Al N.

I was at work at my former employer in Princeton NJ area. We didn't have TV, so Internet and the TV of a co-worker's mom played over the phone was how we got our news. We were sent home before the towers fell. For some reason, I went to a bar with co-workers before going home...and we watched the towers fall on TV. A co-worker who live in NYC at the time (and downtown, too), gasped audibly. When I first heard that a plane crashed, I didn't think much...there have a been a few light plane accidents in NYC (most recently, the Cory Lytle crash). But then when I heard it was a commercial liner, and then two...I honestly thought, "This might be beginning of the end of the world." Maybe that's why I went to have a drink?:crazy: We used to live in NYC and have good friends who still do. None of them were injured (physically), and I didn't know anyone who died in the attacks. We flew to California about 2 weeks afterwards for a friend's wedding. You've never seen a plane so empty. I also remember getting stared down by a non-so-undercover airmarshall as I walked to the bathroom. He had a steely gaze, close cropped hair cut, muscles that stretched his new Continental polo, and a "Trainee" badge. He sat all by himself in the rear of the plane. Seriously, I've never felt safer on a plane. Then, when we reached California, you wouldn't think anything significant had happened. The chilling effect was much more palpable on the East Coast.

Thanks for the kind words Martin...too many blogs, not enough time. BTW...has anyone checked into the price of early 911s lately? YIKES!!! Pricey 1973 911S

Okay, so I'm not the best passenger. I need to take down that video some day....:jester:

I'm out that weekend, gents. Traditional extended Navarro family trip...this year to Lake George.

michollock - I was in your shoes about 6 years ago. I swore I would buy either a V-12 Ferrari (the cheaper kind), a Mondial (I happen to love the lines and the 4 seat capacity), a 356 (the 62 B S90, preferably), or a 67-73 911 (pref a 67, 69, or 73). But then, on the way back from a family trip to DC, my wife let me swing past Mid-Atlantic Caterham to test drive an SV. And from the second the guy pulled out on to the road and I said "you don't have to kill me, you know"...I was hooked. Early 911s are great, classic shape, Steve McQueen fantasy cars. I also like the fact that buying an older one keeps you out of "trade it in for a new model" cycle. But a Seven is really a different matter. If you truly enjoy driving and pure road feel, there will be no other for you. Some reading you might find informative... Al's Car Story - Part V

Dude, you is crazy....:jester:

Oh Jon, don't fool yourself...Skyline East 2006 was just the starting line....a mere side of the road/barroom conversation...to sort out the 7-7-7 meet it was a lot of phone calls, a lot of emails/posts, a lot of in person meetings, a few recons, etc. But this thread is a good start. Regarding distances...Gert, Montana is over 2000 miles and nearly 34 hours of driving from NJ. But I'm up for it. I didn't buy the trailer because it looks good in my garage. I would do much the same as you...or haul ass cross country on one of the legs just to get to the great wide opens or home. I'd have to talk to my wife. I'm sure we'd lose some folks from both coasts at those distances, but that is to be expected. Getting to the meet would be at least a 3rd of the fun...I remember how for 7-7-7, we'd start to see more cars and/or trailers the closer we got. That whole "ever meet a perfect stranger and know he was a brother" thing. I definitely think we'd do a 4 or 5 day thing next National. Perhaps Cooke City (good hub for Beartooth Highway) for 2 nights. One night in Yellowstone. Then head up to Glacier for 2 more? Though some of us have records in the National Parks system (I've got that warning letter somewhere). What I learned about a national is that it takes a small group of people to be SUPER PASSIONATE about the meet. And perhaps even one person to take it on as their primary non-work/family focus...oh, for about a year. Also, the organizers have to truly want to go to the meet area. I think wherever the meet is held, there should be one uber-road as a target — with one goal of the meet to let Seveners get to experience it. The non-parade at the Dragon, as well as the early morning blats, were really special drives for me and I think the others who participated. To try and do that sort of thing again on a road like the Beartooth...:hurray: Again, keep the suggestions for centralized meets coming and we'll put it to a vote in Jan 2008. That will give people time to do a recon, figure the $$ out, and announce the meet at least a year in advance.

You know, what the heck, Jon...if we're going to go that far, we might as well try a coast to coast, right? --- FWIW, I would tow out to any meet that far, effectively serving as a support vehicle for anyone from the East brave enough to try and leg it that far in a Se7en.

Brad...focus power is in NC...their web site is down at the moment, but they seem to have a good rep on the Focus/Zetec Forums. Those forums are a good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) place to get tips on Zetecs. Stick to the all-motor forums, as most of the Focus "kids" want the most bang for their buck...and that means forced induction.

I say find a good Zetec shop, try the head/cam swap...and see if you can live with the results. Or go the supercharged S2000 route. Skip Cannon or Keith Tanner's turbo miata cars are also quick. I personally like the "all motor" aspect of my car, even if it is down on ultimate power vs. some of the other cars here.

