roll a 7

Rumor is that Arch still makes many of the frames. With around 30 variations from different eras and motors, dedion, widetrack, etc it will be some time before Caged can program their modern machine to replace Arch, I suspect. There are several Arch made frames here in CA that were designed to accept the duratec and are moving around with considerable alacrity due that that fine powerplant, These include Superlights and an SV. Another SV has successfully switched from zetec to duratec.

Said to be a 1993 Caterham with a 218 HP Swindon motor in an 1120 pound car. Red paint. From the 248 area code. $33K OBO.

Sounds like Pastrana could easily become Pastrami.......

FYI: The Ford Racing head has 33mm inlet valves; the Cosworth head has 33.5mm inlet valves and is NOT a "reworked" zetec head. It IS a fundamental new design which takes full advantage of Cosworth's extensive knowledge of air flow management. When Ford came to Cosworth to design a Cosworth SVT motor they realized that the stock head was not going to get it done and designed their own head. For more than 40 years when Ford wanted a serious racing motor they turned to Cosworth to do the heavy lifting. I have been told that the Ford Racing head was designed more for guys that want forced induction for drag racing applications.

MONDO: I spent last friday towing my 7 two hundred fifty five miles from my San Diego home to Buttonwillow Raceway in order to meet 4 other 7s for a weekend at the track. Mapquest tells me that Buttonwillow is 28 miles northwest of Bakersfield. Next time please join the lads for some fun which could range from driving to barbeque and some lieing over a few cervezas. ALL 7 types and enthusiasts are always welcome!!!!! Also, please join us @ the Streets of Willow in Sept. This is within about an hour of Bakersfield (215 miles from SD). Brad

Morgan: Great to see you coming out with an understanding wife!! Sounds as though you are on the verge of the dreaded upgradeitis, a financially debilitating malady. Before you undertake ANY mods be sure that you have spoken with those of us that have followed that path to ruin. The collected mistakes/wisdom will be beneficial. You have corralled one of the better 7s that I have seen offered for sale. Am excited to see it. Please bring it to SD for an autoX or two. You will learn some about the handling/performance of your 7. Our next track day @ the Streets of Willow will give you a chance to meet a bunch of the lunatic fringe of sportscar ownership (7 owners). The last weekend of sept with the LA Shelby Club is the plan. For the past month or so I figured that you were a gang member with a name like MoPho. Turns out that you are even more of a menace to society, a 7 owner........ Welcome aboard!!!

These are interesting cars. One lives here in San Diego county and is very well turned out with a transverse bike engine. Do you know of any others around the USA?

Check the frapper map for cars in the Phoenix area. Contact them for help and they can likely refer you to other 7 type cars in the area.

Very easy with a small cock?

John, The state of Washington owes California one 7 since your car moved up north. We would like this car to relocate down south. It's only fair. Quid pro quo and all that. Brad

Is that based on a VW? No.

I suggest that you also post this on the californiacaterhamclub.com website. There is a guy looking for a car that posted there last week. More visibilty with no cost!

Another cool 7 owner bride of my acquaintance, having seen her hubby build a 7 in the garage, now wants to build one herself!!

At the right price this could be a realy good deal.

I have run the ACB10s quite a few times on tracks and find them very slippery. The best tire I have found for autoX is the Kumho V710. It is available in only one 13" size so I use them @ both ends. A truly great tire! When I get back onto a road course I'm sure this will be the best tire yet on my car. Some testimonials from road racers can be found on the Tirs Rack website.

SB 100 gives you the most flexibility. I have photocopies of some very old Lotus 7 road tests which you can provide to the DMV referee to give him a reference point.

Zetec & Focus forums may not be very useful because many of them try to use the stock Ford ECUs. Any good performance upgrade on a zetec is likely to leave the the stock ECU on the junk pile pretty quick.

Hanging with the guys that own the cars is HALF the fun. A lot of good car types that are willing to commit to owning a lunatic fringe sports car. Owning a 7 will change how you spend your spare time and whom you spend it with; along with your personal spending habits. After you have driven a 7 for a while you will realize that all the other stuff on the road are just cars.

It is critical to find a dyno shop that understands programming an ECU for a track car. Drag race programmers need not apply. When you have selected and ECU post the brand and specs of your engine and some one should be able to provide a map that can get you started.

Your photo of the cars by Lake Pepin appears to be in Lake City. I stopped in a drive in restaurant there around 15 summers back and they offered home made root beer in a root beer float. The kid selling the stuff was likely the son of the banjo playing lad in Deliverance; and root beer was just as good as the banjo playing!! Naturally concluded that the the area is so rural that the bootleggers make root beer.............

Ottocycle: That is a really beautiful car. Can you tell us more about it? Approx. kit cost? LHD available? Weight? Weight distribution? Tire sizes? Dimensions? And every other possible detail........... Do you know your spring rates? Changing mine and adding adjustable shocks has transformed the handling of my 7. The ability to adjust your suspensions stiffness at either end enables you to really fin tune the performance. Congratulations on turning out such a desirable car!!!

At one point I seem to recall a plan to visit the Brammo/Ariel Atom plant along the way. Were you guys able to pull that off?

Winona county is around 40-50,000 people, with well over half in Winona. I'd be very surprised if any of the counties between Hastings and Winona have more residents. The Wisconsin side of the Mississippi is considerably less inhabited. Low population density=few motorists on the road. There is one local hazard you should know about: Rounding a bend to find a tractor/farm implement moving along @ 3 MPH. Sometimes in your lane. Beware!! Also, deer commonly bound across the roads into your path; and remember that the word "Deer" can be singular OR plural when its rural. The corn which they pilfer from the local farmers makes them grow healthy and large. If I lived anywhere nearby I'd make this blat for sure. A really beautiful part of America and not very expensive to see.

More: I have been reliably informed that good grub may be had @ Signatures @ the Bridges Golf Course, not far out of town on a formerly fun road to drive, pre washout. Nice views of Pleasant Valley and safe car parking for 7s. Beware of errant golf carts & balls! Also, the food @ the Minnesota Maritime Art Museum is said to be tasty. The Museum recently displayed Winona's only Monet original and is also worth a visit. In terms of getting around the town, nothing is more than about 10 minutes away. Truly a town!! Population around 25,000. Specific inquiries may also be fielded, if there are any...

I posted some info on the General Discussion (What war was he in?) area that may be helpful. More will follow at that post if I can add to what I have already said.