DB6

Thanks Dave, Yeah they all seem VERY long, but 95 " is one hell of a long run and seems to be all that is available,I will take not of what you say on installation. I also see that there are 2 choices of mounting hole on the lever that comes up from the pedal box, is this yet another option? Regards David

quite the experience. I was looking at Caterham USA parts list and they are showing the cable length for my car (live axle, 4 speed, I assume it's an Escort GT/Sport box, the gear box to block housing are integral to the gear box on a 1984 S Sprint 1.7) as being 95 inches YET the one I took off is 72 inches overall,???. Can any one tell me what the correct length and location is, I am going to buy a complete cable anyway. I just don,'t see how there is room for the 95 inches (I guess it was the easiest for the factory to do a Left Hand Drive car), that is one long cable , any one have a tape measure or pic they can send me of the corret installation ??, maybe the 72 incher on my car was wrong but it looped around and seemed ok. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1612346654_Clutch 001.jpghttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/894263603_Clutch 009.jpg

yeah, its a car that cut thru the BS, every one loves em, grannies think they are cute, well I did take a granny out up the road 3weeks ago, she said first "oh my God it's as cute as a bug, then after 2 miles curvey, she was "oh MY GOD, this takes my breath away, I LOVE it , she is 79, and stores my Autocross wheels. PS, the Boys in Blue seem to love em too, even when I drive the limit in know speed traps I see em slow down ready to pounce!

it's often easier and cheaper to make your own polish mops,my Dad to cut up circles of all kinds of materials from lambs wool to soft towel, (some one has a sewing machine, buy the old gal down the street a box of chocs and a bottle of wine, I did plus she waters my plants when I am away and keeps a set of Autocross wheels in her garage for me) With a shoe lace draw sting it can fit any polish head , but i still think that the soft alum on a 7 still needs the hand touch for the final gloss. The one ture thing about polishing alum is pulling out the black residue, try a damp piece of muslin cloth, dampened. then a dry piece,often just the paste left after a "clean " [polish can mirror up,but the ppl that mentioned the water sponge deal on here know what they are talking about.I like the Autosol over the Mothers Mag /Alloy, but a gentle touch by hand beats any power polisher for the final touch, then again, now you have the mirror finish bullet you think twice before using the washer jets,lol Happy Motoring, Oh. PS I like the Auto Sol from Germany, its good for the final touch, but as I said the fabrics used and the pressure are sensitive too. I have found a distributor from Portland OR that will sell the stuff for $6.00 per tube which is a very good deal.

Ian, I just noticed your car has a UK tag on it???

I agree, it's all relative, I use mine as much as possible and live in a climate that makes the UK look tropical. When I was back in the UK last year for my Mum's funeral I had to drive from Birmingham to London on the M1 and there was a convoy of over 20 7,s, many with just wind deflectors or the little brooklands style screens with no wet weather gear at all , it was pissing down (Febuary) my son could not believe they would drive in such weather, but everyone had full wet motor bike gear and full face helmets. Of course age , health and a bad case of Hemorrhoids can also restrict your drive time too. A prior owner of my car, being tall, came up with the bright idea of removing the bulk of the foam in the seat cushions (not exactly "Lazyboys" to satrt with) by a upholstry shop to lower his huge noggin under the roll bar. I am thinking of installing some springs/rubber blocks / sheet foam to easy the pressure on the old "Farmer Giles" (cockney rhyming slang for piles). So if you see a 7 when the driver jumps in then bounces right back out like on a trampoline, that will be me. Which reminds me ...did you hear that the head coach of the Czechoslovakian Olympic Trampoline team was arrested on fraud charges, yup, they got him for bouncing checks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MK_Indy Does it have reverse gear?

Well at least with RHD you will be able to reach and use the hand brake!

Here is a frame plus on ebay: Item number: 280262543826 and another : Item number: 280260041961

Yes they do look good, frankly all 3 brands look the same to me, what emblems are in the wheel caps?

Hi Guys, Yeah I have used that, the problem is keeping the shine, every time I lift the bonnet it gets marked up,have you heard of these wax resins to maintain the shine? I guess I will try the Rolite, there has to be some kind of clear sealer wax that lengthens the time of the shine . It really is a pain when you have to polish off your finger prints after lifting the bonnet.There are a lot of places a buffing machine just wont work on these cars, the hand method suits me ( yup,still single ) . Regards David PSAnybody have any input on the wheels????

