thought I would take it out of the box and put it on, looks like its not been on 4 a few years.

What a nitemare,I think I have done serious and permanent injury to my back, neck and fingers!

It is the most ludicrous piece of crap I have ever seen, then how the hell do I get in,lol.

I think I will just carry the toneau and a big brolly.

Seriously tho, does anyone ever drive with the full wet gear up, I would rather be buried alive.:7rain:

I just picked up my 1970 S3 yesterday and I'm learning slowly.  I see this number on the brace in front of the brake and clutch master cylinders. 

It looks like someone stamped a number, changed their mind, and stamped a new number.  BL2170.  I found a mention that Universal Radiators stamped with a B, but I did not see mention of a BL.  Thoughts?  Is this typical of Universal Radiators? 

I

Rob B offered an in depth tour and interview with a few of the various departments. Also spent nearly an hour with my car’s builder. 
 

I was blessed to have my son with me as well making the trip more memorable. 
 

Headed up to visit Ian at Celtic Caterham to slip into one of his rentals l, then on to knockhill for a weekend of Caterham racing.  

Thanks

Thought id share should other folks have the same request.  

I had a Mk4 on my Europa and loved it.  

Next up, getting the motorsports guages from Smiths....

Previously she has said, "That's a good hobby for you."

How does your spouse share your enthusiasm for your Seven?

Rob

Dad owned some Dodge and Plymouth dealerships back in the muscle car days.  Once when I was about 20 I was out with Dad buying cars. We went to a Ford dealer somewhere and there sat a perfect JPS.  Dad knew that was my dream car.  And that I knew he could buy it for me.  We were there to buy cars, but cars to sell for profit.  Dad said, and I told this at his funeral.  “You’ll have to do that for yourself son”.     It took 35 years but it came true.  Thank you Dad for helping me believe it could happen.

There are other stories with this wonderful little car.   I am sure that everyone who posts here about their Europa wishes they knew where she was now.

I titled this including that we have had a Seven in our garage at some point too.  So the thread might not get scarce so quickly

As stated I just joined this group as I have lusted after a Super Seven S4 since the early 70's. My new wife at the time talked me out of ordering the kit version but I eventually bought a 1969 Europa Type 54. Drove it daily to work in LA traffic until I was rear-ended by a VW. Had it towed to Bob Chalman's place in Redondo Beach and was fixed up good as new. Eventually life got in the way and I sold the S2 off to pay for part of a new house. The wife and I made a deal that eventually I could get another Europa, which happened in the mid 1990's. A 1973 TCS with all the original equipment but had been sitting a while. Original CA car so not much rust. I bought it with the goal of "restoring" it, although it did run and drive. Life got in the way again and I also bought a Saleen Mustang as a week-end car. I started back on the Europa about 6 years ago, removed the engine/transaxle, redid the front/rear suspension and bought lots of parts i wanted to replace. Also got the engine rebuilt by a local guy who raced Lotus 23's with his dad. It's still a work in progress.

My motivation in joining this group has been the recent auctions on Bring A Trailer for Super Seven S4's. I'm pretty active with the two Europa groups and a few guys have S4's but thought this group could help with cars coming up for sale. To be honest, my budget is not where recent S4 sales have occurred. Would really like something that needs some TLC but is not a basket case or clapped out race car. 

Thanks

Larry Mullen

If it's good to do, thoughts on the color? Here are the possible color options:

I'm thinking 'Red Copper', as opposed to boring 'Satin Black' or 'Flat Black'. But, will 'Red Copper' clash with Exocet Red exterior? Or, 'White'? It'll match the Rollcage. 

Thanks.  

When I was doing my shopping I found that there weren't really any lights that were approximately the same size as the originals. 8"x3.5". They are a little smaller or a LOT bigger. I figured that 9"x2" would do in a pinch and the size would look right on the fenders. I do like the proportions of all of the lights I bought and they would look decent installed.... if only they covered the existing holes! 

