Based on a set of Lotus Seven SII drawings from Prince Race Car Engineering circa 1981, with adapted structural enhancements from Caterham and DSK, and some suspension mount ideas from Fraser (NZ).
This page will become more developed as the project progresses.
The build table. 1″ thick 4′x8′ MDF top, 3/4″ thick 7.5″stringers, 5/8″ thick bottom. All screwed, glued and trued.
Do the “top” tubes first, so you can keep the bottom screwed to the build table once it’s assembled.
The top front “X” was done in the wrong tubing diameter.
“X” was cut out, and re-done in 3/4″ instead.
Those front uprights are hell. Compound cuts, and I have a single-plane brain.
Engine bay side diagonals are easy to cut on the milling machine.
Prince plans call for a 1″ space between the end of the engine bay main diagonals and the second upright. This nagged me, and I later changed it.
With a nod to DSK’s triangulation, I altered Lotus’ rear suspension pickup point tubing. This makes more sense to me. Lay out the tubes with masking tape, and it’s easy to get lengths, angles, etc.
Fishmouths are sexy. Easy to do on my lathe as well.
Magnets are great for that extra hand, but they mess up the TIG arc some.
Angled and offset, to different diameters. Sexy.
Mmmmmm.
A bit more triangulation.
That intersection there, will have the suspension pickup in the middle.
I don’t like this fit. Lotus likes all the tube centerlines intersecting. The engine bay diagonals do not intersect.
That’s better.
The seat back bulkhead is a challenge. How to hold all these tubes?
The progress so far….