Post 17: Is it back for Good?

    Long story short, we rebuilt the engine, replaced the clutch, put new shocks on, installed the new ignition system with REV limiter, and I started breaking in the engine. The summer was very hot, and the car tended to overheat when stuck in traffic on a hot day, so I didn't ride all that much. I only put on 480 miles. But I burnt a whole lot of gas, the car always smelled of gasoline, and gas dripped from the bottom of the tank.
   Then one day about a month or do ago, I noticed a noise when I moved back and forth from first to reverse. It got worst in the next couple of days. Clack! I was afraid the gear in the differential had worn. So I took the car back to the shop.
     It turned out the car was equipped with a Racing Gas Tank, with a rubberized fabric bladder enclosed in an unsealed aluminum enclosure. These bladder last 10 to 15 years, and the car was 30 years old! I had no choice, and we sent the tank to have a bladder custom made and fitted in. That took several weeks, and cost about $1200. 
    In the meantime, we figured out that the noise was actually coming from broken brackets attaching the frame to the rear end. Landers had some new heavy duty ones made and welded them on. That sounds simple enough, but in order to do all this, the whole back of the car had to be taken apart. Lots of labor...This car is a money pit!
     I finally got the Lotus back last night, put the trunk lining back in place this morning, re attached the cowl and the hood
    I am getting ready to go on a little test drive, fingers crossed. The weather is beautiful and cool, and I hope to ride the car through the winter when the sun is out. I will just have to wear my sheepskin jacket, and just got on eBay a "cool" warm matching  Bomber Cap:

    All I need now is a pair of UGG Shearling Gloves:

    I am also definitely going to need warmer high top narrow Driving Shoes, and I just found exactly the right ones, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS LOOKING, the "OMP Vintage Carrera High Racing  Boot" in Brown:

Post 16: Still in the Shop!

   After taking to the expert, we finally decided to order a custom double kick out steel oil pan 1" shorter than the standard pan from BRD Racing. The reason for the two kick outs is to increase the oil capacity, which is especially critical since we are raising the bottom of the pan by 1".
  The kick outs have baffles to keep the oil from flowing out when cornering .

    We were supposed to get it this Friday, but it's apparently harder to make than expected, so it will be next week...
    We will have to cut an inch off the oil pump to make it fit.
   As far as the shocks are concerned, I wanted to order the GAZSHOCKS  that Dennis Brunton used in his STALKER cars, and he was very nice talking to us and giving us advice. The problem is that the shocks are in short supply(3 weeks wait) and have to be shipped from England. 
   So I am checking on using VIKING  Performance Double Adjustable shocks instead: 

    I have just sent them the following specs to get suggestions and a quote:

       1. Rear shocks are 14” extended(off the car), 13” with the car on the ground empty. I would guess about 12” with 2 passengers. 

       The load on the rear is about 200lbs per shock empty, up to about 400lbs with two 200lbs passengers(the seats are practically on the rear wheels):

        2. Front shocks are 12 5/8” extended(off the car), and 11” with the car on the ground and the lower A arm horizontal. 

The angle of the shock   A= 32 degrees,  d1= 9”,  and d2= 12"

     The weight on each of the front shocks is about 300lbs empty, and probably around 350lbs with two passengers.

     We are thinking of 9” springs in the front and 11” in the back, with spring rates in the neighborhood of 200lbs in the back and 400 lbs on the front, but are certainly open to suggestions.

     The mounting bolts are 1/2” . The mounting tabs are somewhere between 1.25" and 1.5” apart, but the eyelets on the shocks all seem to be about 1” wide.
   The car is used mostly for “spirited" street and country road riding, but also for Autocross occasionally. No track riding in perspective, I am getting too old for that.

  As I said, I want a stiff ride and short suspension travel. Handling definitely come before comfort.

  Also, the oil pan is very low (2” from the ground. We are fitting a custom oil pan that is shallower, and should give us an extra inch of ground clearance, but I still would not mind adding a little bit of height at the front end using a slightly longer shock. 

   Being able to adjust the shocks up for street riding and down for Autocrossing would of course be ideal, but my budget is limited, so the Warrior is really my only choice.

   What are your recommendations? 

Post 16: Still in the Shop!

