JACK FLASH

I want the 4 and 6 wheel version ... Would there be a problem with The type approval in Belgium?

Hi everyone, My sweet almost 14 year old daughter entered a charity project/competition on Facebook. She painted a gnome/goblin/kobold/... (there are a lot of words in the beautiful Englisch language for these little men who live in our gardens) and she posted a picture and a story on Facebook. I persuaded her to choose one of our beloved colours ... green and put the figure in Ireland, origin of the BRG. So everyone who has a BRG Seven, and also everyone else, please help her because she really needs "likes" https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=520013558035169&set=o.295579320556594&type=1&theater Thanks and if she wins, everyone who passes my home this year (on the way to Spa-Francorchamps, Nürburgring, ...) will be treated on a good bottle of Belgian beer.

Hi guys, To start with Elie, it' s still for the Elise. I could not resist buying a pair of mirrors for only 50 EURO. The next Seven project is still in the negotiating process. :-) If I get my hands on that VVC Seven, I' ll put a next silly question on BlatChat, "how do I remove effectively paint from a Seven". Thanks for the sandpaper suggestion. I was afraid of damaging the carbonfiber with sandpaper and was thinking of a mild paint remover product, heat, ... I have no idea about the quality of the carbonfiber, so it' s going to be trial and error. I did a small piece with a 200 grain and the result is very good. In fact carbonfber looks much better without lacquer on it! I' ll probably go for a matt finish. Jack Flash

I got a set of seconhand carbonfiber mirrors, but with the clearcoat damaged. That' s why they were cheap. 😬 How do I remove the clearcoat in a reasonable time? Fingernails are effective, but ... Ideas to prepare the carbonfiber in order to put new laquer on them are also welcome. Jack Flash Edited by - JACK FLASH on 13 May 2013 11:06:40

I know, these alloys do not fit on a Seven, but nevertheless ... This is a set in pristine condition and perfect for some-one wishing to have a spare set for his or her 340R since these are long out of production. These fit also on an Elise Mk1 but the mounting of longer studs is advisable. The location is Belgium but transport to the UK or another country in the neighbourhood can be arranged. Make a sensible offer and we' ll discuss an "all inclusive price". j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi again Kenny, I also might be interested in the badge, just nice to have, if it is an original badge and not a reproduction. It looks indeed almost mint on the pictures. But perhaps it is impossible to be absolutely sure ... Jack Flash

Kenny, I would like to continue the questions/discussion on the theme of the cam cover. I'v got a Caterham Twin Cam 1979 and I always thought it had the wrong cam cover. I got it with a sixties cover, with LOTUS written on both the left and right side. BTW, in the beautiful typical LOTUS font and black crackle paint. Also with the three eared oil filler cap. Which type of cam cover did you find on your Elan? In the mean time, I changed the cover to the last type with LOTUS BIG VALVE on the front above the chain and adapted to a dry sump system. Jack Flash

Guys, A lot of usefull and wise advice. in the mean time, I had the toe in adjusted and I must say that the values Elie stated are much better. As for the bump steer, this weekend I'll start playing with the tyre pressure and soften the dampers. Technical upgrades are for the next stage. Today I have passed the Belgian MOT and apart from some fidddling at the carbs to get below 4.5 % CO, everything worked out. At the first test I had 5.0 % and afterwards I managed 1.6 % with idle at 750 rpm and a lot of backfire. An interesting remark was that there was a significant difference in the left and right dampers at the front. I know the front is always critical, I never have problems at the rear. To be continued after the tests in the weekend ... Jack Flash

Great ideas and valuable information. Everybody can imagine my difficulties. So I' ll start with the easy things: 1. Set the toe in at 0°20" +/- 0°10", thanks Elie (walking encyclopedia) 2. Soften rear dampers, I stiffened them last year and they stand about halfway 3. Consider rose joints at the back, I heard about it but is there advice on suppliers. I have no problems with the front, it is neutral and has a sharp response. I know that there are ways of improving the front but to my opinion that is not really the priority. The only thing is perhaps changing dampers and springs. Is there some-one with practical experience of other makes of dampers and spring rates for a LA. Another variable is wheel / tyre combination and tyre pressure. I use the standard 185/70 with pressure between 1.6 bar and 1.8 bar. I believe that is about 22 psi and 26 psi. Is there any benefit in going to lower tyre pressures for road use? Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Doug, I know your problem because I have been thinking for 5 years to find a decent and neat alternative for the plastic washer tank. Reason for it being lack of space since I did some improvements on the brake piping and put the battery on the position of the heater. For the time being, I use a classic Lucas bottle with a separate pump. This however is still too big for me, the best solution is a small aluminium bottle but unable to find. Jack Flash

