lowflyer

No hip replacement here, still running all of the OEM parts! I used a similar system, stepping on the frame cross bar, just in front of the seat. I did not have the stock seats, so this bar may not be available to you. Balance using the roll bar until my left leg was in, then squat grabbing the center tunnel and top of the left upper frame rail. Then "shoot" both legs forward and settle into the seat. To get out, reverse the procedure. This method was created in the previous years when I raced a Formula Ford, which made the Stalker feel like a Cadillac. It helps to work on arm strength. My wife suggested the use of an engine hoist, if all else fails! Ken

The ones that I owned: 1955 Chevy BelAir 2 door hardtop 1956 Volkswagon "oval window" sunroof 1956 MG roadster race car 1962 Corvair Monza - later with a Carter AFB 4 barrel carb 1962 Chevy Impala hardtop - 409, dual 4 barrels, 4.56 posi rear 1959 Berkeley 500 roadster, plus another one for parts 1960 Porsche 1600 roadster 1958 Porsche Carrera coupe - sadly with a pushrod engine 1961 Porsche S90 GT coupe - one of 6 made! 1966 Lotus Cortina sedan -one of about 800 imported - later turned into a B/Sedan SCCA racecar 1960 Volkswagon sedan racecar - took me through my first driver's school 1961 Austin Mini 997 sedan 1970 Datsun 510 sedan - with Japanese SSS engine mods 1969 Datsun 510 sedan - "flood car" turned into an autocross car 1972 Datsun 240Z coupe - w/engine mods, factory 5 speed and 4.11 Posi 1962 Merlyn Mk6 sports racer - never completed, now worth $$$$ 1977 Datsun 610 - with racing 5 speed, 4.11 posi 1970 Intermechanica Italia coupe - 351 Cleveland, 4 speed, one of 52 coupes made 1978 Mercedes-Benz 280 sedan 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL sedan 1982 Nissan Maxima - the wife's car 1986 Mazda RX-7 - mid-life crisis? 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo hardtop 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo hardtop SS454 - one of 3800 made 1987 Mitsubishi Montero 2 door SUV 1991 Chevy Silverado "sport truck" - 5 speed 1992 Buick Century sedan - wife's ride 1956 Chevy 150 sedan "custom" - 350, 5 speed, etc. 1994 Chevy Monte Carlo "Brickyard 400" pace car replica 1996 Chevy Impala SS sedan 1976 Zink Z10 Formulla Ford - my return to SCCA Solo events 1987 Buick Eureka Hearse - wonderful tow vehicle 2003 Lincoln Towncar - wife's car 2005 Brunton Stalker 2008 Chevy Trailblazer SUV - grocery getter 2003 Chevy Corvette 50th Annivesary convertible 1993 Mercedes-Benz 350SL coupe/roadster The ones that I would like to have back: the Porsche S90 GT and the Lotus Cortina Over the years I have had many friends and employers that provided me with rides, some long term, some short term. Here's a list of some of the more "fun" cars I had occasion to drive. Bobsy Formula V race car Austin Healey 3000 Jaguar XKE Daimler SP250 Mercedes-Benz 230SL, 250SL, 280SL, 190SL, 300SL Gullwing, 6.3 sedan Citroen DS19 Ferrari 275 roadster Ferrari 330GT Ferrari 330GTC coupe Ferrari 365GT Virtually every Datsun model imported between 1971-77 Datsun Scarab prototype - 240Z with a 327 Chevy V8 and Muncie 4 speed Porsche 914, 914-6, 911T, 911E, 911S, 930 Turbo MG-TF Shelby 350GT Audi S90, 100 Porsche Speedster Delorean DMC12 Cars that I didn't drive, but had the privilege to work on: Hal Keck's Cobra 427 Roger Penske's 1967 Trans-Am Camaro Roger Penske's 1967 Can-Am Lola T70 Mk3 Lola Formula 5000 car There are some advantages to being an "old fart"! Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

I guess that the parachute is "decorative"!

What the heck did he say??? Does the Weber need to be re-jetted? Is that what he said?

Let's see $529 million in taxpayer loans, a $100,000 price tag and it went 180 miles before crapping out! Great economy car. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

The scariest words you'll ever hear are, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you".

