24 Mt Hamilton run by Mike Schlicht

23 Woodside rallye by John Zender

18-20 Monterey Historics

19 meeting at Monterey Historics?

18-20 LOG—Toronto

16-17 California Melee

Meeting at ABCM or WCLM?

29 track day At Thunderhill

30-31 WCLM at Mare Island

2 Holiday Party/meeting

If you missed it the first time in March, then you gotta make it this time. There were about 7 or 8 of us on a Saturday night in March tearing up Mt. Hamilton and back down the other side. (all the while observing the posted speed limit of course. Ed) At the conclusion of the run we all agreed that it was the best Lotus club driving event we’ve ever attended and that we’d have to make it a regular thing.

This is an excellent Lotus road with hundreds of turns and virtually no cars at all on Saturday night. In March, we passed only about 4 cars going the other direction, and nobody going our way in 54 miles! To my surprise, the pavement is also in excellent condition and very smooth with no potholes. Everyone is allowed to drive at their own pace and it’s almost impossible to get lost since there is only 1 intersection after you get over the top.

We’ll meet at the Grandview Restaurant at 8 pm for dessert and lie telling, then head up the mountain around 9. Make sure to arrive with fuel in you tank. To get to the Grandview from 680 take the Alum Rock exit going East. Drive about 1.5 miles until you see the sign for Mt Hamilton Rd on the Right. Stay on Mt Hamilton Rd for about 3 miles until you get to the Grandview.

Ok gang, this is the event we’ve all been waiting for (right?) We’ll be driving some really tight and twisty, backroads with no

Winnebagos. On a few of the roads you are likely to see no other cars at all.

This event will allow you to drive at your own pace while accumulating points for various tasks. No experience is necessary and non-Lotus cars will do just fine. You will be given a list of specific route instructions, and a legal speed average to maintain. Bonus points will be awarded for correct answers to questions regarding different landmarks.

The way this thing is scored, almost anything can happen. At last year’s event the winner lost a lot of points by driving half the course backwards, but made up for it with bonus points and a good speed average. The second place car missed most of the first half of the course, but did well on the checkpoints and bonus points.

The Rallye will end at a nice spot where we can buy lunch and add up the scores. The GGLC will be sponsoring some valuable prizes for first through third places, so there’s more at stake than just bragging rights, speeding tickets, and giant oak trees.

We’ll meet at my place in Menlo Park around 9 am for fresh orange juice and donuts. After a brief bit of verbal instructions the first car will go out at 10 am with other cars following at 5 minute intervals. The rallye should last about 2 to 3 hours with a total of 50 to 80 miles. You should arrive with gas in your tank. Navigators are recommended but not required.

Directions:

1. Take 101 to Marsh road in Menlo Park and exit West.

2. Go about 1/2 mile and turn right on Fair Oaks.

3. Go to the end of the street and don’t turn left.

4. Go about 150 feet to Lotus Central, phone (650) 368-9105

I can’t say a lot about the progress I’ve made on the Seven and the Europa over the last month because there hasn’t been much. The new shocks arrived for the Europa but I haven’t been able to install them yet. But, by the time you read this, they should be on the car and ready for the next fun-run.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting their arrival because it’s been keeping me from driving the car.

But even though the compression valving was blown out, I did take it to the Pacific Coast Dream Machines at the end of April. I brought a pilot friend of mine who isn’t really big on cars, and doesn’t usually have good things to say about British cars on top of that. He normally drives a Supra Turbo and he can’t see how my brother and I get so excited about cars in general, let alone the Lotuses. My comment to him is always the same, if you drive something boring every day, like a truck, you’ll never think that a car can be fun.

The drive up Highway 92 and over the hill to the coast was the perfect road to show my friend what a REAL car feels like. He’s always poked fun at me about the car and so he insisted on taking the driver’s seat on the way over, thinking that all his suspicions would be confirmed. I don’t let just anyone drive the Lotus but he was a special case, I was determined to show him that the pig he drives every day is a poor excuse for an "enthusiast’s car". I have never even engaged myself in the argument as to whether the Supra is a sports car or not. I won’t waste my time. It didn’t take long before I saw a little grin on his face and then the inevitable side to side turning of the steering wheel. (Doesn’t everyone do that in a Lotus the first time they drive one?) First came the smirk. Then the eyebrows went up. Then the rapid nod of the head, and the squint: "I like the steering, you can feel everything. And it’s quick!" He even grinned and laughed at the induction pulses coming from the Webers. It is a pleasing sound, arguably therapeutic. I told him to bear in mind that the car impresses him- even with a blown shock! The more he drove it, the more the questions came out: "What’s this weigh, about 2000lbs?" "A bit under 1600." I said. "2-Liters?" "No, a little less than 1.6." The more information he found out, the more impressed he was. Then, with the grin still on his face, he said the statement I was waiting to hear: "This is fun!" The Europa and I were vindicated!