I know that the newer Caterham tails are available, but their price point is significantly higher than I'd planned on spending. All three sets I'd bought off Amazon cost $75... combined. Obviously, I'm willing to spend more, just not the $600+ that the Caterham lights cost. 

Anyone have any other options they've found that would be appropriate for a Seven? 

Here's a pic of what I bought in case anyone else is looking... and doesn't already have big holes in their fenders. All are stud mount with parking, brake and yellow turn signal functions. The lense from the original Birkin lights is at the bottom. 

I thought I might make a post here about some struggles I'm going through with a recent purchase of 1968 Lotus Seven, and see if anyone might have advice. 

Recently, I purchased a 1968 Lotus Seven from a private party in Colorado. I live in West Sacramento, CA.

I did some research before purchasing the car, and it had a clean Colorado Title, plus it pre dated 1975, so it would be smog exempt. That's unfortunately where my research stopped - I had no idea to even check for "Grey Market" regulations.

I took the car to the DMV with my bill of sale, insurance paperwork, and clean Colorado title - (I expected with the car being from out of state they would have to perform a VIN verification.) They told me that they couldn't verify the VIN, and that I would have to take it to CHP.

I immediately made an appointment with CHP, and gave the officer all of the information. He then emailed back with the following:

Marking its 53rd birthday, an occasion few could have predicted, England’s tiny Caterham Cars is looking forward to a massive growth spurt in the coming years, with production increasing 50 percent and possibly more.

Before you get too excited, remember we're talking about a company that currently makes around 500 examples of a tiny car with two seats and no roll-up windows. And that's in a good year. So an annual increase of 250 units seems huge in relative terms. (See full article in link)

racing series in us???

I’m new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself. I’ve been a long-time admirer of the Lotus Seven and the many Seven-inspired cars, and I’m looking forward to learning from the wealth of knowledge here.

I enjoy buying, selling, restoring, and tracking down hard-to-find parts, and I hope to contribute where I can while learning from other members’ experience.

Thanks for having me. I look forward to getting to know everyone and being part of the USA7s community!

I did a few searches for track prep, but I didn't see a consolidated track preparation thread. I know these cars are already pretty well suited for the track, but there are always optimizations that can be made. IE addressing brakes seems to be a common theme. Figured it may be useful to put all recommendations in one place.

I do have a lot of auto-x and some intermediate track day experience, so I'm looking for more the 7 specific recommendations vs general "how do I start doing track days" input. 

Things I'm looking for recommendations on prior to heading out: 

- brakes: feels like the weak point of the car, generally lacking bite. I understand the rears tend to heat rapidly and chew through pads as well. Pad reccs w stock brake setup?

- alignment: is there a good track alignment starting point?

- sway bar settings: upgrade front to thicker optional bar? Rear bar settings that work the best?

- tires/tire pressure starting points (888R)

- cooling: car seems to have excess cooling - does it make sense to block off part of the oil cooler?

- any other unique things I should be aware of prior to running a 7 on the track?

But I'm going to be honest with you I'm lost. So I guess I'll just ask away. 

The chassis number on the car U1148. And the car comes with no title. The component data plate looks like it has some numbers scratched in it sb11 is all I can read. What the scratches look like kids scratches. Can anyone help me with any information on this chassis? 

Next, is it sacrilege to change the color? Currently the car is red, and aluminum. I really really want a gunmetal gray and black car. But I don't know if this is considered bad, and if it'll hurt the value or the historical significance. Just not a red and silver fan. Plus I would like to powder coat the frame.

Next, where is a good resource for obtaining parts? I'm told the car has an upgraded 1.2 l engine but I don't really know much beyond that. 

Lastly, is there a way to track down the original title and or history of the owner if there ever was one? 

Thank you guys for your time and I hope you guys can help me out. I'm really hoping this project turns out awesome.

