DeanD3W

Thanks for all the good comments. This is making me feel better about taking the leap that I did... I couldn't pass the deal up. The wrecking yard I'm buying from even has their truck coming through Portland OR once every week or two, so shipping will be only $75 from Spokane. Spalding Automotive is their name. They apparently have a lot of GM parts (They currently have a Solstice GXP 2.0L Turbo conversion package with, I think, 28k miles, but the price is over $5k). The package I'm buying was just a bit more than half that amount... If you want to go right to a 260HP/260 ft lb level that price isn't really too bad, I suppose (just too rich for me right now). They've been really good to deal with so far. Once the delivery has been made I'll know more of course. Jack - Do you know any more specifics about the car in Iowa? Is it a Locost or a kit type Se7en? I think the drive-by-wire throttle from the Solstice should work fine. Does anyone have experience or comments?

Slngsht - Regarding a Jag rear end assy being made part of DeDion rear suspension... I think the rear axles act as upper control links in the Jag, so neither end of the axle includes any plunge (similar to earlier Corvette rear suspensions). I think this means that it won't work as a DeDion unless mods are made to allow the axles to change in length with suspension travel. Maybe a Thunderbird, or if you want an aluminum housing a Lincoln MK VIII, would be a good choice for your LS1 powered car?

Has anyone used, or considered, a Solstice drivetrain in a 7? I'm considering (OK - I just bought :-} a 2.4L (not the turbo 2.0L GXP) engine with transmission, driveshaft, engine wiring harness, driveshaft, and 3.91 LSD. The engine & trans have just over 2800 miles on them & and differential apparently has 50 miles of use. I like the looks of all of it. It appears to be an easy solution for the Raw Striker kit that I plan to order soon. I think it likely weighs about 20% to 25% more than a 2.0L Duratec, but I think the Ecotec can handle quite an increase from the stock 177 hp with less work than the Duratec would require (at least wrt bottom end improvements). Since I just paid for it today, I'm now committed, but would love to hear opinions, good or bad, and whether anyone has any experience with these parts. I've searched quite a bit, but only found a new version of the Elfin that uses the 2.0L turbo charged Ecotec from a USDM Solstice GXP... No other Ecotecs in 7s??? I'm aware of the pinion seal recall for the diff (all the parts I bought are 2006). Any other concerns?

I'm sending you a pm. Whether I can help or not depends upon how soon you need someone to take a look.

Thank you - I can't believe I forgot the Leitch... I actually like the Leitch better than all but the Striker. The cost is about the same, the worksmanship may be better with the Leitch, based upon the comments I've heard about Graham Earley's car (Though I haven't seen either in person). I think the shipping would be even more with the Leitch, and IRS is and extra $2850. Especially since I still remember having a large deer jump from road-side brush right in front of my '75 Dodge PU while I was going about 65 (I hit it hard enough to flatten the truck's nose and push the radiator into the fan - wouldn't have been pretty if I had been in a non-caged se7en) , I really want a full cage. The Striker's unusual scuttle lends itself to the a-pillar tubes of a cage so well, & Raw will add the cage with three-point bolt-on side impact bars on both sides for about $1600. Thank you also for bringing up the VAT and duties questions... I need to look into all of this. The VAT is about $1000 so it's significant.

The full Striker kit price is $8725 at the current exchange rate, including their sales tax (VAT). They also have a "Chassis, Suspension, and Body" kit that is $4610 including VAT, but for my purposes for this build, I want the full kit. They will include all the needed Ford Sierra donor parts for about $900 more. The estimate for crating & shipping the full kit with donor parts is about $2000. The Stalker kit price is $9900, I believe. Since I live in the Northwest, shipping for the stalker might be about $850 (?). So, to get the crate with what I want included in it to my town would be about $10,750 for a Stalker, or about $11,625. To make the Stalker kit equivalent to the full Striker kit I would need to add coil overs $795, headers $545, mufflers $182, and roll bar, with diagonal $250. I would also need to add many other small items since the steering wheel, windshield glass, brake and fuel lines, brake light switch, fuel tank, hand brake with cable, aluminum radiator, wiring loom, front and rear lighting, dash switches and warning lights, and electronic speedometer, water temp, and fuel gauges with senders (Lucas ? :\), and fasteners for apparently the whole car (except drive train) are all included with the full Striker kit. So, it seems that the Stalker would cost ~$1000 more up front, with much more time and money needed for all the small items. If I liked the Stalker better, I'd still buy it with the cost a few thousand higher, especially since I've met Dennis Brunton and liked him very much. I like the Striker better overall though (IMHO), so better and cheaper makes the choice easy. The Stalker, MK Indy, WCM S2K, and Westfield are all viable alternatives (others are either too expensive, or not giving me a warm enough production reliability feeling), but I personally like the Striker best and the cost is lower than all but maybe the MK Indy. Regarding the Toyota 4AGE intake to hood clearance with their LHD chassis, according to Mel Coppock, at Raw, whether the Silver/Black Top (20V) or a 16V, there will be a need to put a hole in the right side of the hood. That may be OK, but I think I'd prefer to choose another engine that doesn't require this. Yes, the Striker does use some non-US components, but if they'll include the Sierra components at a cost of around $1100 (added price + added shipping cost) that does a pretty good job of solving the problem and saves me the time needed to gather parts. Hmm - Another long post - Sorry again :-} I know I seem pretty sold, but I'd still appreciate any opinions, especially if anyone has first hand experience with Raw or a Striker. I realize their older, flat sided triangular scuttle may not be viewed as pleasing by some, but with the full cage I want I like it better than a conventional scuttle with the cage bolted on from outside, looking like a giant spider is riding along.

Hello - I've been lurking for a couple of years, but this is my first post. Good forum. Great cars (ok - great forum too :-). In '95 I put a lot of hours in on the Oregon State U. FSAE car. I just sold my 2001 VFR 800 and '88 BMW M5 to make room, time, and money for se7en type cars in general. In the LocostUSA forum's racing category you might have seen a discussion about a North American versions of the UK series 750 Formula. We're planning to call our hoped-for class "Formula 993" (we're using Geo Metro I3 engines with 993 cc displacement). I'm collecting parts for a F993 design & build. I plan to build the car for To provide street fun and a toy to give my family rides in, I'd like to assemble a sevenesque kit before I really get going on the F993. If I can find a good alternative for a low enough cost I think I can make this happen. I've looked over all the alternatives for about two years now & have settled on the Raw Striker, which was brought back to mind by a recent article in Kit Car Builder magazine. Does anyone have any experience with the Raw Striker kit? (See http://web.mac.com/rawuk/iWeb/Raw/Raw%20Striker.html). I like most everything about the car & I'm seriously considering purchasing a kit. Their LHD chassis will have the engine offset to the right, so I may choose a right exhaust engine such as a Duratec 2.0L or a Honda F20C, but their normal power plant in a Toyota 4AGE. If I go with a 4AGE then I think the engine offset may push me towards a hole in right side of the "bonnet" for the intake system. I've exchanged emails with the company & all seems OK so far. Even with shipping and the cage with side bars that I want, the cost will still be lower than the alternatives. I think between Sylva and now Raw there have been about 600 built world-wide, so some must be in the states..? Sorry for the long post. DeanD3W Camas, WA