Al N.

Mike...can we use that for the club newsletter? Not entirely joking...would be funny to have a "Ode to a Se7en" section.

Sean- Again, thanks for the input. We are all just volunteers and speaking for myself have never tried to launch/maintain a bona fide car club. I have to say that our inaugural year was very encouraging. We'll get the e-commerce part up and mail-in instructions up soon. -Al

Since I have relatives out there, i'd love to go...but will be in Montana (perhaps doing a little recon for 2011?). -A

NOTE: For members who joined before July 7, 2007 you will enjoy membership through July 6, 2008. Current members who joined after July 7, 2007 will be grandfathered through July 6, 2009. I wanted to repost that. Basically, if you went to or signed up before 7-7-7, you should re-up. If you signed up after 7-7-7 (say, for PNW or one of the other Tours), you're good through July 2009. However, if you are "grandfathered" and you feel like being a generous soul amidst the current economic whatever they're calling it, the Club would be grateful. Thanks to the people who gave above and beyond in the past year — and to those who joined without attending one of the events. The 2009 meet will probably be after July 7, so we'll build the 2009-10 dues into the meet fee. --- Keep in mind that the officers are very curious to see what dues payment will be like this year in light of the fact that we don't have a national meet lined up. BTW, it's the 3rd anniversary of this forum on the 8th of June. And the 2nd anniversary of the auspicious "Skyline East" blat was on the 3rd! Damn, we're getting old.

Rolla...like JBH says (and as detailed on the FS listing)...it's the Cat-USA "Supersport" set up. Which means hotter cams (Kent Focus 12, I think), milled head to bump compression, and TMW ITBs. No dry sump...(unless they hid the oil tank somewhere very clever). I have always assumed they used a Fidanza lightweight flywheel because I got some random spare parts in a Fidanaza box and the "in neutral, clutch out" gearbox rattle that I reported a while back (and which has been much discussed over on Blatchat) seems to be related to the use of a lightweight flywheel. ECU is Pectel T2 as supplied. Raceline Water Rail installed and Headers are Jet Hot coated. As for the HP and Torque, there is a dyno plot floating around here...though I had it done in 4th gear, and not 6th (to take advantage of the BGH gearbox being direct drive in 6th) so the numbers are lower than they should be.

Demo- Everyone has their preferences, but this forum isn't really about making comparisons or promoting/bashing various marques. So I doubt you'll get any ammo to help make your decision....at least not publicly. As with "normal" cars, every Se7en marque has its pros and cons...the choice of Se7en really comes down to a personal decision — aesthetics, budget, and intended use. Don't be fooled by the perceived size of an operation...regardless of your choice, in the end, much of the support you will get will come from fellow owners. Many of the members here have been around all sorts of Se7ens and I think we have respect for them all, including — in and in some cases, especially — the home builts. So, do your homework....see as many cars as you can, visit a dealer...then jump in! There really isn't a wrong choice (besides buying a car that's been misrepresented and/or improperly built/repaired). The Philly and DC Auto-Xs are great occasions to see a variety of cars upclose...I see Caterhams, a Birkin, and a WCM in the recent shot from DC...and two Loti and a WCM in the Philly one (usually a Cat or two there, also). Best of luck. As a newly "former" Caterham owner, I can say that life with any Se7en is richer than life without one. -Al

Morgan- Having the wife as a passenger in the Se7en is the easy part....having her as the driver is another thing entirely. Laura drove the car once. Didn't love it. Or perhaps it was my nagging that she was letting the revs fall too much between shifts....

Since Morgan will not confirm or deny (perhaps out of courtesy to me?)...From correspondence with Morgan and others, and a thread over on the CCC, I think the alternator went wonky on him...never an issue when the car was on the East Coast. Morgan, remember that it has the Birkinsport alternator rig..smaller than usual and with a different belt routing than traditional Cat USA set up. In NYC for anniversary this weekend. Will chime in more on Monday.

Sure. But first, what's the motivation behind the question? Do you find the car more powerful or less powerful than one would expect?

I think the guys who go with truly fat tires run 13 inchers...maybe that solves the clearance issue.

