traveler501

hi, Skip Thanks for the pic and the info…that setup would pretty much bolt right up to mine (weld a clip to the muffler and I'm good to go!). And I like the insulated aspect so I can get the can nice and close to the bodywork. I'm sure I can track it down…but would you have any clues which Magnaflow you used? thanks, John

ok, what I've got so far is: down and out, further out laterally past the rear wing, and laminar flow. Also I'm following up on Tom's info about LOCOSTUSA's airstream models. I've found some CFD models for the front of the car, hoping to find some 3D models of the rear (!) I'll start researching muffler options today too. All of these comments have been extremely helpful. Extra thanks to Tom and Mike for coming through for me a couple times now! John

Thanks, guys, I'll move forward then with a rearward exit, similar to the 160 photo attached. I'm going to drop this whole BSA setup from the header back. Is there a good source for traditional Caterham parts in the US? Or would any "round can" muffler work? Meanwhile, I'll start looking around…I'm assuming I'll need a custom mid-pipe made locally and some new mounts. Pretty excited about getting back on the road! thanks again, John

Thanks, it would be easy to swap in a longer mid pipe and get that exhaust tip near the rear wheel. I'm curious if anyone else is having problems….does it pretty much always work just moving the exit point further back? That would be an easy fix…thanks, slomove.

hi, guys I just got my car, and after rejetting for altitude, took it for a warmup, then made some adjustments, one more short trip and parked it. I had the hood and nose off the car all this time. And both the crankcase breather and valve cover vent into the atmosphere at present. Long story short, I swallowed a lot of fumes…kind of made me sick. And I'd like to avoid that in the future. I'll show a couple pics…I'm just curious if there's anything obvious I'm doing wrong. Is my exhaust tip too close to the back of the front wing and getting turbulence while driving? Is driving without the nose and hood on screwing up the airflow? Also, it was worst at idle…would I be better off with a narrow outlet pipe to "jet" the exhaust farther away? Should I get that exhaust a lot farther away from the car? How much of this is because the crankcase/valve cover breathers aren't hooked to a can or vacuum source? I'm interested in any and all thoughts. This is one of those things I'd like to get right the first time! And I have no problem with overkill *grin* thanks in advance, John

hi, Dingo Thanks for the carb info…I was talking with Pierce Manifolds today and pricing the parts to complete the choke assy. FYI it would be about $50-60 for new parts, but based on your comment I'm going to let it go. It's in the high 20's here and I find I can still start it with about 4 pumps (which is amazing). So there's that. Good eye, btw…the front end bits are all Caterham, but the frp is Curtis Unlimited. I think the builder was going for a 2 1/2 style and that's why he went with the downdraft DFD. Curiously though he had the dual Weber manifold and included it in the sale. I'm going to just enjoy the car for a while, but may go with the DCOE's in time. I'm open to suggestion on that, if anyone has comments pro or con. I assume a bump in power, but wonder about the added complexity. Also I'll only be driving on the street so probably have no need for the power. They look great though (!)

hi, Tom sorry I'm late in responding, apparently I still don't have the "notice by email when you have post" working yet. Very kind offer, I appreciate it. I think that 1970 Ford Cortina GT's came with this carb (32 DFD) and they had a single choke plate over the primary. If you happen to find one that would be great, but please don't go to any trouble. I've since rejected the carb and it's running much better. A choke would be a nice thing to have, but I'm finding I can live without it. I also got a 160 thermostat installed per our previous conversation. Tomorrow the motor gets an oil change (just turned 500 miles since the rebuild) and the valves adjusted. I'm loving the car…thanks again for the offer! John

hi, Tom I appreciate your comments. In my case, it's the dual throat 32DFD carb and the choke plate has been completely removed (!) I agree with your thoughts on the "hot rod" trick and not warming up quickly…even more of a problem at this elevation (cooler weather). I'll definitely get a thermostat…also waiting for new Weber jetting in the mail. We'll see how it goes. And thanks for the offer of help…I will surely have more questions *grin*

Wow, George Alderman is still around? He has to be in his 70's at least! I grew up near his shop in Wilmington, DE….he was a Lotus 7 dealer years before he was ever a Caterham dealer. Seeing that name really brought back memories! (among other things, I remember seeing him autocross a fierce 911 in the mid 80's).

hi, Tom Pretty cool you're so close…and yes, 89 would be fun once I get up and running! (btw, my brother lives near you in Carefree). Since you're in essentially the same climate….want to field a question? This Lotus doesn't have a choke, and also isn't running a thermostat (just a plate with a small hole in it). My first impulse is to get both choke and thermostat…and for that matter add a thermostatically controlled fan instead of the on/off switch. However, I'd like to know what you're doing…what's working for you? I'd appreciate any thoughts... John

Thanks for all the nice comments. About the color, it's not a color I would have chosen/expected to work but oddly enough, it's a popular color here in Sedona. The local McDonalds even have arches that color. Plus I'm hoping it will look "friendly" to the cops when they catch me having a bit too much fun. I managed to get a short blast around the block before the plugs started to foul (running very rich at this elevation)…and the car is even more fun than I remembered. I'm smitten! (and my TR6 is feeling insecure) John

a couple more pics...

hi, guys I've been hanging around here for about a year now, watching Croc's ongoing list and looking for the right 7. I think I've found it…that funny turquoise car from a few weeks back. I'm calling it a "replica" because he built the frame and sheet metal with supposedly original Lotus 2/3 plans and then installed a Cortina GT drivetrain (1970) with the crossflow head (so a 2 1/2?). I've just received it…can't even drive it until I get the Weber rejetted for my local elevation (4300 ft). But I'm pretty stoked! I have a bunch of questions already, and I hope you'll help me out getting my feet wet... but first just wanted to share early pics with everyone! John

Just a couple things quick…thanks to scannon for the subscription advice (clearly dementia is setting in, not sure how I missed that!). Also, FWIW I love my Miata and have had one non-stop since 1990…but the most fun of all is alternating between it and my TR6. I continue to dream of adding a 7 to the rotation sometime soon (!)

