Lotus Motor & Face Plate Question
 

I am working on my Lotus and have a couple of questions about the motor and the face plate. I don't know how to mount the motor on the machine. I can't see any holes in the motor in which to mount a motor bracket. The one that came off the machine doesn't fit the motor that came with the machine. The machine has two screw holes drilled along the back side of the arm in the vertical position. Also does any one know what the purpose of this screw and eye piece on the faceplate. I think I can just remove it but was just wondering what you all thought the purpose of it might have been.

Your machine was electrified at some point. The two holes in the back of the pillar were drilled when a motor was first mounted. The motor is missing it's mounting bracket where those unpainted spots around those holes are. If you can't attach a new bracket you may have to find a different motor. You will probably have to fabricate a mount to attach whatever motor you use to the machine anyway.

Someone added an extra guide on your faceplate. Find a picture of a good faceplate and as long as yours looks the same you can remove the extra guide.
I hope this helps,
Rodney

you may find having the extra guide works better. I think when they put the motor on this machine (would not have come that way) that it sewed too fast than it was designed, and that caused looping of the thread. So the extra guide probably helped keep it in place. this is actually a very common problem with my first long arm machine - and many people have added extra thread guides to keep the thread from whipping around and tangling, or popping out of the tension dial.

I don’t think that is an “extra” guide, but a “replacement” guide for the one that should be there.....

CD in Oklahoma

Rodney, Here is a picture of the motor mount on the machine. I just can't figure out how to get the motor mounted on to the plate.

none of the pictures I have on photobucket show that part of the faceplate on any of my backclamp machines. I'll have to look at the lotus when I get home. the newer 66's are different. I have a "parts" lotus too so I'll check the face plate on that one too when I get home.

Most 66's don't thread down the front - so I'm trying to find a picture of a very early one that does.

Silly me - I figured it out! the picture shows the faceplate with the top towards the bottom of the picture LOL!!

Funny how something like that can really through you off for a bit. Since they put in a screw, you can't put an "original" back there - and you do need one. I've seen several "used" plates with that eye missing too.

This listing shows how it looks, though the scroll pattern is different.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sing...item234251c8cc

If you want a "correct" one, I'll see what is on my "parts" lotus.

I've been hanging around my older VS machines - I have several that actually do have the thread come down right over the top of the faceplate.

It looks like the rivets popped loose from the motor housing. Something may have thumped the motor hard and pulled the rivets through the metal of the housing.

CD in Oklahoma

Blackberry,

CD is right about the screw and eye on the bottom of the faceplate being a replacement guide for the one that should be there. Normally the guide is a small wire like affair riveted to the face place. Looks like at some time yours got broken so someone improvised a replacement. I have 66s from the -1 to the -18 and they are all the same. I can take a pic for you if you want.

On your motor, the rectangular piece of metal that is screwed vertically to the motor mount bracket should be spot welded to the body of the motor in one of the two unpainted places. There should be two of these on the motor but it looks as if they were broken off at some point. Probably cos someone overtightened the belt, or dropped the machine on it's back. At any rate, there are other motors that have dual screw holes for the mounting bracket. I can take pics of this too if you want me to.

Joe