theDreamer

Good luck. I've been looking for one to fit my '93 HPC Evo for a year now. Even in the UK most are too short for the upright roll bar. My car is about 36.5 inches which means 925 to 930mm from the front of the windscreen to the back side of the roll bar.

I hope this isn't a repost and yes, it's in Italian but it still looks like fun.

Shipping containers work great to store and even ship cars. Just ask any auto theft ring! One of the accused classic and collectable car thieves lived and stored the cars just miles from my home. He had about two dozen containers on his property. Not to mention his ginormous private garage that was filled. I wrote about this in the Off Topic sections: https://usa7s.net/ips/topic/15079-3m-in-stolen-cars-may-have-been-a-scam/#comment-144906 The photos of the Datsun are of my late boss’s second 240Z. These photos were taken when it was loaded up to be shipped to Germany. He wanted it over there for when he went back home to participate in races and track days. He kept his first 240Z here in Canada. Both cars were built in house with Buick Grand National engines. You can see him in action leading a Viper in this video from 2007. Sorry I got a little off topic.

I’ve become addicted to the heated seats and steering wheel in the wife’s Crosstrek with these -20c temps this winter. I’d never dream of taking my Caterham out in -10c temps but +7c yes. However, wind chill can make my hands feel like ice cubes so I’ve been looking into battery powered winter cycling gloves. A pair of soft buckskin or Kangaroo hide driving gloves may be all I need for those few early spring or late fall drives though.

FYI: Moonstone Blue Metallic was first used on the Ford Sierra Cosworth 3 door (hatch). This particular colour requires a light grey undercoat. The top coat is produced only as a varnish finish with a dominant blue colour. The photos I found on-line show it to be more like metallic silver with a slight blue hue. Obviously, what base coat colour was used plus the thickness of the top coat would play a part in the final product.

Most Caterhams that have the spare tyre carrier/license plate bracket welded in place are painted body colour. Cars with bare aluminium bodies are the exception being left in the frame colour. Our car's carrier and plate are therefore in the same Cadbury's Purple as the rest of the car.

You need them both. The flat washer is what the lock washer is meant to bite into. I’d buy longer bolts.

My father used to recite a poem supposedly written on a tombstone in some long forgotten cemetery that went something like this: Here lies the body of Johnny O'Day Who died Preserving His Right of Way. He was Right, Dead Right, as he sped along But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.

I viewed the Pre-Lit Westfield listed for sale just to see what it was. https://www.bugeyeguys.com/2025/02/pocket-rocket/ While I was on the Bug Eye Guys website I looked at all the other cars for sale. Of note was that in some of the ads there are videos where he mentions motorcycle safety tips during his drives. Things that a lot of seven owners may not know about if there have never ridden motorcycles. For example; leave a gap between you and the car ahead and angle your car slightly to the side when at a stop. This so if someone comes up too fast you can move to the right, (left in the UK) out of the way to avoid being rear ended. On a motorcycle there is usually room between the car ahead and the shoulder or curb. In a seven you may have to mount the curb. However, better to only need an alignment than to have to repair the rear coachwork. I know there are some good seven videos by people like Turn 7 but I haven’t seen many (any) that go into safe driving practices. This is one of the videos where he mentions Motorcycle Safety Foundation tips.

I have a friend that runs a parts and restoration business. He was informed by his broker that tariffs have already increased on parts coming into Canada from the US and vice versa. So, he has stopped doing business, both buying and selling with the US. I do not know for sure what will happen in the near future or long term. However, my instincts are that it will not be good for the average person in either country. Sorry but if you really want the car you’ve ordered you should be prepared for a worse case scenario. These new unknown costs may be what are driving prices in the used Caterham market.

This is what the stock cover looks like.

I completely understand and envy the journey you have before you. (I made such a journey over 50 years ago.) So much history to soak in and adventures await. With all the flooding you may want to think about building something like this from the Grand Tour. https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/car-profiles/7-reasons-why-caterhams-seven-is-still-going-strong/

You may find more than just a chassis at his shop. I see by his earlier posts that he inquired about engines and may have bought seats plus other parts. Looks like some good good parts and a great start to a build.

