Automoda

Post some pictures and we'll be on the alert. Especially stuff that is specific. I'm pretty sure it is being repainted about now. The stuff like the seatbelt asymmetry is the kind of thing that will give it away. They wont get away with it!

Hey there. Yeah I can NOT believe how many other 7 owners I have met by parking at my favorite Chinese buffet there in Draper. Feel free to run into the restaurant looking crazy. I'd be the guy with goggles and a dash cam sitting on the table hehe. I'm not ready to race it yet. I need to fix a few issues and get over my fear of looking like and idiot out there. Lee will sometimes do that thing at Miller. I'd like to go along one of these days to look around and get a feel for it.

Yeah I've thought of doing it with a steel cable if I ever get around to it.

Impressive-- But its just not me. Part of me wants one but if I somehow found a way to pull in that kind of money, I'd never actually pull the trigger. I could not enjoy a sports car with $50,000 dollar tail lights when there are so many ways to use that money for good. There comes a point when it starts reminding me of a sort of gluttony, decadence, and self indulgence that ends up souring the whole idea of a fun drive. At the same time I can understand an artistic engineer wanting to build 'the perfect machine'. And the fact the dream was achieved is awesome.

Wow! There arent that many 7s in my state! Fantastic pictures. And what a variety. Whats that weird Ferrari with the double headlights? I havent seen that one before.

Now, I know making an electric Se7en is difficult because it gets heavy, so I'm working on some plans of my own to solve that. With only a few million in government grants, I believe I can change everything! First, solar panels on the hood. Hook those to some efficient electric fans. The fans will blow back over the cockpit to some windmills posted above the roll bar. The windmills will power generators to create electricity that charges some reasonably sized batteries (earth friendly batteries, of course). Those batteries are hooked up to some electric motors controlled by the throttle. The motors can go directly into the normal gearbox, through the limited-slip, and to the wheels. As the car goes faster, it wont need the solar cells anymore as the forward speed will spin the windmills much faster than the fans. In fact, at speed, one could divert the solar power to the batteries for a 'turbo boost' effect. All of this would be far lighter than the usual battery setup and way cheaper-- around 1,000 bucks of ebay p.... I mean a few million in research should get it all together.

What this proves is that there is nobody serving the market for 3-wheelers. I would buy one in a second if it was affordable... and why wouldnt it be? Its something that could be built with a donor motorcycle and a rather small kit. If they're getting away with charging that kind of money, then there's a niche not being attended to. Thats rare these days. And you can license those things as bikes so there's nothing stopping anyone. If I had time I'd be building one for myself.

Utah's weather has been so dry, I've had less 'rain days' than in the summer. With my fuzzy trapper's hat, corduroy jacket, and goggles, I've been driving to lunch every day (20 miles round trip)and I have no roof or doors! I ran over my first puddle of the winter last week-- melting snow at the side of the road. Bleh, all contaminated with salty crud. Thank you Al Gore!

But my point was that it should be possible to build that MGA today, but better. A cheap car that is good at what it aims to do. It would corner like a dream because we're smarter about suspension these days. The suspension is still the same welded and stamped steel, but we put the pivots in the right place (starting from a blank slate) and presto, it handles. All the stuff that sucked about old cars can be done properly. We have half a century of materials science and electronics and engineering. Making a roof that does not leak is not that tough. I just think our modern tech is being applied in such a way that it creates cars I do not want. I admit the Miata is the best car on the market for my niche. I like the car. But styling wise its still a yawn. Its just small and well engineered but its not raw. And its also not a cheap car. I say I want to see a truly cheap, exciting, simple, unique looking sports car. But its illegal to make that today in America due to regulations.

Got my calendar! And my car is on this month's page! Sweet. Good work. I like it. That trip was definitely the most fun I've had with my 7 so far. The calendar is a great way to remember it. Thanks!

