philso

Thanks for the reference to the Caterham dealers in Canada. My intent is to purchase a 7 here, in the US, so I can enjoy it for a few years before I move back to Vancouver.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Yes. One of the members of the local Lotus owners club took me for an hour and a half drive through the countryside in one of his three 7s. He drove a second 7. It was exhilarating, even when we were caught in a sudden rainstorm and got soaked to the skin. I found that Kitsilano Mini Storage on W 11th charges about $130 CDN per month for indoor storage with 24 hour access Finding a place with more garage space is likely to cost significantly more than that in Vancouver. They appear to cater to the collector market and are located relatively close to one of the neighborhoods where I am likely to settle. It's good to hear that there is a reasonable number of people with Elise's with Rover K series engines in Canada. Surely, at least one of them knows how to get parts. If I recall correctly, there is a big, annual, British car show in the botanical garden across the street from my high school so that would be worth a visit after I retire and move back.

Thanks for your concern. The Canadian government considers anything over 15 years old to be an antique. I am not considering anything that would be a "true antique" such as Lotuses built in the 60's and 70's. A schoolmate had a 7 replica built in the 70's and found it too difficult to support. Just to clarify, I do anticipate having space to work, but only after I get settled. If it takes me 1-2 years to find a suitable place then spend another 1-2 years to build a kit, I am not likely to finish before I am 70 years old. On the other hand, I have found places in Vancouver that will store collectible cars, at a reasonable price. Thus, it is acceptable if the first place I move to does not have an enclosed garage. I can also enjoy driving it in the time before I retire. I agree that no known support system is a concern. That is why I am asking the specific questions regarding 7s with Europe only engines. If there actually is some support for these engine types, it may not be a problem. If no parts are available, the amount of trust I have in a shop becomes irrelevant.

I am now finally able to seriously pursue looking for a 7. My preference is to purchase one that was completed 15 to 25 years ago. The 15 year limit is due to a requirement that kit cars being imported into Canada must have been completed at least 15 years before the date of importation. I am currently resident in the US and will return to Canada when I retire in a few years. The 25 year limit comes from my preference for a 7 with independent rear suspension and for a more modern engine with EFI. Are my parameters for choosing a 7 reasonable? I have considered building a kit after I return to Canada but it is unlikely that I will have the space to do such work. Real estate in Vancouver is rather expensive. I have considered a variety of 7s using Vauxhall, Peugeot, and Rover K series engines. I don't believe that cars using those engines were ever sold in North America. Would it be troublesome to find someone who knows how to service these engines and to find the parts? Would it be better to stick with 7s built using Ford engines (Zetec, Duratec)? Many 7s appear to have been built using Ford Type 9 transmissions and Sierra differentials. Would there be problems getting these serviced? Is it at all reasonable to attempt a swap to a Ford Duratec with a Miata transmission or a bike engine if I encounter engine and/or transmission problems?

Thanks for your feedback. It appears that you are saying that the suspension is something that can be adjusted (with reasonable cost and effort) after purchase, unlike cockpit size.

I would like to ask how easy or difficult it is to adjust (soften) the suspension stiffness on a 7. I have been in (and out) of the market for a 7 for some time now. I have found I have been mainly attracted to some of the more hard-core examples (often with race-prepped engines) that appear to have been built for mainly track or autocross use. Many of these are using GAZ adjustable coil-overs or similar. My intended usage would be mostly on the road with 2 or 3 track days a year. One of my friends warned me that I might find the suspension on the track-oriented cars too harsh for my intended use. Previously, he had graciously let me take one of his Caterhams for an hour-long drive on some local country roads. I think it was one of the lower end models. I was quite happy with the ride quality in that car and probably could have tolerated a somewhat stiffer ride. I am aiming to go have a closer look at some of these cars to see how one of these track-oriented cars feel on the road. If possible, I would aim to do the suspension work myself.

Apparently, it is still available. The seller stated "I was told An engineering company in England build the frame from drawings that came with the kit. The engine is a Rover SD1 V8 It’s an aluminum block, I’m told it’s the same as the Buick V8 engine over here in the USA. The rear axle is solid. It’s not independent on the rear. 5 speed manual transmission"

I found this 7 near my area on facebook marketplace https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/558861065521167

Thanks for the great info on the lights, Tony. Sorry to hear about the restrictions due to your surgery. Hopefully, you can still enjoy your 7 after you recover. I am just getting back into things after some eye surgery but the restrictions on activities were nowhere near as serious as yours.

Just curious. What sort of high powered head lights did you get? Did you do a lot of night driving? Thanks. Phil

Thanks for the reply, Rick. I will message you directly to converse more.