FOR THE BEST POLISH FOR ALUM BONNETS ETC..? have used Eagle One pink rags, it was ok, Mothers Mag Alloy polish, not too bad, and Autosol from Germany, maybe the best so far, but a lot depends on the cloths and the action,. some say side to side means no swirls, my car is driven a lot and not a trailer Queen, just looking input .I saw in another site a mention of use "Resin Wax" after final polish to protect the finish, as I live on the Oregon Coast I have just about the worst enviroment for metals, partic alum,any one know of a clear seal wax that looks natural Next is wheels,I want to get a set of Minilite style wheels and the main 3 appear to be "Minilite" now made by KN, who supplied the original "jupiters" on my 1982 (not that impressed by the wheel or the company to be frank), or Superlite or Panasport, I am sticking with 6 by 13 on the original Ital/Triumph 3 & 3/4 lug. Any pros and cons, they all look the same hey?:7rain: PS, Can any recco a good waterproof car cover for outdoor use, (as opposed to the indoor use ones for when it rains in yout garage, dear me David, wake up ,lol)

Welcome CJ, The one area you may choose to go is with ppl selling cars in various stages of assembly (i.e uncompleted projects), these seem to pop up almost as often as completed cars;I guess sometimes a builder underestimates the amount of time, skill and money that can go into completion; in any event it's an avenue worth following.Try Craigslist for example, (it can take time working area by area) but there are quite a few out there,check ebay too. Good Luck David

Hi Demo, I agree with Al and the others here, it's all about what you feel is best for you,so many variables (not forgetting the big ones of budget and what is available at the time you want to buy). I do not think you need worry about feeling you have something less worthy if you buy anything other than a Caterham,there really is not the snob factor with 7 owners you may find in other make clubs(plus who cares as long as you are happy); in fact there are a lot of bloody stupid things on any Caterham that many micro builders addressed where as Catreham can often be "well this is the way it is, we have always done it this way,like it or leave it", kinda like dealing with the French.,lol. I take my hats off to the guys that build from scratch, partic the "Locost" style cars, that is way beyond my skill level but I think the best thing to do is one, set a budget and try to stick with it, and allow a few grand in the bank for fixes , mods and repairs in the first few months, then decide what the car will be used for; then go out and drive the little buggers, and these buggers can be little; it does not matter how fast or good the car looks, if it's not comfortable dont buy it.And oh, try and get as much history on the car as ppl love to tinker with these and you may well find yourself spending time and money putting right previous owner's improvements.Ideally take someone who has owned one with you before you part with your cash.Good hunting. PS, Craigslist is a good source, it can be a pain as you have to target area by area but mnay are listed on there, as many if not more tha ebay I would say.

Lol,lol.Nah, my problem was keeping up with the bugger; plus Home brew is Mr Courteous when stopping and allowing others to exit / enter the road, which is great cuz he has a hand brake where it should be and not buried under the f**k*n* passenger foot well as it is on my car which makes stopping and starting on a hill somewhat of a challenge as I only have 2 arms . I did however discover that the prior owner cross wired the head lights which means I have one high beam and one low beam and it flips the opp way when I hit high beam, well at least I have lights so thats a plus for me at night.The muffler got fixed too, which means I can now actually drive over a penny without the thing being ripped off. It still amazes me that while the cars in front of you are braking for bends I am wondering why ? while till I realise just how superior these cars handle to just about anything else on the road.They really are scary fast on a bendy road, my next plan is to get on a track not to race , but too find the break loose limits and what happens when it goes all wobbly and wrong and would rather plough grass than rocks and trees. Regards David

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1755201083_Locost & Cat 7 DPB.jpghttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2125638706_Homebrew Locost & DB6 Cat 7.jpg

2.5 pounds should put out up to a size 11 shoe size.

Too funny, I have just a plain aluminium ball (sorry aluminum, why did they do that I think it was just to piss off us Brits, well we will take most of your language but we will do our own things to it because.,..... well because, we can so there, and by the way lets change all the sizes of gallons and pints and in the imortal words of Eddie Izzard " In the UK we say Herb not Erb cuz theres a fkn H in it". Anyway in my normal logwinded way I am coming to a point, I did not drive my car prior to buying it, just sat in the seat, went "Brum, Brum" and let my friend who has driven plenty test drive and evaluate the car, this car was within minutes of downtown Seattle and trash pick up day so for once I was thinking smart. Anyways, got it home on a trailer, and we rolled it back into the garage, he left I went out on my first drive, had to pull nose in at my local pub to show my mates my pride and joy, had 2 pints (being a good boy) then came to leave;by now about 20 pple sitting outside were looking plus the crew I know, I fire up, blip , blip, and I go forward, damn where is reverse,I had no idea, had to make a call to my friend, he told me hard left and up, okey doke, nope 1st gear again, now I an getting ebarassed,, hard to look like Partick McGhohan when you cannot reverse your own car,...decide to take a leak,burn my ankle exiting the car with my short socks ands $10.00 Camo Waffle Racers on, (James Bond I was not) and called the owner , who tells me "oh yeah you have to push down too". Got home, poured a Scotch and just had to laugh out loud.

