ColorTune charts

New sprockets and timing chain on

The vernier sprockets made it easy to get the timing chain back on. New collars, lock washers and bolts used.

I think I'm going to have to pull the rad to get the degree wheel on the crank pulley.

The new carb linkage shipped today. Thanks to Emmanuel from http://www.classiccarbs.co.uk.

Carb linkage headaches

It looks like my carb woes are not over.

I put the Lotus throttle lever on the Weber 40 DCOE 149s and found the return spring does not clear the body. The new style carburetor has an extra ear that interferes with it (see below).

So, finally, I ordered a Mangoletsi throttle linkage, which should solve this problem and give me more room to work under the hood - a good thing!

Back at it

I finally got some time to work on the Lotus tonight. The first task was reconnecting the coolant hoses and temperature gauge. Hooray!

Here is one of the vernier cam sprockets from QED. These eliminate the need for offset dowels and let me set the valve timing accurately.

There still seems to be a lot of interest in this blog. I noticed a lot of people visit my Weber 40 DCOE 149 disassembly notes. Any engine or car pictures take 2nd and 3rd place. Good stuff.

Lotus air box

Ideas for a future project - I have a fibreglass cover, now I need to think about making a back plate.

2000E gearbox info

I bought a semi-close gears and spare gearbox parts on the weekend. For future reference.

New battery arrives

I ordered a new Braille battery for the car, and its surprisingly small.

Update

I've been busy with work and life recently, but the Lotus is still on my mind. I got some time to work on it last night.

The new carbs are now ready to go in, and I re-did my calculations on the valve timing. If the weather holds up, I'll take my first crack at it this week.

Weber 40 DCOE 149 Saga

It's good to work on the Lotus again.

The Weber 40 DCOE 149s are strange animals. The auxiliary venturis & chokes are held in place with brass tubes running from the top, through the body, into the mouths. This locking system is not used on any other models of this carburetor, and there is no information available on the Internet.

After hours of frustration, I found the secret: to change the chokes and venturis, you must "pop the top." Once you figure this out, the tubes clear the inlets and everything comes apart easily.

Many thanks to Gordon Raymond for the help and advice.

New (used) Webers found

I found a nice pair of used Webers on an enthusiast site. The price was right, and the 149's allow more adjustments.

Parts order

The weather is starting to warm in Canada, so it's time to think about getting the Lotus running again. 

While I was putting the head back on, I noticed a few problems and areas for upgrade. The camshaft bolts looked like they had stretched, and the plug leads were loose. It makes sense to replace this stuff now, rather than pulling my hair out later.

I ordered new stuff from QED in the UK, so I'll update you as it arrives.

Weber troubleshooting manual

http://www.webercarbsdirect.com/v/vspfiles/images/Weber%20Trouble%20Shooting%20Guide.pdf

Valve timing notes

The Canadian winter has been warmer than most, but it's still too cold to work on the car. I'm using my time to plan for the spring.

I used 280 degree fast road camshafts (http://www.burtonpower.com/fast-road-camshaft-lotus-twin-cam-new-blf46-ltc.html) in my engine.

Some valve timing notes:

Power Band: 2000-7000rpm

Valve Lift: 0.380"

Duration: 280° inlet

Timing Figures: 34/66/66/34

Inlet/Exhaust Full Lift Position: 106° ATDC

Valve Clearances: .008" inlet/.010" exhaust