>>>My wife has requested that the seat be mounted on runners....
My seats are on runners - and seat is moved forward if Wifey is driving.
>>Chassis is clean but probably needs a little sanding to make the VIN a bit clearer for IVA. Can you translate the year from the VIN with an XI?
Not sure about this, but there should also be a factory plate on the front nearside edge of the scuttle (location on my car).
>>Midget bits look like they need some tidying up. Project has been standing for some years so it's not a big surprise. Makes sense to get this sorted first. The brake calipers and front uprights really look like they need a refurb. Modern "new" midget calipers don't seem to have a good reputation. A few months ago I'd have posted them to Bigg Red but they've stopped doing refurbs - any recommendations? Diff/axle needs a re-paint, so that can come out and I can check the internals at the same time.
Both Peter May and the MGOC Spares offer exchange calipers. Around £60 each rebuilt.
>>Master Cylinders both look like the rods haven't been cut to length as pedals don't line up. Brake has the old-style flimsy clevis that folds/fails in emergency stops. That'll be replaced, £29 from Westfields (ouch! - first of many) but having replaced that on the SEIW I'm not messing about with brakes.
My pedals have never lined up, and with my new MC, I did shorten the threaded rod on the brake MC. This is to allow heel and toe (or in my case, side of foot) when the brakes are applied. So the brake pedal naturally lies slightly forward of accelerator.
>>Any recommendations for Midget gearbox servicing/recons, or should I just bite the bullet and put a type 9 in?
Ken Evans at Klassik Transmissions. Excellent service, and a jolly nice chap. I have a standard box rebuilt ready to go into my car (though my noisy ribcase is still alive!), and he’s also done me a SCCR box for my project X.
>>Electrics/loom - what's the view on the factory fit connectors, they look a bit "open to the elements" to me. Have any of you swapped to anything more watertight (econoseal etc)?
My loom has caused trouble over the years. A small 12v bulb holder with fly-leads is a very useful tool. A DMM will measure 12v, but there is no current flowing because of a bad connection. Most of mine glitches are corroded bullet connectors hidden in the loom. I have used AMP Superseal connectors to my real lights etc. They are great. I also use Contralube (The Connector Protector). Keeps everything as it should be.
If you can source a rebuilt Fat Rack, alloy clamps and BTA648/BTA649 steering arms, this would be good. I think your car has a later, Triumph, thin rack.
Luckily I'd copied the same post into WSCC so I've put the original text back in above Jon's reply.
Thank you for the answers all the information is very useful. A plan is starting to formulate.....
Found out that the chassis number is from 2005 and that it's on the wrong side of the chassis to be accepted for IVA, so that'll be a re-stamping job. From WSCC reports, it seems to be a "feature" of some XI chassis. Looking at images I can't see a VIN plate on the scuttle so I may need to get one made up, but all the photos were taken from the passenger side of the car, so may have been at the wrong angle to see it...
I didn't realise the chassis stamps were different on the esrlier cars. Maybe the factory, or outsourced chassis manufacturer could help with an official re-stamp?
Spent a bit of time sorting out the few boxes of parts that came with it. I'm missing quite a few items, but nothing hideous. Missing list includes:
VIN Plate on scuttle
Door catches
Screen Catches
Mirrors and brackets
IVA Steering Wheel
IVA Reversing Light
Bolts, nuts and other fixings (have a list of what to get)
Transmission tunnel cover plate
IVA mirrors - have two of the trapezoid brackets though
IVA bolt covers
Have asked Westfield if they can supply a VIN plate. Awaiting answer.
I’m holding Morris' IVA gubbins, so I have rear number plate holder complete with lights, mirrors on pedestals, and the headlight gopping frog mouldings. I’m near Aylesbury and am in and out of Heathrow for work so get in touch if you need to borrow anything. Regards Tim
Having built a few of these, along with a Lotus 7 Series 1, I can add some useful information that can save you a few quid, and get you closer to a sorted car. I do understand that you have more hoops to jump through than we even have in California (which is really no hoops at all). This information fits between the IVA and the final car, after you have pulled off the frog eyes and other silliness.
For the rear axle assembly, you can just use paint stripper, along with a wire wheel on your drill to strip the rear axle clean. Then paint it with a quality semi gloss black paint (I use Eastwood Chassis Black). Done properly, you will find that it looks just like powder coat, but far less expensive and easily touched up.
Don't tighten the mentalistic bushings too much. A few lbs of torque is all that is necessary, and use fresh unlock nuts. If you have multi piece bushings with a center tube, you can tighten it up to around 12 lb.ft. Remember, this is front and rear. If you have the old type metal bushings, any flex will shear the rubber, and you will have no bushings at all, and perhaps some unwanted rear steer. Quick test: If you jump on the chass ends, the car should cycle down and up without any damping beyond that of the dampers themselves. In the case of the metalistics, they will rotate around the bolts, and not flex the rubber element. The multi piece bushings will rotate around the center tube. No shearing of the urethane.
The differential housing can be cleaned and painted with Aluminum paint. Here in the 'States, I use Eastwood paints. The "Alumablast" aluminum paint has lasted for two decades, and doesn't require sand blasting or priming. The chassis paint is just as durable, and shoots beautifully. I am sure that you have equivalent materials in the UK.
