Marek

Zetec-Powered Birkin S3 https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2003-birkin-s3-2

When learning about the Sevens world before acquiring my car, I came to several conclusions; 'Originality' for Sevens is its own, fairly unique, aesthetic - and generally does not affect values. The notion of 'Clean Title' is deeply muddled - and has no apparent affect on values. After 'tasteful versus not' and condition, the greatest affect on value is whether or not it is a Caterham (yes, we can talk about a few other names here). These factors make Sevens valuation a very different algorithm than any other vaguely-modern car*. All this is to say I came to the conclusion that when looking at Sevens it is best to check my notions of car valuation at the door. * Elise are worth noting here...such a high percentage have salvage titles, and for non-chassis reasons, that the title status of an Elise has much less affect on values than any modern car I have encountered.

@Carz01 The first part of the season was great as we had it out once a week or more. I had planned to refresh the wiring harness this winter as it came to me with some damage from running higher current lights than the wiring could support. But my luck ran out and the harness began failing; so the winter project began in August. A few higher priority projects later (like learning how to program a Alfa TCT dual dry clutch gearbox), and the Rotus is still in the garage. But January is looking quiet and the car should be ready with fresh wiring and a fix for the trammeling well before the salt clears in spring. Thanks for asking...encouragement is always good.

A friend just installed minisplit heat pumps in his new 1700ft^2 garage. Very effective and efficient! https://mrcool.com/diy-4th-generation

Mike - I am curious the motivation to seek an alternative to the services of a traditional restoration fabricator.

Looks remarkably similar to @speedwagon's one-off Seven!

Many years ago I decided I wanted a good alignment from someone with motorsports experience, so I asked a few people at the next autocross. One name was repeated a couple of times, so I take my car to the shop. In the back corner was his flat patch. His alignment rig was linoleum tiles under the wheels and a spray bottle of soapy water for lubricant, and strings with levels around the car. Later when I was working in IMSA and GrandAm, all the teams I worked for string-aligned their cars; including P1, P2, and GT3. I learned that stringing requires more skill, patience, and attention to detail. But the results are good enough for winning races in top motorsport. Recently I picked up this $35 toe/caster/camber plate set for doing quick checks: https://www.ebay.com/itm/114130836633 I do agree a fancy rack alignment is a great baseline and a cheap form of inspection for worn, bent, or broken parts or other damage.

You only have to watch a few episodes of Wheeler Dealer to have the sense this is not so much a problem in the UK as the US. For every other late model car they refurbish, a box of parts goes off to some specialist for a rebuild. There was, I think, a Maserati 4200 Cambiocorsa which they had the F1 gearbox hydraulics rebuilt and the console refinished and lettering restored. Both seemingly daunting tasks in low demand, but a niche specialist exists in the UK for each.

I anticipate we are talking at least 15, maybe 20, years from now. And I expect the lack of people with the required skills will be a greater hurdle than parts availability. For many non-Caterham Seven owners, poor parts availability is par for the course. Maybe the risk is Sevens become less accessible. The skills problem is a topic in classic car circles and not limited to Sevens.

The engine is the well known Alfa Romeo Nord as found in in US Spiders, Guilias, Berlinas, and Alfetta GTVs. Very nice, reliable, and tunable engines backed by a large community of knowledge and parts.

I believe the Rotus wiper arms and blades are from an Austin Healey, Triumph, or MG. My memory wants me to claim they are Spridget parts. These guys show the 193-8208 wiper blades as fitting the 1961-1968 MG Midget: https://saintgeorgeltd.com/Part-Listings/WIPER BLADES.html The blades which came on my car have clearly been trimmed to length; suggesting there are longer alternatives. Are your arms missing/damaged? Let me know if you need pictures.

Any preferences on ordering a half-hood or storm cap for a non-Caterham Seven from either Softbits or Oxted? The dimensions on my car are all wrong for using something off the shelf.

One comment on getting the longest life out of these batteries (and really, most AGMs): the charging requirements are not support by all chargers. This recent thread goes into the topic in detail.

I know of a parts bin Defender which was successfully imported from Canada to the US a few years ago. The chassis, body, and engine were all of different years and not in a combination which ever left the factory. (and in this case also assembled in The Netherlands) The advice given the buyer and seller in the case of the Defender was to leave the complicated cases to a vehicle specialist broker. I believe the one they used is in the Vancouver area.

Sheets of carbon-kevlar are widely available as well. The advantage is the material is prefinished. So you only need to drill holes for switches, gauges, and mounting.