Dave W

Kyle I do not have a lot of extra space with size seven shoes, so my suggestion would be to take some cardboard and mock up a foot well and see what you can actually live with. If building the frame like a 442 you could increase the area as others have suggested, and look at floor mounted pedals so you can end up with close to the right pedal leverage. Good luck on your build, Dave W

I do not think it is a matter of 10w-40 Vs 15W -40 but the additive in the diesel oil. The EPA had taken Zinc Dithiophosphate out of the regular motor oil. lf your Kent engine has a HI LIFT cam then you need the EP additives. The recommend diesel oil still has these additives. Search ZDDP and get the full story. Anyone with HiPo flat lifter cams should be using diesel oil. Dave Whitt

Same as Russ' 27* but a 1/2" shorter. If I where to make another one I would also put a little more taper on the sides, probably about an inch wider at the bottom Vs top on each side. While you are at it, add some 6-32 tape holes at the top to attach plastic colored visiors. They help deflect the air when turn up plus come in handy even when you have your sun glasses on. Good luck on the new windshield Dave W

Tim I think the odds are pretty low that you will find a frame made from round tubing. If you can get all the tubing and brackets for $400, you are going to be much better off building it yourself. The building the table and the, lay out and a few braces is only going to take 10 to 15 hours. That's only a drop in the bucket for the total build. The frame is really less the 10% of the process. If you are time limited the best bet is finding a half built car that some one has lost interest in. Keep searching Dave W

Jim Thanks for the reply, I'm just looking for street use, My selection is limited with 14" wheels. Thanx Dave W

Very nice build. I like the lowered battery mount design. Looks like the tires are ES-100s, How do you like them? I'm thinking of up-grading my tires. Dave W

That's story of my life, camera full (teenager in the house) or the batteries need to be charged. Is the Fury body still being made in England and are they imported to the states? Dave W

HOOOO is that NICE Got any pic's of the engine bay? What a Great ride Dave W

A 6 lbs variation is as good if not better then most measurement systems. A LOOONG time ago I was involve in a test problem where we measured the vehicle on a machined bed plate using four precsion load cells. The vehicle wt was about 4000 lbs and we where only repeatable from 8 to 12lbs with no changes. Just raising and lower the vehicle to verified the added wt between set-ups. There is that much friction and histresis in a production suspension system. I'm sure it would be a little better W/O rubber bushings, but you are not going to get much better then your current results. Dave W

Charles The one thing I found really helpful was in these small foot wells is to install some heel stops. It makes it much easier to pivot and locate your feet on the pedals. You can either bolt them directly thru the floor, or I made a small frame to fit inside the foot well that, you can remove to clean the area. But it does make it more difficult to rest your foot behind the clutch pedal. Good luck on the pedals Dave W

Congratulation Bob, After 6 years you need it. It sure shows how, if you stick to the project you will be rewarded. Still a lot of the summer left to enjoy your new toy. Just be carefull the first few outings. I looks like a great build Dave W :hurray:

Brad That is a really nice ride, Looks like you spent a lot of time doing a quality build. Whats the little chrome loop on the dash? Dave W

Found on the UK Lotus seven site. They recomended that you seal the top and actually add a drain on the bottom of each lens. Dave W

Richard My guess is that you did not get the roght pre-load on the new bearings just installed 500 miles goes. Wheel bearings usually have a rumbling nose that changes with RPM. But the clunking could also be a U-joint. Best to jack it up the seven and see if you can find free movement in the pinion or drive shaft. Dave W

The standard caterham tail light mounting position has the vent hole on top Vs on the bottom side of the lens. What is general practice, Should I keep it vented, will water make it's way in the housing or should I seal the vent hole off. Thanx Dave

Thanks for the quick reply You a lot of great ideas there. I think I'll have to try something like that this fall. Thanx Dave W

Andrew That looks very good, I really like the idea that it can be stored when not in use. How did you attach the the clear sheets to the front of the windshield along the sides at the leading edge? Thanx Dave W

Try McMaster Carr, They have a large selection of both chrome and stainless steel latches in stock. They also show all of the dims, so you can probably fit the current hole pattern. DaveW

My experience has been even if you pay extra for a concrete pad to be level, the best you can hope for is about 3/16" to a 1/4" over a ten foot length. You can just mark four areas on the shop floor [wheel locations] and using a long enough straight edge just build up pads so you have a level working surface. Number or letter the shim packs so they go back in the correct spot each time and also mark the areas on the floor. I also made a lever arm with a wheel pad that rest on my offical almost certified $5 bath room scale. Which has less then a 1% error for wheel wt. This is probably Ok for road work, but might need something a little better for the track. General numbers DaveW

I belive the reverse light may be a state requirement. The Michigan vehicle inspection sheet doesn't list the back up lite as a required item on the check sheet. Checking the list twice Dave W

You do not start counting until AFTER three tries! The first is the design concept The 2nd is the prototype The 3rd is the actual part. Been there, done that Dave W

My name is Dave Whitt, I'm married with a 13 yr old daugther that is already talking about driving the car to school. I saw my first Seven in college in the early 70's. It was a RHD and very loud. At the time I was into British sport cars, having an MGB, but spent most of my time and money road racing motorcycles up to about the mid-80's. That was when my new wife decided I needed a safer hobby. So we made a deal and I built a mid-engine Kelmark. Now I'm in the process of building a Locost. I'm using a Toyota GTS as a donor and it's about 95% completed. I just finished painting it, and I'm working on finishing up the wiring before final assembly. Since I'm a Quality Engineer for an auto parts supplier, I'm on the road a lot putting out fires. So the build has taken four years. But a lot of the extra time is of my own making because I always have to put my own twist on the design and build. I have actually made hundreds of design changes and improvements, plus I'm making as many of the components that are reasonable to hand fabricate and are cost effective. I should see how well they all work, just about the time we have a foot of snow in Michigan. Dave W http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/wink5.gif

I made a similar lever arm scale to check corner wts. The one thing I found while playing with the scale, was that the readings where sensitive to the tire location on the lever arm. I would suggest marking a center line to help center the tire on the lever, or I put an guide on the inside so the tire is always set against it so it ends up in the same location. I like the added chair caster designed into the end of the arm. Dave W http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/yesnod.gif