sdca7

They are not for everyone, but I have to admit that I had one, and I absolutely loved it. You can put an immense amount of stuff inside them and still park in compact parking. Not the most comfortable or beautiful vehicles, but one of the most practical. Go to the beach, throw surfboards etc inside and easily clean it up. Dogs, muddy mountain bikes, no problem. I got rid of mine when I deployed, and still think about getting another one.

Mine came with the car (R500), so I'm sure if you call Caterham USA they can order one for you. Justin

If you haven't already ordered one, you may also want to order a drive shaft loop. The hoop from Caterham is a plate with a big hole in it.

10 full track days is not bad for a set of A6's. Still much longer than most cars get out of them! I'm trying discontinued racing slicks for a while - the Formula Continental and other Formula series use 13" wheels, so there are sometimes good deals on new but discontinued slicks. Good advice I got from a friend here is to find out the manufacture date of the tire before buying them, as they may have sat around for years and have degraded some. I had to look at all the tire choices before choosing rim sizes for road courses. In order to accommodate the current selection of 13" Avons, Hoosiers, and still be able to use Formula Continental slicks, I went with 7" front and 9" rear. The fronts will be much narrower than a lot of folks use for autocrossing, but I think will be best for road courses. Justin

I've just recently purchased some wheels for my Caterham, and as far as I could find (with much help from those on this and the California Caterham board), the current options include: Kodiak Motorsports http://www.kodiakracingwheels.com/ (Kind of expensive, take quite a while to have made, but a good wheel) Panasport Wheels http://www.panasport.com/ (Less expensive for up to 7" wide, made in Japan so take a while if you want wider) Rial Wheels http://www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk/rial-challenge-13x85-wheels-p-107.html http://www.westermann-motorsport.com/shop/index.php?cat=c17_Wheels.html&XTCsid=976edcda49b8ac69de25aad0b59104dc (Have to pay shipping from Europe) Compmotive http://www.usacomp.com/ml.htm (Unavailable when I last checked) Superlite Wheels http://www.superlite-wheels.com/ Mike Barnby Wheels There are other options, as you'll see by searching these forums. I've bought the Panasports before, and they are a good deal for the 7" wide. I have a set of Kodiaks that I bought used, and am having another set made right now. I ordered them in April, and still haven't got them! Good luck. I can give you the backspacing numbers I have for mine if you need them. Justin

I've had sevens for only three years now, and have spent most of my time in them on the track. I still have the same feeling, though - every time I come back into the pits I've got a huge silly grin on my face! I drove Z06's prior to the seven, and had similar experience to yours - great group of people that drove corvettes here, but irrational dislike for them by a few others. The seven is popular with everyone, and is a great conversation starter. I get requests for rides all the time. My goals on the track went from wanting to be fast to just enjoying the drive, and you can't beat these cars! Justin

It's an R500, and I'm using it mostly for track days at present. The discussion on se7ens.net leaves me thinking that I might be OK without it, but I'm leaning towards getting one anyway.

I don't know what type of fuel regulator I have, but will check.

Ben mentioned that I might have to remap my computer with a new fuel pump if the pressures are different enough, so that's why I was thinking of keeping the current pump. Thanks for the advice as usual!

I am looking into getting a fuel cell or converting my tank for my Caterham. Would love to hear some advice or experiences with this conversion, or good sources. Ideally I'd like to keep the in-tank fuel pump. Thanks, Justin

Yes, mine is the R500. I bought 5 copies of the magazine! Yours is just as nice looking, though, and I bet runs and drives like a dream. I really like the duratec. I'm sure you are going to love this car!

Same color scheme as my car. I love the gulf color scheme, and even more the longer I have it. Very nice! Congratulations!

I attend Speedventures track days pretty regularly. They have a good safety record, and although on any given day there is a wide variety of drivers, the upper groups tend to be very safe, friendly, and easy to be on track with. I'll be there either Saturday or Sunday. Look forward to meeting you and driving with another seven! Justin

The R500 does have aftermarket rods and pistons, as well as the FRPP head. The Cosworth head did not yield any more horsepower in this configuration, so they went with the less expensive head. I believe the only stock components are the block and crank. From what I remember, I think the compression is 12:1, but I might be wrong about this.

