powderbrake

Tonight was the awards banquet for Run N Gun. I don't have all the results as accurately as I wish , but here's what I have for now. Chuck Spera, Ultralite XR7..... 1st place, 4 & 6 Cyl Autocross Pro Class 2nd place 4 & 6 Cyl Roadcourse Pro Class Jerry Eddens, Ultralite S2K.......2nd place 4 & 6 cyl Autocross Street class 2nd place 4 & 6 cyl Roadcourse Street Class John Shaloub, Ultralite S2K.......2nd place Autocross, Novice Class John got his Ultralite on Saturday, drove it to the track, and won a trophy today. I admire his guts in taking a brand new car on the track when it is only 4 days old :hurray: The rest of these items may well have the names and exact trophy classes mixed up, but the winners are sure to post here with the correct info. Justin(??) Stalker...............1st place 4 & 6 cyl Autocross Street Class ( now you know who beat me :cry:) ...............1st place 4 & 6 cyl Road course Street Class ( RATS!!! he did it to me again :cry: :cry:) Dennis Brunton, Super Stalker.......1st Place Pro roadcourse I believe he won another trophy as well, and had the fastest pro class roadcourse time Paul Whittle... Super Stalker...trophied in power adder class Mark Scott.... Stalker... trophied, not sure of the class Dino Trakas, SR27.............. 1st place 4 & 6 cyl Prepared Class Auto cross ................1st Place 4 & 6 cyl Prepared Road course For those of you that I missed or screwed up the info, I apologize, and ask that you post the correct info. All in all. the sevens took home a bushel of trophies :party: Sadly, there were a few sevens that had mechanical difficulties, Loren Edwards didn't get to run his blown Ultralite, and one Stalker broke a motor. Hopefully they will get repaired and back onto the course for next year.

Loren: You only left the party about a hour ago.... :crazy: How did you get the post up so fast? The Sevens party at my house was a lot of fun. :cheers: Ultralite and Stalker and Birkin and Caterham and Faux Ferrari owners all together in one party, drinking adult beverages and chowing down, and saying nice things about each other. Kinda sounds like the whole idea behind USA7s.com.:hurray: Great day at the track today. The autocross was HUGE. Definitely a high horsepower autocross. set up and run very professionally by local SCCA guys. The track sessions were very good. Street class ( in which I run) got one session stopped after two laps, due to a replica Austin Healy spinning into a wall, and the driver "got his bell rung". That stopped the session , and we moved on to the auto cross. The driver was taken by the ambulance to the hospital, and is OK. The Healy is a little dented, but in pretty good shape. I managed to log about 60 miles of track time. Tomorrow I expect to log 120 to 150 miles, as we will have lapping sessions all day. We are running in four groups. Unlimited ( factory guys) and Pro ( cars on slicks) run together, then Prepared class ( tires with wear rating below 200) Then Street ( tires with wear ratings 200 and above), then Novice. (Novice may run with street tomorrow, in which case there will be only three groups) Each group runs 15 to 20 minutes, while the next group stages, so you get on the track every 45 minutes for your lapping session. This will go on from 9 am to noon, an hour break, then 1 to 5 pm Lots and lots of track time They provide transponders, so every lap time is recorded. The fastest will get trophies Friday night at the banquet. Drag racing saturday, drag trophies and onerall Top Gun trophies Saturday afternoon. John Shaloub got a new Ultralite delivered last Saturday. He lives in St.Louis, so he drove it to the track, and went on the racetrack for the first time today. It went great. He managed to find the limits of adhesion but that didn't bother him. You should see the grin on his face when he hits the V-Tec at 6000 rpm with his newly bulit 2.5 liter honda S2000 engine. That thing is a real beast ! :d The SR27 guys got their car dialed in well and were having fun, Lots of Stalkers were in action and running very well. More info tomorrow.... pictures eventually. I have to sort and resize then as I shot all of them in Hi Rez. It's late, I have to get up early to drive to the track for a 7:30 am drivers meeting.

I went to the track today to drop off my car and get tech inspection. Today was a test and tune day, with a seminar on chassis set-up, and a set of scales so you could cornerweight your car, run the track to see if it helped, and repeat until you were satisfied. There were 7 or 8 Stalkers, & 3 Ultralites, with more coming in tonight!!! It looks like there may be 15 to 20 se7ens there. They will be running in Street, Prepared and Pro, depending on their tires Lots of Cobras, and some VERY RACY looking cars that I will have to ask someone What the heck are they? Several large double decker 4 car tractor trailer combos. Big Bucks !!! I believe this Run N Gun will be much larger than last year. I will report back with info in a couple days, and will include some pics ( forgot my camera today)

I have a TIG welder in my garage, and it has popped the GFI socket that the radio in the garage is on, so I have taken to shutting down my large screen TV and my computer when I am welding. I have not welded on my car ( I would hate to do so with a powdercoated frame) but I would disconnect the computer if I had to weld on it. Better safe than sorry!!

