JB455

@Silber Don't forget to buy LED compatible flashers. I didn't realize that I needed a separate flasher for the hazard lights, so I need to order another. This the one I got- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1VVJLQV?ref=fed_asin_title These are neat in that you can adjust the flasher speed. There a ton of different flashers available- just make sure you get a "CF 14" unit. The CF 13 flashers are visually the same, but the polarity is reversed.

These are the lights that I chose. I chose them because they had separate amber turn signals. These also have back up lights. There are many different brands, styles and functions of lights available in the 6" oval trailer light size that will also work. I'm guessing that since the original lights were also generic trailer lights, the fact that these cut out work so well is not just coincidence. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2QJH6BY?th=1 I used standard grommets- again many different brands that all do the same thing. If I were buying again right now I would get ones that have the fully enclosed back like this, to contain the wiring.https://www.amazon.com/UBLights-MTGR2239-Closed-Grommet-Lights/dp/B0D54RG6XG/ref=pd_sbs_d_sccl_1_1/135-1034964-9018662?pd_rd_w=oWHPs&content-id=amzn1.sym.aa738fbd-ad05-4d11-aae2-04b598db6305&pf_rd_p=aa738fbd-ad05-4d11-aae2-04b598db6305&pf_rd_r=B7S8HY7V4E0WWKK0M8JR&pd_rd_wg=yZWrp&pd_rd_r=1315e7f9-6e79-4e08-92b1-11e82afe0d06&pd_rd_i=B0D54RG6XG&psc=1I used some nylon wire retainers mounted to the built in studs on the lights to keep the wiring from rubbing on the tire.

Finally got the lights installed yesterday. I've included pics of them in each function side by side with the stock lights. The LEDs are significantly brighter in every function. The red running and brake functions are very red to the human eye, but don't show well in pictures. The brake function is significantly brighter than the running function, so they should do their job. The blinker is sequential, a little too "bling" for me, I'd rather just on/off. It is yellow, but not a deep amber. They are VERY bright and will get other driver attention. The installation is very straight forward and is easily reversed. I crimped on blade connectors to the new lights so they plugged directly into the existing leads. I did need to open up the bottom of the openings in the fenders. The grommets fit fine, but the ones I used had small small ridges added at the mounting point, presumably to make the mounting extra secure. That would be fine on a heavy steel trailer mount, but the light weight fiberglass needed to opened up slightly to avoid deforming the opening. I took off approximately 1/8" just from the bottom. You can use dish soap on the rubber to allow the light to seat more easily. Ignore the cluttered garage in the photos! 1st pic is running lights. 2nd pic is brake function. 3rd pic is turn/hazard function.

Didn't get them installed today- yet. The good news- I did try the grommet in the hole. It's perfect! Even covers the screw holes. So these lights will work. I left the silicone (and dirt) on the fender so you can see the size of the original light.

I thought I had bought myself some time by disassembling the offending tail light and reseating the socket components... but last time I went out I noticed that brake light wasn't working again... AND now the parking light is out too. As an aside, I realized that , with a little twisting, I can check the tail light functions from the driver seat. As a temporary (and possibly permanent solution) I bought a set of grommets for the smaller oval lights that I'd bought. It looks like the rubber grommet mount, common on truck and trailer lights, will fit into the existing hole and possibly even cover the stud holes on each end. That set of lights has both stud mounting or grommet mounting capabilities. The grommets are supposed to come tomorrow, so hopefully I can have them working by the weekend. One bonus of going this route is that I don't need to make any more/bigger holes in my rear fenders. We'll see if/how they work and how they look once installed to see if they're temporary.

I ran up to Lime Rock this morning for Sunday Motoring Meet. Was a nice surprise to meet two more Seven owners there. Great to meet Gavin and Dezzy!

I just saw those lights last night, but without the cool mounting blocks. They're available for GBP 39.95 each light on eBay. Plus shipping and import fees, of course. I'm surprised there is no US distributor for those. That's exactly what I was looking for, and the size is right.

