lowflyer

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?

"It's out of this world!!!"

What a great film. I used to attend airshows in Texas and at one event there were 22 Mustangs flying. Very special time. Price? Years ago they would bring a million plus, probably more now. Funny thing, after WW II they were selling brand new ones (because the war ended so suddenly) that were flown directly from the factory to a storage facility. The price then was $600.00!!! Now that's inflation! Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

Hi Jack (don't shout that across an airport waiting room) The car went to the LA area of California. I have sent the new owner's email info to Dennis for inclusion into the Stalker forum and will be posting his info there later today. No new projects in the immediate future, but I'm sure that something will "call my name".

Car is sold, thanks USA7's!

Updated the information on the local CL, here's the link. http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/1505650124.html No real changes, but some answers to questions posted by viewers.

I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your video. The racing is first class and you did really well against a very "mixed bag" of cars. The biggest reason I enjoyed the video was because I had spent a lot of time at Summit Point "back in the day". As a matter of fact, my first couple of visits there was before they changed the track by adding the carousel. The original course ran down the hill and just before the left that takes you into the carousel they had an "S" turn that went across the side of the hill and joined up at the start of the climbing straight up under the bridge. The "S" was just a little flick-flick in the Formula Vee that I ran there in 1970. The "S" was the lowest spot on that side of the track and, as such, was a natural gathering spot for any rain water. It was under water more than not, and that's what prompted the change. I also ran there in some tin tops including a Lotus Cortina B/Sedan, which was mine and a Datsun 510 B/Sedan which belonged to a good friend of mine. My Lotus Cortina really loved the carousel since I could "hang" the inside front wheel over the curb and shorten the course. Thanks for the curvey trip down memory lane.

Thanks for the kind words, Tom. The car is loud, but being inside the garage at the time only accentuates the volume. I plan on driving it until someone loves it more than me!

Below is a link to an ad for my Stalker V6. It's a normally aspirated 3.4 version. Not in hurry to sell, but open to offers. http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/1481109097.html If buyer wishes, I also have a very nice enclosed trailer set up to haul the Stalker. Contact Ken at 480-802-7830 or lowflyer1@cox.net with any questions.

Hi Tom, Always enjoy showing off the car, but won't be available for the next couple of weeks. Send me a PM and I'll reply when I get back. Ken

I'm curious if anyone has been successful in selling a LSIS recently, and if so, at what kind of price. I am having some thoughts of selling my Stalker next spring (after the winter driving season, here in Arizona). Looking for ideas, beyond listing it here, for marketing such a car. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

When I saw that you were picking up an Italia, my first thought was of my Italia. Sadly, different car. Mine was a production car with an interesting history. Back in the day, when the Pantera was being sold by Ford dealers Mercury dealers wanted something similar, so they commissioned a car to be made by the Intermechanica people of Italy. The same car had been originally built as an Apollo, but with a 273 Chrysler engine. Same people later made a Porsche Speedster replica kit. Anyway, I digress. The Italia was a steel bodied 2 seat sports car that used a Ford 351 Cleveland V8 with 4 speed gearbox. Essentially the drive train was all Mustang Mach I. The engine was rated at around 350 hp, but the car weighed quite a bit less than the Mustang so performance was quite good. The looks were a mix between a Corvette and a Ferrari, in my eye. They built about 200 roadsters and 52 coupes. I had one of the coupes. Neat car, but hotter than a $2.00 pistol inside, and if I ran the A/C then the car overheated. Talk about a "fair weather" car! The heavy, non-power steering was another drawback. Kept it about 2 years, sold it to finance my flying lessons. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

Many years ago, a good friend of mine built a Datsun 510 for autocross. Both he and his wife drove the car, and this was before the popularity of Ladies Classes, so they ran head to head. In almost every case, she beat him, sometimes but fairly large time differences. The problem he had was that he enjoyed having the car sliding, getting the tail out and powering it around the course. She felt less comfortable on "the edge", and therefore drove a tighter, less dramatic line - which of course, was the fastest way to do it. He realized this was the case, but never was able to "slow down" to go fast! Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

The bigger shame is that that feeling of coming together only lasted a short time. I drove through my neighborhood this afternoon, and saw only 3 American flags flying, one of which was mine.

One, often overlooked, feature of the C4C program is that the money received from the Guvment is taxable in most states! Surprise.

