Croc

I ended up following the non-SVT manual guidance for my SVT as I was like you - could not find a manual. It has worked fine for the last 2 years without an issue.

Tony Welcome! I cannot help you with Central Illinois roads but I can make some suggestions on what is a good everyday Seven. I am not going to be marque specific as this is a personal style matter you are best placed to judge. Once you have got past the big decision of marque, engine, transmission, etc, this is my personal view of what makes a good touring Seven: reliability - whether this is a crossflow or a zetec or duratec, the car needs to be well fettled so that you can guarantee it will start, drive and get you home every time. While my Zetec car is great now, I spent most of the first year sorting out quirks in the electrics and cooling system that would reduce my confidence in the car. Now I trust it to do long trips and know it will get me there and back without an issue. Expect to do this with whatever car you choose and you be entering Seven ownership with the right mindset. weather abilities - I really recommend weather gear for touring. This can be the full hood for a rain storm or a half hood/sun cover for hot summer days when you do not want to fry the top of your head. Wind buffeting also contributes to tiredness on long journeys. I use the sidescreens on my Seven for long highway interstate trips and revert back to the clear polycarb wind wings for backroads at slower speeds. A tonneau is useful for when you make the inevitable stop and want to keep little hands/bodies out of your car when you are not there. Some people have come up with ingenious solutions to this - Slomove on this site has some great design extended polycarb wind wings/screens which allow the view in but streamline the wind away. noise - a straight through exhaust sounds great initially but wears you out on a long drive even with ear plugs. Also think about the cruiseability of the drivetrain. Some Caterham owners with the 6 speed find their engine is revving too high in 6th gear on interstates whereas the 5spd box has an overdrive. driving position - The original Seven is pretty small. Driving any length of distance in it can wear you out if you are of the ...ahem...."fuller" figure and find your movement constrained. A larger cockpit in say a Stalker, Westfield, Ultralite or SV may be more relaxing. Decent seats prevent back pain and allows you to drive further more comfortably. A larger foot box allows you to slide the left foot under the clutch pedal on long runs between gear changes and allows you to shift the right foot around to keep it fresh. A well sorted cockpit with map pockets or some small item storage is very useful to hold nic-nacs like candy, sun glasses, wallet (since you may find it uncomfortable to sit on) that you can grab while on a drive. Heating. Lots of guys will say take it out to save weight. I disagree for touring - I use mine in Spring and Fall and it extends my driving season in the North East. Of course you could remove it and add the weight and additional cost by buying a heated jacket.... suspension set up. Some Sevens I have been passenger in are really tied down on their suspension - great for a track but not around town or on a long tour. My SV has relatively soft suspension (factory settings) which is great for soaking up the bumps. Kiwi's suggestions above are well recommended as he probably does more miles than all of us combined - so he knows his touring needs! Cheers

Smart wife! I agree with her - it is too nice a car to carve up. Lets see what Tom comes back with after whispering sweet nothings in the organizer's ear... Worst case you buy a Volvo 240 - rear wheel drive, 5 spd manual, air con blows cold - what more could you want and you would still be faster than Tom. Here is a link to start looking: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=289298072&dealer_id=4276991&car_year=1984&doors=&systime=&model=240_MODELSCLASS_SERIES&search_lang=en&start_year=1981&body_style=SEDAN&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&search_type=both&distance=0&min_price=&drive=&rdm=1294533547749&marketZipError=false&advanced=y&fuel=&keywords_display=&lastBeginningStartYear=1981&end_year=2012&showZipError=n&make2=&certified=&engine=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&body_code=8&transmission=Manual&default_sort=newsortbyprice_DESC&max_mileage=&address=07302&color=&sort_type=priceDESC&max_price=&awsp=false&make=VOLVO&seller_type=b&num_records=25&cardist=2399&standard=false&rdpage=thumb

Ouch thats not good news Steve. I guess there is no option to taking the seat base out a la Caterham and sitting on the floor to create head room? If they are not options then how about the organizers granting us our own class for the day so we can make up the rules like the Cobra guys do? Tom - we need your sweet charms to work the organizers over on this one!

Putting aside the Meotter for a moment, these would also look to be too restrictive for the S1's which have a roll hoop. What can be done to clear up their eligibility? Not having one handy right at this moment - I think they could clear a broomstick test if the roll hoop is deemed acceptable? I would also suggest that the S1 drivers slouch during this broomstick test or substitute themselves with something smaller - like 5'5 or midget. Maybe the way to ask the question is to see if Cobra replicas are acceptable? Many of these normally have a roll hoop, behind the driver only.

Come along - there will be plenty of chances to check out Sevens and I am sure some other nice cars. We are also a pretty funny bunch when you get us together. Oh wow...a block of apartments that can play mobile chicane for us! Can you keep up with it Tom?

