Club Lotus Australia is full of interesting people who are up to interesting things with interesting cars. We think that’s wonderful, so we’re going to share their stories with you here!
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In this post, we catch up with Ashton to find out more about his journey with the Tuft’s Eleven. It’s been a little while since we caught up with the project, so why not take a refresher? You can enjoy part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here and part 4 here.
TUFT’S ELEVEN MARCH 2015
The car now has a bonnet that attaches to the chassis (the front hinge mechanism has been fabricated and installed) and work is underway to form up the cowel from the front clam to the radiator, and then the one from the radiator to the hole in the floor.
Some progress had also been made to get the mudguards fully templated, but the fitting was dependent on getting the bonnet fitted to the chassis, as the mudguards create the precise shape of the sides, so all the shut lines do so as well (line up that is – well, as much as they can on a car like this!)
Other than that, the engine is almost ready to progress in that my very kind courier, Peter Ross, is bringing the pistons, liners and gaskets back from the UK with him shortly, the crank and con rods passed their crack testing, and the crank case passed pressure testing.
I have to get the bellhousing back from O&S and take all the gearbox bits up to Colin Dodds to build up the gearbox, so I am hoping to get that done this month so he can be building that while I am away.
4th March 2015
Yay! My revised approach to managing my very careful friends at O&S appears to be paying dividends.
I might have mentioned that I was getting a little frustrated at the lack of progress but significant billing that was forthcoming; well last visit we agreed that they had all the measurements, photographs and visits completed, so now we should start to see progress… and we have!
First activity needed was to fit and finish the radiator coweling and associated bits and pieces, so that was last week’s plan. So we now have a radiator cowel ready to be fitted to the bonnet, the exhaust cowel ready for fitting to the floor, the brace that runs under the radiator to prevent vibration and the floor getting sucked down by the airflow and a hole out through which the hot air goes.
Next up is to get all of that fitted, the holes rolled, and then the mudguards can start to be fitted… at least that’s what the plan says this week!
30th March 2015
OK, that success lasted about five minutes! No sooner was I not sitting on their heads with their toes to the fire than progress stopped, but billing continued. So, as of 30 minutes ago (just confirmed by a sighting of the car by The Phantom, on trailer heading for the Blue Mountins!) I have asked Geoff Wheeler, he of Jaguar C and D type fame, to complete the job in a more expedient fashion!
Between the last post and a week ago, nothing, and I mean nothing had progressed, and yet I was charged for 38 hours of work – how feckin’ stupid do they think I am? Well, actually the answer is, very, because I paid it, only because otherwise I wouldn’t have got my car out of there in one piece.
So please learn from my experience, and under no circumstances allow O&S Sports Car Restorations to humbug you!
