Croc

Now that I have finished fixing things after my close encounter with the smelly kind, my oil pressure sensor has decided to imitate a rev gauge so I guess it is on its way out to lunch. The engine is fine - I took the oil pressure sender out and checked manually plus no leaks or lost oil so I think I am good there. Anyone had good success with a mechanical oil pressure unit and gauge that they would recommend? Also while I am at it, what other gauges do people swear by? I would like to improve the instrumentation - oil temperature and volt meter are ones I am thinking of adding.

Posted with no affiliation or interest - usual disclaimers MidAtlantic Caterham has a 2005 SV for sale in addition to a new SV in the box and the original orange SV which has been sort of on sale for years. http://www.midatlanticcaterham.com/inventor.htm

KIAS is a term used in flying and stands for Knots Indicated Air Speed. In this case it is an old sticker from a fighter aircraft warning not to pull the ejection handle above 300 knots (otherwise you will be ripped into pieces). It looks like it was mounted on a car though..... Putting this aside, Skip has given me the mental image of doing a air bombing run over 300 Kias (the cars).

Hi Jen, I have a Soft Bits for Sevens tunnel bag and love it. I also have their wind deflector which has built in storage. Happy to show you and Jack when I see you on June 13 for the Milford Sevens run. cheers mike

Thank you all for the many suggestions - I found them very useful. I ended up removing the radiator just to get better access. Then it was a power steam spray all over radiator and the front of the car, etc just to be sure that nothing was left. Then it was a spray down with a mix of 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and 1 teaspoon liquid soap or dish detergent, folllowed by another thorough steam spray rinse. I got this tip from the Orkin man I know. At this point things were smelling better so I used the Nilium and hot water to finish the job. That is good stuff - surprised by how well it worked. But I could still smell skunk....so after a hunt I discovered it was coming from the horn. The little devil got inside there too!! So I chucked the old horn and bought a new one at Napa and have that installed now. The nose cone was fixed by a body work shop that specializes in Lotus and that is due back to me this weekend. I picked up a new Seven grille and the fixings from Caterham South UK when I was in London for a business trip on Wed and brought back hand luggage (that got some strange looks in Heathrow going through security). Reassembly this weekend (or next week) and I am back on the road springtime fresh! Oh and I am installing one of those animal whistle doo dads inside the nose cone to warn the critters I am coming ....next time.

um....unfortunately he is no longer alive but got diced and sliced when I hit him dead center this afternoon at 75mph on the Palisades parkway. He popped out from under the SUV I was following and that streak of white fur made me freeze in horror so no avoidance taken. I will need to buy a new 7 grille to replace the one he is now wearing.... Also need to do some fiberglassing where the grille ripped out... At least I know the last thing that went through his mind when he saw my Seven bearing down on him.............. his a***! I removed the nosecone and pressure washed everything, poured tomato juice over everything and I am letting the car marinate while I have a stiff drink and consider next steps. Any ideas?

Thanks Al! I saw it and have been studying it this morning against my map. Bruce - Add 1 tentative in for another local I know who is waiting for a part to get mobile again. He can join us on the bike if the Seven is not mobile by then.

Al's ideas are always promising - so a mapped out route is an excellent idea. Of course I am sure he (hopefully) plans to join us in his new car 2 hours sounds about right. The catch is that it will be a late lunch back at the Ship Inn.... I think I can survive the starvation! Only real problem I see is keeping a group together on backroads so that the tail enders do not get lost. You may know your way around but I guarantee I do not . Al - you should have my email from when I sent the data sheet to your work address. If not I can send another.

My suggestion would be to go along bridge street, across the bridge, turn right and head north to Easton. Cross over the river again at Easton (which is north of I-78) and come south on river road to Milford. At least I know that route. You could go south towards New Hope but....lots and lots of traffic goes that way for lunch. Also route 29 coming north along the NJ side of the river is a 35mph zone full of slow cars. But what if we go straight ahead up into the hills on the PA side instead of following the river? I don't know that area.... Lunch follows at Ship Inn? There is a community parking lot opposite the Ship Inn next to the Church. Thats where we should meet - plenty of room to park. There is also a park about 4 miles south off Milford on the PA side where we could do a picnic or group photo.

