, but I never know when.
 
Progress has been slow for a few reasons. First is I've had a lot parts I need be backordered recently. And as the car nears completion, there's less I can do when I get stuck waiting for a part. Before now I'd just work on some other part of the car. Now I just don't have as much to work on. Second is I'm gearing up to put the engine in and arranging some time when a couple people can help me drop it in and between all our schedules, that's a month away so there's no big rush.

BUT! Things that have been done; New tires and wheels on the back (fronts are backordered). I put in an adjustable sway bar in the rear from a racing Miata (got it for only $50!!!). This will really only be used for fine tuning as its not a very high spring rate. And the car has now been moved out into the driveway where it'll be easier to get the engine hoist to it.

The best moment so far was pushing my friend around in it to turn it around in the street and get it pointed the right way in the driveway. It rolled great, steered great, suspension works, and I even had my friend test the brakes which worked so well I almost toppled over the car when the wheels locked up. It doesn't seem like that big a deal, but things got a lot more real seeing the car move around.

I included a picture of my friend in the car, but didn't realize until later that he wasn't sitting all the way down in the car so it looks funny. I'm not even sure how he perched himself up like that as we're both the exact same size and I always sit with my arms well inside the bodywork and my head several inches below the roll bar.
 

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Man it seems like its been forever. Between summer activities and my son getting sick a few weeks in a row progress came to a bit of a halt. But finally I can say the engine is in. . . and the car didn't split in half :)

The engine still needs the rocker arms installed, flywheel/starter/adapter plate, the distributor, headers, and coolant lines hooked up, but I was really glad to get it in the car and it went in a lot easier than I had even hoped for.
 

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More work coming slowly but surely (because of a lack of free time more than anything else).

I installed the rocker arms, and remote oil filter and then primed the engine oil with a drill and got oil pressure and oil coming out all of the tops of the rocker arms, so that's good. I put the headers on (mustang 5.0 shorty headers installed upside down) and put the adapter plate and flywheel on. Then I installed and wired up the starter and after priming the oil again, spun the engine with the starter and everything is looking good. Last night I got the transaxle in after a couple tries and fouling a pilot bearing (luckily I had an extra one).

Next will bee the axle shafts and then finishing up the cooling lines. I've got a hand full of little things to button up and or make better to that's going to eat up a lot of time, but not look like any progress in the photos.
 

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This post was meant for 2 weeks ago but I couldn't get pictures to upload:

Lots of stuff getting done that doesn't look like much but is all important.

The coolant lines have all been made, but I ran out of the wide smooth bolt hose clamps I use on silicone hoses so its not all hooked up yet. I hooked up the clutch line but the AN adapter I got for it was gouged (not sure when or how that happened) and sure enough it leaked.

But the axles are in, all the wiring is finished (just waiting to put in the distributor when I'm ready to fire it up (I'll prime the oil again right before I do that). I mounted the muffler (for the sake of the neighbors I won't start the engine until the exhaust is all hooked up.

So before I start it I need to: make the exhaust pipes, put heat shield boots on the spark plug wires, finish clamping the coolant hoses, fill coolant, check pump, hook up clutch line with new adapter, bleed, get the alignment right on the rear tires and then we'll find out what I've done wrong/forgotten.
 

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Then last week I was working on the car and noticed that bushings in the rear uprights were getting a lot of distortion from the single shear style of mounting of the control arms and shock. I always knew this might be a problem but figured with only having half the weight on those uprights as the car it was designed for I'd be okay. But apparently as the weight has piled on I'm being proved wrong. I found some solid bushings for the uprights, but I was concerned that although I plan to upgrade to them anyway being a race car and all, they'd just transmit all the lopsided torque from the arms and spring to the upright that wasn't designed to be mounted like that. So I set about making some new suspension arms (photo of 2 new lower arms and 1 of the old arms).

So I've had to take the time to do the fabrication and since the arms aren't as adjustable, make sure everything is perfectly aligned. But while waiting for things to cool after welding and painting and what not, I also got to work on the exhaust.
 

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ITS FINISHED!!!!

Well enough to drive anyway, there's always more to do . . . because race car.

Video of the first test drive is here:
Project 22 First Test Drive - YouTube

Its been just over a year since I started this project. Now I think its time for a nap.

-Ben
 

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