Good to see that you sorted out the technical glitch and can post here. First drinks on me for you and Tessa when you arrive in NYC! :cheers:

Manhattan is pretty scary to drive in the Seven. Most drivers do not look when changing lanes and a Seven is below the side window height so it is invisible. The roads get better as you head out of town and it does not take long to do this. However, you MUST take a Seven into Times Square and stop/slow somewhere on broadway or 7th. It stops the place dead - heads turn, women squeal, camera flashes everywhere, people want to shake your hand, etc. Its the only time I felt like a celebrity. 5th Ave is also good for a cruise on a Sunday afternoon Also good are the Holland Tunnel and Lincoln Tunnel - the sound is fantastic. Otherwise the best driving is west and north of the city or out on Long Island. And Boxologist always provides thrilling rides to his passengers..... :ack:

While it does not worry me, June 19 is Fathers Day and that will have a big impact on limiting the availability of people. I suggest the 18th will suffer the same problem as some people may end up travelling for family events. The weekend of June 11/12 seems better for this reason.

Caterham produces about 500 kits annually - or roughly 40 kits per month: http://www.autoevolution.com/news/caterham-increases-production-19729.html When I was at Caterham UK in Nov last year I was told there were 6 US sales in 2010 which are timed for delivery in March 2011. A few years back prior to the Caterham US reorg I was told by RMSC that there were up to 10 Caterham kit sales in a very good year. The US and Canada is only a tiny market for Caterham - somewhat surprising given the population size and relative ability to afford a Seven. With perspective, Brunton's sales numbers of 150 in 10 years is very impressive.

Can I please borrow the Bond girl that you plan to install in the car? Preferably before you hit the ejector seat on her...

Oi ! - First you call me portly and then you want my measurements! Lets just say I am voluptuous. More seriously for the moment - I will do this on the weekend for you.

Can I suggest some Bond modifications? How about: 1) Installing a xflow so you can lay down an oil leak for those baddies pursuing you? 2) Adding those pop out wheel hub spinning cutting blades from the Aston? Should be helpful when you go flying through hedges 3) Ejector seat - gets rid of annoying passengers like me! 4) I do like the idea of installing guns in the headlights - that would make a minivan keep out of the fastlane. Sorry Bruce - I have turned your serious post into a mockery :-D

OK I will bite. Assuming I am on the road by then, I will put my hand up for the June 27/28 options. Would prefer the Monday as I would probably travel down on a Sunday to stay overnight and be bright and fresh for the track day. I dont think mixing up expert and novice Sevens is a bad idea - may actually encourage some good behaviors by the virgins in their new monsters following a couple of seasoned experts with doggy cars (I have a Rover...woof! ). Passing on straights only with a wave by sounds like good practice. Also if we have a Sevens only group we may be able to get some leniency for Steve's S1. If Jon's SnakeBite (Snake Bought It?) is not up and running then I would be inclined to let his Meotter into the Sevens group - its lap performance will be sort of similar. Potential population of Sevens: - Tom - SteveS1 - Karl - Ron (redgoose) - Bryce (Bster) - Stewart (Sabbot) - Jon (Boxologist) Possibly get a few ring ins from the DC area?

Looking at the pics we had 10 at the start dropping back to 7 at the end for lunch. I suggest we aim for the weekend of June 4 and 5, the week after Memorial Day but before the Father's Day weekend and well before the track day where we could see some damage and/or non-running Sevens from the more aggressive/assertive drivers amongst us. Other dates (tentative) to keep in mind for the CT/NYC/NJ/PA group are: 1) April 24 - LEO Fish and Chip Run from Milford NJ 2) August 21 - LEO Catskill Run 3) Nov 13 - Bill Thomas Roadsters/LEO Run from Frenchtown NJ

Having Jon participate is the opposite of a safe afternoon - could you imagine the carnage that would result :jester: What am I? A porn star? Never called it a "Thunder" before....

Mondo - your avatar is just freaking me out! What did you get up to during the Holidays?

Well it is 85 degrees, blue sky, perfect sun here in Sydney Australia. Pity my car is 10000 miles away from me in New York!

I saw this car once years ago when I lived in Maine. The pre-lit Westfield are a nice looking car. It has been up for sale what feels like 1-2 years at $20k. The price is now reduced to $15 so maybe the owner is getting serious about selling.

:jester: My lips are sealed. Your lovely wife will beat me up if I say any more!

Interesting. When I was at Caterham UK in November, they said it had been tested up to 350hp FWHP with no issues. It has been pretty reliable in the UK CSR racing series with no issues emerging. Strangely enough I know this from my recent specification discussions with Ben at Caterham US - I was told Karl has a 3.62 diff.

Ok I will fess up and admit guilt - I did send Karl the Cosworth catalog last weekend....

Having lived in 12 countries I know the pain of having to sell the "toys" (1965 Lotus 7 vintage racer) when I moved from Australia on my first move. I hope you can find a new car in the US that is as good as your current car. Good luck with the move!

Wow shock news! It is sad as you were giving the car such a good refresh that you will not be able to enjoy come Spring next year.

When you say the water temp gauge has died I assume you mean the needle is stuck at zero? I would check 2 things: 1) check that the earth is securely attached - not likely this as usually (for me) a failed earth seems to send the gauge full on. 2) trace the cable as intact to the sender unit wherever it is mounted on the engine. 3) If those check out then it is most likely the sender unit is causing trouble. How/where is it mounted in the CSR? FWIW the oil pressure gauge issues are caused by the sender units that fail with regularity. The actual gauge remains fine. Most of my dash gauge electrical problems were caused by loose connections being vibrated off over time/rough roads. I solved this by checking every single connection and using Stabilant 22A which secures the connection and helps conductivity.