The rest of the day we had good fun looking at all the cars and airplanes, but I was walking around with my head held high knowing that my friend had such good things to say about the Lotus. At the end of the day I left him with the car for about 20 minutes while I looked around for a group of Sevens that I heard were going to be there. From the distance I spied some green and yellow paint and found them answering questions from passers by. There was a Westfield Seight, a Rotus, and three new Caterhams. We chatted in between all the questions they had to answer and exchanged email addresses. I told them about the track day in September and judging by their responses, I think we’ll be seeing them there. When I got back to my friend he told me about how much interest the Europa had generated with the crowd. And as we talked, two more people came by to talk. One young lady who I will refer to appropriately as "Biker Chick", ran over and couldn’t stop asking questions about the car. Her father had owned an Elan at one time and the sight of the Europa had brought back fond memories. They do that, don’t they?

At the next opportunity, my friend and I left for the day because we wanted to beat the crowd. It was a fun day and a success as well! I told him that I’d come by with the car again after I got the new shocks installed and he can drive it again. Like I’ve said before, all it takes is one drive and then people understand why Lotus owners are so enthusiastic about their cars.

I’m off to the garage, see you at the next meeting!

Scott

First off, a large "THANK YOU" to Dave, Roberta and all the gang up a Dave Bean for hosting their open house on Saturday, May 20th. They say that getting there is half the fun and in this case they were right, as the beautiful weather, and little to no traffic made for perfect conditions for the several small caravans leaving the Bay Area and enjoyed the beautiful weather a leisurely drive through the foothills.

The following day saw a few of us die-hards heading up to Dixon (just south of Sacramento) for the annual All British show & swap. The show itself was well-attended with a heavy bias to MGs & big Healeys, and Mike Ostrov in Elite/Elan #1 the sole Lotus. Don’t tell Mike but my personal favorite was the Morris Minor Traveller Woodie on a Suzuki Samurai chassis. If my scanner would comply I’d run the picture and finish right here but it won’t so you’ll have to take my word that it was very nice.

The swap meet was also fairly well populated with both vendors, large scale independents and the usual "help me clean out my garage" folks. Thankfully I brought the wagon (with A/C) as it was both warm and I needed the space to help me carry home the bargains I could not pass on.

Thanks also go to Jim McClure for hosting the May meeting, which not only afforded us he chance to see the latest progress on Jim’s Series 1 Seven, James McCoy showed up in his Sorta-Seven now sporting a completely redesigned (by James) rear suspension. In addition to a slightly wider track and rear discs, James hopes the new trailing arm design will prevent his hot Toyota Twin Cam from tearing out the pickup points as it did before. And speaking of projects, rumour has it James has picked up another one, but you'll have to ask him what it is.

Upcoming events: next meeting will be at Victor’s in Burlingame on June 16th. If you didn’t make it last time be sure to mark you calendars as you won’t want to miss seeing and hearing his collection of 25+ cars, including Lotus, Lamborghinis, Ferrari, Pantera, etc. You get the picture.

And speaking of Italian cars, (isn’t it amazing how this all flows together ?), a Concours Italiano Corral entry form has been included on page 5. What’s the Lotus connection ? LCU will be there with both cars (340R, Elise, new Esprit) and a hospitality tent, which gets us preferred parking on the first fairway and discounted tickets to the concours.

As per the chairman of the event don’t worry about your Lotus not being show quality, just send in your registration form.

Till next month ~

Daren

The Resurrection of #1188; part 1

Since last posting the preface to the rebuilding of Type 14 # 1188 several "Elite workdays" have occurred which have resulted in quite a bit of progress as well as unearthing a few gotchas.