I was talking more of an actual upholstery shop- the kind of place that does car interiors, convertible tops, boat covers, etc. I don't see any reason a competent shop couldn't make one as good or better than you'd get online, and from any material and color that you'd like.

While out with the Litchfield Lotus Group last weekend someone pointed out that I had a brake light out. I stopped to grab a new bulb on my way home- I worry enough about being seen by other traffic in such a tiny car, I didn't want to be down a working brake light. Turns out the bulb wasn't the issue. The cheapo Birkin spec taillights are getting pretty rough. Loose sockets, cracked lenses, etc. They were never that good, even when they were new. I figured it was time for an upgrade. Something brighter. Something LED. After a quick search of my options online I ordered three different set of lights from Amazon as soon as I got home. They shipped quick. I hoped to have one of them installed this week. Well, it turns out I should have pulled the old lights before I ordered anything- the holes in the fenders were bigger than I expected. Nothing I had bought was big enough to cover, height wise. When I was doing my shopping I found that there weren't really any lights that were approximately the same size as the originals. 8"x3.5". They are a little smaller or a LOT bigger. I figured that 9"x2" would do in a pinch and the size would look right on the fenders. I do like the proportions of all of the lights I bought and they would look decent installed.... if only they covered the existing holes! I know that the newer Caterham tails are available, but their price point is significantly higher than I'd planned on spending. All three sets I'd bought off Amazon cost $75... combined. Obviously, I'm willing to spend more, just not the $600+ that the Caterham lights cost. Anyone have any other options they've found that would be appropriate for a Seven? Here's a pic of what I bought in case anyone else is looking... and doesn't already have big holes in their fenders. All are stud mount with parking, brake and yellow turn signal functions. The lense from the original Birkin lights is at the bottom.

Alternately, you could go to a local upholstery shop. They should be able to make one up pretty easily. I'd love to have one for my car, but my head sticks up higher that the windshield and the roll bar, so that wouldn't work too well for me. 🫤

I just did a quick search on Amazon and saw a whole bunch of towing mirrors for the '21-26 F-150? I did this a few years back with one of the Titans I had, swapped out standard mirrors for tow mirrors from Amazon. They were surprisingly good quality and had factory connectors... except my truck not originally having tow mirrors the wiring harness was a little different and had to do some modification for the power adjustments to work... and well, the heated feature didn't make the cut.

July 4th weekend driving around Litchfield County- Cruising around Lake Waramaug- not visible in this photo was the 8 foot 1x6 (with window parts secured to it) in the passenger seat that I was delivering to a customer in Kent. Cornwall covered bridge. Even got to put a few miles on my other yellow car- which feels so big, sloppy and ponderous after driving the Birkin all morning... but oh, the torque! Note the guy running with the flag- not sure how many laps he did around the lake, but it was more than two. Each lap is about 7 miles.

The side shot looks more like a NASCAR Modified than anything related to a Lotus Seven!

How would you go about this? A '32 body is at least 12" (30.5 cm) taller than a Seven. Would you raise the height of the Stalker frame or cut the '32 body down?

Welcome, Perry- The car you're describing made me immediately think of the Factory Five hot rod kit. Have you heard of them? Factory Five got started building Cobra replicas, but they have expanded in several different cars and styles. Here is a link to their '33 Hot Rod galleries- lots of pictures of completed cars, the chassis and different rear suspension options. The frame is not completely unlike a Seven frame, though the car is bigger and taller. https://www.factoryfive.com/galleries/33-hot-rod/

So, it turns out I was NOT out of gas, so now it's time for a new fuel pump!

