Kitcat

Dave: No drive train loss, etc., adjustments were made. Out in the real world BBall and I ran a track day together once and he had no trouble pulling away from me on the straight, so I am inclined to believe his dyno number, relative to mine, regardless of actual hp. My engine is very tractable and easy to drive. I would always like more power but enjoy being able to go flat out much of the time. What is the top speed in your car, in 4th? I can do about 108 (per GPS, 113 mph on the Caterham's optimistic speedo). I am hoping someone will demonstrate the balancing of carbs technique at LOG 30, which I an attending. I do have the balancing trumpet device. Mike

Brunny: You make good points about Caterham values, its been discussed quite a bit here. And this site is especially non-snobby. You make a good point about the pet issue in Iran and Afghanistan also. But, no need to insult the poster by calling his comment "idiotic". We are all sensible and can grasp your point, and your perspective, especially if made respectfully. Mike

I like the hood stripe color and location. With the side stripes it starts to look like a motorized candy cane.

Power seems to depends on the cam. When I had my X-Flow on the chassis dyno, it made 95 hp, and 93 lbs torque-this from an engine advertised as having 135 hp. And after a expensive dyno tune-up. When I discussed it with BBall, who also has a Kent X-flow, he said his engine dynoed at 115 hp. But he has a hotter cam. If you do a search here, you'll see that Z-tecs advertised at 210 hp have made around 145-148 hp on the dyno. Seems to depend on the dyno as much as anything. One of the things discovered when I had my engine dynoed was that it was running dangerously lean. So the search for power has to balance A/F ratio as well. I suspect, without knowing, that you have a normal Kent X-Flow engine-torquey, easy to drive, not all that powerful. There are ways of adding power beyond the cam (wh/is not easily replaced BTW). You can beef up the internals, add rpms, etc But then longevity becomes an issue. The race tuned X-flows have a shelf life of 20-50 hours between rebuilds. I am not sure how Bruce gets 140 hp from his engine, but I'd love to know his secret:)! Also, if you have a 1600 cc engine, rather than 1700 cc, then you are at a slight power disadvantage to start with. Mike

My X-flow pumps a fair amt of oil out thru the filler cap but it pretty much lands on the hot side and burns off. When I am at a stop light after the car is warmed up, I always have a faint haze of smoke of burning off oil. Since I only use a quart of oil every 1-2K miles or so, it hasn't been a concern. Mike

Several thots: If weekend touring w/wife and dogs are your thing, a se7en isn't ideal. There is no security (locking trunk), while the cockpit holds 2 people, your inside arm overlaps with your passengers (think airline seats, w/better foot room). Adding dogs to the equation is not going to work-space for stuff is far too limited-again, think abt what you can carry onto the overhead bin of an airliner-that's what you can get into a se7en. Price: If you are patient, I think you will find a car like mine for $22-26K. New vs. old: My car has "ample" power and really scoots, up to abt 70 mph, then tapers off to 108 mph where it runs out of oomph. I think the newer cars with double the hp are almost different vehicles, the driving dynamic is so different. So do you want the fastest car on the track, or just one that's faster than a Miata, and a blast to drive? A cool thing about buying a used se7en is, after you drive it a few years, you shd be able to sell it for abt what you paid. Not so much on a new se7en. Enjoy your search. Mike

"Deal of the Century" comes to mind. I take it that an '82 Canadian Porsche could not be legally imported into the U.S for street use, due to emissions etc? I have subscribed to Excellence Magazine for many years and have drooled over similar cars. Whole thing kinda makes a committed se7en owner question his commitment:)! Perhaps move it to the the "For sale" section here? I'd also post at the Lotustalk website under other cars for sale. Many enthusiasts there. Mike Mike

Are you sure its oil and not coolant? I had a similar prob and it was coolant/antifreeze mix (leaky hose). It finally shorted out the distributor.