Count me in

2465 miles so far....I am capped at 7500 annually for insurance.

Well there was: 1) Elvis - my former 1965 Series II 2) Amaroo Clubman - an Aussie 7 clone with a 1.6l 4cyl twin cam Toyota engine 3) Westfield narrow body with 1.6l Toyota engine (Australian) 4) Kyle's (KStier) red/silver Birkin with Zetec 5) Birkin IRS with Zetec at Dick Brinks' place 6) BRG Birkin with SVT Zetec test driven in Florida 7) 2004 Orange Caterham SV demoed at George Alderman's shop 8) 2004 Yellow Caterham SV - my current car.

Have you looked up the Birkin Owners Group? I found them a great source of otherwise unadvertised cars when I was in "look" mode for a car. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/birkinowners/

Well I got the rain starting at Newark airport while heading to Carlisle leading me to drive there with the hood up (oh the shame!). But the drive back was topless Anyway here are some pics from Carlisle that I took: A gaggle (small herd? pod?) of LSIS at Carlisle: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=DSC05582.jpg Jon's amazing faux Atom: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=DSC05586.jpg http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=DSC05585.jpg Bob's "beast" (the size of that turbo ) http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=DSC05581.jpg http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=DSC05587.jpg And a very nice Stalker on display at the Brunton stand http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=DSC05580.jpg The only photo I missed getting was one of Mazda's jawdropping creation I especially wanted a pic of the stained passenger seat! It was great to meet everybody in person!

Here are some pics from the LEO Fish & Chip Run Another of the Seven parked in the main street http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=DSC05489.jpg Group photos of the cars that attended the Run http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=DSC05495.jpg http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/?action=view&current=LEOgathering-milfordnj.jpg This last panorama is courtesy of Atwell Haines, LEO Organizer. Multiple pics stitched together.

Both look good. I like the bottom wheel with a platinum silver stripe for a more low key look.

I think an autocross equates to a "time trial" in the UK - racing around cones in a car park (english equivalent of parking lot in the US). A hill climb is a road race for either cars or bikes up a hill on a public road closed for the event. I have yet to see/hear of a hill climb in the US (and probably will not due to public liability laws and litigation). Being an Aussie I can soooo relate to these language differences - I trip myself up every day! Edited to add: There are hill climbs in the US. Discovered yesterday at Carlisle http://www.pahillclimb.org/

On my first Seven, a 1965 Series 2, the narrower tires and the lack of horsepower (50-60 area) still made for a very entertaining car. It would wonderful to chuck it into a corner as limited grip allowed you to play with the car attitude depending on how you wanted to attack the corner. Lack of horsies (and old rubber) means all the fun was accessible at lower speeds. My current Seven is a 2004 SV with fat tires, big brakes and (supposedly) 185hp (at the flywheel). It is entertaining but the limits are far higher now along with the speeds - not a really good idea on public roads. It is however far more reliable and driveable than my old seven. I had my V8 muscle car phase and it seduced me into losing my license. Give me small & light cars packaged with a nicely performing 4cyl.

That description of your car makes me all the more interested in seeing it! Look forward to seeing you there

Why are you guys afraid of rain? Do these cars shrink when they get wet?

That really looks nicely done. At what speed does a diffuser begin to have some effect? Have you noticed anything from your casual drives?

I would give it a month and it will be back up on ebay with an asking price of $25k. It sounds like their strategy is to try and sell it to a "dumb" buyer who will not ask too many questions....

Skip - I love your technique with women - the harder you go the more they scream!

Edited to remove double post

I will be attending Carlisle for the first time and just looked at the site map to register - it is huge! So dumb question moment - how will I find everyone? Is the club assigned an area to park cars and congregate? I really do want to meet you guys in person...honestly.....