But the brakes.  My first impression was it felt like pushing against drywall.  Only a slight ‘give’

Flushed brakes as documented in another thread.  Improved things but not a lot.  The car can be stopped but takes substantial pressure, and you better be there quick with that full pressure if Whoaing down!!!  is desirable.   I figured TADTS, just a part of Sevendom.

Took a nice “blat” this morning on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  A senior fellow I’ve just met with an extensive racing history came along and gave me his impression, as I requested.

He said you ought to be able to lock the wheels, push your eyeballs forward.  My experience with my track prepped Elise is that we could out brake anything with doors at Road Atlanta.  Watch a Corvette blow by on the back stretch and then hit the binders while we were on full throttle two more seconds! and dog them through the next couple of turns. First timers felt sick, it was great!

Remember this car sat brand new in storage for like three years before she came to our garage. 
 

Please share your experience, strength and hope.

I now have 15" wheels (picture below), with Nankang Sportnex CR-S tires, in 195-50R15 front, 205/50R15 rear.  (Thanks to Greg Kuter from Time Machines, for the wheels!)

Any suggestions on tire pressures?  My Seven has the Focus SVT engine, so not crazy powerful, but it's 1323 lbs, with a full tank.

Thanks,

Bob Collum

(Edit:  I am trying 22lbs, all around.  I will draw a chalk line across the tread, onto the edge of the sidewall, to see if there is excessive flex, over the next week or so.)

Please send me a private message; I would prefer to explain over a call.

Appreciate your help; thanks a lot.

Alpinestars: 

Tech-1 Z V3 Shoes SFI

Sparco:

PRIME EXTREME

The Alpinestars looks narrower. But. Sparco's heel section looks too narrow to be comfortable. I've a lot of experience with Alpinestars' motorcycle gear; a big fan. This will be my first driving shoes. Or, any other good quality pair you can suggest? Looked at Piloti; not a fan of white bottom-color. They will get dirty and ugly in no time! 

For reference, my upcoming 420R is SV. I wear size 8.5. When I test-drove briefly in a SV, about 10 mins, I wore narrow street shoes; I was still slightly touching adjacent pedals. 

Thanks.

Not sure they appreciate their names on the Internet but you guys have been infinitely helpful, so I wanted to commemorate it as well. 

Thank you all

Any one have a contact or, better yet, received a light?

I’m anxious to get one! Thanks! John

First was the largest App - more like a piece of software.  https://www.racetracs.com/.   Your all-in-one digital logbook for cars and motorcycles in motorsport.

Racetracs has so many tools that can help you.  There are also some Explainer videos on Youtube.

https://springspec.com/  SpringSpec calculates wheel frequency, ride rate, and critical damping from corner weights and motion ratios — then matches you to the exact spring from Eibach and Hyperco catalogues.

Then we have https://stringalignpro.racetracs.com/.   Turns your home String line alignment into the corrected figures without any math needed by you. A purpose-built calculator for the string method. Enter your rim measurements and read true toe, camber and thrust angle — referenced to the chassis centreline — in millimetres, inches or degrees. Built for the phone in your toolbox.

Today I also launched https://sevensense.racetracs.com/.  A torque and fastener reference for the Caterham Seven. Set your model, engine and chassis spec, then ask Colin for any figure — shown with its bolt size and the manual it came from, so you can check it against the fastener in your hand.

Self taught with the aid of my mate Claude.  If you have any corrections or advice I will certainly be happy to impliment them.

Thanks in advance.

I am thinking aloud here having provided a number of customers over the years shipping 4 tires at a time = costly!

Is there any gain - someone able to partner with me where we can take an anual order (or however often is required) to send over a container of tires.  I can do the legwork and ordering and payment here and I need someone over there who could distribute the tires.

It may just not be possible - US shipping costs I know are significantly more than UK/European costs.  (We ship a pair of tires for $20) Yes its all by road.

We could accommodate different makes and sizes.

Let me know if there is demand and or if I seem to be living in another universe!