lowflyer

While this has nothing to do with a bad back, it does follow the trend this thread is taking. Several years ago I went shopping for a used Formula Ford. I hadn't even been close to one in over 20 years and I was shocked at how small they had gotten. Since I was shopping with a budget in mind, this was less important since it was the newer (more expensive) cars like the Swift that was so tiny. I found a local guy that had a couple of cars for sale. The one that was "priced right" was a Lola 340. It had been upgraded with the SCCA required "intrusion bars" which essentially makes a small roll cage out of the car. Now, I'm a big guy. At the time I was 6'2" and about 225 lbs. I spent about 5 minutes twisting, turning, grunting and groaning before I was finally in the driver's seat. With the body work off the car I could move the pedals, but once the fiberglass was back in place I couldn't move my left foot. The owner looked down and said, "well, I guess this isn't going to work". I couldn't have agreed more. I sat there for a couple of minutes and he finally asked if I was going to need help getting back out. I thought about it for a second and finally suggested, "yeh, turn it upside down and give it a good shake." We both laughed as I spent the next few minutes trying to extricate myself. In the end, I bought a Zink Z10 FF, which had been designed and built in the US, unlike most of the FF's out there. The Zink was designed for us "full bodied" Americans instead of a bunch of skinny British kids! I ran the Zink for a couple of years. The only disappointing part about it was that I couldn't drive it on the street. So I bought a Stalker kit, and now have a car with FF performance that is street legal - and it's easier to get out of, although not by much. See how I was able to bring this thread back to the original subject - sometimes I even surprise myself. :seeya: http://www.usa7s.net/ASPNETFORUM/upload/651372590_zink8.jpg

The mattress pad stuff is too soft, IMHO. May I suggest that you buy one of those pads that are used in exercise classes, or for sleeping on when camping. They are only about 1" thick but are very dense and don't "squish" as much as normal foam. I built a pair of seats for my Staker using 3/4 plywood, and then built up the padding with two sleeping pads from the local sporting good store. I ended up with anywhere from 2" to 4" in different locations. Don't get me wrong, after a couple of hours bounding around on some backroad, I'm still worn out. My wife has a two words for it, "Numb butt". There's also a product, which is quite pricey, sold by race shops, it's called "Backsaver" or something close to that. It was developed by NASA for the Astronauts. The memory foam may be a good alternative too. Good luck http://www.usa7s.net/ASPNETFORUM/upload/1541011716_stalker105.jpg

Racerdan - Two suggestions... if I may. First, buy a back support belt. You know, the kind that the guys at Home Depot wear, only I suggest you actually put it on! I've gone through a couple of them and they are great at providing additional support. Second, buy one of those little mechanic stools, with an adjustable seat height. Much better than kneeling on the floor or being bent over. My wife was kidding the other day when she said that, "I guess you'll have to sell your little car when you can't get into it any more." My response was that it wasn't the getting in that would be the determining factor, it would the getting out. Since this requires more in the way of upper body strength than a strong back, just work on the arms and chest. I turn 65 this month, and am finding that there are an increasing number of times that my mind writes checks that my body can't cash. But, I plan on keepin' on for a long time.

Mine fused "naturally" from calcium deposits a couple years ago. Plus a little arthritis thrown in for good measure. I still love to drive my Stalker, but when I hear the "young 'uns" talk about doing a 250 - 300 mile day, it hurts to just think about it. I find that I'm good for about an hour, then get out, walk around, maybe a meal, then an hour or so again. A couple months ago we trailered the car up into the mountains of northern Arizona and put about 300 miles on in two days, plus 120 towing each way. I was a "sore puppy" for a couple of days after it. But the worst day playing with cars still beats the best day of working. Favorite saying, "Old age ain't for cowards". :yesnod:

You can view the build of this car, as well as many of the Stalkers, by visiting our photo gallery site. It's http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/ His car is chassis #46 and is shown on page 2. Ken Edney

My wife and I took our Stalker out on Friday for a run to our favorite local "breakfast joint". We left the house a little after 9:00 with a brisk 66 degrees showing on the patio thermometer. By the time we got back, around noon, it was 81! The restaurant is located in Totilla (Tor-tee-ya) Flats, an old mining community in the Superstition mountains. To get there we run about 30 miles on the freeway and then a glorious 20 miles over the swoopiest, turningest piece of blacktop this side of an autocross course. We generally go during the week to avoid the weekend traffic which includes lots of people towing boats out to one of the lakes in the area. The last time we went out, about 6 weeks ago, we were passed by 4 guys on "crotch rockets" only to find one of them lying on his back with his bike in a ditch about a mile later. While the road is fun and all, it does not suffer fools well. As for the temperatures you guys are suffering, we make up for the winters here when the summer temps hit 110!!!

