Anaximander

Beardy, Having owned that amazing car, someone is going to get a very fast and beautiful ride. The weight is probably more like 1700-1800 pounds but with that LS3/480, if it had wings, you could take flight. The incredibly smooth power band with gobs of torque makes it one of the most fun cars I have ever owned and I have owned 6 Stalkers over the years. If I didn't own an almost new Corvette C8 hard top convertible, I would be knocking on your proverbial door to get it back. No leaks, no issues, just a very fast and beautiful example of a Stalker Classic XL that is really dialed in. Bob

You might want to put where the car is located, and how many fun miles are on it, and if you had been racing it.

Stalker XL, Consider scratching the use of a torque wrench because there are no standards for how much torque should be applied to the various bolt/nuts. Just check for snugness before each race weekend and you should be fine. Many of the suspension connections require two wrenches to tighten opposing nuts on threaded components and are not even accessible to a torque wrench. Glen had suggested to me what I am suggesting to you and I would only occasionally find one or two nuts that had slightly loosened up. Using a torque wrench without knowing what would be optimal torque settings feels like the potential for disaster in the making? Additionally, what you are referring to in your picture are called cone washers and Minehart has design reasons for using them in some places and not in others. I can't remember what the logic is for their use but Glen would be able to explain the various uses of flat vs. cone washers and where they should be used. Glen helped me build my AXR a few years ago and it was pretty stout.

Stalker XL, With the various Stalkers that I owned (6), with all of the heim joints that Scott uses for adjustability on the M-Spec cars, I would frequently gently test the torque of all of the connecting arms front and back to see if anything was coming loose. The cars have a way of vibrationally, over time, loosening certain nuts, especially on the front end of the car and so I would take a couple of wrenches and without overtorqueing anything make sure that all nuts were secure. When tracking the car, I think it would be prudent to do this before every race weekend and it only takes a few minutes for added piece of mind.

Scott's XL's have experienced several spindle failures over the years. The uprights are custom made to interface with the Stalker suspensions. I would definitely contact Scott Minehart of Stalkers Cars and get his expert opinion on whether or not your fix provides a sufficient safety margin. IIRC, Scott's original supplier of uprights discontinued business and Scott had to source another vendor to make his uprights. He had CNC specs but I am not sure if they went away with the dissolution of the upright vendor's business? Additionally, Scott's brother Jason Minehart has continued to experiment with Stalker suspensions and there may be additional variants that have come out of the real-world race testing that Jason puts his Stalkers through. I think the spindles may have been sourced from Ford parts but that is a long-ago memory and may not be accurate in the least. In Scott's literature, he talks about "custom aluminum spindles" so I am not sure what he was trying to convey with that descriptor? Scott would be your best source for determining the safety parameters of the XL's modifications that you made. He has a lot of real world race experience with his components from some of his racing and he stays well in touch with some of his customers that use his cars primarily for autocrossing although the XL's were primarily designed for track work given their longer/wider dimensions than some of his other models.

yellowss7, I fully agree with your observations about the autocross "juice" not necessarily being worth the "squeeze". For several years and in different cars including se7esque cars, I went to autox events. However, just like yourself, the expenditure of time, effort and the investment in autox specific cars just was not worth the effort for me when I looked back at the totality of the limited amount of driving I was able to do. It did significantly improve some of my driving skills and the camaraderie was very pleasant. However, autox involved too much investment in everything to be worth 4-6 runs of 35-60 seconds. OTOH, some autox'ers have suggested that track driving is like having sex and autox is like having an orgasm during sex. In other words, autox is short lived but very intense which does make some reasonable sense. Another argument reportedly made by a seasoned track enthusiast was that autox which he was relatively inexperienced in was in many ways much more demanding of precision driving than his track time. I have seen Sevens doing very well in autox and agree that if it captures your fancy, the car can definitely be a muli-purpose vehicle that can be used on the street, race track or autocross course with equal aplomb.

Cueball1, That is likely quite true but I had no intentions of using it on the street on this go-around. I built the car specifically to see how well I could build a Stalker and also to see how fast I could get on autocross tracks. It was going to be a x2/month hobby activity. Unfortunately, I aged out and my body just can't handle the g forces comfortably and the long days standing around at an autocross event. OTOH, it would not be a big deal for someone to go through the process of making it streetable. I am not sure why I would have to spoon feed a subsequent buyer? If they wanted to use it on the street, they could simply put on the few things that are necessary to comply with a 1962 Lotus Replica and get is titled and licensed. Not a big deal in some States. There are times, especially when we were in the grips of Covid where I wanted a bucket list project but did not have an eye toward resale. I frankly was amazed at how complex a build can be. I was fortunate to have sorted the car out in less than a year but I understand that some builds take folks several years to get things working properly. Fortunately, I had the expert help of several people that made the project doable. It will forever be an accomplishment that I will remember mostly with great fondness and a bit of pain to make it more memorable

Fellow Se7ens lovers, my fully dialed in Stalker AXR is in the last 3 days of an auction on Bring-a-Trailer. If you car looking for a really dialed in no excuses car that will be uber reliable with primarily new American sourced parts, please take a look at my auction. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/stalker-cars-axr/ My mantra for the day is: "Please Bid and Bid often" Thanks, Capt. Bob, Aka Anaximander

I decided to make the car street legal and am in the process of scheduling the work to make it so. I have had an absolutely wonderful time bringing it to its current level and taking it to the final completion will not be daunting compared to what it took to get the car put together and dialed in. Thanks for all the great advice.