   After taking to the expert, we finally decided to order a custom double kick out steel oil pan 1" shorter than the standard pan from BRD Racing. The reason for the two kick outs is to increase the oil capacity, which is especially critical since we are raising the bottom of the pan by 1".
  The kick outs have baffles to keep the oil from flowing out when cornering .

    We were supposed to get it this Friday, but it's apparently harder to make than expected, so it will be next week...
    We will have to cut an inch off the oil pump to make it fit.
   As far as the shocks are concerned, I wanted to order the GAZSHOCKS  that Dennis Brunton used in his STALKER cars, and he was very nice talking to us and giving us advice. The problem is that the shocks are in short supply(3 weeks wait) and have to be shipped from England. 
   So I am checking on using VIKING  Performance Double Adjustable shocks instead: 

    I have just sent them the following specs to get suggestions and a quote:

       1. Rear shocks are 14” extended(off the car), 13” with the car on the ground empty. I would guess about 12” with 2 passengers. 

          The load on the rear is about 200lbs per shock empty, up to about 400lbs with two 200lbs passengers(the seats are practically on the rear wheels):

 

        2. Front shocks are 12 5/8” extended(off the car), and 11” with the car on the ground and the lower A arm horizontal. 

The angle of the shock   A= 32 degrees,  d1= 9”,  and d2= 12"

     The weight on each of the front shocks is about 300lbs empty, and probably around 350lbs with two passengers.

     We are thinking of 9” springs in the front and 11” in the back, with spring rates in the neighborhood of 200lbs in the back and 400 lbs on the front, but are certainly open to suggestions.

     The mounting bolts are 1/2” . The mounting tabs are somewhere between 1.25" and 1.5” apart, but the eyelets on the shocks all seem to be about 1” wide.

Post 15: Got the Car back, Took it back to the Shop

   I finally got the car back on the 14th, and started breaking in the new engine. It sounds different, much tighter, smooth, no rattles and clicks. It runs well.
   I had gotten some "pretty cool" gas hoses covered with stainless steel mesh and Red/Blue Anodized aluminum clamps to look good, but they didn't fare too well, and we may have to go back to plain rubber hoses to stop the gas leaks. Then the old aluminum oil pan rubbed a little bit going very slowly over a speed bump in a parking lot and caused pin holes dripping oil. It must have become paper thin at the weld over years of rubbing, and that last one was just the last  straw:

   
     The original pan was modified and that protrusion added to the right in order to fit the oil pump (turned sideways) for counterclockwise ring racing. The pump is mounted in the center now, so there is no real need for it, and I am trying to find a plain stock oil pan, heavy duty steel if possible. 

    That will diminish the oil capacity some, but I don't see it being a big problem. We could always add an oil cooler I suppose...
      I also realized that the shocks were shot, and that we needed both to repair/ replace the oil pan, and find longer shocks to raise the car at least one inch. So the car went back in the shop last Thursday. I went by the shop this morning to take a look at the pan and the shocks:

    The front shock(bottom) is about 12 5/8" with a 9" spring that seems too stiff for such a light car.
    The rear shock(top) is 14" with an 11" spring.
    I figure we could use a 14" shock up front.
    I did some research on the Internet and found a couple of options, but the advice of the guy at O'Reilly's turned out best. He suggested GazShocks, which are made in England, and happen to be distributed in the USA by Brunton,  the manufacturer of a Super Seven copy. I just emailed them asking for their recommendation.

Post 14: Even more parts needed!

   The new high performance water pump we got has a different bolt pattern than the old, so the 5" steel pulley doesn't fit, and I had to order the one designed for the pump fro BRD Racing:

   Their water pump pulley come in either 6" or 7", and the idea behind a bigger pulley is that " The 2TC and 3TC Water Pumps Are Notorious For Cavitating When RPM's Get high Causing coolant flow to suffer.  This Pulley Combined with our High Performance Water Pump Will Keep Your Street or Race Engine Cooler, Even in the Most Demanding Situations!". 
   They recommended mating it with their 3.5" crankshaft pulley, which I ordered as well.
   I am a little concerned as just how much slower that's going to make the pump RPM, and the Alternator as well.... But I talked to the experts at BRD, and they say that's what we want....
   The engine is basically finished now,  and we are just waiting for the clutch to arrive on Tuesday to put it back in the car. 