Just put a similar item on my Stalker. It's called a RearAlert, and does the same thing. It will pulsate for about 6 flashes before going to steady red. I have a third light from a Chevy Suburban mounted on the trunk lid, so it's about as high as I can get it without mounting it on the roll bar. Works great, installed it in about 5 minutes and it cost $ 15.00 plus $ 4.00 postage from Ebay.

Not very high tech, but most hardware stores sell a product that I've used in a couple of different cars. It's a triple layered item, the outer layers are aluminum foil with the center being the same stuff that they use in bubble wrap. I had a hot rodded '56 Chevy and ran it on the inside of the floor above the exhaust system, worked well. On my Stalker, I cut pieces and fitted them inside the footwell areas. I can't be sure what the stuff is called but it is sold by the linear foot, and comes in a 36" width. Price is very cheap also. You can see it at the sides and bottom of the footwell here. The aluminum at the front of the passenger's side footwell is the bulkhead between the foot space and battery box. There's more of this insulation inside the battery box. http://www.usa7s.net/ASPNETFORUM/upload/1968443478_stalker115.jpg BTW, I did my headers with a JetHot coating. The coating went dull within a short time, in the length within 12" of the engine. I checked with JetHot and they tell me that this is because the temperatures went about 1300 degrees!

I think you mean Ocotillio. I'm not a golfer but there are 70 or 80 golf courses in the PHX metro area according to a news broadcast I heard a while back. Of course, they tend to get a lot more play in the winter than over the summer. Don't know Donovan, but I think he actually lives in either Scottsdale or Paradise Valley (both very upscale). I didn't realize that the ball field was "close in" to downtown. When I lived there all of the stadiums and such were down in South Philly.

Excellent picture! I grew up in Philly, although I've been gone for many years. I wouldn't have recognized the skyline if it weren't for "Billy Penn" on top of City Hall. When I lived there, they had a law making it illegal for any building to be taller than Billy's hat. Looks like that went away a while ago. When I lived, and autocrossed, there they had a group of different clubs that put on events. At least one event from each club was counted towards a series championship. I still have the 1971 Championship plaque around somewhere from the DVSA (Delaware Valley Sprint Association). Looks like they still know how to have fun, and for sure, GO PHILLIES!

Couple of quick thoughts... First, the spot under the passenger's knees is my first choice too. Make sure that the mounting is secure. Remember in any kind of impact any item will attain several "g's", so if you're mounting it through the aluminum floor use high grade bolts/nuts with large flat washers under the floor to spread the load. I've seen them mounted on rollbars or the struts, but they're a little close to my head for my taste. Metal bracket is a must. I also use a piece of racer tape on the latch to keep it from being opened by accident (pun intended) when someone climbs into the right seat. Also keeps it from vibrating open. The gauge on the top will tell you the state of the charge inside the unit, but the gauges do stick sometimes. They should be recharged about every two or three years. The powder, assuming that you're carrying a dry chem unit will "clump" over time from being in one position. Take it out and shake it up occasionally. Only extinguishers with metal "heads" can be recharged. The cheaper units use a plastic body that can't be recharged, so either buy a better one to start or simply buy a new one every couple of years. If you're going to replace or recharge the old one, try it out. Make sure you know how to use it, so you're not trying to read the instructions in the heat of the moment (pun intended, again). I've carried fire extinguishers in my cars since I was a kid. My Dad was a city firefighter in Philly, so I guess it was ingrained into me. Anyway, I've used my extinguisher at least 5 times that I can think of, always on someone elses fire. BTW, while on the subject be sure to have a decent sized unit in your garage and near the kitchen. They can help prevent a small problem from becoming a BIG problem. The last time I used mine it was on a fire in my neighbors condo. It beat the fire down and kept it from spreading while we waited for the professionals to show up.

You didn't mention, but is your coil mounted vertically or horizontally? Normally, they don't like being laid on their side, since there is oil inside of them to help cool them. It may have just "died" a painful death from "laying down on the job"!!!! Wow, sometimes I really crack me up! :lol: :lol:

I have enough trouble just backing my 7 up in a straight line!

I picked up a very nice Wolf brand cover, that was made for a Mazda Miata, off of the local Craig's list. The fit isn't great, but the $20.00 price was! I only use it to keep the dust and dirt off the car when it's in the garage.