I had one of these back "in the day", and it is one of the cars I wish I had back. Mine was a '66 and I drove it everyday, plus autocrossed it on the weekends. Finally, I turned it into a SCCA B/Sedan race car that I raced for two years. The engine could easily be brought up to about 140-150 hp, while the "real" racers of the day were running Cosworth units of about 180 hp. But that wasn't in my budget. The real beauty of this "shoebox" was that it was almost completely invisible to the police! It looked like a small Ford Falcon and drew almost no attention. The one interesting "quirk" had to do with the handling. The chassis was fairly stiff, while the suspension was quite soft, so it had the habit of picking up the inside front wheel on fast corners! They are quite rare and expensive now. They only made about 2400 of them worldwide and only about 700-800 came to the US and Canada. A good one now will bring $40-60 grand. I still have the original wood-rimmed steering wheel hanging on the wall of my office. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

Overflow hose runs from the radiator to the tank. Tank should be be vented and allow coolant to be syphoned back into the rad when the car cools. Most radiators have a small tube in their neck just below the cap. Cheap plastic tanks are available at most auto parts stores. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

Stalker as a daily driver? A Stalker is race car. How do you make the fastest/ best handling car you have ever driven into a daily driver without losing the qualities that you love about it . Or how do you turn your favorite TOY into your daily driver and still b comfortable in all weather. This may b the way.. at least it’s my idea of a good time. Buy a Stalker kit … Reliable… Simple… Proven fast… uses Cheap easy to find American Parts Now to satisfy daily driver requirements EASE OF ENTRY/ EGRES Change the full roll bar setup so you don’t have to climb thru the bars…but without doors you will still have to step over the side to get in. OVER 80 PERFORMANCE ------ Install an LS7/TKO600 ( fits easily) AERODYNAMIC IMPROVEMENT---- Build a removable hard top/ T top with windows NOISE------ Buy or build a muffler system to quiet the exhaust down…add sound dampening on the back of all aluminum panels. WEATHER COMFORT---- Install heat and AC STORAGE SPACE------ Build a trunk and a glove box LONG DISTANCE DRIVING ---- Install very comfortable padded seats THAT SHOULD GET YOU MOST OF THE WAY THERE. Jeez the weight went up by 200 lbs. Now I won’t be able to bring a passenger or maybe it will still handle like it did with a passenger which is definitely ok. Gale Not sure where you got your info, but... I suspect that most Stalkers were never raced, maybe an occasional autocross. At least in my case. They are built as a street toy, back road plaything, and canyon carver. Mine didn't have the rollcage, just a simple rollbar. Install an LS1-7, possible but beyond the abilities of most of us (John Meyer excepted) Build a removable hardtop... you are kidding, right. Same answer for "add air conditioning" Mufflers - had 'em. But the wind noise is the real problem. Build a trunk/glove box. Possible, but the end result still wouldn't hold more than a couple of 6 packs. My car had different seats than "standard" with space under them and behind them. Still wouldn't call it "practical". I had a tonneau cover made for mine and it took up all the space behind the driver's seat, when not in place. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Stalker. I built it because I remember my first drive in real Lotus 7, Series 3, but could never afford one of those now. But the whole idea of one of these "7's" is a light, quick, minimal vehicle which give up just about everything to accomplish its goal of going fast, stopping short and handling beautifully. My Corvette gives up some of the sharpness of the Stalker in favor of practicality. Just one guy's opinion. Ken Edney Chandler, Az

I'd like to throw my 2 cents into the discussion. For background, I built a Brunton Stalker in 2005 and drove/enjoyed it for about 5 years. I sold it and bought a Corvette C5 convertible. Neither one is my "daily driver", but if I had to make that decision, it would be the Corvette. The Stalker was a fun toy, but that's about it. The car handled like nothing else. It was "quick" up to about 70 mph, where the aerodynamics (or lack of) kicked in. On the downside, they are cramped, hot in the summer, cold in the winter, wet in the rain, and windy all the time. I installed an intercom system so I could talk to my passengers, that's how loud they are at any speed. Daily driver... I think it would be nuts!!! Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

Famous quote: "90% of all carb problems are electrical". Besides the normal carb stuff look at the spark plugs to see if they are firing. Are the plug wires for #3 and #4 crossed? Valve adjustment? Normal carb stuff, blocked idle jets, vacuum leak, float level, etc.? The idle jets, BTW, control the running from idle up to about 1300-1500 rpm.

The Pertronix unit shouldn't have any effect on the tach readings. I agree that the tach is set up incorrectly.

No good conversation starts with "We have to talk". Treat it like a fire in a high rise, get low and get the hell out of there!

