JohnCh

Beautiful car. I'm almost afraid to ask this, but if $79k is "less than retail pricing" what is the full retail price for this spec? -John

That's the order. It will make sense when you look at the actual parts. The doubled up Belleville washers form a little spring and the delrin spacer on ball stud side reduces friction so the parts move smoothly. -John

From the recent Monterey trip. http://john15.web.officelive.com/Documents/group4.jpg http://john15.web.officelive.com/Documents/road.jpg -John

Yep That shot was taken on PNW2007. The daily ritual of installing/removing the car cover played havoc with the mirrors. No such problems since making the mod a couple of years ago. -John

Here is the thread. I've employed this fix and it works great. -John

Caterham 13"x6" wheels in silver rather than the more common anthracite. The picture was taken before I installed the center caps, which further alters the look. -John

All R-compound tires will throw up a lot of gravel. I run mudflaps up front which look a bit ungainly, but keep the gravel under control. http://john15.web.officelive.com/Documents/cyclewing.jpg -John

A couple of other choices in that size are the Avon CR500 and Toyo RA-1. I recently replaced a set of R888s with RA-1s on my car, and for the street, I prefer the latter. Although the R888 have better lateral and longitudinal grip, the softer sidewall of the RA-1 seems happier on a light car like a se7en – there is something about the handling that’s a little more engaging with that tire fitted. They also wear great. I put 3000 miles on them last month, and they still look new. BTW this is not a knock against the R888. I really like that tire and was hesitant to make the switch, but I was going on tour and decided the smart thing was to have the more rain friendly RA-1 on the car. Twobone, I think you mean 185/60-13. Toyo doesn't offer a 70 series in the R888 or RA-1. -John

My tastes are pretty varied: blues, rock, jazz, but if I had to listen to just one genre, this is the one. -John

I'd be willing to risk a border crossing for this -John

Have you done a tune up since you bought it? Tired air & fuel filters, distributor caps & rotors, and sparkplugs can all cost some power, as can ignition timing that is out of whack. -John

Skip, the photo was shamelessly stolen from here. There might be additional photos of it elsewhere on that site. -John

They make fantastic touring cars, so weekend getaways with the wife shouldn't be a problem. As for bringing the dogs...well, you wouldn't be the first http://www.warwickshire7s.co.uk/Resources/dogging-in-a-cat.jpeg -John

Back when I had a crossflow, I purchased a gear reduction starter from Dave Bean Engineering. As I recall it was about $175, but that was 8 or 9 years ago, so no idea if they still carry them or the current price. Probably worth a call... -John

Sounds like a great spec! It looks like you aren't using the Caterham Tillets. Are those the B1 or B2? -John

I was a little suspect about TiresDirect.net given the really low prices, but a few forum searches turned up nothing but positive posts. I ordered my tires last month and they shipped within 24 hours. No complaints. -John

I bought my RA1s from http://www.tiresdirect.net. Great prices and good service. -John

Gert, My rear collector and secondaries are connected by spring clips, so some flex there, but the rear of the Raceco is rigidly mounted. No center/front support and no cracking issues in ~20k miles. -John

I should have clarified that the engine I bought from KRP was the euro version with 10.8:1 compression. Back then, there was no US 2.0L. -John

I know of some folks who have purchased their Duratecs through Craigslist and Ebay. I bought mine in late 2002 from Kansas Racing Products. At the time they received sweetheart deals from Ford on certain new engines and I was able to pick up a never fired 2.0 for $800. I don't think they do this any longer. -John

Thanks for the update Skip. I've been wondering how it's been going, but knew he didn't have cell or internet access. Really hate to hear about the damage, but sounds like it could have been worse. If Tom was just a couple of feet forward the bumper might have hit him. -John

Tom made it to Hollister without incident. Car is working and looking great and is ready to head out to the races in the morning. Here are a few photos to show you what you are missing. I'll try to post some se7en content tomorrow. http://john15.web.officelive.com/Documents/bug.jpg http://john15.web.officelive.com/Documents/f40s.jpg http://john15.web.officelive.com/Documents/elite.jpg http://john15.web.officelive.com/Documents/xj13.jpg -John

When I anticipate a rough day at work, I bring the Westfield provided there's no rain in the forecast. It helps keep me sane, and is probably directly responsible for the fact that I haven't yet become a heavy drinker and smoker -John

Tom, Concorso Italiano is the 13th BTW According to Autoweek, a scaled down version of the Carmel Concours is back on. Details here. -John

I run 4-point on both sides, but have Schroth's ASM belts which are the only 4-point system I trust. I had planned to add a sub-belt as well, but never got around to it. You can learn more about ASM and the Flexi-Belt here. In the photo below, I've circled the adjuster buckles in green so you can see where they sit. http://john15.web.officelive.com/Documents/belts.jpg -John