I shouldn't "hit a guy when he's down", but... these are the kinds of things that led me to buy the Stalker. Can you say, "Made in America"? I had been down the "waiting for my ship to come in" with parts when I built my hot rod Cortina engine.

Yes, adjusting the spring perch height, at the front, will change the settings for camber, and toe-in, less effect on caster. On a "7" with an independent rear (if there is such a critter), it would effect camber for sure. Plus, changing the height will also effect corner weighting if that's a concern. Nothing is ever simple, is it? Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

O.K., now I have a better picture. Can't understand why they limit the total advance to only 12 degrees. If you wanted to run up to the "magic" 34/36 total advance, you would have an initial setting of 22/24 degrees. Can't imagine the car would start at that. I think your best bet is to find a shop with an old fashioned Sun Distributor machine. This won't be easy, since nobody even knows what a distributor is any longer. They can set up the advance for just about anything you want. Try the biggest "hot rod" shop you can find in your area and ask if they have such capabilities, or know of anyone that does. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

You didn't specify, but if your gauge connections are simple pipe thread a little Teflon tape would probably solve the drip. Not for use on AN fittings though.

If the total advance (you didn't say if has just a mechanical or both mechanical and vacuum) is only 10 degrees, then yes, you definitely have a problem. Can you see the advance weights when looking down into the dizz? Any chance that they are rusted or otherwise stuck? If you have a vacuum unit, then the vacuum diaphram could be shot. What is the distirbutor you're working with. Is it an old Lucas unit or something else. More info might lead to a better conclusion. Ken

The advance is going to depend, in most cases, on the condition of the distributor. Since it's a function of the condition of the springs inside, plus the cleanliness around the weights, plus any wear in the shaft. The 36 degrees is about as far as you want to run it, especially if you're using pump gas. I used to run my FF Cortina engine at that advance, but I was using 100 LL aviation gas. The advance is easy to check if you use a timing light with an advance feature, and have the use of a friends foot or hand to operate the throttle. If it all comes in at once, check the condition of the springs inside. You can also buy different springs to alter the advance, as well as changing the weights slightly by grinding. Try setting it at 34/35 at 4000 rpm, then go back to idle and check what you have there. You can use a piece of graph paper and map the advance by running the engine from idle up to the 4000 rpm setting (at which point all the advance should be in) and write down the total setting at 500 rpm increments. You might notice that the timing mark will jump around at 4 grand, but that's just the slop in the gear/distributor shaft/etc. After that, just drive and make sure you don't have any preignition/detonation sounds from the engine (not that you will be able to hear them!). Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

Not wishing to hijack the thread, but..... I've just booked two nights in Prescott, Oct 5 & 6 for my annual backroad run, stuff yourself with good food, play blackjack, visit friends trip. Anyone that is interested in joining me, give me a holler at lowflyer1@cox.net. Ken Edney Chandler, AZ

Total agreement with "scannon's" opinion. If you are not already familiar, try checking out http://www.motorcycleroads.us for a listing of their favorite roads. One note I would offer, going through Sedona on 89A on a Saturday/Sunday can be a challenge to both the driver's patience, and the car's cooling system. The traffic can be a nightmare with tour buses, "Wally Trolleys", and tourists trying to park so they can get a deal on the spiritual crystals! Also, not sure if you're planning on overnighting at the spots you mentioned, but some of them are only a wide spot in the road. One other thing you might want to add is the road from Apache Junction to Tortilla Flats (don't remember the route number off hand). It's about 10-12 miles of twisty-twists with nice scenery of the lake in places. Just watch out for the crotch rocket crowd on the weekends. Good restaruant at Tortilla Flats. The pavement runs out about 5 miles beyond TF, so I normally just go back the way I came in. BTW, Colorado Rt 550 is the most incredible, challenging, scenic and scary road I've ever been on, but that may be because I was driving my wife's Chevy Trailblazer at the time. On the way out of Silverton, the road has a white stripe on the right side to demark the edge of the road - and the end of the world! There is no shoulder, no guard rail and a drop of about 1500 feet with nothing to stop you if you go off! I asked my wife, who was in the passenger's seat to take a picture of it, she only could say, " I can't even look out the window!".

Unlikely that the bellhousing was leaking. More likely that the front input shaft seal was leaking and the oil would run down the inside of the bellhousing.