The first 6 years of Twin Cam ownership I spent most of the time working on the car, doing test runs and getting it 100 % reliable. Finally I am starting to "use it" and I have come up with following questions. 1. The settings at the front have always been "straight ahead". What is the experience with toe in or toe out for road use. Values for settings? 2. The rear axle has the annoying habit of surprising me with serious bump steer at unwanted moments. Ideas for improvement? This is an absolutely standard Super Seven Twin Cam with the absolute standard LA suspension. A set of new Spax shocks and new springs were mounted a couple of years ago. No intend for trackdays or racing, this is a strictly road use classic Seven! Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi again everyone, Finally I found the time to take the plugs out and I also discovered NGK BPE6's. Since I want the Twin Cam to have optimal performance in its standard specification, I am going to try the NKG BPE7's. They are not that expensive, so why not trying to see if there is a difference. I checked some websites and found following NGK plugs "7" Twin Cam engines: NGK B7ES : short tip, fast road NGK BP7ES : fast road NGK BPR7ES : resistor? NGK BP7EVX : fast road platinium NGK BR7EIX : iridium (replaces B7EVX), short tip? Who knows the difference and who has experience with these types? Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi, Great to compare, I was planning to take off the valve cover in the next couple of weeks. I' ll let you know what I find. The cams I have were checked by Burton and they confirmed that these were the right ones for a tall block for road use. Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi everyone, Very interesting thread but also confusing about which type of NGK plugs are the best for a Twin Cam. Is there perhaps a difference between the "normal" TC in an Elan and the tall block in our Sevens. The NGK website gives the NGK BP7ES or the NGK BPR 7EIX (iridium). Has some-one got experience with this new iridium type? Elie, the lotus Ypres tour on the 2th is impossible for me. This due to a massive workload and several commitments for the daughters. I am happy to have a one hour blat each weekend, just to keep the Twin Cam running. Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi again. Just by accident I saw pics of your Twin Cam on the internet. The chassis plate is very interesting. You have chassis number CS3 3844 TCRS and I have CS3 3851 TCLS. So there is only a difference of 7 cars between them and both have the RS2000 Mk2 rear axle. There us even a possibility that they have been together in the old Caterham site up the hill during the building. A great opportunity to compare these Sevens and exchange information. Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Guys, Thanks for the first couple of ideas. Plugs, I have to check because I do not remember which type we used when rebuilding the engine a couple of years ago. The sticking float valves in the carbs ... seems logical. Problem is how do I make sure that this is the fault? Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi, Doesn't sound so good but look at it on the bright side. Things, performance, can only get better. I am really curious about the pistons and piston rings you' ll find in there. As I said earlier, we changed the Hepolite pistons in order to use the normal rings for Kent pistons. As we are talking about Twin Cam trouble. Sunday I did 40 km with my Twink and I discovered something new. When pushing the car hard followed by hard braking, for example for a U turn, the engine seems to have trouble to pick up revs again. As if it doesn't get enough fuel when engaging the throttle again. After a few seconds and playing with the throttle, it starts to pull cleanly again. Any ideas? Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi again, I am really happy to find an owner with exactly the same type of Twin Cam as in my car. You know, these 1,6 units based on the Kent engine built by Vegantune in those years are really something rare. Concerning your pictures: 1. Elie is right, you should use a pressure regulator. I threw the electrical pump away - in fact I gave it to Elie - and went back to a new mechanical pump. 2. The distributor cap is the right one but the ignition timing is wrong. You can find the advance curve in the pink manual or I can look it up for you. Do a thorough check on the ignition. 3. The picture of the messy oily underside of the block made me remind of my engine before the rebuild. If the rebuild is done correctly and wisely and with enough patience and time, you' ll never see that again. 4. I also relocated the battery from the cellar of the car to the clasica position but to do that I removed the flat heater and made a battery tray in aluminium to fit on the position and screw holes of the heater. I had the advantage that I sit at the side of the exhaust, LHD car, and in that case you never need a heater! 5. The pistons in my engine are still the original Hepolites but we changed the piston rings and because it was difficult to find the correct rings, the grooves were changed to fit the standard Kent rings. 