The first of these days was Sunday, April 26^th and was cleverly disguised as Mike's (Ostrov's) Open Shop Day. Although not a workday per se, it was a chance for me to check my level of commitment as Mike once again allowed me a chance to change my mind. Lest I waver, fellow car enthusiasts Jody and Ken were there to offer support, not that they necessarily represent the cool heads of automotive reason (should such a thing exist). My commitment reaffirmed and endorsed, Jody and I were later rewarded by drawing Mike's silver Elite for the drive around the reservoir, while Ken drew the co-driver spot on a nice Seven. It didn't take long behind the wheel to confirm I had chosen correctly.

The goal of the second workday (April 1^st) was to extract #1188 from the truck body storage container where it has lain for the past 11 years, and get it inside the back bay of Mike's shop so the disassembly could begin. Easily said, but moving a car through wood chips approximately 35 feet while it has both a frozen steering rack AND rear end is very hard work (even when the car weighs only 1500lb). I won't bore you with the process details but it involves Mike, myself, Flemming Larsen, a large floor jack, two rotten planks and a lot of grunting. Two plus hours later #1188 was inside the back shop and resting quietly atop a stack of milk crates. Note to bifocal-wearers; two milk crates and one 4x4 block has been determined to be the optimal off the floor height to allow focusing while lying under the car.

The afternoon of day two resembled a disassembly drill-team exercise as various other autophiles dropped by to lend a hand. Earl Webster attended to topside matters, freeing the car of its bonnet and various rust-encrusted engine subassemblies, and earning the dubious honor of first blood in the process. Flemming and I meanwhile focused our attentions to underside matters, removing the radiator, steering rack and exhaust system. It was then in a moment of restful repose that I saw IT.

For those of you who are not familiar with the front subframe design on the Type 14, it is a simple triangulated "box" that is bonded into the lower fiberglass assembly. This frame forms the mounting points for the control arms, anti-sway bar, steering rack, radiator and front engine cradle. The upper legs of this box is small-diameter tubing, while the bottom is formed by two pieces of perforated flat stock which run longitudinally from just behind the front bumper to near the door hinge plane. Mike refers to these perforated plates as "skis" as that's what they look like. Looking from side to side across the lower suspension plane there is horizontal pan formed by these skis on the sides and cross bracing front and rear. This pan has a fiberglass bottom (which is actually the top of the top of the belly pan), which allows water to collect. This is likely what occurred on my car. After holding moisture in this pan for many years, it seeped through the fiberglass and settled on the skis, causing them to rust. This rust then expanded, causing the layups on the top of the skis to separate from the bottom pan.

So what I saw when I peered underneath was the entire section of layups on the RH side lifted off it's ski far enough that I could stick my fingers underneath. To which I responded appropriately with AIEEEEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!!!!!! This drew Mike away from the gas tank extraction effort, causing him to peer underneath and respond casually with "Oh we can fix that". Hey if Mike isn't worried, I'm not worried.

So a little while later when I heard Mike's otherwise cool and calm and voice exclaim from under the back of the car "This is NOT GOOD", I was worried.

Up to this point none of us had really thought through the implications of the rear end not turning, but upon studying it for awhile Mike realized a very how very seriousness this problem was. I won't give it away yet, but here are some clues …

• Swing-axle IRS
• Diff. carrier mounted directly to the lower body structure, up from the bottom
• Axles extend outward through elongated openings, due to the belly pan nature of the bottom section. (The important point here is that the axles can only be installed/removed straight out from the side of the car)
• Axles function as the control arm (ie, they are rigid as opposed to having sliding joints)
• Inboard disc brakes, with the calipers mounted roughly at the top of the differential carrier
• Smaller emergency brake pads actuated mechanically

So combining tautology and the Haynes manual;

• To remove the differential the swing axles must first be removed (since the axles pass through openings in the inner structure)
• To remove the swing axles the bolts that hold the swing axles to the stub axles must first be removed.
• To access these bolts, the axles must be rotated (since the brake calipers prevent accessing the bolts between the 10 to 2 o'clock positions)
• Therefore since the axles do not rotate, you cannot remove the differential. QED

Obviously this circular logic must have a flaw, and I'm happy to report that it has been found. The overriding assumption we made here is that the rear end would not turn due to the rear pads being frozen to the discs, not that the rear end itself had frozen. Given this we then assumed that if we were able to somehow unstick the brake pads, then we would be able to turn the axles enough to remove retaining bolts. Through liberal applications of penetrating oil and brute force, Mike was eventually able to knock one pair of brake pads out of their carriers, which allowed that axle to rotate. As of this writing Mike has removed one entire rear suspension corner assembly, but has saved the other side as part of my ongoing Type 14 education. Thanks Mike.