Post 13: More Parts to be Replaced

     I had hoped the car might be ready to register it for an Autocross Class at the Atlanta Track on July 9, but it's just too tight to be ready. I had asked Landers a couple of times about replacing the clutch, but it was only decided this morning. The only clutch unit I could find is at NAPA in Ohio, and because of the 4th of July it won't be here until next Tuesday... Patience...

    In the meantime, the engine is being re assembled:

Post 12: Not So Fast, more Delays, One more week to wait...

   As it turns out, BRD Racing didn't have the rods in stock, and had to order them, so they ended up shipping them to Landers only yesterday, which means the week is shot. The car won't be riding around on the 4th of July as I had hoped, may be it will for Bastille Day on the 14th...

   In the meantime, I ordered from eBay a Cleanable Blue Anodized Fuel Filter:

and am checking on Braided Fuel Hoses with Anodized Aluminum Clamps:

Post 11: Got the Block to Landers, Two more Weeks to wait!

   The block was still not ready when I went by this morning, it would take just 20 mn or so to get the camshaft bearings in... 
Still wasn't quite ready this afternoon when I went back, so I just waited and watched. The bill ended up less than I expected at $337.
   I took it straight to Landers, we checked the fit of the new WISECO pistons he ordered ($550 or so), very nice...
   Now, it's just a matter of putting all the pieces back together, and get the engine ready, hopefully by the end of next week. Then we will bolt it back in the car, put all the components back in, rewire everything, put in the new ignition system, tune it all up...
  I hope to have it back the next week end, and drive it to Beatrice for the Fourth of July....

Post 10: The Block

     I went by the place that was putting new sleeves in the block late afternoon, and found them ready to put the crosshatch in the new sleeves. The block looked really black even after pressure washing, so we decided to dip it for deeper cleaning, and replace the camshaft bearings, which will get messed up in the process... A few more $$$$$ of course, but worth it I think to make it look like new, especially as far as resale value... I went by Landers to talk over the new Ignition System, and pick up the camshaft. They should be finished by to morrow evening. 
   I miss driving my toy really bad, may be I will have it back by next week end....

Post 9: Sprucing up the Engine Compartment

    I have been working on and off at polishing the Valve Cover, and cleaning up various parts. Got a Blue Anodized Billet oil cap  for it:

 The Alternator was polished, and the bracket and the front of the pulley were painted blue:

    The peeling black paint and rust was stripped off the electric fan frame and motor and they were repainted blue:

     I cleaned the Distributor(which was converted to Electronic), and the vacuum timing unit got the same treatment:

    Same goes for the Fuel Pump, the dipstick, and various brackets:

    I stripped layers of black paint off the copper cooling system upper unit and polished it:

   The exhaust manifold was totally stripped of old yellowed white paint, sanded, and spray painted flat black with High Heat Exhaust Paint:

   I started to clean up the coil, but it is so old and nasty I decided to replace it. So I ordered from BRD Racing a new more powerful "Blaster Coil",  and also the Multiple Spark Ignition System MSD 6AL, which incorporates a Rev Limiter that can be set to any RPM:

    That will come in handy on the Autocross track to avoid going over 5500 EPM going out of curves in second gear.

    I picked up the aluminum custom Radiator all cleaned, pressure tested,  and welded  tight:

    That still leaves the wiring to be straightened out , taped, encased in plastic conduit, and tied to the space frame.
    Also, the bracket that holds the Brake and Hydraulic Clutch Master Cylinders is badly rusted:

    I will take it out, sand it, and paint it blue. The clutch cylinder could be repaired too, as well as the hydraulic lines.

Post 8: Forget the Blue Rocker arms, we need New Pistons and four sleeves, $$$$$$$

  This morning, we ordered a new set of Eagle Connecting Rods, all the coated  bearings, and all the gaskets from BRD Racing, including the Cometic Head Gasket.
  But then, Landers called me back this afternoon for a little talk.
  Bad News:  the edges of the pistons show substantial damage. So we called BRD Racing to order a new set of 89 mm pistons. But it turns out that 89 mm pistons are now out of fashion, and they don't even make rings for them anymore.
  The guy at BRD Racing, who has been rebuilding these engines for 20 years, advised us against using such big pistons anyway, suggesting the sleeves bored at 89 mm were too weak, and corrosion could cause them to crack and fail. He advised going back to 87 mm(stock is 85 mm), and use domed pistons to increase compression. So that's what we did.
    Of course, that means that instead of replacing one sleeve, we now have to replace all four... More $$$$
  Will this ever end?
 Until the parts get here and we get the block back, the engine will be sitting in an orderly fashion in Landers shop:

Post 7: Got the head back!