This was my trailer before Jim bought it and I can vouch for it being a nice piece. The inside is set up for a Stalker, with recessed tie downs and "cleats" in the floor, but it would be simple to reconfigure it for any of the "7's". It is by design a motorcycle trailer, so, good for that too. The biggest reason I chose the "Lowhauler" version was it will fit behind most fences in communities with HOA's. It may even fit into the garage. It tows beautifully. I had the brakes done on it along with wheel bearing repack, just before Jim bought it, about 1 year ago. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

My size 11's fit best with a narrow "racing" type shoe, especially if you "really" need to hit the right pedal the first time! Ken

If you're interested, I found an old Pinto workshop manual that I had from my Formula Ford days. It's yours for the cost of the postage. It's "well used" with some grease stains and such, but should give you some basic info on vehicle maintenance. Contact me direct at lowflyer1@cox.net with your mailing address, and I'll find out the exact price - can't be much, but don't know about Canadian Post (except that they tend to lose things!). Ken

I may be jumping to a conclusion, but it sounds like you don't have much mechanical experience. That being said, if you screw up the timing you will definitely effect the running/starting and may damage the engine. I would suggest you buy a manual, even a Clymer's or such for a Ford Pinto (the 1600, not the 2000). It will have all the info you need. There's nothing hard to do, but you do have to have some basic understanding of mechanics. Perhaps, there is someone near you that will show you "how to" the first time. There's plenty of guys that would be willing to help. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

I found the best combination was an aviation style headset with an intercom. Mine came from Ebay (as much of my car did). It was a two place, portable intercom system, which is very common in light training airplanes. The headsets were not real pricey but offered good sound attenuation. It largely did away with the noise of the engine as well as the wind blowing on my left ear. The real benefit was the ability to talk to my passenger with ease. The system had a voice activated feature, so no buttons to push. Plus I bought a "patch cable" for it which allowed the use of a Sony Walkman cassette player/radio. The whole thing ran off either a 9v battery or the 12v power plug I had installed under the dash. Added feature: holds your hat on at speed!! Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

If so, you save lots of time. Lots of things available at places that cater to the Formula Ford people, like BAT.

No need to drain the engine, if your engine is dry sumped there is no oil in the engine. The gasket you're referring to is actually two gaskets. One on either side of a phenolic block that is a spacer to offer some insulation for the pump from the engine heat. Disconnect the fuel lines... there may be some slight "drain back" so have a rag handy. Remove the two nuts that hold the pump to the block. You may need to give it a couple of taps with a plastic or rubber hammer to dislodge it from the block. Once off, make sure to clean the area of the block since some of the gasket will most likely stick to the block. A razor blade is a good tool here. Now for the fun... you must remove the gaskets from both sides of the insulator block. Again a razor blade, but be careful not to gouge the block. Once you get most of the gasket material off take a piece of sand paper, about 300 grit and lay the block down on the paper and rub it back and forth. Watch the block for any low spots/high spots. Look closely at the block to be sure it has no cracks in it. Once you're happy that the block is flat, you can install the new gaskets, one on either side with a silicon gasket sealer. Let the sealer set up a little, then install everything back on the engine. Should fix your oil leak. It doesn't hurt to put a bead of silicon on the outside of the block where the pump sits either, just be careful not to get any inside the pump itself. Have fun! Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

When checking the catalog from Aircraft Spruce, check out the "Cherry" rivets, which are structural, meaning that the mandrel stays in place after "popping". Used in aircraft building, I used them in the floor of the Stalker, no problems - and I am a fat old bastard! Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

That's the new Camaro, designed by a Congressional Committee.

Yes, that's true. But according to this yahoo the Stalker people are a clique within the cult. I even re-read the article trying to cut the guy some slack, and still think he's a yahoo! Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

I got my copy of the mag today, and must say that I was disappointed. Not in Jack's car, it's a beauty, but in the article. The writer strikes me as someone who never heard of a 7 before, and has no idea why anyone would want to own one. No "heart" as it were. As for Jack's photos, they're great but the caption on the one leads the reader to believe that Stalker owners are part of some weird cult. And the Stalker isn't even listed in the list of manufacturers. Plus he left out a bunch more. Nice photos - bad article. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

Small correction, China Air is not Taiwan's airline. It is the national airline of Communist China, and a branch of the Chinese Air Force. And, yes, they have a terrible safety record. But then again, with a billion people packed into the country whats a couple hundred here or there?