Al N.

I would try ot link up with someone from the Forum who could help you...doesn't Heikki live in GA?

A WIKI is a communally written and edited reference/resource...like the popular "Wikipedia" an online encyclopedia. So a Seven "wiki" would house common and not-so-common information that people could access/correct/add to.

NON SEQUITUR/COUNT OUR LUCKY STARS POST: From TailoftheDragon.com.... Friday July 13, 2007 - Two Florida riders were the second and third fatalities on the Dragon in 2007. According to witnesses the three-wheel Honda crossed the centerline and struck a vehicle towing a boat. The trike was northbound near mile 1.5 near The Wall. US129 was closed for several hours after the 5:30 PM accident while the scene was cleared. Another bike following the trike was also involved, but the rider refused treatment. --- The pic they have up made my stomach turn. I think this a good reminder of driving within your comfort zone...and how lucky we all were July 6-8...what if one of those trikes had run into a Se7eners. And there was a fatality earlier in the week (after we had left the area). And another good reminder of the needs of the local EMS. I don't know if I mentioned this, but on Sunday night, while I was giving Nancy Johnson a ride in the Cat, we saw a rider down...right after the TN/NC border sign. Yikes.

David- Great to meet you, albeit briefly...thanks for showing that Formula Ford what a well prepped, well driven street car can do. I can't imagine what might have been if your car was 100%. As for the "070707FTD" plate...tell your daughter she has to earn the right to put it on her car! -Al

Tom- Check out the CaliforniaCaterhamClub's wiki...Magnus and company started that a while back...might be good to consolidate (at least the wikis...) -Al

Chuck- That's great to know...maybe if I can rally the "Army of the Potomac" (the Mid-Atlantic Se7eners), we can get a set for the USA7s club and bring them to the next big event. Thanks again for coming out to the Dragon...great to meet you and your wife. -Al

I think we'd have enough folks on the East/Mid-Atlantic area to warrant a "fractional ownership" deal. It would be nice to have, for big events....so we can have a "weigh-in" exercise...we tried to borrow a set, but it didn't happen.

I looked at other shots (from Tapoco) and from my recollections...AND I don't see: John Mott's Caterham Ed Hudson's Superlight (Dark Green & Carbon) Phil Anderson's Caterham (Yellow Painted) John Thomen's Caterham Don Freeman (Green & Yellow) That's 14 cars missing....which means that our total LSiS for the meet was 61!!!! Can people people confirm the names above?

I think if we do normal UPS, it won't be that expensive...

I guestimate that a set of scales and ramps and "suitcases" would run between $1100 and $1500...maybe less if we can get Longacre or one of their distribs to become a club sponsor. Say we have 75 dues paying members...(between 777 and PNW and the few folks who were nice enough to support the club but not attend one of the "big" events....if each member paid another $20 to co-operatively own the scales...we'd have enough. Just thinking out loud. I should reach out the Longacre folks this week. Any other thoughts?

Today, I finally unloaded Orange off the trailer, got the trailer officially registered and plated in NJ, and then washed the lot of them. Getting the trailer into the garage was a REAL adventure. For some reason I thought my Polaris Ranger would be better for fine control. Uh, no. Putting that black 7-Tail decal on a very clean Se7en and peeling off the backing, I felt a real sense of pride. I think we accomplished something really good for the hobby...and the people involved. I especially like that people of all car types seemed to feel welcome (well, maybe not that Porsche club that dropped by) which has been the spirit of the group from the very beginning. Another shout out to Mazda, Bill & Marcy Power, and the relatively unsung Jerry Eddens (founding Club Secretary) for all their work to make the Club and the meet a reality. Oh, and to Tom M. of Manik and Westfield for sponsoring the welcome reception! Also...thanks again to the Nettleships, Bondurants, Arya E (quick, anyone know a welder, we have have problem!), and Rob M who pitched in when asked — and more importantly, when not asked. If I'm forgetting anyone, please kick me.

I'm going to get a few black, and a few yellow (for Folis!) BTW, I also have extra smaller stickers in all colors so speak up...for your daily drivers (those of you who drive a Se7en daily, please don't rub it in)

Jack- Thanks for posting and for coming out. Dennis' participation on the MFG roundtable was very much appreciated. And damn are your cars QUICK! -Al

I haven't discussed this with Mazda or John V, but wanted to float something out there... If we could rally enough people, perhaps the Club could purchase some Longacre scales for use by members. We're always wondering abou weights and things, and if the club had a set (with the wide pads to accomodate a certain modified Rotus!) with ramps that packed into 1 or two of those foamed suitcases....then people could use them, and send them on. Your out of pocket would be the total divided by the number of "sponsors"...then all you'd have to pay is postage mailing them back and forth to HQ or the next member who needs them. Please chime in if you are interested, and what you think a fair "buy in" price might be...

JBH, I will probably be going on July 27 to support one of our own, Jeff U. BTW, I chatted with Carl (mostly about hi-fi) on Friday...I think you bought VERY WELL. Hope to meet up soon.

More stuff for sale and possily for sale... • Caterham "R Series' aero screen...black, not graphite SOLD • Spa Center mirror (stands on post, for use with aeroscreen) SOLD ---- Possibly... • Caterham USA "Supersport" head for Zetec & Kent Focus 12 cams (I'm considering going with a Cosworth or Ford Racing head and hotter cams...just because I'm crazy like that...and can't really exchange it as a core since it's been modded by Cat USA...if I could find it a good home for a good $, then I'd be much more inclined to upgrade) 2 PEOPLE IN LINE FOR THIS • "R-series" Rollbar (Non FIA) (This is much more likely and timely...I heard of a mildly used FIA available and have been wanting ot upgrade....don't know what they're worth...will check Caterham UK) ANYONE? ANYONE? BUELLER? AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FUEL TANK LISTED ABOVE...could be good for someone building up a locost....

