haiku88

no, I meant something more like this http://www.tuccycle.org/map.html good point though, some of the roads may be too rough to be any fun in a 7, I've only done the TUC route by bicycle and motorcycle. Labor day week would work perfectly for me, as would 5 days or so... I'm in Sonoma Co, , so I could maybe do some scouting in advance if needed once a route is settled on.

aha, did not know that....have only had a drivable 7 for a few months (FWIW a Birkin, had a Locost that didn't quite get done before that)

One good destination might be the Lost Coast/Cape Mendocino, stunning scenery and unlike anywhere else I've been in CA, very light traffic, also near Ferndale, Eureka, etc...

23-25 mpg in mixed driving, engine is a 175 hp Zetec w/ Dunnell EFI

The one in California is gone....I bought it in March:)

I am 6'1", 200 lbs, (and 50 too) and just fit in a Birkin w/ the adjustable pedal box all the way forward. Have only had the Birkin 2 mos. and overall am very happy with it, but should have checked it out a little better as it was not built very well by the dealer (I' m the second owner) ...but am slowly fixing all the sloppy work...and FWIW this is my first 7. Also be aware that for a few years Birkins came with modified ball joints that eventually fail and A arms that are prone to bending. My ball joint failure occurred at low speed but could have been deadly at high speed. Got the ball joints replaced with strong ones and had the bent A arm straightened and (both) reinforced, but wish I'd known about this in advance. Many cars have already been fixed, but definitely check this out if you get serious about one. The stock wiring is really bad for certain years too, but again this has been fixed on many. cars There is a Birkin group at Yahoo if you want to do more research on them

Interesting question, just did some MIG welding on my car yesterday, removed the ECU and disconnected the battery first per conventional wisdom. But earlier I'd bought some parts at a busy exhaust shop and saw a lot of welding going on, and AFAIK they were not disconnecting anything....next time I'm there I will ask what they know about this, if some cars are damaged by welding they would know about it. BTW, drove the 7 there and thought that might help as I was only buying a few parts and it seemed to, got 2' of straight pipe, a bend done, a flange, and 2 kinds of clamps for $18...

I'm using a Napa Gold 1394 oil filter (which is actually a rebadged Wix 51394)) per a tip on the Birkin list, very small so no clearance problems...this model is also specd for the Prius. From what I've read Napa Gold/Wix filters are high quality

Thanks very much for the info, that does sound like a good solution, gotta get rid of the stock exhaust as it is way too loud and has a raspy tone bill

I've thought about Supertrapp but read that they cause a lot of backpressure, so I thought maybe a resonater would be better, though I suppose you could use a bunch of discs in this case and minimize it...is your car down on power much with it attached?

So did the Hushpower work well?? I'm changing my exhaust very soon and that is one muffler I'm considering....am also thinking of a DNA muffler w/ a Hushpower resonator behind it, sounds like the DNA alone would be too loud for me, but the combo might work well.

thanks very much, a good tip at just the right time, just replaced the ball joints on my Birkin and need new boots

Even if the frame is still good aft of the firewall, I don't know if it would be worthwhile buying unless you already have all the tools to build the front half. I built a Locost frame from scratch and the back half is relatively easy, the front and especially the A arms are trickier. The welder and alll the smaller items are a big investment, I bought lots of clamps, welding magnets, layout tools, files, hole saws, etc. along the way.... That being said, I recently bought a Birkin so if you go for it I'd be willing to help with dimensions, photos, and passing on my (very) limited fabrication knowledge....

edit: Got a reply from Dunnell, the correct fuel pressure is 275 kPa or about 40psi. I had a lower ball joint fail in the meantime so I have not checked it yet. Also, Pete Challinor very generously offered to help me out via telephone.... Bill :7frog: am troubleshooting and modifying my Dunnell FI system and am hoping someone here could help with some specs, tried emailing Dunnell but no reply so far, and a Google search did not help either. Need the flow rate on the 175 hp injectors and also need the spec on fuel pressure. Slomove already made a good estimate on the injectors (300 cc/min) but maybe someone has Dunnells numbers...and am curious on the pressure spec as my car has a pressure regulator with a disconnected vacuum fitting, am fairly sure this is the cause of rich running and poor mileage but a FP specification would help to confirm and correct this....

Excessive bouncing fixed, tires had waaay too much pressure, 25,27,30,30....dropped all to 20 psi and all is well. Shocks and springs are Carreras and are just fine...I should have checked the tires when I picked the car up, didn't realize that excess tire pressure could have such a drastic effect.

thanks I will look at them, am also considering a DNA muffler after doing a search here and on the web... Bill

Indeed it is!...first one I looked at but I liked it so much I didn't check out two others, and Bud was a pleasure to do business with.

Thanks, will definitely check those out...and MSI in general, they are nearby.

Thanks very much to all for the info, I will check out the spring rates and damper settings, sounds like what I experienced was more than usual Seven bouncing. My car is a 2004 w/ Dunnell Zetec power,it has 20K miles and I bought it from the original owner. Need to sort out a few issues, it is obviously running rich so I think maybe I'll convert it to an Emerald ECU after reading the positive reviews here...the original owner had some difficulty dealing with Dunnell and I don't want to repeat that experience. The expansion tank for the cooling system has a slight leak so I'll replace it with something better. Also the car is a little too loud, need to deal with that too...and that is added incentive for a new ECU so I can get the engine tuned properly on my own after a muffler swap. Only have a low quality cell phone photo so far....http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1768991027_birk.jpg

this weekend and drove it 400 miles home yesterday. Love the car and the drive was easier than I expected as the car is fairly comfortable...though very snug. The only bad parts of the drive were a few stretches of of very rough broken concrete interstate paving (on I-5) where the car jumped about to an alarming degree. I'm guessing this is just due to the light weight of the car and normal for a Seven but wanted to check, it was pretty scary at the time....

Am a new member, got half way through building a Locost from scratch a few years ago, am now looking for a used Caterham or Birkin (made a seperate post for that). Would rather build a kit but don't want to deal with the CA registration hassles. Had several fast motorcycles over the years, got away with it unscathed, and am getting back into sports cars as I don't want to push my luck. Had a TR-4 and currently drive a Z3, but want something with higher performance and more of an edge, and am sure a Seven will give those things I miss from sport bikes. Live in the Northern California wine country...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/car/589380876.html

thanks much for the link! will check it out.... does that price look like it is in the ballpark?? I just started looking so I don't have a good sense for prices yet...

I bet that changes though, that is as far as my Locost ever got, a rolling chassis. Tried to sell it but no takers, eventually gave the frame away to a guy on the Yahoo Locost NA list, but no regrets, learned a lot building it and the frame, making MG B and Midget parts fit, etc... ...

dang....waaaaay more than I'm willing to pay.....FWIW that number is for Golden Gate Sevens at Infineon raceway AKA Sears point...