TBone1209, Now scheduled for street legal mods to be installed.

Undergoing street legal mods.

Undergoing street legal mods.

Tomm, Piggybacking on Croc's advisement. The car that he mentions was built by an enthusiast in Florida back in 2011 and the seller had the car gone through by Scott Minehart recently who builds and services Stalker and Bruton Stalker cars. If you decide to step up your game and get one of the latest creations designed by Minehart of Stalker Cars, then take a look at a beautifully sorted 2022 Stalker AXR that I have listed in the for sale section as well. It is almost x2 the money but is a vastly different car than those that were designed in the earlier times. Anaximander aka Bob

Car will be shortly undergoing street legal mods.

Replacement cost would be in excess of well over $53k and closer to $58k. For example, there is a documented $10k in the engine, another $3.5k just in the 500 lb. ft. capable new G-Force 5-speed trans, $2.2k in the new tires, etc. Please call Stalker Cars if you need confirmation of this or go to their website. Scott Minehart who built the components and helped assemble this car makes a really terrific all-around car that can be used for autocross, track or made street legal as a 1962 Lotus Replica. 850-491-2222. Please text before calling so that I know the call is from an interested buyer.

No, Actually, it is a low mileage (about 44k) L33 lightweight aluminum engine with Summit mild cam and all new valve train with the sought after aluminum heads. All of the accessories including the FiTech Ultimate Fuel Injection system and computer are new. The transmission is new ($$$) as are the internals of the rear diff and all other components. The car makes approximately 400 horsepower and in my video, I show taking off in second gear out of 5 gears for better off the line traction.

Barbox, I am surprised that you have not called me about my beautifully sorted and almost new Stalker Cars AXR? It is a little more than x2 the money as that seemingly kind of ragged out B Modified Locust but my Stalker is very much more refined with very conventional gear train. You can see my ad on the 2022 Stalker AXR. It will hands down eat that Locust for breakfast and is fully sorted with no stories. You can call the manufacturer, Scott Minehart at Stalker Cars and/or his father, Glen Minehart at 386-931-6435 and he can tell you all about it as a third-party person. If you want to ask ANY questions about my car for sale, you can call me and ask all the questions you would like and I will tell you exactly what is what. I have moved on to a new 2023 Corvette and at age 75, have decided to ride in more comfort at my age. You can call me at 850-491-2222 and just text me before calling so that I know it is not some solicitation call. Thanks, Dr. Bob, AKA Anaximander

Kitcat, You have been a great supporter! Thanks much. It has been priced as a STEAL. I spent a tremendous amount of time, money and energy on the project and loved it! Again, the uses are endless. Scott Minehart of Stalkers Cars is currently building three new AXR's and they can be used for street, autocross or track purposes all at the same time if you configure it for all of those roles. It is one of the most competent track weapons and is a hoot to drive on the street and eat Hellcat's for breakfast without even breaking a sweat<grin>. The power to weight ratio and the way that the car is balanced makes it ever so easy to drive quickly if that is of interest. The sounds of the V8 are simply intoxicating and the bright red Miata color really has people turning their heads at the 8 autox events that it participated in after build completion at the end of 2022. FYI, Stalker AXR's have been placing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places consistently at the SCCA Solo Nationals. They are built to win and have fun while using USA sourced components that you can easily obtain if necessary. I have a video I made of my 7th and second to last autox event of this essentially new car:

This is a current picture of the 2022 Stalker AXR with brand-new Avon A11 tires and fresh Mobil 1 oil and filter with a new wax job. The car is running perfectly and there are no leaks, no overheating issues, nothing but pure fun for autocross, track or street driving.

Daniel, I was autocrossing the Yokohama Advan AO52's (all 4 tires on a Civic Si) that are TW rated at 200 and found that they are more realistically about an 80 TW tire. Much softer compound and grippy as all get out. They do wear rather rapidly in autocross events.

Stang70Fastback I grew up in Southern California and lived for many years in Northern Cali before moving to Florida. Having only spent 3 years of my life in snowy areas, I am amazed at how optimistic you are about all of the salt you are having to experience. I get a sick feeling when I think about the undercarriage. OTOH, these cars are meant for driving and I am quite impressed with your zest for life and unwillingness to let the elements slow you down. Good show and good luck with your new se7ven! Bob

At https://novamotorsport.com/, they have expanded their initial website to include some of the aspirations the new company rising out of the Avon ashes will become. They now have a place to request more specific queries on the types of tires you are looking to buy.

Croc, It is wonderful to see you back from the other side of the World. Due to your recent location, I would have thought that you might have fallen off the globe due to being on the "wrong" side of the marbel but I guess the sucking gravity we all experience may be in plentiful supply in NZ?

https://novatyres.com/