powderbrake

I spoke to Chuck on Friday as he was preparing his XR7 to compete in the SCCA event. He mentioned that Del Long and others who are SCCA champions were going to be there. I told him those guys hadn't competed against him yet, so they were the vunerable ones. Congratulations Chuck and Barb, and by the way, thanks for proving me correct. :party:

Oil production is already screwed up by government influences. Let the free market decide. Drilling offshore ( up to 200 miles out) will produce lots of oil, as will Anwar. There was a news article on last night that saidover 50% of the oil damages on beaches etc, came from NATURAL SEEPAGE from cracks in the sea bottom. Offshore drilling was the smallest segment, less than 1%. We can drill safely offshore, lets let the drillers go, and see what happens to oil futures. I'm not recommending we not pursue other forms of energy. Sooner or later we will build more nuclear power plants, and when they eventually discover an efficient battery, cars can run on electric or on fuel cells , powered by hydrogen, generated from nuclear electricity. Of course Hydrogen is kind of a joke. there is simply NO distribution system in place, and it's energy density is so low that you really can't carry enough to satisfy most folks. I saw a windmill farm in Kansas last week with about 100 windmills, only 20 or so were working. That was fine with me, I'm an anti-windmill guy, solely based on the fact they are Eye Pollution. A stationary windmill is ugly, but you can ignore it, a rotating windmill draws your eye. Remember when they would show a picture of early 1900's downtowns? All the buildings were obscured by the myiad wires and telephone poles. People concluded it was an eyesore, and now all building is done with underground wiring. Same goes for windmills. Off my windmill rant now.

I have bought companies, and I have been bought. All the talk about what is promised is all baloney. The golden rule applies. " The guy with the gold makes the rules" I suspect more of the upper echelon guys at AB ( Starting with the CEO August Busch IV, who already knows he wont have a job) will be the first to go. Brands wont disappear, unless sales fall or advertising costs get too high. All brewers have lots of brands, all it takes is a different formula and a different label. Subsidiary corps , such as Busch Gardens and the packaging plants may go, as AB was very vertically oriented, they even have their own hops farms in the uS and Europe. They will sell them off to get cash flow. It could be a good deal for the purchasers This may be an opportunity for a great increase in Budweiser sales, after all Bud Light is the largest selling single brand in the world. For your info: Best selling beers in the world. AB is #1 & #2, also #19 Natural Light. In-Bev has # 3 ,6,14 &20 1 Bud Light 40.9MM barrels 2 Bud 33.7MM 3 Skol 28.5MM (In-bev) 4 Snow 25.9MM (snow china) 5 Corona 25.8MM Group Modela ( half owned by Anhesuer-Busch) 6 Brahma 21.6MM (in-bev) 7 Heineken 21.4MM Heineken 8 Miller Light 18.2MM SAB Miller, a european company 9 Coors Light 16.8MM Molson-Coors 10 Asahi Dry 14.8MM Asahi japan All this typing made me thirsty, I'm getting a beer.

Well, In-Bev (of Belgium) bought Anheuser-Bush.:cry: :cry: AB is an institution here in St.Louis. Our baseball stadium is Bush stadium, and the Busch family has been "berry berry good to St.Louis" You old guys will get that Jose Jimenez comment. They are always there when funds are needed for a cause. They shut down their beer lines when there is a crisis somewhere, and they produce canned water for Red Cross and refugees, and they are supportive of the city and the arts programs in St. Louis. AB has been a "womb to tomb" job source for many people here in St.Louis. They have 5000 employees here, ( 28000 worldwide) and many many more that depend on them for maintenance of the brewery, shipping, etc.,and since AB is a marketing powerhouse, advertising ! ( Side note) Support of corporations is one reason that in St.Louis, the Zoo, the Art Museum, Forest Park, and parking in it, the Jewel Box ( huge flower greenhouse and display) are all free!!!. The Municipal Opera ( outdoor theater with 16000 seats) also has about 500 free seats each night. In-Bev is know as a cost cutter, and we don't know if they will support charities as AB has, afterall, Americans are the most generous people in the world, and there is no assumption a Belgium corporation with a Brazilian CEO will be as generous. It is likely there will be heads rolling at AB, particularly in the management areas. Hourly will probably fare better, but the unions will have some tough bargaining ahead. We took a tour of the brewery yesterday, awesome place. Clean efficient and above all... classy! Life goes on, it's only business, the dollar is weak and the Euro is strong. So, drink more Budweiser, help the local folks, and in the 11 other breweries and 8 or 10 packaging plants, and Busch Gardens and Sea World keep their jobs, and help the corporation grow. It's OK to drink Stella Artois now, it's the lead brand of In-Bev..... or should I say Anheuser-Bush In-Bev, the new corporate name. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

oops , double post, don't know how to delete

A small drop in oil futures right after Pres Bush's elimination of the executive order banning offshore drilling is indicative of what will happen if we drill for oil here in the USA. Congress needs to get off their asses and lifty their restrictions. I believe drilling off both costs , and in Anwar will send the signal to the futures markets that we are "Mad as hell, and we are not going to take it anymore" I'm doing my part. On a 5400 mile road trip to Seattle and back, I averaged 27.3 mpg on my vette, typically at 80mph. In slower traffic, I got nearly 30mpg. Answer? buy more pushrod V8's in light cars. ( This is not a suck-up to slngsht) All together now........ " I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore.....(and) "The government should guard the shores, deliver the mail, and get the hell out of my life" :rant:

The opinion will resonate through the uSA for years to come. I urge you to read it. http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf The syllabus on pps 1-4 is succinct and definitive. The analysis of the prefatory and the operative clauses makes it totally clear as to the intent and execution that the writers of the bill of rights had in mind. Reading the full text is interesting, as the Judges take shots at earch other. The depth of the research on this case is astounding, going back to newspaper articles of the time..