6. New pistons is very easy. Contact Burton and they supply blank pistons, used in a BDR. The recesses for the valves have to be machined. When rebuilding my engine, I bought parts at Redline and Burton. They could supply everything and very important, a lot of advice. I suggest that we stay in contact. This is an opportunity to exchange information and help each other. Have a go to put the fuelling and ignition right and keep us informed how the engine is behaving. BTW, I really LOVE the sound of a Twin Cam going from 2000 to 7000 rpm. Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi again, Considering oil leaks I must say that my rebuilt engine does not leak but we took a lot of care when assembling the engine and we took the time. That is the advantage when you do it yourself. The only problem so far is a leaky gearbox (again) but this must be due to the known problem of the oil seal where the cable comes out for the tacho. The remarks concerning the ignition are absolutely correct. I use the "good" distributor (Lucas 23D4) with centrifugal advance and the ignition leads that screw in the cap with side exit of the leads. I do not use the Lucas coil but a real blue Bosch coil that the first owner fitted when the car was in Germany. Ignition timing is very important for the performance and the engine temperature. You could also use an electronic ignition (maintenance free) but for a new distributor and suited coil you easily pay 200 - 250 GBP. There are several good quality ignition systems for a TC on the market. You are right to stick with the Twin Cam but if you have the correct engine in the car it should already be a Sprint (Big Valve) specification with 126 BHP (quoted by CC in those days). This will become clear when you take the head off and measure the valves. Good luck Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi, Some advice from a Belgian owner of a 1979 Twin Cam (1,6 tall block) built for the German market in those good old days. In the first 2 years of Twink ownership I also fiddled and struggled with the engine, among other things, and decided due to the troubles to have a full rebuild. We did it with the help of a local classic Ford specialist and buying the parts in the UK. There is a lot of information on the Twin Cam available and if you do not want to get the last BHP out of your engine, I believe it is possible to do the rebuild (partly) yourself as long as you take the time and be cautious. Strangly enough, initially I also had problems with too much fuel that caused the oil to contaminate. The solution was simple, thanks to the advice of Mick at Redline I switched back to the mechanical fuel pump and I never had the problem again. If you have the engine out of the car it would be very usefull to have a look at some other crucial components. - radiator and cooling circuit: I modified it to a pressurized system - starter and alternator, I used special uprated parts bought at Burton - oil circuit, make an investment in a dry sump - carbs, dismantle them and do a rebuild (my engine uses Weber 40 carbs) - gearbox, just have a good look and replace things when necessary Concerning the engine some remarks: - have the cylinder head completely cleaned, pressure tested and measured, I had to have the bores for the camshafts redone - do as much polishing as you can inside the cylinder head - water pump, consider the Burton kit The rest of the engine is quite straightforward, hopefully you do not have to have the pistons or crankshaft replaced. These are costly. Since the rebuild my engine is running beautifully, always starts and is very smooth even in the lower revs. But I say, do a decent rebuild to standard specification with quality parts and you will enjoy the car and engine. If you are interested in my experience, please write me a mail and perhaps I can give you some tips and spare you some money. Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi, Being a serial collector of classic Seven parts ... Is this a recently bought badge or one dating back to the eighties/early nineties? Do you post to Belgium? Alternatively, I can give you an adress in the UK. Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Tony, Seriously interested in the chrome flip up petrol cap and the front indicators, just to have spare parts for my Twin Cam. What is the condtion of the petrol cap and the indicators should be Lucas? Could you send me some pictures? Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Hi Tony, Would it be possible to send me a picture of the flip up petrol cap? Do you know the age? Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Guys, As far as I know, the flared wings appeared at the Lotus 7 S2 as an improvement for the cycle wings on the S1. The Seven America was a version of the S2 and logically it had flared wings. Now before some-one is going to correct me. There was also a 7 S 1/2, being a S1 with some parts of the S2 and with the flared wings. I believe there was only 1 car made like that. Must look that up. Measuring and comparing is for tomorrow. I' ll post the results. Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com

Peter, Your information about suspension travel is new to me. This is a starting point. I am going to measure the 2 types of wings but at first sight the differences are: - 1980 type = heavier and wider at the front, they also come further over the front wheel - 1987/1988 type = lighter, not so wide and the curve is different. BTW, on my Twin Cam, there are still the supplementary brackets to support the wings in the middle; these brackets were eliminated around 1987 with the introduction of the softer rear wing type. More information follows. Jack Flash j.jackflash@hotmail.com