So my Birkin died on the road last week after driving about 40 miles. It was acting like it ran out of fuel, even though the gauge was reading half full. I figured either it was the fuel pump or the gauge was on the fritz. The pump was still making noise, but seemed quieter. A friend got there with a couple of gallons of fuel about 20 minutes later. I put the gas in and turned the key- pump was back to full buzz- car fired right up and drove the 6 miles straight home. At this point I still was not sure if it was the pump or just out of gas. Today I drove it to the gas station to see how much fuel it would take- if it were out of gas and I put in a couple of gallons it should have taken 7-8 gallons. Well, I couldn't even get 2 gallons in it... so gauge was correct. So now I have no faith in the fuel pump that's in it, so I'm going to replace it rather than get stranded next time it decides to stop working again. I've put about 1300 miles on since I got it last fall and have done many drives over 100 miles and this the first time it's given me issue. The question is what pump? Anyone know what pump to use? Zetec with stock intake and fuel injection. I climbed underneath to take a look, but I couldn't see any part numbers on the existing pump. I did some looking around and it looks like I need 60 psi and 33 gph. I found this one on Summit Racing that looks pretty much exactly like the existing and has the right pressure and flow. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-251051 Any other options that I should be looking at? Here's a pic of what's in there now.

It got bid to $12k and $13.5k on both auctions on BAT. Bullet paid $16k at Mecum, plus fees and transport, and thought they were gonna make money. The only thing they did to it was shine the paint.

Where my car coasted to a stop after dying on the road this afternoon. Apparently, my previously functional fuel gauge is not to be trusted anymore- it still showed half a tank! Luckily a friend was close by brought me enough gas to get me home.

Most of my towing experience is with full size trucks, but I never used weight distribution bars on any of my open trailers, even when the weight exceeded the weight of the truck. I did use them on my enclosed due to the weight and length- 28' plus V-nose, made a huge difference on that. I wouldn't think you'd need them pulling something a light as a Seven. You could spend a small fortune buying a car trailer, but you don't need to go crazy if you're not using it a lot. A basic double axle open car trailer will weigh around 1500-2000lbs and should be able to carry nearly any car. If you get something specialized to only fit a Seven it'll bring the weight down around a 1000 lbs. Either way, I'd recommend staying with a double axle, just for the safety factor if you have a wheel/tire issue on the road. What kind of milage are you getting out of your Frontier? I put some miles on my son's '23 and got what I thought was decent for the way I was driving- 85-90 between CT and Pittsburgh and got 22 MPG. My F-250 gets less than half that, but I do have a contractor rack on it, which takes the aerodynamics from horrible to absolute trash.

I know that this happens. I know people that have done this on BAT. This was my first thought when I saw it back so soon, but... Current dealer is 6 1/2 hours south of the dealer from the previous listing. So, maybe legit sale? Maybe the new buyer got it home and didn't like something about it? Maybe driveline vibrations from the funny angles on the drive shaft? Maybe didn't like the high strung Hayabusa engine? I guess we'll never know. Seven ownership only appeals to a very small percentage of the population. Bike engined Sevens appeal to a very small percentage of Seven owners.

This is the same Hayabusa powered Birkin that sold last month on BAT. Almost no miles since last time. Buyer must’ve decided to sell as soon as they got it to get the listing up already.

I would imagine that it is likely a state assigned VIN.... so it could be anywhere! Usually on the firewall/pedal box area, but I've seen them tucked up on a frame tube under the dash....

The SV is, by any other standard, a tiny car. That is, until you park it next to a standard sized Seven. It's really kind of surprising how noticeable the size difference is.

I'm 6'1" and 240+ pounds (formerly athletic build 😅), with a size 11 shoe. I fit just fine, but it's snug... which is a good thing. Legroom is not an issue- I have my pedals set to the middle position. I can wear "regular" shoes, but wear driving shoes most of the time. Your size 13s are going to dictate driving shoes all the time. I would consider a quick release steering wheel to be mandatory. I can get in and out with it in place, but it is so much easier with it removed. Good that someone mentioned shoulder strength. When I started driving my Birkin a lot, my old rotator cuff injury started acting up from pushing myself up out of the driver seat. My son is pushing 6'6" and 300 lbs... and there is no way he'll fit behind the wheel. He tried to get in the passenger seat when he was home in the fall. He kinda fit, but his entire head was higher than the top of the windshield! This very well may have been the two biggest guys ever squeezed into a standard sized Seven! 😜