Hi Rick Is your Birkin still available? Do you happen to know what type of vehicle was used as the donor for the engine? Will the tonneau, top and side doors fit with the custom roll cage and windshield that is currently installed or do they only fit with the original roll bar and windshield? Are all five wheels and tires the same size? Does your Birkin have a heater? Edited to add: Am I correct in thinking it is painted in metallic green? My first car happened to be metallic green :-) Thanks. Phil

A friend sent me a link to this Brunton Super Stalker. It looks like a sale is pending now but it is worth keeping an eye on in case the deal falls through. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1895328974188783/

I did that twice in the last two weeks. The first time was the first week the ad showed up in the weekly list Croc puts together. The seller, finally contacted me today. They are a multi-marque dealership with Mercedes, Aston, Volvo and Lotus so maybe selling a more obscure brand was not a high priority for them.

Is there a trick to contacting the sellers through Hemmings? I have tried sending messages to the seller of above Caterham twice over the last two weeks and have never received any response.

Before moving into our current house, I had the garage floor coated with epoxy using kits from Home Depot. At the time, the kits were about $120 each. We used 3 kits for a 2-car garage that has a "step" at the back wall. We are the first occupants but the guy applying it cleaned the floor with (muriatic?) acid anyway, just in case the builders left something on it. It has held up well over the last 6 years. It doesn't hold dust like the usual concrete floors.

I was pursuing a couple of cars listed in this thread until my wife spent my funds on renovations for the retirement condo :-( Two runners and one kit are gone now. One kit is still listed but I'm not sure I want that one. I'm still reading through this thread in preparation for when I get my toy fund rebuilt :-)

The carb in my generator got all plugged up with varnish-like stuff when I let it set for a few years in a HOT garage. Soaking it in denatured alcohol from Home Depot for a few days loosened it up. I was able to scrape out the thicker deposits with something non-metalic (a cut off zip tie).. I had to use thin piano wire to clear out some of the narrow passages in the carb body. I then flushed it with more clean alcohol. A turkey baster was used to force the alcohol into the narrow passages to flush them out.

Yes. I was wondering what other (nasty?) surprises there might be. The other people with cars/kits for sale were more forthcoming with information and just nicer to deal with. A friend just found an ad for a Miata based Locost that is documented in a build log. The workmanship looks pretty good. The engine appears to be tired but can be easily replaced. It's also close enough that I could take a long lunch and go look at it :-)

There were very few pictures in his ad and a lot of them were underexposed so no details were visible. I had also asked for more pictures and if the rear axle and other suspension pieces were new or not. In response, the seller told me in a rather snarky way that I should fly in to look at it and that I was welcome to take as many pictures as I want. Maybe he thinks he is running a museum and thought my objective was to get pictures of his car/kit It didn't seem to make sense to pay 10% of his asking price to go see it. I became suspicious that he is hiding something and is hoping that once someone had traveled all the way there, they were more likely to overlook some flaw.

And going for a nice blat :-)

Does the photo showing the engine compartment appear to show rust on the lower frame rails in the transmission tunnel? That was one of several questions the seller was unwilling to answer. He said I should just fly out and go look at it in person.

Today I came across a website, 2040-cars.com, that lists all sorts of cars for sale. Many of the listings do not have contact information and prices. Some contain descriptions indicating an auction but with no details. All of the listings have a box with "Your Name", "Your Email" and "Your Phone". It seems that some people have replied to this website but have never gotten an answer. Is this website legit or are they harvesting phone numbers and email address to sell to spammers?

Yes, Paul is the local "Lotus Pusher", as my wife calls him. There is a meetup on the 2nd or 3rd Saturday of the month for lunch. There was a track day last fall. Many of the members go to some of the many car meets around Houston. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/lotus_ownerssouthtexas/info

You may want to get in touch with a group of Lotus owners near you (http://lotuscarclub.org/local-chapters/). I am most likely to start building a Stalker MX-5 next year. The group in Houston has been very helpful and encouraging including letting me visit their collections. A couple of them are serial 7 owners, mostly Caterhams. Is it "serial" when they buy 3-4 but don't sell them? One was gracious enough to let me take one of his cars for an extended (>100 miles) drive that has had a significant effect on my choices for the various options available. Some of these options may be difficult to retrofit so you will want to buy one with them installed already. They have given me recommendations for several places in the Houston area that specialize in servicing specialty vehicles such as the 7. I have been able to evaluate some of the accessories/components, say mirrors and seats, when installed on a 7. I will using the meetup this weekend as an opportunity to pick the brains of several of the members for details on how they got their cars registered here in Texas. Lastly, once you get your 7, there may be the opportunity to go on group drives with your local group. There have been a few comments about "letting the first owner sort out the car for you". I know at least one local Caterham owner had to spend significant time and effort sorting out his car even though it was purchased as a turn-key, directly from a dealer who did the assembly work.