The gas tank and radiator came home with me that day and have since visited the local radiator shop. The good news is that despite being full of water all this time the radiator responded well to a standard boil & rod job. The gas tank was not so fortunate however. Despite not having any rust though, there is significant scale and corrosion inside. As of right now the plan is to remove as must of the scale as possible and then coat the inside with the POR-brand gas tank sealer.

Sometime between workdays two and three Mike apparently tired of the home stretch fiddling on Elite/Elan #2 and set about removing the front suspension of my car so we could focus on the delaminated ski repair next time I came up. Twelve hours and one grinder later he had the front suspension off. So corroded were the bolts that nearly everything had to be cut or ground off, but this was required to gain adequate access to the lower pa area so that the required fiberglass repairs could be made. Which brings us to the last workday to date, whose goal was solely to complete this repair.

I arrived earlier than usual as Mike had indicated it would be a full day. He did not exaggerate. I’ll save you the gory details but for approximately six hours I contorted myself up into the front subframe jungle gym and cleaned, scraped, cut, ground and cleaned again, until the exposed skis and surrounding fiberglass were ready for reglassing.

Then resembling a fire bucket brigade we worked against the timer as cloth and resin was handed in, laid down and stippled, Repeat.

At some point I lost count of the number of layers, but suffice to say the skis are now back as part of the lower glass structure, which Mike says is now probably strong enough to use as a jacking point.

I’ll take his word for it.

Daren

Book Review

LOTUS The Legend

By David Hodges

Given its thinness, price ($6.50 on the bargain table) and choice of a ticket-red Elise road car on the cover I expected this book to be like a sugar-coated breakfast cereal; enjoyable but not much substance. I was mostly wrong; there were some toy surprises inside.

Although at the end it briefly highlights some of the more significant racing cars, the goal of LOTUS, The Legend is an overview of each road car, light on the technicals and heavy on the photos.

The photographs are where this book shines; high quality color archival shots, and of Lotus’ you don’t see everyday; The Costin-designed Eleven coupe, Ital Design shw car that became the Esprit ? A type 14 running on a bare rim in the 1960 TT ? All there.

1960 Lotus 18 Formula Jr , restoration in 1996 with less than 20 hours, log book, VARA, HMSA, and SCCA, All sorts of new parts and spare magnesium wheels, includes custom trailer with tie downs and fuel bottles. E. Moles (408) 268-3239

1965 Elan DHC for sale: ex-Orosco car, BRG w/yellow stripes, new top & bows, good condition. Asking $14.5, located in San Jose.

(650) 965-0869.

1965 Elan S-2 roadster for sale in Texas. Color is red. Weber head and carbs. Original frame (neither rusted nor wrecked) Transmission & engine. Close Ratio Transmission. Three tail Light configuration. Engine rebuilt less than 500 miles ago with new sleeves, connecting rods & new pistons. New interior. Stainless Steel headers and new exhaust. New vacuum canisters, new dash. New bumpers (front & rear). New ball joints, brakes and cylinders (where needed). New Emergency brake cable. Many spare parts. $12,500.00 e-mail is Scupper@swbell.net. Fax 1-210-829-7708.

1966 Lotus Elan 52 Roadster. Serial number 26/5611 disassembled for Chassis up conversion to racecar. All pieces inspected, rebuilt or replaced. Chassis gusseted and reinforced. Late model racing springs. Swaybar. Cortina Dual brake system. Autopower roll bar ('SC'CA approved). Fuel tank filled with foam. Close ratio Gearbox. Salisbury limited slip 3.77:1 ratio . Tempered inner axle stubs. TR-6 Wheel studs. Engine blueprinted, Bored 0.020 over, Balanced, Head cc'd with SE cams. Intake and exhaust manifold sanded (not polished) to gasket opening, Pan baffled. Straight through 2", tuned, exhaust with "Super Trap" muffler. Raced in 1982 to present in ICSCC, SCCA, HMSA and CSRG. Car has ICSCC and SCCA Vintage Logbook. Won the 1982 to 1987 ICSCC 'C Production" Championship in the Pacific Northwest. Invited to the West Coast runoffs in GT3. Car kept basically stock and can be converted to street legal car with much work. All parts still available. Asking US $12,500 for complete car, parts and licensed single axle trailer. Bill Root - 1054 Camino Verde Circle, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (925/943-6194) or e-mail: ElanCpe@aol.com

