Author Topic: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.  (Read 36568 times)

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Offline Richard48Y

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #435 on: Monday,March 13, 2023, 08:44:21 AM »
I actually have very good body pick-up from the original mounts.
My issue is that I did not have a single piece if steel long enough to go clear through the car and am too cheap to spend for one.
What I have is flexing at the forward joint.
I had hoped to make this easy to remove with the sections bolted together.
Now giving up on that and doing some more welding, so I will have to cut it apart for removal.

Offline Richard48Y

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #436 on: Monday,March 13, 2023, 01:11:21 PM »
My latest mod worked, I can now pick the body up and move it around on wheels as well as being able to tilt it for access inside and out.  :D

Offline TurboFource

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #437 on: Monday,March 13, 2023, 02:34:32 PM »
Nice! Post a pic
The more I do the more I find I need to do....

Offline Richard48Y

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #438 on: Monday,March 13, 2023, 06:08:52 PM »
When the rotisserie is not in active use I let the body rest on stands.
This is not a pair of HF engine stands being abused.  ::)
Not sure who made this rotisserie but it was not cheap.
When I see home made versions that are not tied together at the bottom its a little scary.
Hydraulic rams let me adjust working height.

Pic of overall setup at rest.
I picked up nearly all of the factory mounts.
Had to add a brace at the forward joint.
Picking up factory mounting points in the tunnel.


Offline Richard48Y

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #439 on: Monday,March 13, 2023, 06:51:45 PM »
Hmm, a new wrinkle.
Now equipped with a Spydercars frame head.
The original MC mount does not work with it.
No pics or other clue for the fix on Spyders site.
So does anyone know the trick of what MC to use with the Spyder chassis?
I will be running four wheel disc brakes.
Eventually I want dual MC's and a balance bar.

Offline gideon

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #440 on: Tuesday,March 14, 2023, 08:56:56 AM »
I'm not quite sure what Lotus were thinking when they added the bell crank arrangement for the master cylinder on the S2, but I guess they were trying to make the brake fluid reservoir accessible while still allowing room for the spare wheel.

If there is a way to attach remote brake fluid reservoirs to the Spitfire master cylinder then that might be one option, possibly with a small spacer if needed.  Probably somebody here already knows what'll work (I don't, I'm guessing).

I'm planning to use Wilwoods bolt on balance bar assembly

https://www.wilwood.com/Pedals/PedalProd?itemno=340-16920

The snags (that I know of) are:
  • it'll interfere with the spare wheel
  • will need to cut out a small amount of GRP
  • will need to slightly rework the middle bolt between the closing plate and body, so that it can be tightened & loosened from below as there will be very little clearance between that bolt and the balance bar assembly.  I'm thinking I might glass a threaded insert into the body at that point.
  • will need to custom make something to close the big hole in the GRP
  • will need a custom made backing plate inside the frame instead of the standard item

A spare wheel might still be possible if it is slightly deflated (to be determined).  I have a design for the backing plate, I plan to use one of the online laser cutting services to cut that for me.

Online BDA

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #441 on: Tuesday,March 14, 2023, 09:11:00 AM »
I have two “spare tires” in my car: a tire repair kit and a can of Slime.

Offline Richard48Y

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #442 on: Tuesday,March 14, 2023, 11:50:01 AM »
I have been looking at parts to fabricate something similar.
Tilton parts appear to be a bit less expensive.
The Spydercars frame head is set up for two MC's, one is for a hydraulic clutch conversion.
I am thinking that this gives me four attachment points for whatever I come up with.
The big issue is that the front and back openings for the brake MC are offset.
Not certain how much misalignment of the rod is acceptable.
I could open the hole on the inside a bit if necessary.
I do want to run a spare for a few reasons.

Offline GavinT

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #443 on: Tuesday,March 14, 2023, 03:20:11 PM »
I'm not quite sure what Lotus were thinking when they added the bell crank arrangement for the master cylinder on the S2, but I guess they were trying to make the brake fluid reservoir accessible while still allowing room for the spare wheel.

Yes, why is that?
My Type 54 uses a remote brake reservoir on the single circuit system but the Type 65 seems to have similar room on the other side.
Is it not possible to fit the MC directly to the front of the chassis like a Type 54?

Now I'm wondering what they did with the Type 65's sold in the RHD UK market.

Offline Richard48Y

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #444 on: Tuesday,March 14, 2023, 03:30:29 PM »
The issues with direct fitment appear to be access once the body is on and that the push rod holes are offset.
In a couple of days I will have another S2 here to look at.
That should make it easier to figure this out.

Offline SilverBeast

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #445 on: Tuesday,March 14, 2023, 04:35:36 PM »
[Now I'm wondering what they did with the Type 65's sold in the RHD UK market.

Probably the same as the UK TC's and Specials. These kept single circuit brakes with the master cylinder fastened directly to the front of the chassis/frame and a remote reservoir to the end of production.

Offline Richard48Y

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #446 on: Wednesday,March 22, 2023, 12:58:10 AM »
Anyone recognize where this pic may have originated?
Hoping for additional details or views.
Seems I should be able to do similar for my car.


Offline Bryan Boyle

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #447 on: Wednesday,March 22, 2023, 05:02:41 AM »
Anyone recognize where this pic may have originated?
Hoping for additional details or views.
Seems I should be able to do similar for my car.

That's in a twincam; you have a lot more room to fiddle around in an S2 since essentially the front of the chassis is open to the nose of the car (if the closing plates aren't there); in a TC, that area is part of the fiberglass body.
Bryan Boyle
Fall River MA
Morrisville PA
Commercial Pilot/CFII/FAA Safety Team
Amateur Extra Class Operator & FCC Volunteer Examiner
Currently working on 3291R, ex 444R, 693R, 65/2163, 004R, 65/2678
http://www.lotuseuropa.us for mirror of lotus-europa.com manual site.

Offline Richard48Y

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #448 on: Wednesday,March 22, 2023, 06:15:06 AM »
By my understanding the closing plate is very necessary but can be modified a bit.
If a competent driver ever shows up to transport it I will have another intact S2 here for comparison and measurements by the end of this week.
My Spydercars frame head provides me with extra mounting points.
I have set the chassis on stands for a comfortable working height while I use some old school CAD* to mock up a solution for dual MC's.

* Cardboard Aided Design.
AKA playing with paper and scissors.

Offline jbcollier

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Re: The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.
« Reply #449 on: Wednesday,March 22, 2023, 06:31:39 AM »
The support the plate provides to the nose is very important.  Whether it’s a plate or struts doesn’t matter much.