theDreamer

Back in the 60’s and into the 70’s when I was working in a service station I only remember tires having white dots. The one on the outside sidewall was to be aligned with the valve stem. If there was one on the inside it was an inspection stamp or so I was told. Sometime after I left the auto trade they decided to make things more complicated by introducing colours. I believe you are correct; yellow is for the valve stem but red is for the high spot and it take priority over yellow. But not all rims have balance marks. So that’s why I say use the yellow to align with valve stem. If you do not know where the wheel's balance point is you can end up with more weights then you need. My Caterham had a poor tire tech back in 2004 (date code on tires). One wheel had two strips of weights almost directly across from each other and on another wheel one long strip. Neither of those should have happened.

Modern magnesium does not age well. This fact is even more prominent for magnesium items exposed to the elements and subjected to numerous heat cycles, high G forces and shock loads for example; automotive, motorcycle and aircraft wheels. That is why Porsche recommends that owners of their GT3 RS models should replace the wheels every 10 years or 40,000 miles whichever comes first. Older magnesium wheels are even more suspect. Most vintage racers won’t use real mags but rather opt for a similar looking, almost as light modern alloy rims. I’ve seen the aftermath of old mags that have broken under race conditions. Some sanctioning bodies require wheels to be date coded and/or tested to prevent use of wheels that are suffering from material degradation. NO! Magnesium wheels CANNOT be magnaflux tested because this method is only suitable for ferromagnetic materials. Instead, dye penetrant inspection, X-Ray or other non-destructive testing methods must be used for magnesium wheels. Sorry but just like your old, over inflated tire your wheels are time bombs. I would not use them for anything other than static display. As for mounting tires in your garage here is one trick I learned years ago. After the tire is on the rim and positioned correctly, (alignment dot on tire over the valve stem) wrap a tie down around the center of the tire and tighten it. This is done to draw the center inward and get the tire beads set in or very near the wheel rim lips. Apply air pressure and once the tire beads are sealing, (and before they pop into place) release the tie down. Also, leave the valve core out of the valve stem while you are inflating to seat the tire bead. You can force more air under greater pressure into the tire with the core out. Once the beads seat then place the core into the stem and inflate to proper pressure. (Yes, many people over inflate and let the tires sit for a period to ensure the beads have seated all the way around. BUT, do not leave it overinflated for days. A new tire should take no more than an hour or so to fully seat onto a cleaned wheel rim.)

In the early years of dial-up internet I used Stephen W. as my user name. By the early 90’s as on-line scams started to appear I became known as Ducati Dreamin’ Stephen and later as just The Dreamer. When I signed up on BaT it wouldn’t accept theDreamer so I tried my gaming user name Duke_Audi which I’ve had since the early 2000’s. Yes, it can be problematic when someone is on multiple sites under different names. However, people who frequent the sites usually get know who uses what name on which site. I see you are dfree on BaT and Donnie on USA7’s so I’m getting to know you. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

Ah, w650gb500 states its actually blue-ish. But the odds are good that you will see a purple seven between two red ones if you're ever up our way.

My car came with vintage SPA outside mirrors mounted to the windscreen frames. Also a “Made For 7’s” wide angle that mounts to the top of the windscreen. The “Made For 7’s” is good but not as great as the full size Wink I had in my Europa or my dad had in his Corvair. The problem with it is that I have a very narrow view between the top of the spare and the roll bar that only shows cars close to me. The SPA’s use two screw fasteners to mount to the frame. The dang things will not stay put! I’ve tried everything except drilling and tapping for a little set screw. I have even replaced one with a brand new unit that does the exact same thing. No matter how careful we are getting into and out of the car at some point we'll hit one with the door and it is all downhill from there. Plus at shows people are constantly hitting them when looking at the car. Worst case and it’s happened many times in the first year, is someone who knows they hit the mirror and quickly grabs it and tries to put it back in position which always make it worse. I’ve been looking for motorcycle mirrors that I can use that would put a larger mirror further away from the body. So far no luck. All modern bikes are metric and Harley don’t make anything with a small enough mounting fastener to use the existing holes. I DO NOT want to have to drill more holes. Getting the nuts on the SPA mounts is hard enough.

John Lee Hooker wrote the tune but, that’s not Hooker’s version on this video. I’d say its Big Head Tod and the Monster’s version as used as the theme song for NCIS New Orleans. Take a listen and compare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn6cJtNMPs4

Once the car starts the music should STOP!

No, the only legal plate is one issued by the province. I know several people have had sticker plates made but if you get the wrong COP or one who has had a bad day it can be worse than getting dinged for no plate. A member of the Lotus Club of Canada had specialty plates that read KEVS 7. However, I do not know if he used the real front plate, a sticker or painted on version as I do not recall seeing the car with those plates. When he sold his seven those plates went on his Europa. (see image) In Ontario, the plate is registered to the owner and do not go with the car. Chalk up one for us doing our part for recycling. I believe this front plate was painted on. Still not legal but probably less likely to cause an officer to turn around and pursue the driver.

Today’s photo, left suspension removed and pickup points tweaked into position. A arms took the brunt and they tell me the chassis is fine. New suspension will be going on tomorrow just so they can roll it around the shop. It has to be parked in a corner until the “correct” rack arrives. The one they received is a newer beefy looking alloy unit and our car has a much smaller diameter steel unit.

This was how my car looked last Friday covered in sanding dust from other people's cars. The only repair work done in 80+ days was to rearrange the front fender to as close to the correct original factory shape as possible and then fill the cracks and breaks with goop so it keeps that shape. It has since been moved to the mechanic's shop and he was to start replacing parts this afternoon. Providing he doesn't find any issues and his alignment machine is repaired this week he should be finished his part by the end of next week.