Clamshells are the more traditional long fenders attached to the body. Cycle Fenders are like those on a motorcycle front wheel...conforming to the wheel's shape. Mostly, shorthand for them is "Clams" and "Cycles" As in "My old Cat had cycles, but I'm seriously jonesing for some retro clams." The funny thing is that while clams may look more traditional, the original Lotus Seven (Series 1) had cycle fenders. --- Opinion: Aesthetics aside, clams have some aero-issues at speed BUT they are nice because you can slap pretty much as wide a tire on there as you want...with my old car, if you wanted to run 15" wheels/tires...you were pretty much at the limit (195/45) since the cycle fender sat so close to the wheel/tire. i could have gone down to 13" to go wider, of course, but none of this is an issue with clams..

roll a 7...please check your PM. Morgan needs a hand. -Al

Morgan, let's dump our wives, move in with each other and have "his and his" sports cars! In all seriousness, glad it arrived safely. Now book more photography jobs and keep 'em both, I say! --- Of course, a detailed (and glowing) report will be expected after your drive. :cheers:

John- No worries either way. I do like the in-depth tech discussions they have over at the CCC, but would prefer having just one login. Now if we could get John Donohoe to come aboard more actively as our resident "Original Lotus" resource...we'd have so many bases covered in one site. -Al

Mark- Welcome to the USA7s forum. An Elise, hunh? Going to the dark side? All kidding aside, we do have a a few members with both a Seven & Elise in their garage....lucky devils. How did you find us? -Al

Hmm...is this a good or a bad time to bring up the consolidation of the forums again? :_deadhorse:

Bon Jovi "Never Say Goodbye". I sang it basically all last week...sniff.

As a fan of architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright (the two don't always go hand in hand), I love that building! I'd never heard of it before. Thanks for posting, Bob, and don't forget to bring back info on housing options at all price points! -Al

I heard they fall off on the way home from the inspection station! :jester:

Two things I've noticed about the motor...it's one of the coveted "metal top" zetecs (my old car had the black plastic cam cover) AND...it doesn't use the Raceline Water Rail, unlike many other Birkins I've seen. I think this has to do with some change Birkin made that didn't allow for the stock Ford thermostat body to fit on the back of the engine in the transverse installation.

I think fabbing a new pedal assembly might be a less drastic move, unless of course, you want to sell it regardless.

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I'm posting this for a fellow NJ owner... 2000 Lotus 7 Birkin S-3 chassis # 1869R • Constructed by a GE aircraft engine engineer. Name and address is available to buyer. • Never raced or used in auto sports. • Mileage May 2008 = 8,250 miles … 4000 miles driven by current owner since purchase in June of 2005. • Registered and titled in New Jersey as 1965 Lotus 7 – Collector vehicle. No inspection in NJ is required – mileage limited to 3000 miles per year – odometer check every two years at NJ DMV is the only requirement. • Engine - 2 litre Ford Zetec with 205 HP performance conversion by Dunnell Engineering, England. Dunnell ignition system. 45 DCOE Weber carbs. Lightened steel flywheel. Dunnell no surge oil pan. All supplied by Pete Challinor of Circle ‘C’ Performance, Texas. • Gearbox -SPC rebuilt Ford 5 speed with standard ratios. Supplied by Circle ‘C’ Performance. • Full body paint – Stunning Lotus racing green with Lotus yellow hood stripe. Straight cut fenders. Boot cover kit. Sump guard. Wind deflectors. Tonneau cover. Soft top. • Wheels - Panasport 15 inch with Yokohama ES100 tires 205x 15 fronts – 225 x 15 rears. Spare with 205 x 15 mounted at rear. • Rear Axle Quaife limited slip differential. • Upgraded interior – drivers seat modified to eliminate pressure points. Recovered in high quality vinyl. Custom wool carpets with heel pads for driver and passenger. Dash panel recovered in a high quality vinyl (Ferrari original). Indicator lamps changed to LED ultrabrights, can easily be seen in bright sunlight. Each with engraved description label. Upshift light – adjustable trip point in the engine ECU. Removable steering wheel for easier in/out access plus security • Lighting – stop and tail lights are Ron Francis Ultra brights for safety – Roll bar high mount LED stop light strobe is programmable for various red led displays when brake pedal on. Headlamps are fitted with special H-4 Halogen bulbs from Japan super bright white with blue effect. Bosch LED daytime running lights – super bright European DRL are not available for after market purchase in USA – purchased directly from Germany. • Front brakes -Outlaw 4 pot front calipers, with resized master cylinders, braided stainless steel brake and clutch lines both high and low pressure – great stopping power. • Italian high pitch air horn with self contained compressor. – To make sure this small car can be heard coming. • Exhaust system - Custom made stainless steel polished exhaust headers and side exit muffler. Headers are wrapped with ‘Thermotec’ to reduce under hood temperatures and help lower oil and water temperatures. • Suspension – Adjustable shock absorbers. • Performance of this car as can be imagined with 205 BHP and approximately 1200 pounds weight is truly staggering – I am sure 0-60 times are in the 4 second range. Not a car for the faint of heart! P.O.A. David T. Cooper Contact – vintage8@aol.com / 201-825-4548

Can someone get gwar to body up their frame, Se7en or otherwise? Jon W. perhaps?

Next we'll find out Lentz is next (hopefully not, though)....ah, the original Skyline East posse slowly deaccessing our faithful Se7ens. Fear not brothers, as I am plotting and scheming to even up the East Coast balance sheet.