scannon

Stan, Nice looking Miata, congrats! If you need more headroom, check out this article on the Miata.net Garage: http://www.miata.net/garage/headroom.html

That would play havoc with my power to weight ratio, not to mention the damage to the cockpit when the rocket fires.

A turbo is a good way to cut down on exhaust noise level. It also adds some fun to the drive.

Flyin Miata in Palisade, CO http://www.flyinmiata.com/westfield/ is a Westfield dealer for the those Westfields designed for a Miata donor car.

I considered using two electric jacks under the seat cushion but was concerned about stability under hard cornering. Last night the light bulb over my head went on and I decided to pursue using a small winch mounted in the boot with cables to pulleys on the roll bar and then down to a sling type seat under my butt. I've been on line and to Harbor Freight, Tool King and others and the smallest winch I can find is way too big. The smaller ones only power one way so you have to release a clutch and pull the cable out manually. I need one that works under power both ways. I'm now looking at constructing a winch out of a windshield wiper motor. I can change direction with a reversing of the polarity.

Great idea! Then I could forgo the surgery. Getting out of the car is the only real problem I have.

Thanks for all the good wishes guys, I appreciate it. I saw the shoulder doc yesterday and both shoulders are quite the mess. The plan is to fix the left shoulder after I get back from LOG31 and then live with the right one as is unless it gets worse at which time it require joint replacement. I have good range of motion on the right side, just not a lot of strength in the shoulder. Is anyone else going to LOG31 in Las Vegas in October? Is so we should have a get together while there.

Found a roommate through the local Lotus club. He even owns a Seven (original Lotus 7 and lots of other Loti).

I got the doc's blessing to delay shoulder surgery until after LOG31 so I am planning on attending. I've had a 2 bed room at the event hotel booked for many months. Anyone interested in sharing the room?

http://jalopnik.com/5843332/new-bmw-m5-fakes-its-engine-noise-for-your-pleasure?popular=true

Being around cats all my life I've had cat scratch fever several times, it was nothing like what I just went through. I've had many cat bites as well but none of them came close to this.

Finished version of some clips seen on youtube recently.

I don't consider it the cat's fault although I'll admit to some very murderous feelings while it was attached to my hand. Both cats were in battle mode having had several furballs before I came on the scene. When I reached out to shoo the cat away it perceived me as a threat and acted accordingly.

I had a chat with the owners of the cat last evening. The cat has had its shots on a regular basis. The cat was in my driveway as I was walking over to talk to her owners and approached me. We both stopped about 10 feet apart and looked at each other. I put out a hand in the cat approved "back of the hand first protocol" and she walked over, sniffed my fingers and rubbed her head against my hand. I petted her a bit and she accompanied me across the street to her home. It appears all is forgiven between us. I discussed the rabies scenario with the doctors and they told me rabies averages 2 cases a year in humans in the USA and very rarely are those are from domestic animals. This little cat is absolutely fearless. The owner told me he was doing the timing on his 5.0 Mustang and looked up to see the cat sitting on the fuel injection plenum of the running engine eyeballing the serpentine belt as it was spinning by.

No, I'm not talking about those burns from Caterham exhaust systems although I have two of those and a Cobra bite as well. I'm talking about feline cat bites. Saturday morning around 10 AM I hear a cat fight happening. Since Squeaks, my more timid cat is the only one out at the time I run out on the deck to find her face to face with the neighbor's stubby tailed Himalayan cat. This cat has always been very friendly and affectionate and often visits my shop if I leave a door open. I tried to shoo her off the deck but she whirls around and bites me at the base of my right thumb, hard and doesn't let go. Then she starts clawing me with her paws. I shake her off to great pain and lots of blood and she chases my cat into the house as I had left the door open. More furballs between the cats and I finally herd her out the front door and begin cleaning up the blood and cat piss on the kitchen floor. After letting the wounds bleed out as much as possible I applied Neosporin and band-aids and swear to never do this again. Later that evening the pain is getting worse and neither aspirin nor tequila had much effect. I got to sleep at midnight and woke up at 2 AM shaking badly. I couldn't get back to sleep so at 4 AM I got up and turned on the lights and saw a red stripe forming up my arm. I also felt feverish so I decided to head for an ER. At the ER I was taken in quickly and the doc said I needed IV antibiotics. I said OK lets do it, I have to be at the British Motoring Conclave at 8:30. He laughed and said you are going nowhere, I'm admitting you to the hospital. I finally got out of there about noon today with my arm in a brace to immobilize the thumb, an Rx for a weeks worth of oral antibiotics and instructions to keep it elevated and in the brace for a week. The red inflammation ran from my thumb to the armpit covering most of the underside of the arm. It and the base of the thumb were also swollen and very tender. The fever was 101F. I've learned my lesson, the next time I break up a cat fight I will take a bucket of water and douse the combatants. While in the hospital I finally got the report on the MRIs on my shoulders. Not good news, both have massive tearing and ligament detachment. Worse news is that the right one is non-repairable. Its the one I had fixed a few years ago. His suggested cure is a shoulder replacement down the road. Not sure what this means for Seven ownership as I need both shoulders to lever myself out of the car.

What is the blue/white car? A Bocar?

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/jet-powered-school-bus/12lwe3hu?q=school%20bus&rel=MSN

A friend saw part of the coverage but couldn't remember the name of the show, just that it was a car show on Speed about fan appreciation. I went looking for it and managed to find several upcoming repeats and recorded it. I doubt I will become a regular viewer of the 2CG show, the over eager personalities of the presenters doesn't sit well with me.

The current show is about fan appreciation day. The lead in story is about a fellow whose father bought and raced a Lotus 7 some 40 years ago. The father sold it after a year. Forty years later the son of the current owner found the car on the internet and they eventually bought and restored it. The proof of the family connection came in a 9 page letter written by the original owner to the next purchaser detailing all the races he had won with the car. The car passed through six owners and the letter went along with it each time. The show is on Speed and I think there are two more repeats in the near future if you are interested.

Found a link to this on the Miata.net forum. http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cto/2592144472.html

My Seven is completely covered with 3M film except for the area around the louvers and the polished stainless steel rear wing protectors. After 11,500 miles there are a few chips in the nose cone, rear wings and the body sides that go all the way through the film and into the primer under the color coat. The windscreen is also heavily pitted and has one star chip. At 1,500 miles the rear wing protectors were so chipped and pitted I had them covered with rhino liner. The area below these protectors has no film and most of the paint down there is gone. At the same time, I had the undersides of all four wings coated with rhino liner to prevent star cracks. Last summer I had two off track excursions into the mud which splattered all over the car. Both times it was washed off within 15 minutes. However, there must have been battery acid or something similar in the mud as there are numerous areas where the 3M film is etched. I've tried various polishing compounds for plastic and nothing clears them up.

Are you referring to the 4 pot M-16 Outlaw Caliper? http://www.outlawdiscbrakes.com/m16.html Last time I checked they were about $400 for a pair of them.

USA7s forum member Keith Tanner and his wife Janel are running in the Open class this year. The move to the open class was facilitated by the installation of an LSx engine in their Martini liveried Miata. Daily results of the stages are posted at: http://www.targanewfoundland.com/results/ Pictures of some of the competitors are posted on the Miata forum at: http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=433924

You might also look for clamshell or clamshells or clam shell.

I think it is better described as Mike's Evil Twin.