Not all HPC style wheels were created equal. There are at least two, may be three different wheels. The one I’m in need of uses a cast alloy lug nut cover. They did make wheels with a plastic cover that may be a different diameter. It certainly appears that those wheels had a taller threaded perch for the cover lock to mount on. You can see how high the cover mount is on this wheel as opposed to my wheel pictured above.

Front plate? What is this front plate thing you speak of?? hehehehe I have not made a bracket yet but several in our group, (see PM) have. I carry the plate in the map pocket so if I'm stopped I can say; here it is and it just came off... This was Paul's first plate bracket on his SV. He has since removed it because it hung just a little to low. He is working on placing the plate about an inch higher.

Yes, overly optimistic pricing scares away not just the tire kickers but some, perhaps most, legitimate buyers. I’m not sure I’d agree with you on BaT’s decision to put them all up. The Westfield was sold by a well-known dealer and it was their choice to go no reserve. If they needed to hit a particular price point then they would have set a limit. As for the Birkin, it had a reserve that was surpassed. So, the seller got what he thought it was worth. The seller of the Toyota powered Caterham with the Lotus VIN plate sold a MGA last month which had a reserve on it. Looking at that car and the winning bid for it I’d think the high bidder on the 7 if he truly wants it will be able to make a deal. The only outlier is “the green tree frog” Caterham. It may have suffered from the amount of 7’s but then again it may be due to the fast turnaround. Three owners in as many years and only 9 month since the seller bought it. That I think is what spooked buyers more. Also, I did not see bidders who lost out on one car jumping into the next auction. It was very much that bidders picked the car they were interested in and bid on that car.

desr, you didn’t reply to my PM so am I correct that you have purchased the 2016 that is/was in St. Albert, Alberta? Why I ask is that I was trying to verify that this particular ad was genuine and not a scam. There were telltale signs like, two different cars pictured in the ad, selling for the estate of a dead relative and then Jacqueline was being very cagey about what info she gave me. She has since stopped communicating altogether. If you bought this car then that answers those questions. If however you have purchased a different car please, give us the particulars. As they say; Photos or it didn’t happen.

I’d say the Champion Motor Corporation 7 is most similar to the Series 3. However, I’m with Hagerty and they listed my Caterham as just a “Lotus 7 replica”. I do not recall them asking for the specific series number. Actually I was rather upset that they wouldn’t insure it for what it is, a Caterham HPC.

The heater control is just a simple pull/push knob. Most are located on the passenger side under the fuse panel. (see 1st image) It operates a shut off valve which often times sticks due to limited use. (see 2nd image) This causes the cable to not function as required. In my case I had to physically rotate the valve from open to closed many times before it freed up enough to where the cable would open and close it from inside the car.

Well to a point. If I understand correctly the seller paid $26,500 in October so only getting a top bid of $17,750 9 months later might seem like a kick in the teeth but... He's relisted it at $35,000 which is way too far in the other direction. How can the owner think it's appreciated that much? https://www.facebook.com/share/16mJvTRxc1/ A far better presented, better built and documented, well known and admired by so many wonderful lil '62 Lotus S2 sold today for $38,500. I understand it’s his car and he can set the price where ever but, it’s just going to sit there.

Don't forget the graded cheese and a side of sauerkraut.

I've lost track but there are a glut of 7's for sale now and here is the latest. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1964-lotus-seven-7/

That goes for any site not just BaT. Cars & Bids, Facebook Marketplace, and the rest as they all have problem sellers and buys. It’s "Buyer Beware" no matter which website you use. Even dealers and private sellers can't be trusted. I reported here on USA7's one such individual (who I understand is a silent member of this group) because he is misrepresenting a car he is trying to sell. He is using the complete text and photos from the ad used in the auction site that he bought the car through. That means he is impersonating the person he bought the car from. So, much of the info is now incorrect or at the very least misleading. There is also the Classic Car Theft Ring I’ve mentioned several times. A Ford dealer who dabbled in collector cars decided to sell his Ford dealership and open a Classic Car dealership. He claims to have had over 200 cars stolen over a four year period and has had some of those allegedly stolen vehicles seized from the people who bought them in good faith from other persons. Furthermore, they have government supplied documentation showing that they are the rightful owners.

Well, there is the proof. The X-Flow Caterham with 6 ½ days to go is almost double what the Lotus Twin Cam Caterham is at with only 3 ½ days left. People now have a choice of Caterhams, a project or a turnkey driver. At present it is showing in the bids which is the preferred car. Even if it's getting passed around. I’m sure the competing Bruntons will also see the bidders split. The bidding on the one that ends first is strong at the moment. However, some may decide to hold off for the second one which may make it the higher priced car in the end. But who knows where the owners have their respective reserves set. I think the Birkin and the Westfield may be the big winners in this or at least get bids near enough to their reserves to end up with deals. IMHO the Birkin has a slight advantage with the Zetec, t9. But, the Westie has a presence and if it sells for less some might say that makes it the better buy. We’ll have to wait and see.

And here's another one: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-westfield-se-2/

Falcover, Bookmark this page: https://usa7s.net/ips/forum/26-cars-for-sale/ Also, checkout the latest entries on Croc’s “The Regular Summary of Classified Ads of Se7ens Found For Sale” which is the first thread on the above page. As well as check out UK sites like Pistonheads. More and more people have been importing Sevens from the UK. Better selection albeit RHD and until recently similar money to importing from the US.

I'll have to track me down a roll of that Royal Purple Duct tape to put in the fix-it bag if/when the car ever returns.