I STRONGLY recommend that you find some sevens to sit in, and to check to see how you fit. I felt I needed a wider car than a standard Lotus/Caterham/Birkin and I sat in soome to check the fit. There are lots of svens in California. Check Frapper maps http://www.frappr.com/usa7s You might want to check on the Yahoo Ultralite website Ultralite, and check with the Stalker group stalker. The Caterham SV model, the Ultralite and the Stalker are all a bit larger than a standard Lotus seven. Contact these folks and sit in lots of sevens to see how you fit.

Rats!!! I can't wait to see the article , but my issue hasn't arrived yet. It must have been mailed from the west coast.:banghead:

Cobrajim: welcome to the se7ens world, and to USA7s.com. Click on the link in the upper right hand corner of the web page labeled LINKS. It will take you to lots of sites that include kits as well as the locost-do-it-yourself route.

They are not crazy with liquor laws like us. You can buy beer from vending machines on the street corners.

I am using some mirrors ( one each side) which were supplied by WCM with my Ultralite kit. They are motorcycle mirrors, so they DO NOT vibrate loose and need constant readjustment. They mount via a (approximately)1/2 dia hole in the fiberglass hood. I use a chrome plated washer ( from my local hardware store) to spread the load on the fiberglass. There is a threaded stud with a nut on the inside. I don't know the brand, but I am sure that Brian Anderson at WCM can get them for you, or give directions to a source. It take two people to find the right spot. You sit in the drivers seat and have your helper hold the mirror in place to find the spot to drill the hole. I can adjust the mirrors so I can see the adjacent lanes when driving on the street, and I can tilt them in a bit to see directly behind me, to watch for overtaking cars ( not likely :lol:) during a track day. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/114525529_DSC_4286 (Medium).JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/611582679_DSC_4287 (Medium).JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/656649972_DSC_4288 (Medium).JPG

I am glad to hear that you are very happy with your purchase. If the speedo doesn't work correctly, it may not have been properly calibrated, see http://autometer.com/productPDF/1140.pdf If you have an autometer ultralite series speedo. I calibrated mine between mile markers on the interstate. By "floating" rotors I assume you mean they can be removed from the hubs. On mine the rotors are bolted to the "top hat" which then is slid on the studs, and the whole assembly is held in place by the wheels and wheel nuts. The ebrake does require some care in adjusting, and is best considered a "parking brake" There is a cable adjustment at the caliper end for the cable slack, and a screw and locknut on the back side that sets the pad clearance. Add some silicone rubber glue between the caliper body and the mounting plate to prevent any rattles. Good luck and ENJOY your new ride.

What are the worst three words you ever hear when playing golf? Your still away. What are the worst three words that you ever hear when having sex? Honey, I'm home.

Four guys are playing golf, and the group in front of them is incredibly slow. Always looking for a lost ball, taking forever to putt, and there are two holes empty in front of them. One of the gys whips out his cell phone and calls the clubhouse, and asks that a ranger be sent out to hustle the slow group along. The ranger shows up and listens to the complaints. He then explains that the "slow"group consists of blind men, any they only play occasionally, and the complainers should cut them some slack. The first guy in the group, a priest, says, "We should be more caring, I will say a prayer for those poor blind fellows." The second guy, a rabbi, says. "Father I will join you in that prayer, we must be compassionate to the handicapped" The third guy, an eye doctor, says, " give me their names and I will see them for free, and maybe I an cure their blindness." The fourth guy, and engineer, says "Can't they play at night?"

A new use for a Se7en..................Off road vehicle!!!!!

R & T November 2007 issue, page 36

Now I can say have met a TV Star !!!! It looks like a fun day. Were the hot laps under the typical NASA HPDE rules, or were you in the actual race?

You car was safe from the crazy woman, you were obviously sent there to help someone. I admire your compassion in taking the time and trouble to pay for the man's prescription.

Yes I agree, it doesn't make sense, but he says tha'ts how the Mustang dyno software works he said he HAD to enter that data. He said it simulates the horsepower required at speed. I didn't have time to discuss it with him, as he was busy running the cars thru the dyno. I also agree that power at the rear wheels is what we are interested in, so why the offset?, I don't know. Once again, don't dyno your car unless you have a problem, or are going to use it as a baseline for modifications.

In the Ultralite ( no top, no sidecurtains) the half moon windscreens do a good job of keeping the wind out of your face. At 70 to 80 mph it is comfortable with just goggles (which I always wear because of occasional pebbles). Sometimes I wear a skullcap, as after a while, the buffeting makes my hair hurt. (It also helps with the sunburn, as I am "thin" on top") I generally wear an earbud in my left ear, which is the audio from the radar detector, and on long trips , an earplug in the right ear. The passenger is offered earplugs, as the exhaust is on the passenger side.

