Croc

The NY/NJ/PA Sevens group converged on Milford NJ today for a run. Great turnout - the best I have heard of on the east coast since Tail of the Dragon a few years back. For those of you who do not know Milford NJ, it is sleepy little river town by the banks of the Delaware River. It is fortunately blessed with some brilliant driving roads with very little traffic. The Lotus Enthusiasts Organization (LEO) of NY/NJ use the area frequently and there are a ton of motor bikes. Enough chatting here are the pics. Tom (Yellowss7) is explaining to Bryce (Bster) the finer points of an Ultralite (EvilRomeo's): http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Sevens%20Run%20June%202010/DSC_3215_edited-1.jpg Ron (Redgoose) is checking out Tom's very nice Superlight! I would not mind borrowing those wheels for my car! Steve (S1Steve) is doing a walk by at far right). http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Sevens%20Run%20June%202010/DSC_3216_edited-1.jpg Here we have Jon's (Boxologist) green/yellow SV and Ron's (Redgoose) Vauxhall powered S3. If you will look carefully someone with a green/yellow SV has left his headlights on.....this will bring trouble later... http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Sevens%20Run%20June%202010/DSC_3217_edited-1.jpg Front to back - Bruce's (Bowker) S3, Tom's (yellowss7) superlight, my SV, and Roman's (EvilRomeo) Ultralite http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Sevens%20Run%20June%202010/DSC_3219_edited-1.jpg

Yes the headlights are turned sideways. I used to do the same thing vintage racing - there was less drag than if they were in the full frontal position. When you have a lawnmower engine powering you, every little bit helps! Not sure about the taillights - they look correct but I cannot remember which parts bin they were stolen from originally.

Hi Leeper Now hopefully I do not reopen a can of worms here....but I found another post with good pics this morning on the WSCC site in the tech forum which probably validates the way forward that you describe above. It is a s2000 with type 9/quaife going into a Westfield with the regular bonnet (not the seight bonnet). http://boardroom.wscc.co.uk/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=3;t=82482 I love the engineering that has gone into this, the dry sump looks particularly nice, however the ground clearance would be fatal for a car intended to be driven on the road. Having followed this thread with interest, I thought this would be a useful data point in the consideration. Cheers

I would suggest 9.30am at exit 15. It takes some time to get to Milford from there. When you come off I-78 at exit 15 at the traffic lights at the end of the ramp there is a gas station on the right hand side at the lights. I think it is a Shell but dont hold me to it. There is only 1 gas station and it is plainly visible - you really cannot miss it.

Updated Roll call of attendees: - Bruce - EvilRomeo - Boxologist - Croc (with Bster as a passenger) - Redgoose (Ron) Possible - yellowss7 - working on the parking issue here - Bruce did you see my PM Definitely not able to make it: - Proj217 - cannot make it - at a brewfest (lucky bastard!!!!) :cheers: - Stewart (new Seven in NJ) - out of town - Jack and Jen - at the red bull air races - should be a fun event! - S1Steve (although hoping to turn up to wave us off):seeya: Missing in Action - Al Navarro - Bill Thomas

Jon - I am not on the 7s list so cannot send it out. Bruce/Nancy, Arya/Mazda and Tom G are regulars here so should see this post chain. I do not know Ken G or the "other Tom" - you have any way of getting in touch with them?

Roll call of attendees: - Bruce - EvilRomeo - Boxologist - Croc - Bster (needs a ride) Messages sent out but awaiting response: - Ron (Vauxhall Seven) - Jack and Jen (yellow seven) Definitely not able to make it: - Proj217 - cannot make it - at a brewfest (lucky bastard!!!!) :hurray: - Stewart (new Seven in NJ) - out of town Missing in Action :seeya: - S1Steve - Al Navarro - Bill Thomas Any others I have missed?

I did not end up in Korea this week so I am a go for Saturday. Lets hope the weather holds - looks ok as of this morning's forecast. Bruce - what is your email address? I have the scanned route directions from the LEO Group run in May which was very good run around the Milford area. I wanted to give you ideas for your route planning this weekend.

Its ok I have a windscreen and if necessary side curtains or the perspex wings - you will not need a helmet. I drive ok - I have only ever hit one skunk although I have hit about 5 kangaroos in my driving career. Anyway it is Boxologist you have to watch for. He tries to maim his passengers with cones!

That is just so damn frustrating - good luck with the repeairs. I wonder how much the front diving under brakes reduced your clearance. A few times I have come across similar on NJ roads and I have time aim elsewhere. However, I know the front of my car dives under brakes and I am conscious of this when driving in case of bumps like this.

If I dont get sent to Korea next week on business then count me in. No family events to distract me this time either. Bster - I think I have a passenger seat available for you. There will probably also be others to try ouy

Good grief! Was that a speed hump or a pathtic display of a road patch filling in a pothole?

I am travelling for work and do not have my personal computer with me. So you will have to bear with me. The half hood or bikini top for my car was made by Soft Bits for Sevens http://www.softbitsforsevens.co.uk/ Dick Brink at Birkin America sources a similar "Birkini" top for Birkins. The half hood mounted on my car shows up in post 16 on this link http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5032&page=2 The side screens are the black with clear plastic windows seen separately mounted on the side of my car in this post (without the half hood mounted): http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3491&highlight=spring+drive When put together the side screens just fit under the half and make it weatherproof on 3 sides around the driver and all the way over the top. You can see what I mean in the pic on this link: http://www.softbitsforsevens.co.uk/aboutus.html and here http://www.softbitsforsevens.co.uk/page4.html With a weatherproof bag protecting any luggage I have I find this combination more practical than the regular full hood combination as it does not fog and it is extremely quick and easy to put up. I also use a draught excluder by SBFS to stop rain being sucked in under the half hood from the back. A draught excluder is at: http://www.softbitsforsevens.co.uk/page39a.html Sorry not all these pics are my car but they illustrate the approach I was referring to. When I get back in town I can take a pic of my car and post it but this will hopefully help you visualise things for now.

