Widebody S4 Lotus Seven

[S4seven]

Hi
When we raced them we made a few changes to stiffen things up a bit. We had a brace across the front to support the tops of the towers. the rear end was the one point that gave the most problems. the chassis when loader had a habit of breaking at the base of the roll bar mounting tube or where the top arm bolted to the very rear of the chassis where bolted to the body. The other problem was the big rubber bush the located the lower arm to the diff. We replaced these and made the rear end more placed and didn't move around as much, the bushes had so much movement in them it was almost impossable to control the rear end. If a bar is placed in the bottom of the boot and linked the body and the chassis, with the 2 top suspension arms together alot of the rear flex is also removed. All this flex contributed to the axle trmping that was common.

[S4seven]

Hi Trevor
What is the Chassis number of your 7. I have a list of most of the cars

[aussiemonza]

Hi Trevor
What is the Chassis number of your 7. I have a list of most of the cars

S4seven. where do the numbers "3060" and "3995" fit in?

[Davea79]

S4seven. where do the numbers "3060" and "3995" fit in?

The above photo will answer 1 of your questions.

DA

[aussiemonza]

Looking for advice on what the pedal bracket was on a SteeleBro S4? Was it a donor part (Triumph/Ford) or a Lotus/SteelBro fabricated part?

[aussiemonza]

Thanks Paul, I have that reference out of the Tony Weale book. Do you have any dimensions/plans or any idea who might have stock (long shot) or be able to manufacture from a sample? Mine was discarded for a pedal box, I want to put back to standard

[Trevor Sheffield]

Hi
When we raced them we made a few changes to stiffen things up a bit. We had a brace across the front to support the tops of the towers. the rear end was the one point that gave the most problems. the chassis when loader had a habit of breaking at the base of the roll bar mounting tube or where the top arm bolted to the very rear of the chassis where bolted to the body. The other problem was the big rubber bush the located the lower arm to the diff. We replaced these and made the rear end more placed and didn't move around as much, the bushes had so much movement in them it was almost impossable to control the rear end. If a bar is placed in the bottom of the boot and linked the body and the chassis, with the 2 top suspension arms together alot of the rear flex is also removed. All this flex contributed to the axle trmping that was common.

The only way that the rear could roll was for the chassis to flex, or for the suspension points to yield. I scrapped the forward facing arms and fitted new trailing links, together with a Panhard rod. This with other corrections, turned it into a motor car. Just what was Chapman thinking about?

I do not think I have the chassis number recorded anywhere, but will be pleased to check for you. Last seen in was down in the Waikato somewhere.

[Binzy1]

The only way that the rear could roll was for the chassis to flex, or for the suspension points to yield. I scrapped the forward facing arms and fitted new trailing links, together with a Panhard rod. This with other corrections, turned it into a motor car. Just what was Chapman thinking about?

I do not think I have the chassis number recorded anywhere, but will be pleased to check for you. Last seen in was down in the Waikato somewhere.

I have the Bainbridge Lotus 7 (907 engine) they built after ‘acquiring’ from Steeles. It has an S3 body but on what would seem to be S4 wider chassis and also the rear suspension as described in this thread.
On a winter rebuild of front suspension, although wasn’t done for racing, a mechanic friend (& racer/builder) suggested we look at rear set up while on stands….& he spent a fair bit of time shaking head as to design & associated risks of flex & damage....let alone handling deficiencies. His ideal option was rebuild, as described by Trevor, but for budget reasons opted to rose-joint key points to allow flex – and in particular to protect the chassis which seemed to be the biggest risk of damage should untoward occur.
Another option/thought to the mix I guess…..