RESTORING a 50s Seven 750 SPECIAL

[Renaud]

Was amused on hearing a story about Colin Chapman making cost savings for the Seven s2, Renaud. Apparently he just kept chopping frame elements out a sturdy S1 until it eventually collapsed... and then added the previous one back in. I presume that's probably an urban myth.

Or maybe not Jon.  Tricky ACBC was not above such "lightening" process I believe!

[Ivor Hawkins]

  ivors-superseven.jpg (Size: 56.18 KB / Downloads: 565) Ah Lotus Super Seven S2s, at the risk of going further off track, I ran an S2 for 22 years traveling here and abroad as well as using it as regular transport and I can confirm that Colin Chapman didn't put enough tubes back in! 

I peeled back the skins and nickel bronze welded new tubes in on a number of occasions, by the 1980s I was on my fourth engine and as was the thing in those days tyres got wider and wider...

[JonE]

Devised a winch so I can get the car back into the garage up the slope unaided... thankfully allows me to work in natural light. 
Found a spring! I can now see the design of the IRS subframe, which attaches to the remains of the chassis extension. My plan is to remove the front section of the subframe and add extra bolts into the rear 5", perhaps with a strengthening bar along the whole underside of the extension. As there are two other attachment points to the rear of the car (via the roll cage) and there is are multitude of strengtheners under the chassis too... seems safe.
Any safety problem about spring top being completely uncovered for use?
The handbrake may get in the way of a proposed prop change (its presently got a carden block and flexi after presumably being asset-stripped in the past). Has anyone experience of hydraulic handbrakes? i.e. can they plumb into standard minor backplate-type conversion system which operates on all wheels? Or else may need to find extremely short cables to allow a more modern style of handbrake just above the torque tube.
Also wondering whether a Nippy gearlever would work on this, or if dash is too extensive/low.
         

[dickie65]

The Nippy Gear Lever is a no go, it will hit the dash and the transmission tunnel, the throw with a long lever is too great.
The set up in the picture will work well if in good condition, it has the added advantage of no accidental going into reverse as you have to lift the bar to engage it. The short handbrake lever will not have enough leverage. morris minor handbrakes were used back in the day.

[Mark Dymond]

Here is the handbrake on my Morris brake conversion. Looks like it was part of the kit at the time. Sorry the pictures not great.
   

[Howard Wright]

Hi Jon

On my old special I used a modified A7 hand brake lever acting through a home made compensating beam to two Morris Minor brake cables.  Much the same as the original Morris Minor set up but with the addition of the compensator. The rear drums were modified MM ones so all standard hydraulic / cable actuation. The hand brake was very effective!

Remember in any gearbox extension like this the throw at the box must be the same or less than the throw at the lever otherwise you’ll be waggling the stick like a spoon in a bowl of porridge!

Cheers

Howard

PS May be the photo but the spring looks as though it has had leaves removed and The frame seems very close above it.  Best check it’s not going to foul when loaded.

[JonE]

Ok, those are all very helpful thoughts and picture. Thankyou.
Howard, the original Speedex springs are apparently light and flexible. (that may expain the wooden block wedged in one of them!) And seem pretty flat. All I can do is monitor and compare with other owners.
It sounds like if I'm going to abandon the original handbrake entirely then I may as well remove the entire brake cross bar. I seem to remember on a past hydraulic'd car that Minor Van handbrake cables were good. I can see that I'm going to end up with them overlong and curled round, unless one can get things made to order.

[Zetomagneto]

Speedy cables make bespoke cables, just had one from them

[Nick Lettington]

Hi Jon.

What I have done is attach the handbrake to the torque tube with u bolts and exhaust clamps (an idea burrowed from another post). Your Speedex shock absorber frame would probably have had tubes welded to the middle across the prop shaft tunnel (ok... flat bar and they've been removed...) that allow a Morris Minor handbrake to bolt straight on. I bought morris minor van cables and cut the fork ends off, shortened the outer to suit my mounting points then attached the adjustable fork ends from two old rear brake cables from my ORT. The new cable is too thin for the fork but an MOT tester friend suggested putting it through twice... I still need to one of those round tuits to finish the job, but it works.

I will try to post some pictures later...

[JonE]

Good good. Can look at whats there and have Speedy Cables to revert to if i can't alter things.
Robert has come up trumps with an old handbrake, and I've discovered that my old generator still works so I now have a source of power, although probably not enough for a mini welder yet.

Still intrigued by the hydraulic options though, when one has a hydraulic system to plumb into....