JohnCh

I recommended "faux 7" to the previous owner of my Westfield. I still have the plate kicking around the garage and should probably mount it on the wall one of these days http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/wink5.gif -John

Rivet Nuts and Insert Nuts are both available at >Pegasus. -John

I would love to belong to a US se7ens club and am happy to get involved to make it happen, but I don't want to join the US Caterham club -- and regardless of the name, L7GB *is* the Caterham club. Although LF is a very nice little publication, the ads and articles are almost exclusively about Caterhams with the occasional nod to the Lotus 7. There is no mention of other se7en makes, and I can't believe the editors will change that policy for us. I hate to think that a significant portion of my dues will go towards a publication that targets only a segment of the US membership. I believe we need to take a closer look at our objective. If it is to take the simplest path to having a club, then I agree that aligning with L7GB or WSCC, or some other club has merit. However, if the goal of the club is to bring all US se7en owners together and to spread the word on these great little cars -- regardless of manufacturer -- then I think we should start something ourselves. Thanks to Mazda, we already have the forum. We can do an e-newsletter while getting started, and we can help people in various regions to hook up. Over time we can sort out the liability issues and begin to officially coordinate/sponsor events. But it would be *our* club. Given the state of the US se7ens market, some of the US distributors/manufacturers of the various makes may even be open to sponsorship opportunities. If we are the US arm of L7GB, I can guarantee that isn't going to happen http://www.usa7s.com/forum/smileys/smiley2.gif -John JohnCh2006-08-07 06:59:36

Boy, I have a feeling I am going to step into the crossfire with this post, and I hope it doesn't come across harshly, but… I'm not a fan of the Bloodline concept. To me a Lotus 7 is a Lotus, and a Caterham is a Caterham. Yes, the latter company purchased the rights to continue production and until recently the same company produced the chassis, but to me that doesn't make it a Lotus 7. Birkin has the rights to reproduce the S3 in South Africa, so shouldn't they get the same treatment? Also what do you do with the CSR? The chassis is made by Caged, not Arch. The suspension was designed by Multimatic, not Lotus, and the performance and price target are leagues away from Chapman's original concept. To me Caterham has it's own heritage created over the last 30 years and to tout the tie-in to Lotus just diminishes those accomplishments. I personally believe we should view all of the cars as Se7ens. Tiny, doorless vehicles inspired by the Lotus 7. Why stratify them? As for access to Lotus clubs, I guess it will vary by region, but the Lotus club in the Seattle area actually approached me to join. Most of the Lotus Club regions are so small they are always looking to affiliate themselves with others. -John (awaiting the barrage)

Yep, I was on USA 2005 and am joining up for most of PNW 2007 as well. Should be a lot of fun, but sadly I think UK involvement will be zero. Those folks had so many problems getting their cars back home that I don't think any will want to go through that process again in the near future. I would love to join you folks for the 7-7-7 event, but that is a bit too far away for me. It's good to hear that the L7GB leadership is open to us doing things our way. However, I'm curious what benefit we get by associating with them, rather than start something on our own? Low Flying is nice, but it isn't that relevant to non-Caterham owning folks on this side of the pond. Ditto for the events, discounts, track days, etc. Are they creating a separate American Forum in BlatChat similar to what the Atom Club has done? What about fees? Are they the same as in the UK? If so, does that mean we get all the benefits mentioned above? I would love to drive interest in se7ens here in the US, and think a club is a great way to do it, but I would prefer to do something that is truly agnostic rather than piggyback on the club of any one marque. I think there are enough of us in this country who are passionate about se7ens that we could start a grassroots club which would help pull all of us closer together. -John

I would love to see a US Se7ens club, but I would prefer to see one that openly embraces all cars of the genre. Kind of like this site or the se7ens list http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif If this US club was associated with L7GB, then I don't see that happening. As Al alluded to in his initial post, there are political issues at play in such a scenario. In the UK where there are relatively large numbers of Caterhams, Westfields, Tigers, Dax, and others, it makes sense for each make to have its own club. Here in the States, however, the numbers are small enough that I think we could benefit by all working together -- Caterhams, Westfields, Birkins, Stalkers, WCM Ultralites, Locosts, etc. I have a dream...http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif -John

>Protex makes a wide variety of latches. I am using the >27-1162/SC which combines a spring clasp, latch, and saftey pin to help keep the bonnet in place. -John

Is it possible that the diff is indeed a LSD, but that the clutches are worn out and it needs a rebuild? -John

It sounds like it might be time for one of >these http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif -John

I've never heard of a problem with jumping them, just with using a charger that exceeds 15v. There is a good website on this type of battery located >here that is worth reading. -John

Right, so not just any charger. Hence the term "special" http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif

Weather is hit and miss in the PNW, but September and late spring/early summer are generally pretty nice. Besides, weather is part of the adventure. On USA 2005 we were caught in nasty thunderstorms in CO and UT, and also encountered some hail, but we didn't miss a beat. I can't see a little drizzle slowing us down next year http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif -John JohnCh38742.491087963

I have a PC680 and it works great. No problem doing multiple starts or starting in cold weather (32F). It also has plenty of charge left to fire up the engine after a 3 week layoff, but I have not tried going longer than that without hooking up the battery to the charger (you need a special type of this kind of battery). This type of battery doesn't like heat, so it is best to mount it away from the exhaust system. I mounted mine in front of the driver's side footwell on the lower chasis rails to keep the center of gravity low (the Duratec exhaust exits on the passenger side of the car) -John

Yeah, there were a number of times when feet were stomped to the floor http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif For links to a number of USA 2005 blogs and photo galleries, go >here and scroll down to the penultimate box. BTW we are planning to do this again in 2007, although this time we intend to tour the Pacific Northwest, and sadly we won't have as many people coming over from the UK - it's a rather expensive proposition for them. You can read a little more about the proposed tour >here but keep in mind it is still very early in the planning process, so everything is subject to change. A lot http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif -John

USA 2005 was a blast. Chuck, do these bring back a few memories? http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley1.gif -John http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/vm3.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/MOABTOPAGE_177.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/MOABTOPAGE_253.jpg

I am the same way. The only reason I went with an auto cancelling module is that I wanted to incorporate steering wheel mounted buttons and the ones I liked were only available in a momentary design. This meant that I couldn't use a regular turn signal flasher and I was unsuccessful finding anything affordable and non-bulky that would convert the momentary action into a latching-type signal. Yes, the dash is padded, but I am about to redo it and will probably lose the padding (car is a Westfield BTW which is why the dash looks a bit different) -John

The unit will also cancel on demand by simply repushing the button, which is how I tend to use it. I find that I typically cancel it within 10-15 seconds, but it isn't uncommon for the 15 second clock to time out while I am still completing a turn, so I think even 20 seconds would be fine. -John

I also have switches mounted on my steering wheel, but I am using >the Cadent Technologies turn signal module. It auto cancels after 15 seconds, but the countdown clock will reset itself whenever you apply and then release the brakes. This is a very useful feature when stuck at a busy intersection. It also has an option to rapidly flash your brake lights three times upon initial application. I am runnning my roll bar mounted third brake light to that circuit and it really seems to get the attention of the latte drinking, cell phone using SUV drivers here in Seattle. http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/images/dash.jpg -John