I was watching a TV show last night about the sport bike scene in Southern California. The fellow made several mentions of the advantage of his sport bike over the "cage" he uses for his daily commute. The "cage" was his word for a modern sedan. He discussed the advantage of quick acceleration and braking, being able to see well and such, but finally admitted that the bike was not going to protect him in a car vs. bike impact. I kind of view our 7's as sport bikes for the balance impaired.

I mailed a check in about a month ago, just checked my bank statement and it hasn't cleared yet. Did you receive it? Thanks, Ken Edney

It's often dangerous to trust my memory... but yes there is an oil seal. If I recall correctly the early engine used the famous "rope" seal which was in two pieces and often leaked. The later piece was a proper 1 piece neoprene seal with a metal tensioner. Chances are, if the clutch pedal clearance is correct, then it's the oil seal. It is said that the memory is the second thing to go..... I don't recall what the first is! :nonod:

Try Burton's in England.

Interesting point at the bottom of the last posting.... "these are English cars and no one in the US knows about the parts" (I'm paraphrasing here). That was one of the major reasons for my decision to build a Stalker. It's all American "stuff", and if you go with the normally aspirated V6 there's no computer to deal with. There is only minimum fabrication needed, it pretty much bolts together. Price of the kit plus parts is also quite reasonable. The build manual is also supplemented by a very active builder's forum, which is open only to kit owner's. Also, they're designed to fit the "real American" body, if that's a consideration.

I saw a sticker on the back of a Chevy Camaro the other day that sums up my feelings...... "Sucking Gas and Kicking Ass". Says it all.

Another "biggie" checking in! I'm 6'2" and weigh 255, have a 11.5 shoe and fit very well in my Stalker. One caution though, you can't expect to have the kind of room you're used to in your "normal" car. I normally wear driving shoes and there is no extra room down in the foot well. When my foot is off the clutch I brace it against the floor crossbrace as there is no room for a "dead pedal" or such. It's still a small car, but it's very easy to adapt to its size.

Here, maybe this will make you feel a little better! I LOVE MY JOB . . . . . This is even funnier when you realize it's real! Next time you have a bad day at work think of this guy. Rob is a commercial saturation diver for Global Divers in Louisiana. He performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs. Below is an E-mail he sent to his sister. She then sent it to radio station 103.2 on FM dial in Ft.Wayne, Indiana , who was sponsoring a worst job experience contest. Needless to say, she won. 'Hi Sue, Just another note from your bottom-dwelling brother. Last week I had a bad day at the office. I know you've been feeling down lately at work, so I thought I would share my dilemma with you to make you realize it's not so bad after all. Before I can tell yo u what happened to me, I first must bore you with a few technicalities of my job. As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the office. It's a wetsuit. This time of year the water is quite cool. So what we do to keep warm is this: We have a diesel powered industrial water heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the sea. It heats it to a delightful temperature. It then pumps it down to the diver through a garden hose, which is taped to the air hose. Now this sounds like a darn good plan, and I've used it several times with no complaints. What I do, when I get to the bottom and start working, is take the hose and stuff it down the back of my wet suit. This floods my whole suit with warm water. It's like working in a jacuzzi. Everything was going well until all of a sudden, my butt started to itch. So, of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse. Within a few seconds my butt started to burn. I pulled the hose out from my back, but the damage was done. In agony I realized what had happened. The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my suit. Now, since I don't have any hair on my back, the jellyfish couldn't stick to it . However, the crack of my butt was not as fortunate. When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the jellyfish into the crack of my butt. I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communicator. His instructions were unclear due to the fact that he, along with five other divers, were all laughing hysterically. Needless to say I aborted the dive. I was instructed to make three agonizing in-water decompression stops totaling thirty-five minutes before I could reach the surface to begin my chamber dry decompression. When I arrived at the surface, I was wearing nothing but my brass helmet. As I climbed out of the water, the medic, with tears of laughter running down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to rub it on my butt as soon as I got in the chamber. The cream put the fire out, but I couldn't poop for two days because my butt was swollen shut. So, next time you're having a bad day at work, think about how much worse it would be if you had a jellyfish shoved up your butt. Now repeat to yourself, 'I love my job, I love my job,I love my job.' Whenever you have a bad day, ask yourself, is this a jellyfish bad day?' May you NEVER have a jellyfish bad day!!!!!

Congrats!!!! Nothing like the first time the engine starts, the first time you drive it. Enjoy it. :party:

re: P & W engines, definitely talking about the big "round engines".

I would vote for a drag race and/or and autocross as well. BTW, do you know what English Ford engines and Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines have in common????? When there's no oil on the ground under either one, it means there's no more oil in them!!!! I once rebuilt the twin-cam in my Lotus Cortina and it didn't leak oil, never did figure out what I did wrong.