build diary

August 2, 2004: And that's the end of the major work.
The hood is done and the car looks complete. The 0.050" aluminum was a good choice because, while it's a bit difficult to bend by hand, it doesn't kink and it holds a shape well. I was concerned at first that I would never get it to bend but some extra persuasion helped. This means I laid the hood on the grass and got my whole body into the act! It's not quite a perfect fit but it can be made so. Much to my amusement, I found a photo of a Series 2 Lotus 7 in one of my books that shows a hood latch very similar to the ones I've used and with absolutely atrocious hood fitment. So mine isn't so bad then...

More driving yesterday, of course. It's amazing how much the front wheels jitter around when you're driving. The cycle fenders make this very apparent. The car feels quite lusty and makes a great noise as you tear around. The driving position is great, almost as if the car was built for me. Unlike a real Lotus there is lots of room in the footwell for my feet. The brakes are very firm and might need to be changed. I'll have to try to lock the wheels next time although I should bed the pads first. You're quite conscious of sitting near the rear axle but the car feels good - very trustworthy. Of course I haven't pushed it very hard yet. I'll save that for later when I'm more than a block from my house!

So what's next? Well, I have a couple of electrical bugs to chase down such as the tachometer and oil pressure gauge. The transmission may get changed or I might just practice my double-clutching for a while. The headlights will probably move up a little to give the car more of a "face" and also to stop the front fenders from hitting them at moderate lock. But first, the car needs to be registered. Not a whole lot will be done in the next couple of weeks though. I'm off to Denver for a couple of days, some friends are coming to visit and the FM Open House is coming up soon. My goal of having the Seven on the track at the Open House will be realised!

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