Gary: Since the event is in my hometown, I am not sure where the folks are staying. The event hotel info is here Run N Gun Hotel info

I dynoed mine the same day as bball7754. It was on a Mustang dyno. Quick and dirty set-up, no fuel -air readings. I dynoed 176hp. The operator said he cranked in a guess of a 12 1/2 hp loss for wind resistance at 50 mph, which the computer uses to calculate rear wheel hp...? I assume the computer adds 12 1/2 hp of load that isn't displayed, or rather that the hp is really 176 + 12.5= 188.5. with 188.5 and 15% losses, that would be 222hp, which is reasonably close to the factory 240 hp. The Mustang dyno has you run in a gear that is 1:1, and hold it at 2500 rpm, so the dyno can claculate engine rpm from the speed of the roller. Well the Honda transmission doesn't have a 1:1 ratio. 4th is 1.16, and 5th is .96 so I am not too sure of the accuray of the whole setup. The Mustang does not sense the engine rpm with a pickup from the engine. The Mustang dynos have a reputation as heartbreakers, no one is ever happy with the results ( which the operator concurred with). They have the advantage of being able to hold a horsepower load for tuning because they use an eddy current brake, wheras the Dynojet is an inertial load and can't hold steady load on the engines. The place we were at specializes in tuning on Fords, and stated that they don't worry about the absolute hp number, they only use it as a baseline for the tuning, to see the improvements. I wasn't going to run it on the dyno, I just went there with the St.Louis Lotus club for their Dyno Day, but once I was there they talked me into putting it on the dyno, so here I am... still guessing what is the REAL hp?. I should not really care, because the car runs perfectly, and has more than enough power to exceed the capability of me as a driver. There were Elises and Exiges, and Esprits, and a Cadillac CTSV, in addition to my Ultralite and Steve's Caterham, but mine was the LOUDEST!

The link works now, all it required was for me to put in the CORRECT address.:banghead:

My wife and I would like to invite all the Se7en people to our house the evening of Oct 11,( Thursday night) for sandwiches and drinks. This includes significant others, co-drivers, pit crews and attendees and spectators who have or want to have a Se7en. :party: Run N Gun is Oct 11, 12, 13th, with an optional test and tune day on the 10th. Some may not go to that day, but all attendees will be in on the 11th. see www.runngun.net for more info. The party will run from around 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm, as the track activities generally go to around 5:00, that gives time to get cleaned up (optional, not required) and make the trek to my house, which is about 45 minutes from the track and hotels. It also will get you back to the hotel in time to get some sleep before the 7:30 am drivers meeting each day.(I am assuming that your car will not need any wrenching):cheers: All I request is that you let me know how many in your crew are coming, so I can get the proper amount of foodstuffs, beer, soda and wine. Please email me at.... geddens at charter dot net ....... so I can get a count, and I will email you a map to my house. I will also give out maps at the track, but I would still like an advance email headcount. We plan to stand around, have some drinks, and lie to each other about how fast and nimble our cars are. ( Of course that doesn't apply to those in the same class, as they will be on the track together.) :boxing: Run N Gun is a fun event, with a very friendly staff at Gateway, and an opportunity to run the road course, an autocross, and participate in the drags. Beating up on Cobras is a bonus fun feature of this event. :smash:

Loren: I had talked to Chuck and got the same 100L per minute number from him. As I told him, I have a difficult time accepting that volume of flow. The Honda pump puts put around 80 or 100 psi, and is regulated to 75 psi at running rpm. At 75 psi, how can you flow 100 liters a minute ( 25 gallons per minute) through a pipe which can be no bigger than about 3/8 inch ID? That's enough to almost fill a 55 gallon drum in two minutes!!! Heck, your faucet on your house is running at maybe 40 or 50 psi, and has a 1/2 inch pipe supplying it, and it's viscosity is much lower than oil, and it can barely flow 4 or 5 gallons per minute. I am not doubting your word, it's just that a 25 gal per minute pump is one big pump. That's 3200 cubic inches per minute, which at 6000 rpm where the v-tech kicks in, it will require 1/2 cubic inch per revoultion. Gear pumps with that capacity per revolution have 1" diameter pipes. Another way to look at it is at 100L /min, it will empty the 4 quart sump in 2 1/2 seconds. I can't imagine the oil flowing back down into the sump by gravity alone being able to return to the sump that fast. I looked in my Honda manual, and coud not find any oil pump flow specifications, so I can't offer any data here. I am agreeing with you on the need to be careful in determining the dry sump pump size, depending on the flow requirements of the engine.

I agree. I was referring to boxologist's reference to the desert in the summer. The desert being the Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California area. However I have been in 100 degree weather in the summer in both North and South Dakota and Wyoming. That won't stop me from attending something in those states.

My car has aero screens, and they are very effective. Leaning my head into the area between the screens lets me know that I need either aero screens or a windshield. By the way, I ALWAYS wear goggles when driving. I wear "over-the-eyeglasses" Scott motorcross goggles. They do a great job of deflecting bugs and pebbles.