Mazda's Rotus, rightfully considered one of the scariest, quickest cars in the hobby, is powered by a GM LS1 V8 and tranny. The LS7 is the new V8 in the latest Z06 Vette.

Again, it's all pie in the sky thinking right now. Gert brought up SD as a possible location, and I did a little research into it. We'll eventually put it to a poll early in 2008, so the organizers have enough time to plan. The way I see that working is one set of organizers does the event itself, and then the regions work to come up with "to and from" routes/plans. • South Dakota • Montana • Missouri • Minnesota All of these sites could potentially draw from both coasts, in addition to having strong appeal for the center of the country. Also, none are potentially Texas hot in the summer.

Roman-I would make Gary from Ohio an offer on that Birkin he just bought....seems like he's craving more HP already.-Al

That goes without saying...but since the new one is roughly double what this guy is asking, I figured that in the high-teens, low 20s was mostly the domain of the cars I mentioned. You don't see many used Westies out there. There is also an XI at wirewheel, but I want the pleasure of skinning my knuckles when I build the car...

I think Magnus out in CA is doing just this...and of course, anyone who ordered a CSR 260.

If you're thinking Ultralite, then why not think LS1...or LS7?

it's listed over at wirewheel.com... LHD, but RM is not one of the more popular marques over here. A good way to get in to the hobby for not much money, but I'd hold out for an older Cat or go for a Stalker, all things considered.

I've thought about that route, Loren, but am concerned that a supercharger might not fit without frame/sheetmetal alterations.

The active posts are also listed in a box on the bottom right part of the screen of the main page....

Hombres, I am definitely OUT for this one...:cry: Pour out a glass of non-alcoholic for your homies...

See here for deets: NJ Drive - Sunday Sept 23, 2007

Folks, I've been playing with the idea of starting an "ace cafe" type thing at a local garage in my area. The idea is to have semi-regular "drive ins" for various marques, do a bit of driving, and then fool around with slot cars, then eat and go about our day. To see if the idea holds water, I'm going to host the first of these drive-ins on Sunday, Sept 23. The tentative schedule is to meet up at 8:00 AM, leave for a 1.5 hour drive on windy country roads at 8:30. Come back to Frenchtown for some donuts, coffee, and slot car racing. Then eat at place in town for lunch or go on your way. Here is the rendezvous: Race Street Garage, Frenchtown NJ Note that this may not be the actual address, but the intersection is correct. There is a gas station across the street from the garage. All marques (and not just LSiS cars) welcome. The rain date is Sept 30, 2007. Same time and place. ---- Note that I am going to change the meet time to 11:00 AM. No slots, just blatting.

gs-if you don' think a seven with 170 is that quick, I can't imagine what your other cars are.... if you alredy have TBs, the main place to do work is the head and cams. you can get your head decked to up the compression, and ported/flowed to help it breath more. Then of course there are the cams. I don't know what cams you have right now, but my Caterham Superlight uses the Kent Focus 12s, which are fairly aggressive. My recent dyno run is somewhere around here, the car put out 147 at the wheels, on a hot muggy day, and in 4 gear on the Caterham 6, not 6th, which should result in better numbers. I wanted to get a baseline because, though the car is plenty quick for my needs, I'm always interested in what's possible. There are some 220 and 240 normally aspirated Zetecs out there, and I wouldn't mind being one of them. Besides working with a dedicated Seven shop like Rocky Mountain or MSi (though I guess Auto Europe is closest to you), there are always the Focus tuners...I found one in central Pennsylvania that I plan on working with...McNew's Automotive The plans include a Ford Racing Head (CNC milled new stock, with large in and out valves) and some hotter cams, and of course flowing the head a bit. Then some dyno tuning to optimize. That route is about $2500 all in. You could also try the Focus Sport Cosworth head...though they use used heads for that application. Quicksilver down in MD is well known for their Zetec work. Not cheap, though. Finally, if you are feeling truly nutty, consider a stroker block from focus power down in NC..their website seems to be down. This is going to be at least a $5k job, but the good news is that I don't think you'll need to modify your frame or sheetmetal (I think) like you would for a DuraTec conversion.

Skip-That isn't a heater for you, it's an auxilliary cooling system for the engine! I actually don't know how in/effective it is, seeing as my car is not equipped with one. Good thing too, since I've used the fan switch as my radiator fan override switch.-Al

JBH, you should really get yourself that Sevens & Independents book...perhaps the best book for surveying the breadth of LSiS vehicles. For me, it is tough to put into words but I definitely "know one when I see one". I don't if I agree wih the outboard suspension thing, since the CSR now has inboard as does the Rotus and also anyone who has gone with the Freestyle suspension swap. The Prowler and even the Panoz are not lean enough to be consider LSiS vehichles, IMHO. The Prowler is more of an homage to American street rods. To my eye, the Atom is in the vein of the Lotus 340r, and as someone else mentioned, the Ducati Monster.