lowflyer

No real desire to sell the other badge, but you can probably pick one up on Ebay.uk. I will take a look and see if I can find one or a pair for you. Ken

While it may be common knowledge to some, I just found this website the other day. It lists roads around the country that are fun to ride a motorcycle over. What could be more "USA7's" than a road that is perfect for a motorcycle to play on. The site is www.motorcycleroads.us/index.html Enjoy!

The wheels are 7" x 15", listed for a Chevy Camaro, the tires are Falken 205/50-15's.

Thanks for the kind words. I had different wheels on the car for the first year or so, but felt they were "out of character" for such a car. I also designed my own seats for the same reason. The wheels are Superlites, which are an Australian version of the Minilites. Thankfully, the importer is about 100 miles from me.

re: the grille badge. It's actually not a UK grille badge, as it first seems in the photo. It's an after-market piece for Brit cars. They come in pairs and were normally affixed to either side of a car just in front of the doors. It's a Union Jack with the word "Lotus" below it. I picked it up on the UK Ebay site. They had them for most of the British cars. It's my "homage" to the original. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/16218150_badge.jpg

Being lurking and Stalking for long enough, so here goes. The car is a Stalker V6 which I built over 2005. The car now has about 3000 miles on it and both I and my wife really enjoy taking it out for runs. The engine is a Chevy V6 with about 180/190 hp, backed up by a 5 speed and a 3.73 rear end with a Torson limited slip. As they say in the Blue Angels meetings, "Glad to be here, boss".http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/597613119_stalker212.jpg

When size is a major consideration, I would include the Stalker in your list of possibles. I'm 6'2" and over 250 with a size 11 1/2 shoe. The Stalker is the only one that fit me, as opposed to me fitting it. While not as "pure" in its replication of the original Lotus 7, there are some major benefits to owning a car with an engine, transmission and rear axle assembly from an American made truck. Just thought it was worth mentioning. :cheers:

A V6 is too much engine for a 7????!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't tell that to anyone with a Stalker. BTW, I just read a comment attributed to the late Mark Donahue about the Porsche 917/30. He is quoted as saying " when I can spin the rear tires in top gear at the end of the longest straightaway, I will have enough power".

Oh yeh, don't forget to consider that your gauge is bad !!!! Don't ask how I know that one either.

The fact that you said your hoses are swelling up due to pressure may be an indicator that you have too high a pressure radiator cap in place. If the cap doesn't open, or opens at too high a pressure it can keep the water from pushing out and causing a slow down in water flow through the radiator. You may also have air in the coolant system. On our Stalkers this is very common due to the height of the rad vs. the top of the thermostat housing. Try jacking the nose of the car up as far as you can, block off the radiator and run the car until it's up to around 225/230. Let it cool down and see if it draws fluid back from the overflow tank. You may even see air bubbles in the tank after it runs for a while. In addition to all the other things mentioned about cylinder heads and such, look at the simple things first. You mentioned that you rebuilt the engine, is there a possibility that when you reinstalled everything you may have turned the engine fan around on the water pump? Don't ask me how I know this, but this little "oops" will cause overheating at speed! Good luck.

My personal favorite is LALLAL7, although tougher to say. It means "Looks A Little (or a Lot) Like A Lotus 7".

I lived up in Prescott for 10 years, great place. There's a couple of neat roads up there as well. Hollar if you need someone to play on them with you.

Just guessing here, but if it's not in the book they will probably go with whatever paperwork you have that shows a sales price. Forgot to mention, in my case the sales tax was just on the kit - which didn't include the engine/gearbox. Also, AZ license fees are based on a percentage of the original price of the car, then discounted 15% per year. My car, being a '62 Lotus, is fully depreciated and only costs me $ 16.00 a year. Smog is presently in effect in Phoenix and Tucson, but under consideration in other areas.