Nah....mine still leaks in places.... A quality auto upholsterer will probably end up with something about as good as a Caterham hood. Also consider marine upholsterers as an alternative. You may not need a full hood. While I do not drive a Stalker, I use a half hood/bikini top with caterham side screens in the rain and find it blocks out most rain from the cockpit quite well. I only move to using a full hood when it turns torrential rain. I would think you could make up something similar fairly easily. This is a very good suggestion by Jack. A Caterham has a heated windscreen which helps but does not completely solve the fogging issue. I use ski goggle antifog on the inside of my windscreen plus leave a snap button tab open on the sidescreen/hood side to promote cross ventilation to keep the heat in the "cabin" down. It does get toasty in there with the engine warmth and the hood up.

I believe this is the car here: http://www.britauto.net/page2/page17/page17.html I am a sucker for this paint job. Jeff builds a nice car.

I have had the car out in torrential rain. Not recommended but it does still run happily. The worst was the 2009 drive from Milford NJ with Bruce Bowker. S1Steve and I went swimming going home on that day after the drive. Once home, I ended up drilling a hole in the floor to drain the standing water out. I have wipers that are on the fritz so I rely on RainX to keep the screen clear - works great when you are moving. Go on....go out....you know you want to! Dont worry about your car shrinking any further!

Caterham 7 with a standard Ford Zetec SVT with a T-9 gearbox - no real enhancements allowed to the engine in NJ (not if I want to keep it registered). So I get to spend my money elsewhere on the car

And I was thinking I would see a crossflow engine.....geez I am so slow today...

Hi Steve - There was intent by me to knock the Morris Minor. I loved the battery slogan for precisely the same reason as you - Lucas Prince of Darkness Hi Hank - I was just having cheap fun at your expense - no offence was intended. That link to the Carlisle pics absorbed an hour of my coffee wake up time this morning - absolutely brilliant - luckily not the same show that we were at. I am glad you did post the link there for everyone else.

The trailer trash award of the day goes to these monsters: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2939_edited-1.jpg For $3000 bucks and a $500 late 90s Camaro soft top you can create a truly unique looking piece of shit. I was standing before it and the business owner thought I was admiring it. He then proceeded to show me what he thought were styling highlights of this thing. Being finished as a display car in primer is a distinctive look. The second car on display was more finished with a top coat however for $4000 bucks and a $900 1988-1995 Thunderbird you get this: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2940_edited-1.jpg The option list was interesting - you can buy an opera window look for the rear window. I suppose it helps hide you from your friends seeing you as you drive around the neighborhood. The trip home was fun. Around Allentown it starting bucketing rain - so it was a stop to pull off the half hood and put up the full hood. My wipers decided to initially not work (thank goodness for RainX) and then 10 miles later introduced the intermittant function - they would turn on or off as I hit bumps on the highway. Again I was reminded that I have not yet rainproofed the pedal box so I had a nice waterfall effect going on across my legs and water sloshing around the floor. At Newark I got pulled over - not for speeding though. With the hood up and the engine working nicely, it gets warm in the car. To cool things down I did not latch down the side screens so at speed (speed limit or so) the bottom half of the sidescreens flies up and flaps like a wing letting in cool air but still leaving the clear plastic piece in place. The nice orificer did not like that - thought I was endangering the lives of innocent people. He was an older guy - asked if I was trying to copy the Flying Nun (older members will remember this TV show from the 60s). Obviously he had not seen the state of NJ roads which are atrocious and probably kill more people than my stupid sidescreens. He thought my car was a "dangerous rattletrap." I was tired so I argued a little more than I should have. The discussion was going my way until the asshole said "You know you might be just right if you used a more polite tone" My response "Yeah and pigs fly" pretty much finished my hopes of escaping there. That was not my finest moment - so a ticket for me.

This owner of an Austin Healey Sprite clearly makes his beer preference known. Donald Healey would be rolling in his grave: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2960_edited-1.jpg Ncie workmanship on the restoration of that car apart from the beer can. More Triumphs http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2966_edited-1.jpg A Daimler SP250 is very nice condition: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2965_edited-1.jpg

For some reason I find the battery logo "Die Hard" somewhat apt to this Morris Minor Convertible http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2959_edited-1.jpg A brace of Triumphs: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2962_edited-1.jpg The MErcedes car club had a huge turnout of owners in sports jackets, leather dress shoes, quaffing wine, pate, cheese and crackers... An SLR: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2963_edited-1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2964_edited-1.jpg

I love the first series BMW M3 from the late 1980s. Another car on my wish list to buy: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2953_edited-1.jpg Only saw 1 Jaguar - this very nice E type http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2956_edited-1.jpg Look at the patina on the leather interior http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2955_edited-1.jpg This owner of these spotlights mounted a Audi 2+2 Coupe as an afterthought: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2957_edited-1.jpg

oops and another GT40 http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2938_edited-1.jpg Guess the donor car on this one: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2941_edited-1.jpg I had to see the dash to confirm it... The Opel GT club had a massive turnout - nice people to chat with: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2958_edited-1.jpg The Citroen club had a nice display. The left car was a Citroen 5hp. The engine was smaller than my alternator. The guy actually drove it an hour to get to the show: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2952_edited-1.jpg

I am also a sucker for Cobra and Daytona replicas: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2933_edited-1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2934_edited-1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2936_edited-1.jpg Another GT40 http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Carlisle%202010/DSC_2935_edited-1.jpg