Inspiring!

Boy, lot's of anger in that e-mail! I have the utmost pride and respect for those who serve and for military decor (myself currently active duty, served in Iraq, plan on deploying again soon), but let's ease off on all the ass-kicking here at home! There is a lot of talk these days about "real Americans" and "true patriots" by radio talk show hosts and big TV networks, but I think a patriot is one who defends the ideals of justice and liberty for all. I would love to hear the national anthem in Spanish!

Another cool car hauler. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-FW-DRIVE-98-GMC-FWD-CAR-HAULER-TRADE-STREET-ROD-HOT-CLASSIC-RAT_W0QQitemZ290383205407QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item439c30141f

I think it odd, too, how polarizing such issues are. I worked at an Ecology lab as a post-doc for a while back in the 80's and 90's. Environmental modeling is very complex. The many factors influencing short and long term climate cycles are, and have been, well known to researchers. John Coleman only mentions a few of the issues in validating the models. The things he mentions are not a very strong argument against global warming, but he does illustrate the difficulties of predicting long term climate changes. There is plenty of evidence and reasonable theory to at the very least think that we are impacting our environment. You will find that most scientists are in fact the biggest skeptics of new theories - they are trained to be. And they hardly get rich doing it! Yes, there are financial and career incentives for proving theories, but for every one out there trying to prove his theory, there are many more questioning it. For all of the potential pitfalls of the scientific method, there are also many safeguards to keep us on course. I wonder if the polarization of our society on so many issues will eventually move the moderates to speak up more. It is a curious world that we live in - over the last few hundred years our societies have changed dramatically. Sometimes we have been able to anticipate the changes, more often not! I drove my car back from the track yesterday through bumper to bumper traffic for 250 miles, three to eight lanes wide. Most of the cars (including mine!) having one sole inhabitant. What can I say?

Many of the things we do have a significant negative effect on the environment. I try to balance my racing habit by commuting on my bike, but with towing a trailer to tracks 200-250 miles from home, I'm having to put a lot of miles on the bike! Justin

I bought a GoPro last year, and although I think it is a neat package for the price, it does have a few things I didn't like. There are only two buttons, so to program it, choose modes, and start/stop the camera, you use some combination of these two buttons, which is not always intuitive. You cannot tell if it is running except from the front of the camera. Unless it is mounted behind you, you need to get out of the car to turn it on and off. It comes with suction mounts, which work great on the hood, but would need extra hardware to mount it on a rollbar. You need to use lithium batteries for it to work, and have about twenty minutes of record time before the batteries run out. Mine stopped working after the first few uses, and I didn't like it enough to go through the trouble of having it fixed. I'm sure it's a reasonable option, but I am going to look for something different. Justin

Look at this guy's homemade rig, the "Car Camel": http://www.netbug.net/blogmichael/?p=21 I've thought of doing something similar - having a low loading height with a van body up front and perhaps using a trailer frame for the rear.

Yes, I think reserve was exactly $40,000. Seems to me, though, that someone got a good deal. It had a lot of CF extras, remote reservoir Penske's adjustable from the driver's seat, two pairs of wheels/tires with different size fenders to go with each, and a decent drivetrain. I've got well more than $40k in mine now, and I still have a ways to go before it's that nice. Justin

Does anyone know if the exhaust header bolt pattern/flange for the Zetec ZX1 is the same as the Zetec ZX2 or ZX3? I have a ZX1, and the only aftermarket header flanges in the U.S. are for the ZX2 or ZX3. Thanks, Justin

Welcome, and good luck! I also went from a C5 vette to a caterham. I do miss the power, but the overall driving experience is so much better! Take your time finding one, and ask lots of questions. As I'm sure you know with your vette, the cost of restoring/upgrading to what you're satisfied with can be more than the initial investment, so find out what you want before you buy. Justin

I take the petty strut off for street use - it is right in the passenger's face. I catch a lot of gravel to the face when racing too, but so far nothing on the road. Those darn EVO's and WRX's like to cut corners on our tracks, putting up a cloud of sand every time they do! I only drive it short distances on the street, and not too much on the highway. Justin