There are 4 Stalkers that I know of presently registered in AZ, so I will "jump in" with my experience. First, I built the car so I didn't have a previous car title to transfer. So I had to go through the Level II inspection, which is more about where the parts came from, not so much about the equipment or such. I know of one of our Stalker guys had a problem with an inspection down in the southern part of the state, but mine when very smoothly. As far as taxes, yes you will have to pay taxes based on the value of the car. AZ is a little strange in that they don't take the price you paid but rather a "book value". How this will work on a car like a 7 is a mystery to me. In my case, they charged me a sales tax on the value of my kit. On one of the other cars registered the owner argued that the kit wasn't a "car" but rather car parts and paid no sales tax. One important thing, if your car is registered as a post '68 you might have problems with smog equipment. Mine is registered as a 1962 Lotus replica, and therefore is exempt from any of the smog requirements. Best of luck and hollar if you have any specific questions.

The 32's should be fine, but will need the rest of the carb set up for them. If it is running correctly in some areas, why not just adjust the parts of the carb that need adjusting. I had a twin cam Lotus motor and put 32's into it, even though it started out with 30's. Just needed some enrichment in the mid to high range. :cheers:

The plastic ties will probably outlast the car, but here's a tip for you. Go out and buy a spare set now. The reason is pretty simple, at some point you will need to do something to the car that will require the removal of the fan, whether it be a rad repair or such. Having a set of the ties "in stock" will save that (almost always) last minute trip to the auto parts store before an important trip. Don't ask me how I know this!!!!!

O.K., found the books. First, if you're interested the books are "Weber Carburettors by John Passini" Book #1 is "Theory" and #2 is Tuning and Maintenance". They were published by Speedsport Publishing in England, in 1973. See... it pays to never throw anything away. Probably out of print, but available somewhere. I had forgotten a basic test that can be easily done to determine if the idle circuit is lean or rich. First warm the engine up thoroughly. Next set the engine idle, using the idle speed screw on the linkage to around 1300-1400 rpm. Now turn all of your idle mixture screws out 1/2 turn and listen to the engine - rougher or smoother? If it is rougher, try another 1/2 turn, rougher or smoother? If still rough, turn them back in 1 full turn, to your original starting spot, then 1/2 turn further in. Rougher or smoother? At this point, you should see a pattern becoming apparent. If it runs smoother with the idle mixture screws backed out then you're too lean. If it runs better with the screws turned in, then you're too rich. This won't tell you how much of a correction you need, however. There, sad to say, it's mostly trial and error. Here are the specs on a couple of "stock" engines that use 40 DCOEs. Lotus Cortina twin cam 1600 cc 30 mm choke, F11 emulsion tube, 115 main, 200 air, 45F6 idle Lotus 7 with a 1500 non-xflow, and A2 cam 33 mm choke, F16 emulsion tube, 115 main, 160 air, 45F9 idle Volvo 122S, which I think is a 2 liter. 32 mm choke, F9 emulsion tube, 125 main, 175 air and 50F9 idle. BTW, a couple of cautions... first the number on a main or air correction jet are logical, in that a 115 is smaller than a 120 or 125. When it comes to the emulsion tubes the numbers have more to do with the order in which they were created. An F9 is richer than a F18. Idle jets are numbered by size, but don't necessarily have the hole in the same place. An 45F6 is the same size but has different characteristics than a 45F9. I suspect that the idle speed test will give you a direction, then ask your jet supplier for one or two sizes richer/leaner than what you have now. Hope this helps a little, and good luck.

The idle air jets carry the engine from idle to the point where the main jet circuit kicks in The 50 idles are probably too lean, and on the other hand the 125 mains may be too rich. Lots of variables, not only the engine itself but also the altitude at which the car is running, water vapor content (humidity) and others. Try to find someone that has some extra Weber jets and see if a set of #60 idle air jets fix the problem. I suggest the use of "loaner" jets because it gets very expensive to buy 4 or each jet just to try it out. As posted earlier, a dyno with a air/fuel ratio meter would be a big help but still wouldn't give you more than a "direction" in which to go. Also might think about 115 mains. As I recall 115's were stock on the Lotus Cortina I used to have. A lot depends on the set-up of your engine (cam timing, vavle size, port size, ignition timing etc). There's a very good pair of books out on the Webers. One is the theory, the other is the practical. As I recall the practical (how to rebuild) had a listing in the back that showed the stock jets used on various cars that came stock with Webers, including things like the Lotus twin cam Elan/Cortina. Might be very useful. I have the books around here, somewhere and if I can find them I will post some of the stock "fitments". :jonautox:

I picked up a set of Superlites from Pack Racing about a year and half ago. Love the looks, more in keeping with the "old time" Lotus 7 look, in my opinion. I actually got a deal on them by purchasing them off of Ebay, saved about 70 bucks over their normal retail.http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1231876428_stalker212.jpg

I am much happier having (and carrying) a gun that I don't need, than needing a gun that I don't have.