Citrus based rust remover bath works quite well to prep things like the brake adjusters and backing plates. Then you can use the rotary wire brush to clean it up prior to painting.
Seat adjustment rails? I have a set of buckets with rails, but the adjustment is compromised by the frame rail in my flat floor car, so they are not installed (yet). I have a thicker back cushion and a custom made seat squab to get into the proper "Lotus Position" behind the wheel. Saves about 18 lbs in seat rails.
Brakes are always important. I installed a twin master cylinder system to all of the RHD 11s, as all it requires is a bias bar brake pedal, available from Westfield. Single master cylinders are inexpensive and easy to rebuild. Much less expensive than a tandem master cylinder, and a perfect match can be had as the little master cylinders are available in a variety of sizes. The pedals can be adjusted for angle. It is only important to get the brake and throttle lined up so that heal toe (ball of the foot, side of the foot) can be accomplished without a problem.
The best part is that you can use remote mounted reservoirs for ease of inspection and filling. Even bleeding is simplified, as the front and rear systems are completely separate. BTW, my own car still has a single master cylinder. It's a LHD car which uses a Spridget pedal quadrant, making installation of twin master cylinders problematic. I do have a couple of tandem master cylinders on the shelf, which I may install soon.
And, one of the things that you will notice is that the braking is not always consistent, with the pedal not always offering braking at precisely the same point in its travel. This is a result of "pad knock back", due to the play in the ball type wheel bearings. Install taper wheel bearings up front, and that problem disappears as if by magic.
When you finally get the suspension together, it is important to do the alignment (tracking) and cutting of the tie rods and tie rod ends with the driver in the seat (or the correct amount of weight), as the car will settle an inch or more with the driver installed. Failing to do this will result in excessive toe out, no caster return in the steering and a very skittery handling 11. Oh, and don't turn up the shocks until you have driven the car. Often the soft setting or one, maybe two clicks in front and one in the rear are enough. And.. Don't set up the chassis too low. You need all the suspension travel you can get. Again, set the ride height with the driver's weight in the seat. Generally, you will need 3/4" more ride height on the driver's side than the passenger side when the car is unladen and static.
The electrical system is probably the most important part of the build, as if it is not reliable, the whole car becomes useless. I wire all of my builds from scratch. You can order all the right Lucas strand count/color code wiring, then wire the car using a "Painless Wiring" race or super street fuse block, which is fully labeled and wired internally. Each circuit will have a fuse, relays are already installed along with flashers for turn signals and emergency flashers. Once you have the epiphany, you will not need a wiring scheme. You will just match the wiring to the circuit, crimp the connectors and plug in the switches.
I have also wired these cars with a simple Lotus 7, two fuse Lucas electrical system, using aircraft avionics grade terminals, crimped, silver soldered in some situations, and shrink tubed for insulation. In either case, the electrical system is simple and easy to trouble shoot should you have a problem. I have not had a problem in more than 20 years.
Since the car is yours, you don't need to label the switches. Lotus didn't, and I remember that Dad's Lancia Appia, the Ferrari 250, my Healey... never had a label on a switch. My 11 has only a couple of switches... Headlights, and dipped beam. Not even a pictogram. Inless IVA rehires it, why bother?
For the engine, I am a big fan of Longman cylinder heads, and Vizard scatter pattern cams (probably available from Kent. The hot road, vintage race cam is excellent, and produces plenty of power from 2300 RPM to 6500... More if you really need it. My rev limiter is set at 6400... Has worked fine for more than 20 years. Don't be afraid of compression ratio. I am running about 10.7:1 on 91 octane fuel with no problems. 125+ HP on the dyno, with a DCOE45 on a 6" Maniflow custom order intake (3/8" rise to clear the frame, and fit under the bonnet). I also use Fidanza aluminum flywheels. They fit, have a new ring gear and the clutch facing is replaceable for a reasonable price (less resurfacing, and easily replaced) I also have a Datsun 210 5 speed on a Rivergate adapter. This fits in the same place as the old Ribcase, and the lever pops up through the same hole.
And for the cherry on top, install a 3S clutch type LSD. This will eliminate the inside wheel spin off the corners, and makes the car feel as though it has 10 more HP. No more wasted motion. Yes, it is costly, but worth every penny.
I run my 13" wheel car on 185/70/13s. They fit and offer plenty of grip... Too much, really, unless you have Caterham experience. Then it will feel just right. I prefer the Vintage Race Dunkops in 4.50X15 and 5.00X15, but you have various rules there that I don't have to deal with here.
It's a lot to absorb at this point in your build, but if you follow this, you will save about 100 hrs in build and development time, and reduce hand wringing to a minimum. Have fun with your build.
Am still at the stage of determining what the previous builder did (and didn't) do. Have just managed to extract the fuel tank from where it had been forcefully jammed into the frames without trimming the rail back. That'll be a fairly simple task to re-install properly. Then I'll start taking the braking system apart... some of the pipework...
Lots of midget bits to come off and clean up. There's points where it's cheaper/quicker to replace with new than to clean stuff up and re-paint it.