1969 Elan S4, daily driver.  11,000 miles on big valve, mildly modified engine by Rich Kamp (130-135 hp).  Excellent mechanicals, clean body, old paint, original interior.  $14,000 Ed King evking@KINGandHIGGINS.com (415) 781-2888

1972 Lotus Europa Twin Cam #2553R. 51K miles (16K miles since complete restoration). Immaculate! Smog Exempt! Essentially stock with some nice upgrades. $10,500—let’s haggle. Call Stephan for the details @ (925) 229-5162 (h) or (510) 245-4523.

1974 Europa Special, 38k miles, original, tired, not running, 99% assembled, all smog equipment, too many cars, $7K. Tom Minnich (562) 697-0547

1990 Caterham Super Seven S3, LHD, long cockpit chassis, de Dion, 5 speed, limited slip diff, heated and tinted windscreen, aluminum bell housing, steel braided lines, BRG with yellow and BRG noses, 4 wheel discs, 10K miles. Kent 1750cc super sprint with forged pistons, aluminum roller rockers, flow benched head. 6.5 x 15 Prisoner alloy wheels, standard and FIA roll bars, adjustable rear sway bar, Spax adjustables, 4 Keizer 3 pc 13 x 8 wheels, Brooklands windscreen. $27,500. John Lefcourte, (702) 829-8589 leftys7@aol.com

1990 Porsche 944 S2. Red with a bone and black in. Carefully maintained, only 52,000 mi. $15,500, Rod (916) 773-6452

1995 Plymouth Neon American Club Racer (ACR). This is it! The ride that has dominated SSB & D-Stock since its introduction in ’94. Meticulously maintained Coupe with 150 hp twin cam; 50K miles; rev limiter; 15" X 7" TSW’s with new RE71’s, plus stock alloys, A/C; PIAA drivers; K&N, DMV paid thru June ’00; suspension properly set up at Roger Kraus Racing; factory service manuals; etc., etc. All Plymouth/Neon–identifying labels removed (only wears Lotus emblems). Very Black. Always garaged and/or covered. Call for more info (925) 229-5162 (h) or (510) 245-4523 (w). Asking $8,000.

Factory Turbo system for Esprit. 7.5cr, 2.2 pistons, turbo, wastegate, blow-thru Dellortos, all cast manifolds, ducts and adaptors. $1500. Steve Lipp. (604) 255-6957 or wigl@radiant.net

Europa parts for sale: Full set of front lower A-arms in excellent condition with new black powdercoat and bushings installed - $100 each or

$300 for the set. John (650)368-9105

motofab@fusiontechology.com

Wanted: four Centre caps for Europa Special wheels. Must be in good condition Steve (707) 644-1651 afternoons.

Wanted: complete Turbo Esprit motor and/or tranny. Must be late model fuel injected type and Renault tranny. Also need louvers for rear deck lid on Esprit-any year OK. John (650) 368-9105

motofab@fusiontechnology.com

The Chapman Report is published monthly by the Golden Gate Lotus Club, PO Box 117303, Burlingame, CA 94011. The GGLC is a non-profit incorporated car club and is not affiliated with Group Lotus, Team Lotus, or Lotus Cars USA. The GGLC's annual membership dues are $25.00, (effective January 1st, 2000).

Opinions expressed in the Chapman Report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the GGLC or its officers. Technical advise should be used at your own risk.

Submissions to the Chapman Report are accepted and encouraged. Please E-mail them to lookbusy@ix.netcom.com in MS Word or ASCII DOS text. Submissions may also be mailed to The Chapman Report at 579 Rockport drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94087.

2000 GGLC officers are: President: Scott Hogben, Vice President: Victor Holtorf, Secretary: Jon Rosner, Treasurer: Laura Hamai, Event Coordinator: John Zender, Membership Chairman: David Anderson.

Chapman Report Staff: Editor: Daren Stone, Circulation Manager: Tom Carney, Advertising Manager: Mel Boss.