At the risk of hijacking this excellent thread, I noticed Mike/Croc's comment about "paid members" on the previous page. I find this site useful and would be happy to contribute, but after 10 mins (maybe it's just me) can't find anywhere to pay dues. Perhaps others would like to know as well?

I find the comments invaluable…and appreciate the humor as well. Getting a more experienced take on some of these ads has kept me out of trouble a couple times now. Please continue...

Just a quick thanks for all the gauge/instrument cluster information! Among other things I had no idea that the later Miatas had electronic speedo info, or that GPS speedos existed! (getting old and out of touch I guess *grin*) All of this is very exciting. Also, NVP66S…great looking dash arrangement! I think the way you've reworked it makes it look quite classic.

@ MPG It's pretty exciting that you'll already doing this (NA/Westie). I'm curious how you like the kit and how well it's all going together. About gauges, I'm ok with debugging a car's wiring but have no experience with converting modern engine information for generic style gauges (or even vintage Smith stuff, which would be even better). Could you offer any links to those UK conversions? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. @Croc That's really good to know, getting a comparison from someone who's owned both cars. I'm beginning to see the many advantages of these newer cars over "original" Lotus's which often started off as kits with questionable workmanship and 50 years of cobbling thereafter. Time to widen my search a bit *grin* Thanks for your comments.

To follow up on that '64 S2, I've been watching that car for awhile. He's listed it several times, in several places over the last year and I had already been talking with him. Long story short, when the latest Ebay auction ended he contacted me to see if I'd make a higher offer. He said he had a dealer offer of $30,500 in hand and had been trying to beat that. He said he also had a $31,500 offer from another dealer but it was too far away to make shipping it worthwhile (I'm guessing that was Wire Wheel…but it's just conjecture on my part). My problem with the car was lots of little stuff…gas gauge didn't work, lots of replacement panels (notably the rear fenders were S3, not S2). I have wanted an authentic Lotus, but the more I look around and think about it, the more I think a modern but classically appointed Birkin or Caterham might be better. I'm even tempted to turn my NA Miata into a Westie/Flyin Miata. My biggest reluctance there is having a Miata gauge cluster staring at me in a Lotus replica (!) Anyway….here's a little more info on that Lotus. Also thanks to Croc for doing this, I really appreciate this ongoing, updated list!

Nice looking car! (although no windshield wipers would be an issue for me here in Arizona). If that's your TR6, here's an unsolicited piece of advice (again about wipers, oddly)…swap those wipers around and you'll see that they nest better. Unless it's your personal preference I think you'll find someone installed them backwards at some point. Good luck with your sale!!

Thanks for your thoughts…I think you're helping me narrow my search (I actually would love a bench seat, 4 sp, modest engined car, short cockpit…very traditional S3 and if that's $18k all the better :hurray: I've been dreaming of getting a 7 ever since I was a young kid and saw a shiny new Mk VI drive past on the road. Now that I'm retired, it's time! Thanks again….

I agonized over it quite a bit (and yes, shipping was quoted as another $1500. One of the issues was that the shippers wanted to be able to start and move the car throughout transit and it has a dry sump! The alternative was $100 more and the threat of damage as they winched that frame off and on. Neither solution made me comfortable). I still might have gone for it despite everything but the RHD was one too many aggravations for me. Nonetheless I have continued to wonder if I made the right choice….I really appreciate your supportive comment! PS one more piece of info for anyone interested. The dealer brokering the car won't allow any contact (for further information) with the actual owner until a contract is signed and $500 deposit handed over.

About that Oregon 7, I almost bought it a couple weeks back and discussed it at length. My main objection is that it seems the engine was rebuilt over a decade ago and never broken in properly. It was rebuilt with high compression and then taken out for a short joyride every once in a while, they're saying only 50 miles since the rebuild. Also no seat belts or other updates. It seems to have good potential as an autocrosser though. I see it's listed with a Reserve…the seller was firm on $27,500 at the time and I would expect the reserve to be close to that. I've thrown out my notes at this point, but there were a few other "niggles" that popped up. The tires were quite old among other things.

I came close to buying the "arch motors" car that croc mentions at the top of the page. I passed because I want a road car to zip around with and this looks to be a touch closer to an autos / racer and I wasn't wild about RHD. The guy went down to $27,500….the twin-cam is newly rebuilt and showing 200 psi, the Arch Motors frame has checked out intact….low miles, good looking car, dry sump, 40 DCOE's…I have no dog in this, just passing it along. Here is a link to a ton of pics if anyone is interested. John ted@automaniagp.com PS about that "miata" car…the guy says its from Demon motors in Canada. Since it's never been titled before, would that be impossible to register here? I'm still shopping around, and have come across a couple of these deals but skeptical since they wouldn't fall under the 25 year rule.

I want one...preferably the 165 left hand drive. How??