Search the internet, there are dozens of simple kits and plans, pdf's and YouTube videos. Someone will come along soon with all the links you'll ever need but here's one to start you on your adventure. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/build-your-own-locost-15-easy-steps/ You’ll get lots of support here. P.S. As a soon to be grad I'm sure that money is tight and you'll build what you can as you can afford it. However, if you have savings or your father is so inclined to help you might want to look into unfinished projects. There is a widow in Annapolis MD who is trying to gather together all the parts her late husband had collected for a Locost build. Check out this htread:

It has been many decades since I got in and out of an AC plus I was much younger and flexible then than now. However, I find your statement hard to believe. An AC Cobra, real or kit, has doors where the Lotus/Caterham 7 does not. So first one must get over the sill height and then bend, twist and contort themselves to fit through a much smaller opening. An AC Cobra’s door sill is almost level with the seat cushion and closer to the ground so nothing to step over. I‘ve posted this image before with the opening sizes in inches. I cannot see an AC with its hood up and doors open having a smaller or being harder to enter and exit than a 7. I would suggest that you have mastered ingress and egress of your Seven but not your Cobra. Once you find the technique that works for you, you’ll be off to the races so to speak.

I agree with your comment as it is amusing. Same too for the wipers. However, we’ve been caught in three major down pours in our seven and never had any water leaking in from around the hood or doors. We did get water running along the inside bottom of the shelf with the odd drip hitting our legs. I think that water is getting into (or behind) the heater via the bonnet vents for the fresh air intake. The wife’s 1964 AH Sprite had roll up windows and a good fitting hood as well. Back in the day my older brother’s Midgets had the sliding Plexiglas side windows and ill fitting hoods so both cars leaked. He did have fibreglass hard tops for both to use in late fall through to spring. Then again, his 850 Morris Mini Minor had sliding windows and he always carried cloths around for when it rained.

Good job and I agree with you about the looks but then I’m biased. I’d like a shifter with a proper big Caterham logo on it like the one in the HPC that Stang70Fastback just sold. But I like the feel and look of the polished ball that came on my car against the grey leather. Even though it has a Lotus logo on it I like that it is the same colour palette. Most don’t realize it is not a Caterham logo until I point it out. Then as I explain the cars history it is easy for them to draw the line from Chapman’s original sevens to the Caterham sevens. Many comment on the fact the Caterham logo is basically a Lotus badge turned 180 degrees. (Which we all know is basically how it came about when Caterham bought the rights to the seven.)

This AI crap is getting WAY out of control. I read on anther forum where someone Googled something about; how do racing officials indicate which car is being shown the black flag to come into the pits? The AI answer was that the Black and White (checkered) flag is used when cars need to come into the pits. I usually use Duck Duck Go but on occasion I’ve tried other search engines and Google always starts with an AI answer that almost always has an error or three in its reply. BUT… I’m really sick to death of all my non car family and friends who continually send me these (obvious to enthusiasts) fake AI announcements about cars that they think are real and are going into production.

It's yours so you don't call it pitted, you tell people it has patina.

Thanks MV8 but the first one is a Lotus fob which I have 4 or 5 now. Two of which came with my car. (That is why I wish to change.) The 7 fobs out of the UK cost as much to ship as to buy and right now the exchange I’d pay would be over $1.90 Canadian for each British pound stirling. So that’s £45.00 = $85 x 2 plus shipping and fees. That is why I asked about buying in North America.

That would not be 7 swag but rather 7 BRAG!

WOW! Those two really went after it. When the kart first came up for auction I told the wife it would sell for well over $8 grand US. She said no way. That $12,500 plus 5% buyers fee in USD works out to $19,268.13 CAD. That’s just NUTS!

Anyone know where I might buy something like this in North America?

Indy car, check the offset on the suspension. Longer arms on the right side than the left to place more weight to the inside of an all left hand corners track.

Yes, C20xe wet sump.