But I dont care about safety as much as some people care. I'm fine with a 60s car if I put a nice harness in it and make sure the steering column can collapse. Yet I'm not really given the option to have a car that weighs 1000 lbs less and is perhaps slighly less crash-worthy. That is because for some people a car is more than point A to point B transportation. Today I saw a Smart Car. Admit it, the first thing you thought when you first saw one is "How did the government allow that thing on the road?". Of course any motorcycle is more dangerous many times over than a Smart Car or a 7 or an old Mini. In the end you wont see style return, or real innovation, until the government vanishes from the scene and people are allowed to try new ideas. And that day may be coming soon. Here's food for thought: The government has pushed people into a car-size arms race to have the biggest (and supposedly safest) cars they can make. Now what happens when gas is 10$/gallon or else you get 20 gallons per week on a ration card? The government will have pushed the population into a loosing hand. Again. Like always. Is anyone out there excited about a car being made today? Something a teenager would be able to buy 5 years used if he worked hard? Something that looks wildly unique or has timeless style? For me its a big yawn. Bring back the 60s cars.

Caterham is doing what I have been saying someone should do. BUT 40K is not affordable. Perhaps it is just because it is low volume... I would like to see someone make a sports car that is 15K, has standard easy to source parts, is easy to work on, is small tube-framed, and is simple. Something you could work on, something you could make modifications to all day long. Something grandma just cant get into. Something that is what it is and is not trying to be something for everyone. Simple guages, a 1din radio slot, stick or automatic options... But alas you could never make that car in the USA. Its like there's an unwritten rule that to make one of those naughty sports cars, you have to make it so expensive that the driver would never drive frisky. Then there's the problem that the government dictates car design here. A-pillars are now so thick that they cause wrecks, as you lose the semi coming at you behind the giant pillar. 2K worth of air bags, tons of crash testing, bumper rules (which is funny because every SUV out there would crawl right over any of my car's bumpers anyhow). Imagine a smaller, fiberglass-on-tube-frame 68 Camaro looking car that had a smaller but peppy engine, 14" steel wheels, lots of road noise, manual windows, race harnesses standard, old school headlights (not the expensive swept-plastic ones they all use now) for 15K. I'd buy that car. Then I'd tune it up. Nothing gets me excited out there right now. Nothing.

Thats just bad ass. And small room for error!

I'm totally up for one! I'll PM You my info + I'll do the paypal thing and include the addy there too. Hehe you know. That tour was quite something. My car had barely had any time for shake-down and I was taking it on a huge journey. I'm going to do a Southern Utah trip this spring. Redrock country. Should make for some great pics. Touring in the 7 is something I'm going to do more of. Luckily my insurance doesnt have a milage limit ;o)

It will only get worse until the whole pile of shit collapses under its own weight. Government is a tumor that has become self aware and has grown its own arms and legs. They wont do work though. They just grab stuff out of your own hands or push you around... Good luck with your life! Someone-- Get a hack saw.

Yeah I've seen that car before. People say its ugly but I say, with a little work on the body, it could be made into a 7 at least as 7ish as some of the more track-oriented kits out there. It all depends on whether it is mechanically well built. It looks like it might be a lot of bang for the buck.

If I had the money I'd do it again. I love my Birkin. And the new ones are even better. Many said "Just buy one used that is working already". That might have been good advice in that I'd have been on the road earlier, but working on it myself certainly was a worthy way to spend some of my lifespan. And I know the car better for doing it. I say go for it.

Driving the car today was quite the present in itself. I got a trapper hat and some driving gloves. I'm now good to 20F-- No weather gear. And yes, I've been driving the 7 all winter so far. There has been no real snow, and they have yet to gravel the roads. There is some salt here and there so, with the cold tires and that I have to be careful on the turns (I just lost traction on a straight shifting into 4th at 60 with limited slip. Thats a first) I still get a cold nose, but thats fine.

The things I would build if I had such a shop! Bwahahahahah! I spent some time last fall building a fiberglass fan shroud for my Birkin. The whole plug-to-mold-to-final piece process. It got cold before I could attach it (and I cant get the car up to temp in this kind of cold anyhow to test it) so it will have to wait till spring to try out. But I sure know how it feels to make something yourself that turns out great.