    I was originally supposed to have the head back within a few days, but it ended up needing a good deal of welding to repair cracks and pitting, and a spring had to be ordered, so it was only finished on Friday. It almost looks like a new one , though a  little pirating remains in the combustion chambers, and there are a couple of slightly ragged edges...

   Final cost $250.  
   I am hoping the block will be ready to morrow, and I expect we will order the parts in the next couple of days..
   The rocker arms and push rods look pretty good, so there is no need to replace them, except to replace them with lighter ones with rollers to increase the engine red line... It would be nice to get that engine from the stock 5500 RPM to 6000 RPM+ in second gear for Autocross.

     I do love the Anodized Blue Titan Rocker Arms, but that seems like a lot of money for 8 little pieces of aluminum, and they may not be as durable steel.

Post 6: More $$$$$$$$

   Landers took the engine apart yesterday, and found that none  of the piston pins had clips. It's apparently the way some people did it back when the engine was last rebuilt, using larger pins that were tight... The pin in piston #1 had slid out and was rubbing against the wall of the cylinder, causing deeper and deeper gouges. I wonder how the whole thing didn't blow up...
   He also noticed that two of the rods didn't have match marks, which makes us wonder... The bearings look good, and the other 3 piston pins look fine too.
   However, we want to go back to the standard practice of using loose pins and clips. While we have the whole engine apart and spending all that time rebuilding it, we both feel that we should go the safe way, and install new rods and new bearings.
   I looked around on the Internet, and found a lot of reasonably price Aftermarket Performance parts at BRD RACING, including two types of rods: EAGLE rods, and their own BRD Brandt.

   I somehow prefer the machined Eagle rods with their side H section cuts:

   They also carry high performance Calico Coated bearings:

   There is another outfit called TOYHEAD AUTO  that specializes in 3TG parts, but does carry performance parts for the 3T engine too. They offer OEM as well as Molybdenum Bearings:

    BRD Racing also carries Cometic Head Gaskets in different thicknesse:

Post 5: Engine Out for rebuilt...$$$$$$$$$$

    I towed the Lotus to Landers shop yesterday morning, they took the engine out, and I brought the car back home at the end of the day:

The engine compartment is a mess, and I will take advantage of the couple of weeks it will take to rebuild the engine to clean up, paint and straighten things up:

The wiring is a loose mess:

The expansion vase, wiring and rack all need attention :

  The motor mounts are all rusted up:

  The aluminum panels are dirty and dull, but the chassis itself looks like it is going to clean up well:

    

         I hope the tow bar attachments can remain in place, or at least refitted permanently, so the car can be towed around behind Rachel's Honda Elements for future trips to the Dragon or to Autocross meets around the South:

Post 4: Fitting a Tow Bar

    I have no easy way to pull the block here, it's way too heavy, I have no hoist, no bridge. My friend Landers suggested I took the car down to his shop.
  So I  bought a basic tow bar for Harbor Freight:

   I figure I will use it in the future if we go to the Dragon, or the Beach, or wherever I might not want to drive the car. It will also come in handy if we go to an Autocross somewhere and have a mechanical problem...

   I had to slightly modify the attachment brackets to fit the 1" square tubing at the front of the car. When the radiator is back in place, I may have to re adjust them to leave them in place, or possibly weld four lugs into the tubing.

    Anyhow, this is the way it looks at the moment:

   

   I will need help in the morning to push the car up out of the driveway, and will tow it to Landers' shop behind Rachel's Honda Elements. When the engine block is out, I will bring the car back up to my tent and do some cleaning up in the engine compartment while it is empty (straighten up wiring, clean metal, polish aluminum, repaint. A high polish on the aluminum head cover would look good. I also want to add a fuse box and wire a cigarette lighter/USB unit.

  One thing I want to do in particular is put a high polish on the Cast Aluminum Head Cover;