What makes the Senator think he is the source of knowledge for fuel mileage. This is just one more instance of the damngovernment involving itself in our lives. These are the same guys who gave us ethanol..... talk about unintended consequences !!! My feelings on the government are: Guard the shores, deliver the mail , and get the heck out of my life!!!!!! Iv'e been on a road trip to Seattle, mainly on the blue highways, and "enforced" speed limits would make the trip much longer. As it is, 80 to 90 on the two lanes seems to be the norm. Of course you have to be alert, during any kind of driving. In Wyoming, as I crested a hill I came upon this. As you can see from the road, I was moving at warp 6, but the vette has great brakes.:ack: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/111448073_DSC_5093 (Medium).JPG

a modification of two other suggestions Seven esque

Oops, I forgot that the newer Caterhams have the fuel injection, (as have some earlier ones which have been converted). And if you can't find your ECU, no matter, you don't have to touch it either. :o As to the comparison of English and American responses/reactions: Response- 1)An act or instance of responding by an answer 2) any reaction that results from stimulation Reaction- 1) an action in a reverse direction or manner, 2) movement in the direction of extreme political conservatism 3) action in response to a stimulus Yep, the stimulation did indeed produce a reaction in a reverse direction, so I guess the statement "Jeremy Clarkson says if you want a response ask an Englishman, if you want a reaction ask an American." is at least true for an American.:lol: Now here's the real question in this case........ Are our Canadian cohorts Englishmen or Americans? :d

Sorry this was a repost, I didn't think I actually posted.

"off brand" Quality, reliability....hmmmmmm. I get in my Ultralite, turn the key, and that bulletproof Honda starts every time. In the past year, I have worked on/replaced....... Hmmmmmm, let me see now.......... NOTHING.:thumbs: In the year before that, I replaced a faulty Wilwood caliper, and for lack of anything to fix on the car I added a temperature controlled relay for the radiator fan. Oh yeah, I did regrease a U Joint. 4 years, two sets of rear tires :d (big grin factor on using up the rears) I have frequently changed the oil,(it gives me something to do) and someday I may look at the spark plugs, but no rush, they only need changing every 100,000 miles. No "carb balance" required with fuel injection. Oh, did I mention the stock honda ECU has altitude compensation, so no re-jetting is required. There are some advantages to a stock engine-ecu-cat combo which includes the 240 hp at 9000rpm it delivers. Don't get me wrong, I would give up some of the performance for a new Caterham SV with all the weather accoutrements and the highly massaged engine, but I personally simply can't justify the cost. I will grant the Caterham has the provenance of the Lotus line, and I respect those for whom this is the more important aspect of seven ownership. I simply love them all.:hurray:

Officer, I swear it was on a dyno when it hit those numbers.

Welcome aboard Hank. Lots of fellow ME's here on the forum. Lots of help available too. You are in the minority with a BEC, but you have your own technical section, so make use of it. We are looking forward to pics of the build, and reports on your first drive. Good luck with the build.

Thank you. I am proud to be the dad to 5 great kids. (not really kids, they range from 30 to 45), and I have 10 grand kids ( it will be 11 next month)and 3 great grand kids. :)

That is just WRONG !! Like Corvettes, all Ferraris must be RED.

The acceptable cost range may be affected by the length of the stay. How many nights at the hotel do you estimate, based on arriving the evening before, and leaving the morning after the last event?

Great looking car, I love yellow Sevens

Paul: Of course it is a terriffic looking car, and your detail work is great. You do need to give us more pics, I have seen it, but there are 700 other guys on this forum that haven't. Take some pics of those custom leather seats as well as the dash.

Kevin is correct, I was mistaken when I said there was room to widen it. I thought the panel was on the inside of the frame rails, and it's on the outside, so it's about a half to 3/4 inch from the tranny. :banghead: Great color too, but then I am a bit biased. It's still a real bargain.

Lots of wineries here in Missouri, although most of them are near St.louis. Try the Norton, made from the state grape of the same name. When done properly, it is a superb dry red that is our answer to Cabernet Sauvignon.

5 X 5

There are a couple inches between the footwell wall and the transmision.

Brian Anderson's new Ultralite LM (LeMans) is pictured on page 14 of the new Kit Car magazine. Very cool looking. Here is the link to the picture. WCM Ultralite LM With much less drag than a standard S2k, I'll bet it will be really fast with a stock Honda. I'll bet it will be SCARY fast with 7evin's drivetrain.