In no particular order, I am impressed that you are doing all that outside on your drive way, at how stout the Birkin frame is, and that you have gotten so far on a single case of Miller Lite! Mike

For those of us who are aficionados of (or are stuck with) Kent Crossflow engines, an interesting source of info is at: thekentlives.com. Their name says it all. Mike

After 3+ years of ownership, I gave my wife her 1st ride this week. She was stranded at the neighborhood pool, 2 miles away. Since I was in the se7en, that's what I picked her up in. She complained non-stop about the fumes and smell of gas in the cockpit (Funny, I never noticed any smells). It was a success only in the sense that she didn't jump out at the end of the ride and order me to sell it-wh/was my reason for not offering a ride earlier. I will say that I discovered a way to get even more attention and stares than the se7en usually produces: put a woman in a bathing suit in the passenger seat! Mike

Skip: I am exhausted just from reading your post. I can't imagine living it. Can you get PTSD from car repairs? If so, your post is giving me flashbacks:)! Mike

Sean: Ditto: you know you have "ample" power when you can break the rears loose when you drop the hammer in 4th, whilst putt-putting along at 70mph. Mike

We tried the Pinto starter on my car-wldn't fit. That doesn't mean it wld be a problem for a Birkin tho.

Hank: All I will say is How many other 2 wheeled vehicles come with a clever device on which to hang one's purse whilst driving? Mike

Clams or cycle fenders? Looked like a photo of the latter in your photo section, but hard to tell. What color will the fiberglass parts be? Acknowledging my profound bias in favor of Crossflows, I think the engine's basic crudeness fits the character of your car. It also makes a great sound and the modest power forces you to exploit its handling advantages. Also keeps you from getting too far over your head and beyond your skill zone, driving talent-wise. As you probably know from reading other posts, the assembly stage is the perfect time to add as much heat insulation as possible, wherever possible. These cars run (really) hot and cockpit temperatures can be very taxing.

The Dave Bean gear reduction starter I bought didn't fit, in spite of their assurances to the contrary, so I sent it back. I think it was abt $280. Rebuilding may be the way to go. Ask Chris at Sevens and Elans-he has a guy who specializes in rebuilding these units-at least those used on Caterhams.

As a former Vesper Grand Sport owner (a mere 45 years ago) I can say it was the worst handling vehicle I ever had. You could only lean it over about 1/2 as far as the motorcycle that replaced it. The tiny wheels had little gyroscopic effect and contributed to its overall wobbliness. Hit the brakes and the front dove about 5 inches. The only thing that saved it (and me) was its total lack of power, tho I still managed to wreck it 3x. In the process I discovered what a 'tank slapper" is, tho the tank was actually elsewhere on the bike.

WoW!!!!!!!! Do you have elec/water?

Add me to your car's list of fans! I loved the reflection of the yucca bush, or whatever, on the boot, where the spare might go. I think my Griot's Garage random orbital and their 3 levels of polish might be a less labor intensive way to go-tho I can't imagine anything duplicating your results. Why a built up Crossflow rather than the much more powerful Duratec? Obviously ultimate speed is not an issue. Have you contacted Jay Ivey in Portland (Google Ivey engines) for Crossflow parts? He makes a nice aluminum head (for a mere $2K as I recall) + everything else needed to extract power from our ancient, but lovable, Crossflows. Mike

As a lapper who spun and found himself stopped side ways in the middle of the track after a sharp turn, I can attest to the possibility of T-boning. Fortunately my pursuers manged to get around me. And no, still no side impact protection. But it's on my list.

None of the starters I tried when looking to replace my MM unit 2 years ago would fit in the cramped space.

No one's worried about their butts hanging down below the floor pan? I know its not a lot and your do have the seat "cushion". In my case that consists of about 1/8" carbon fiber Tillet seat. Just curious. Mike

Four days, 4 short blats. Like MI, OH is having stellar weather, low 60's-upper 70's. It is supposed to be hot/humid/oppressive. My Crossflow engine only blats, it knows not of this cruise concept:). Mike

Great write up. Fun to follow along vicariously. Nine hundred miles in one day? There's a record I wont break anytime soon! Were you also towing a trailer? What was your cruising speed, mpg?The other Stalkers all look great. Mike