Is this event "firm", or is it still under discussion. Just by luck I have in-laws with a house in Branson, which could make this very do-able.

Thanks, I did note that. This trip was to be all of 6 miles, just to check out how the trailer/car combo hauled behind the new Trailblazer. The reason it ended up that way was that the hole just below the one I used is where the tire valve stem came out and I didn't want to chance rubbing through that. Thanks again.

You're right about the wind resistance of the low hauler. I had forgot to mention that, but it did enter into the decision. The roofline of the trailer is about 1 foot higher than the roof of the Trailblazer. One downside... a friend came over to look at it and walked into the back end without ducking! It will be a while before the "goose egg" goes down on his forehead. The inside is only about 5'6" high, which works out fine for my wife, but I've forgotten to duck twice now.

I know that the subject here was "light trailers" but I thought I would throw in my two cents. Anyway, I've been towing my Stalker with a converted open trailer which was originally designed to haul a Formula Ford race car. It's main advantage was that it was already "in inventory" and fit the car well. But, as with any open trailer, there are serious trade-offs to be made. On one of the first outings we awoke to find a cold, rainy, windy day. Fortunately, I had a custom tonneau cover made for the car, which kept most of the wet outside of the cockpit, but it was still a mess to deal with. Plus, I always worried about the lack of security while parked in the hotel parking lot. My answer was a motorcycle trailer. In my case it's a Haulmark "Low Hauler" bike trailer. It's just a shade under 14' centerline measurement and 6'9" width fits my car beautifully. The only "mods" I've added, so far, are two additional tie downs at the rear and a set of cleats into which the front wheels will settle when the car is in the proper position. The trailer has 2 3500 pound axles, with brakes on both axles. It's rated for about 5500 gross. The main concern I had was that in my neighborhood, we have a dreaded thing called a Homeowner's Association, also known as the neighborhood Nazis. In order to keep the trailer on my side yard it had to be out of sight from the street. The Low Hauler design is made so that it can fit into a normal garage, so it's only 6'8" high at the roofline, which keeps it out of sight - out of mind! Here's a couple of pics of the trailer, with the Stalker inside. There is about 2 1/2 feet of clearance at the front of the trailer, so movement around the front is easy. There's even a small shelf at the front for our folding chairs and such. Spare tire is also inside. The trailer weighs about 2200 pounds empty, the car adds another 1500, so I'm well under the gross limits of the Chevy Trailblazer that I use for towing. I was able to pick it up, used, for $4200. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1948433170_trailer1.jpghttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1335369210_trailer5.jpghttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1260948895_trailer2.jpg

I have a "normal" Stalker, can can vouch from the engine description that this is a Super Stalker, with the supercharged 3.8 engine. Recently one of our "guys" put his on a chassis dyno and was showing 247 hp at the rear wheels, so this car appears to be in line. Price is difficult to decide, simply because it's the amount at which the buyer and seller reach agreement. Lots of variables, such as the reason for selling - just wants to move onto another car, or personal financial need. One of the early cars changed hands due to the owner's illness. I would say that somewhere in the low to mid-20k range would be within reason. Remember, the car was privately built (most likely) so there can be huge differences in the quality of the labor and the parts used. Having the car inspected (assuming it's in another part of the country) by someone familiar with Stalkers would be a good idea. You might contact Dennis Brunton, the "father" of the Stalkers to see if he can supply you with the name of an owner in the area of the seller. Good luck, they're a heck of a car! And yes, there have been a couple fitted with hot water heaters, but without a top or side curtains I would suspect they have limited value.