Davemk1

Very nice. Good job saving it from the crusher. dave

I own a 2014 Mega S2000 with the classic body. I love the car but never had use for the parcel tray so I removed it to save the weight. I replaced it with a thin sheet of carbon sheet. So....I own the car you are looking at but don't have it set up with the tray. dave

In Montana we have no inspection. The law does not state that you need a windshield but it does say that if you have one over a given size that you need to have wipers. It's legal to use small personal 4-wheelers on the road here and use hand signals - it really is the wild west and if it rolls people will use it on the road....at speed....with a beer in one hand and a cell phone in the other. I've had cops look at and admire my car but they've never mentioned the lack of windscreen. dave

Pick up some Lexan polish and get rid of the scratches and you'll be all set. The stuff works well. dave

I'm using an aeroscreen on my Westie and I like is so much more that the windscreen. I assumed I might swap back and forth but I've never put the windscreen back on. In my case I'm able to use the holes already in the scuttle for the windscreen for the side mounts and I drilled one hole in the center that would be covered by the stock windscreen if I swapped it back. dave

This is my favorite. dave

And now for something completely different........ I'm a fan of the magazine "Grassroots Motorsports" and almost always like their take on car stuff. Late last year they sponsored a "Show us your shop contest" with three categories - small, large, and commercial. One of the prizes was a welding machine and I would love to be able to weld car projects so I cleaned my place up, took a few photos, wrote a description and sent the whole mess in. I was surprised and pleased to learn that I won the small category and a new welding machine, along with some other cool stuff, is on its way to Bozeman. I look forward to the print article coming out in a few months so I can send a copy to my mom! If you'd like to see the online article you check it out here - https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/ar...ers-announced/ Now it's time to go back into the shop and make it dirty....dirtier maybe? Dave

It will be interesting to see if Caterham can design a true Seven using an aluminum chassis....it will be a serious design challenge to translate the existing proportions of a Seven into an aluminum chassis. The only practical way to do it is to follow the path set by the Lotus Elise and use large cross section extrusions bonded together. This will of course not work with the shape of a Seven. Just think if the sides of the car adjacent to the driver not being a bit over 1" think and instead being 4"- 6" thick and how that would completely change the proportions of the car. This would happen every where. A space frame can be incredibly small and thin in cross section and anyone that's ever slid over the 6" wide sill of an Elise will know that the bonded ally design is not the same way. Don't get me wrong....the bonded aluminum chassis could be vastly superior to the existing space frame design in terms to stiffness-to-weight and safety but it will get bigger and not look the same like a traditional Seven. I'm excited to see what they come up with. dave

Westfield makes a specific model that uses everything from a donor Miata right down to the gauges. It's worth seeing what they did. dave

I'm sure you know this but just in case.....be sure to have the car set up with your weight in the seat. If they can't align it with you in the car then it absolutely has to have your equivalent weight in ballast in the seat. These cars are so light that your weight is a large part of the package weight everything will be off if it's set up without the proper weight. I'll bet the ride height in the rear changes by nearly an inch when you sit in it so it's a waste of time/money to do it without ballast. I've found that many shops tell you that they will put ballast in the car but many don't so buyer beware. dave

Do you know what your spec's are now? dave

I owned a Birkin years ago and it too had a live axle so the only thing to take care of in the rear was to be sure the thrust angle was correct. In the front my Birkin had a huge about of caster and all this caster meant that it needed little camber to make it grip very well. I autocrossed on bias ply slicks and ran .5° camber in front and zero toe. I now run a Westfield S2000 and it has an IRS. I run zero toe in front and 1.5mm toe in per side in the rear. I have it set with 1.3° camber all around and it grips very well on the bias ply slicks. dave

I have a set of Team Dynamics 15x7, 4x108 wheels for sale. They are black and have a measured backspace of 4 7/8". If interested let me know. dave

I live in Montana and can tell you that they are setting up changes that will make the Montana route a bit harder and more expensive. I don't know the particulars (since I live in the state it's of no concern to me) but i would double check the MT procedure before counting on it. I'm not sure when the new rules take effect but they were in the local news a lot a few weeks back so I suspect that they will start in 2018. Worth checking on just in case. dave

A bias ply tire has a number of advantages compared to the DOT A6 or A7. It is much lighter (nearly 1/2 the weight) and this has obvious advantages but also a few that are less obvious. First is that the unsprung weight goes way down and this helps car control and keeps the tire more firmly on the pavement. The lighter tire spins up and slows down more quickly. The softer and more supple (no DOT steel belts that are found in a radial) tread area conforms much better to the road surface making grip much better......a light car with a stiff tire can see the tire lifted off the surface but a good sized piece of gravel. And a lighter tire has less mass and is easier to get heat into during a short run like a solo or hillclimb. This of course has a flip-side in that the lighter tire will also shed heat more quickly between runs but overall the light bias ply tire will run warmer. Stay away from the cantilever tires (heavy and odd sidewall stiffness) that were meant to allow cars running in classes with wheel width restrictions to run a wide tire. Instead run a wide rim and wide tire and life will be good. dave

Nice looking ride! dave

PM's responded to - dave

If at all interested make me an offer before I put them on eBay in a day or two. dave

I have a set of 15" x 7" Team Dynamics wheels for sale. Here are the specs - - 15" x 7" - ET 22 - 4 x 108 (4.25") bolt pattern - 4 15/16" measured back space - 2 1/2" centerbore These wheels obviously fit a Westfield and it's my understanding that they will fit many Caterhams but you should check the numbers to be sure. I have been using these wheels on my Westfield and they are not damaged in any way. They have not been curbed or dented and spin true and round as new. Very slight surface scuffs but no damage to the finish. They currently have Toyo R1R tires (205/50-15) installed which are about 80% done. They would still be fun for autocross or track work but standing water would not be great. The tires can be left on or I can remove them if you'd like - the price is for the wheels and the tires are free. The wheels are $400 with actual shipping costs from Bozeman, MT 59715 on top of that. Feel free to write with questions or if you'd like more specific photos. Dave

As someone who makes his living selling high end, hand made goods I would advise you to throw real time/money at having professional photography done. Your words will generate interest and the photos will close the deal.....or not. If you take average photos with the car sitting in a driveway or industrial park somewhere they will set the tone for what the product is - in other words it will come off as a shade tree project and not give the needed impression that you sweat the details. If on the other hand you have a pro shoot it, in the proper context, in the proper light you can really develop deep seated interest. Good luck with your project! dave

Just a quick follow up - my friend bought Powerbrake's Ultralite and it looks like it fits him pretty well with a few tweaks. Thanks all for the input and advice. dave

I feel a bit silly asking but.....who makes Peg brand wheels? dave

Thank you for the feedback. I'll pass on the info. My friend also has the issue of having size 13 shoes so it seems that any way you cut it he'll need to try on a car before he buys one. Thanks again - dave

I have a friend who is about 6'6" and 250 lbs and he's interested in a 4 cylinder Seven. He doesn't fit in my Westfield (close but pretty tight) and I wonder if anyone knows of a larger fitting car. I was thinking maybe the WCM Ultralite and wonder how the fit of that car is? Any thoughts? dave

Any signs that the steering shaft has been rubbing on the exhaust?....marks on the shaft of the header wrap? dave