Driven

But... but... I... but... Are they different? I can't imagine owning two pairs of the same shoes, let alone two of the same cars.

I imagine british car owners are a special group and I would not be surprised by us owners having very similar tastes.

Some of you guys with shops, make me super jealous. How it all ended up looking:

The SO wanted to do a quick photoshoot of us stuffing four cars into a West coast sized three car garage (ie. ~680sq ft). Before I attempted to do so, jotted down some widths and lengths of the cars we'd attempt to shuffle in there. Spot the 7. All in imperial measurements, Length x Width. This is from the front most piece of the car, to the rearmost. Width was measure from outside edge of the rear wheels -- mirrors don't count. 196" x 73" - 2014 Mercedes Benz E63S Wagon 168" x 67" - 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 163" x 70" - 2007 Noble M400 144" x 68" - 2006 Mini Cooper S 135" x 62" - 1984 Suzuki Samurai Hardtop (to the spare wheel) 127" x 69" - 2002 Superformance S1 Hilariously, every single one of our cars would fit in the same space as the Mercedes. Surprisingly, the Superformance is a very wide car. Wider than most 7s, I think...and nearly six FEET shorter than the Mercedes. Basically, the Mercedes is massive, the S1 isn't. Ultimately, we figured we could stuff the Porsche, Mini, Noble, and 7 into the garage with room to spare. The Samurai could have replaced the Porsche or the Noble for even more room. Things you do on a slow Sunday to avoid doing housework.

It shouldn't. a Throw out bearing (TOB) doesn't make any physical contact with the clutch, or the flywheel, or the input shaft. There's usually a guide that the TOB slides on in the gearbox, but that guide isn't often attached to the input shaft. The TOB will only make contact with the fingers of the pressure plate. A frozen/seized TOB could ruin the fingers of the pressure plate, which in turn could break a clutch... but it's unlikely. The heat from the TOB would have to be intense to kill an input shaft seal, so much so that it would almost have to be user error (riding the clutch all the time). Flywheel won't be damaged by a TOB, unless improperly installed. A TOB shouldn't be anywhere near the flywheel.

Thank you! After I went back in the car, removed the shifter assembly and started poking around in the gearbox and found a black plastic bushing. Must have popped off when I was reinstalling. I guess it's also called a shifter saddle. hopefully this helps the next person.

I had removed the shifter assembly to pull the drivetrain (the absolute most anxiety-ridden drivetrain pull I've ever done, because of the front cowl), and have since reinstalled. It feels much sloppier. Am I missing something between the shifter and the gearbox? Is there some bushing that goes inbetween the clevis and the shifter assembly? I can't find any solid diagrams. Mind you, with it installed, everything shifts except 1st is harder to engage. In any gear, there's far more play than before. Or, does it just need a re-greasing? This is for the Ford Type 9 5 speed.

The only good thing about Doug Demuro is his "features" part of his videos. A 7 has none, which leaves the driving part of his videos. Watching him drive cars on the street is pretty bland and uninteresting. So, it's no surprise people don't care to offer up a vehicle for him to "review" Now, if Chris Harris were to do a video on an older 7...

Recently parked our Superformance S1 next to a Lotus Elise and noticed that our car was actually wider, surprisingly. Was wondering what the widths are of all the other 7s are, as well as any other dimensions that might be of interest. I searched but didn't find a definitive resource. So...if you have any info, I can edit the post to add them in for future searches. Lotus 7 Curb Weight: ?? Length: 131.5" (3340mm) Width: 55" (1397mm) Height: 43.5" (1105mm) Wheelbase: 88" (2235mm) Superformance S1 Curb Weight: ~1400lbs Length: 128" (3259mm) Width: 68.5" (1740mm) Height: 40.6" (1030mm) Wheelbase: ?? Caterham 7 CSR Curb Weight: 1268lbs Length: 130" (3300mm) Width: 66.3" (1685mm) Height: 40" (1015mm) Wheelbase: 91.1" (2315mm) Westfield Curb Weight: Length: Width: Height: Wheelbase: WCM Ultralite Curb Weight: Length: Width: Height: Wheelbase: Stalker Curb Weight: Length: Width: Height: Wheelbase: Birkin Curb Weight: Length: Width: Height: Wheelbase:

Basically what I did. Skip to the last 10 minutes. I get to see what cars are involved, who wins, and then determine if the episode was interesting to watch. There's a ultra quick Mini Cooper that was interesting, everything else is standard affair.

the forced drama and the scripted everything was painful to watch for season 1. hope season 2 is better.

I was hoping to be able to drop the gearbox without removing the engine -- anyone know if that's possible? Not sure if the firewall prevents access to the bellhousing bolts... or enough to clear the input shaft. Thanks for the photos and advice so far, definitely helpful

Found this photo while googling -- which looks like the gearbox that's in our 7. At least, that 3 bolt flange that's under the input shaft is identical. The ol' girl seems to be leaking oil from that flange or possibly the input shaft and dripping down. I'm guessing the easiest way to address it is to pull the entire drivetrain out instead of just dropping the gearbox? But, once I get it out, I'm not sure where to go for replacement parts stateside. Any advice would be appreciated before I tackle this project in the next few months.

This exactly. The wiring to the relays are pretty basic and what I'd expect for a DIYer or a quick fix. It'll work, but it doesn't look like what one would pay someone $125/hr to make. For replacement, if that Bosch relay fails (unlikely), you have to create a wiring diagram, pull the wiring, unscrew the relay, and replace. With relay holders, you pop the relay out and toss a new one in. For $125/hr, I'd expect that kind of convenience and higher-end wiring. The rest of the loom is fine. Raychem would make it more reliable, cleaner, and have a higher resistance to temp -- but at a higher cost. Mind you, I just redid my chassis and engine wiring looms, so it's all fresh to me.

While those relays and wiring will be perfectly fine... I would hate to have paid $125/hr for someone to have my wiring look like that. Looks very backyard mechanic. Could have used relay holders (for easier replacement), while hiding and raychem'ing the wiring loom. Micro relays would have been nicer too. Oh well.