PB...thanks for the link. I've always considered Darryl "Killboy" C. the dean of the Gap photogs, but it was cool that this guy got coverage of the Lodge...lots of good static/artsy shots. FWIW, I ordered 2 hi-rez pix from Darryl...one on the non-parade out and then one after running out of gas...looks like I'm the only on on the road and he got some twisties in the background. I am familiar with (and like very much, having hitched a ride Sunday AM!) that car and driver, and they were definitely not the only ones lane crossing last weekend...(did you see the S2 of James Wilson on the Killboy homepage? YIKES!) I tried to be very good about that the whole weekend, but as we all know there are parts of the Gap where you can see for a while and if you look real hard on killboy's store, I put two tires on the yellow right in front of him (did that in the TT last Nov, too!!! I guess it's nerves being on camera). The good news is that the group was largely praised for our good driving over the weekend. Which was not the case for an Elise group that came in the past year or so. WHEW :thumbs:

Very cool David. Great pix...thanks for coming!

"I'm not too much in favor of doing multiples of the posted limits on big group drives" Famous last words (mine, btw)...:jester: ---- Thanks for digging that one up! And to think we all thought a 5 car drive was a big deal...

Step into the wayback machine... I was feeling a bit nostalgic today so rooted around to dig up this, which I sent to the USA@se7ens.net list on June 12, 2006...a little after the Skyline East cruise: Folks- How many people would be up for driving to a certain road in North Carolina that rhymes with "Nail of the Wagon"? Yes, I know it was just covered in R&T and is probably crawling with idiots right now, but they'll have crashed out their welcome by next July. I know that the East Coast contingent would pretty much be in. The question is, would Seveners west of the Mississippi make the trip? Feel free to write to me off board. We'll get a dedicated 777 board sorted out one of these days. -Al ----- And here's a reply the same day from Mark B...from small acorns, as the saying goes. Al I'd love to go, Its something I've always wanted to do in the 7, just haven't gotten down there yet. Please add me to your potential participants, and keep me posted on progress! Thanks for setting this up! Mark Bondurant '05 SV Dayton, Ohio

CArl...to whom did the car go? ALSO, can you update the first post with SOLD in the subject line? TX.

I thought I'd share some observations after towing my "USA7s Special" Mission trailer for over 1600 miles. This trailer was inspired by Michael D's Aluma, but since Aluma didn't seem that interestedin making more on a timely basis...Performance Trailer (traileroutlet.com) found a manufacturer that would work with us. My config is 14 foot wood deck with single axle, electronic brakes, rear stab jacks (so you can load/unload without being hitched to a tow vehicle) and a spare tire mount. It has a 2 foot beavertail and 6 foot ramps. We use a Honda Pilot SUV 4WD to tow, and it doesn't have the highest tow rating. So the single axle aluminum trailer was a great way to go. I mostly towed in D3, as the Pilot would hunt betwen D4 and Overdrive otherwise. Unfortunately it does not have a D4 option on the selector. We got about 13 mpg with the trailer and SUV fully loaded. There was noticeable squat in the back, but not the worst I've seen on other vehicles towing...nor did I ever feel like my steering was compromised by lightness of the front end. We did get an electric brake controller, which I found to be helpful...when the trailer was unladen, it would lock up at low speeds at the normal setting, and I could dial that back. Mostly I drove with the controller set between 1.5 and 2.5. Only ONCE did I feel like "Oh, wow, my braking distance there was longer than I planned"...but I think that was early on in the trip and a factor of me not being used to towing. The racheting straps and hold downs I bought from Performance Trailer worked really well, as did their adjustable tie down rack - this lets you snap in mounting points wherever you want on a strip that's mounted to the floor of the trailer (full width). You can plug the locking point down in about 2 inch increments. I ended up strapping down off the front suspension bits (at the thickest points, outside the lower shock mount) and pulling those straight forward, then doing the rear through the wheels and crossed...I had tried the front through the wheels and crossed (mostly to get more length into the straps), but didn't like the way I the wheels seemed to toe in more if I tried to crank down on the straps...I released them right away...didn not notice any adverse affects. Having loaded the car in the hot sun before heading down...I can say that the metal gets hot to the touch. For this reason, I'm glad I went with a wood (it saved me $500 too) deck. I can't imagine what a ali deck would be like after a day in the auto-x sun. Not to mention slippery when wet. I do have some thoughts about improving future versions of the trailer, like incorporating a winch (in case you break down and don't have the folks from Illinois to help load you) and also building some sort of modular tire rack. I'm going to try and discuss these with Glenn E. soon, perhaps he'll use my trailer as the guinea pig for these upgrades and we can establish a line item price for these things. Additionally, I think the end of the ramps could be tapered (though the square section never really was a problem to roll over) a tad and the mounting racks somehow have teflon sliders built in so there's less friction sliding them in and out. As a total trailering newbie, I am very pleased with the trailer and how it has performed so far. NOTE that the outside to outside width of these trailers is more than 92"...probably around 95" as currently configured, though Glenn is working with another Se7ener to make them narrower...easily removeable fenders are also going in the mix.

CAP the "P" in Pennsylvania...just to be super official.

:rofl: I read this last night and LMAO. For those who weren't there...about 15 of us had dinner at the Mexican place in Robbinsville. And a certain Mr. Ebrahimi enjoyed some marginal customer service. Food was tasty though.

It's a shame he didn't stay for Saturday night dinner...but glad he came by. (Though Killboy caught him practicing RHD on the Dragon)..