Al and all, It is an a addiction but a good one. I had to chuckle when they say "one is not enough" like the Lotus Pringle. Here I am 4 weeks after buying one still looking on ebay, Craigs, etc to see what else is there. I should have built a five car garage with a bed in it,lol. The person I bought mine from missed his old one so much he bought another 3 weeks later (and no there was nothing wrong with the one he sold me by the way he just needed the money , then got more cash from another source too,lol). I am still learning so much about the car and actually get a kick out of fixing things and doing little mods on it, the odd thing is that if any other car was to leave me stranded I would be so pissed off, but this car gets away with a lot of bad (or quirky behaviour/ wierd things done to it in its past life) because...." when she is good she is very very good even tho when she is bad she is horrid"

Today was good. The sun was out (Oregon remember), my 7 looked as ready and frisky as a Labrador puppy ready to go for a run, and after 2 weeks fixing previous owners faults I was ready too. Just drop off some packages at the Post Office then drive, just for the drive,even the ripping off of the exhaust heat shield clamps on the post office entrance ramp,then burning my ankle stepping out of the car, then my hand trying to wedge the damned thing in place to limp to the Nappa store to buy new clamps would not dull my day; (even dealing with the chumps at Nappa who kept telling me I needed to go to a "Hot Rod Shop" was ok, I found some oversize clamps, begged some tools and a piece of cardboard to lay on and after 17 hours (nah 30 mins really but my back is shot) got it all back up and running. While I was finishing off 2 guys in their 20's on Ducattis pulled in to talk (not buy parts) just chat about the 7, .. "Hi you need any help, we were at the stop light and saw you under the car, is all ok, is this a Lotus 7"? "Well, its a Caterham, 26 years old , but yeah , it.s a 7,"... we spent 30 mins chatting, talking about travel and roads, and the love of fast machines, we swapped contact info, then drove off with the promise to meet at the local micro brew pub next week . I drove 270 miles that day going nowhere,... of all the "fun/silly /toy " cars I have owned in my life, ( a lot) not one has made me smile like this( I include 63 FHC E Type, 63 Corvette, Triumph Dolomite Sprint( The WRX of the 70,s),,and not one ever has garnered so much public attention, that can get old sometimes I must admit.: "err yeah it a kit car with a VW bug engine,) when I meet the car experts,lol, then they leave., puts out about 40 hp on a good day, but its great for parades and kids". BUT not one car has made me feel so good, even with all the BS that goes with it; that few ppl would put up with if you try and explain any kind of logic to the car. No... more than that, just about really feeling good, on a drive of the car; even the sight of the brown paper bag I had just bought from Ace Hardware and sat on the passenger seat going flying out the car as I hit 70 and disapearing into the woods made me smile, ah f##k it David, who cares. It's a car that cuts thru the rich/pompous typical mid life crisis or spoilt kid feelings some have about performance cars, from age 17 to 80 ppl still just cannot but be attracted to it like a log fire on a cold night..This car really does cut thru all the BS, and even ppl that don't really know what the hell it is can see it for what it is. On the way home I had to stop at the Black and Decker outlet in Seaside OR to pick up some saw blades, on returning to the car, a guy is looking into the car, we chat, he was born in the same town in County Mayo in Ireland as my mother, he is down from Vancouver BC for 2 weeks, we meet for lunch on Friday,he is a Lotus Exige owner,only in a 7. Only in a 7,only in a Seven. So to any one out there ....thinking/ looking/ or saying some day, one day,,, maybe , BUY ONE NOW.

I have not been yet (Just got to Oregon) but I hear it's a great show. here is the link: http://www.britishcarweek.org/portland.html

TY

Sal, I am going with your wheel, (set of 5) unpolished finish,I am going to stick with the 185's, the wheel/tire combo has more than enough grip for my limited skills and the 160 hp of the car is enough for me.. I recall some years ago back in the UK, there was a wheel and tire company that was using a machine (this was on TV in the 80.s) New owners of Jag XJS,s were compaining of extreme vibration over 110 mph and thsi was offered to the pissed off owners. ) machine would spin the wheel and tire on the car over 100 mph,(It actually ended up being drive/propshafts that were out of balance on thes cars and not the wheels BUT... the deal being two fold: 1 2) there was also the argument that if you balanced the wheel and tire on the car at speed on the car it allowed for all the variables of the whole set up,i.e rotor variances etc , and many other variables that could affect the total "perfect" balance for the whole package of the wheel being on the car versus on a spinning machine with just the rubber and wheel, to eliminate any vibration/ shimmy at any speed. Is this type of machine still around, this was over 20 years ago?I.E on the car wheel balance, maybe wheel and tire tolerances are so much closer now that there is no need for such a machine. HERE IS ONE GOOD TIP, ; get some BRIGHT paint , mask off the small area for the 4 jacking points and rattle can spray the jack points on your Seven. Regards to all, David

Slingshot, Those were my thougts exactly, but from what I hear (Oregon wet weather users on 3 dif cars I asked ) said they actually do out perform the old RA1 in the wet (and are better all round too), guess looks can be deceiving as to my old school thinking the RA1 with all it's groves and chunky pattern looks like the better all rounder, partic in the wet, where as the R888, look like a dry weather slick thats barely road legal.The only point they made (which is the same as the members points raised here about standing water in a torrent) then the old style comes out better. Regards to all. David

Hi Shiva, Thanks for the input. I spoke to a tech at Toyo ( I know they are biassed) but the one thing that concermed me was the wet handling, (it's jist a street car but I live in Oregon and drive the car a lot so I often get wet roads), the R888 looks like a slick that someone cut a few groves in whereas the RA1 looks like it would be a better wet tire, BUT ....according to Toyo the R888 outperfroms the RA1 including wet weather traction, he did day the only negative feed back so far was that there was more road noise that the RA1, probably noy a problem in the 7,lol. Regards David