That Caterham's suspension is beautiful. Now thats a car. I dont know what to think of the Lamborghini. I suppose if i were going 200 mph I'd like beefy suspension, except that real F1 cars seem to have spindly suspension like the Cat, not the Lambo. One thought I've had about the inboard suspension-- The more joints you have, the more inefficiency you create. You're moving force into a 140 degree change of direction .... so there has to be some kind of affect on the feel of the suspension, right? Plus the more little joints you get, the more chance of getting a few miliseconds of 'lag' in the works. I'm not sure what this would mean in real life but adding complexity to a system that has to respond in real-time and efficiently seems like it'd have its downside. Its my understanding that you want to use mild steel in the suspension since it bends without breaking and is more or less immune to vibration cracking... While aluminum will develop cracks with vibration and would rather break in unpredictable, sudden ways. Of course perhaps this is not true with all alloys. But what are they accomplishing with all that aluminum? A small weight savings? It looks like those solid castings must weigh something close to what a hollow steel tube would weigh, but cost 50X as much to replace if you hit a curb. I do like the adjustable shims on the mounting points. Is it necessary to have ball joints that look like they'd fit a large cement truck though?

Earlier this week I got a chance to take an Audi R8 and a Ferrari 430 for a spin. Nothing crazy though I did drag them to 120 or so on a safe section of highway. I guess I wasnt as impressed as I thought I'd be. I think it is because, other than pure horsepower, my Birkin's performance is no slouch so its not much of a step up. More of a step sideways into luxurious doors and roofs. One thing I have to say is those cars go where you point them. All the computers and traction control make throttle steering and under/over-steer a thing of the past. And oh those stupid paddle shifting automatics! No thanks... I think I'll keep my 5 speed. I did like the backup-camera on the Audi. Ferrari felt better as a sports car and seemed faster. But just look at this picture and you'll spot the fun car. Se7ens forever!!! http://herb.linkrealms.com/Audi_R8_Birkin_1.jpg

Metal on the leading edge of the rear fenders is mandatory. Its not just for rock chips-- My aluminum panels on the fenders have a few pretty impressive dents after 8,000 miles and no dirt roads. The area around the metal panels has clear-bra applied. It was expensive (I think they wanted like 70$ per fender-- ridiculous!) I think you could find some 3M stuff online and do it yourself. There is no way to wrap it around to the edge so it is wrapped a bit and then cuts off on the sides. It is cut so that it protects the front of the fender up to a point where the rocks arent hitting at much of an angle. It has worked very well so far. I only have a few tiny scratches in the paint. As for the nose and leading edge of the front cycle fenders: Rock chips do exist. I thought ahead and came up with a paint scheme that puts a dark color on the font edges so it isnt as bad as it could be. But there are chips. In retrospect it might have been smart to put a 3 inch strip of clear-bra along the front of the fenders and a thin strip around the nose's opening, but then again it may have looked hokey. That stuff just doesnt bend that well. I have one ding on the side panel and a few nicks in the aluminum, but its not too bad at all. But it is polished so it doesnt show scratches the way paint does (dents are another story). 8000 miles and the car shows a little trauma to the paint but it is not that bad.

Hey there! There are a few 7 owners in Utah, but not many. I think there are about 6 in the state. My Birkin: http://herb.linkrealms.com/Rally%20for%20Ron%20-%20Sept%202010%201.jpg Lee's Birkin: http://herb.linkrealms.com/LeesLotus2.jpg Lee has a friend with a yellow Caterham. There was one on KSL for sale a while back that looked pretty nice. There's a collector/museum that has one, and I heard from a drag-racing friend that one showed up at the drag strip over the summer. And so nice to meet you... the day that I put the tarp over the car. Will there be nice driving weather after this big storm? Who knows!

Grundy is mine (I think I remember their name right). Its like 400/year with unlimited milage, though the car is not supposed to be the main daily driver. I dont know that I have towing though. (But actually I do drive it a lot. Bwahaha. Probably 5K/year or so). I thought they were a better deal than Hagerty when I was doing my research.

But think about this, guys: Someone with a small amount of fiberglass skill could build a new nose etc for it that had some style and suddenly he's got a pretty cool hot rod. Mmm? Its one of the facts about sevens-- most of the good looks is in the front 1/3!