Croc

Skip - Thanks for this. How many miles did your balls do before they wore down to this?

I am out until late July. I am also out nearly all of September prowling in Spain and Portugal. October is LOG but we may be able to fit it in then.... Life is just so busy without a job! :jester:

Maybe it is justice that you burned out your circuits because you do not have a noisy beep like my car to tell you that your indicator needs to be turned off! :jester:

I think you are right. Maybe the LEO group for a few select people. Also in one of my "extended" 6 hour lunches with a client the other day he and I managed to bet each other that our respective "vehicles" will be faster. As he has a Triumph bike of some fuzzy spec (and he thinks I drive a fiberglass kit car powered by a Lada engine) then I have a way to even the odds in my direction by using this place... We may end up booking a few slots for this grudge match to take place. The moral of this story is never agree to a bet after sitting in the sun for a few hours drinking too many beers and margaritas. First action will be to inspect it the track - I am curious about how bumpy it is... I will have time in 2 weeks once I wrap up this weeks last work and survive Cambodia next week...

I just love the idea that you can design a car on a napkin, in a restaurant probably over a few beers!

This was not true for me in NJ. I had a 67 Lotus 7 title out of florida and it became a 2004 salvage/reconstruct title for a 2004 Caterham in NJ. I agree with the NJ DMV (plus confirmed it with an attorney) that this was the correct treatment under NJ regs that were in place when I went through my titling/registration process. We have a state-based regulation system for car titling/registration. There is no way that you can assert that sweeping generalization across all states. Some states are always going to be different.

Finally after much phone tagging, I reached Nick Goldman at Raceway Park (732-446-7800). A weekday all day event (Mon, Tues and Thurs) costs $2500 + $400 for EMS. A weekend event costs in the range of $6500 (subject to date) plus $400 EMS. The track takes 6 cars are any one time well spaced out. Nick said the surface is rough/bumpy in places and we should inspect the track in person (test drive it....he said he would unlock the track for us to check it) just to make sure we are comfortable using it with our cars. He said there have been no problems but recommends it anyway. I figure it cannot be any worse that the roads around NYC (NY/NJ/CT) and it is still safer there. Safety inspection is not quite the same as if it were an open track day - they can take into account that we are not running regular road cars plus we would be a private event. To make a booking requires 25% down and an agreed date. He said it is best to agree about 5 dates in advance and then compare it to his bookings register to find one or two that work. Some editorial comments from me: - $6500 for the weekend seems steep but Nick did note that they are always busy nearly every weekend. - For a weekday event the cost is pretty reasonable but it will be harder to draw people in - 10 people at $300 each - can we get that number of Sevens or "club" cars to justify a private event? - What is the right price for a track day and what is the sweet spot for number of cars/length of sessions? - I wonder if he would let us use the dragstrip on a weekday... - Yes the track is tight and but running at 8/10ths, less cars and with some common sense it could be a fun day.

What!!!! You plan to drive it???? I thought you were going to display it on your coffee table to show off to guests? :jester: In all seriousness...I will be looking forward to seeing it, especially since I used to own (and abuse) a sister car from the same year. :driving:

From an educational point of view, at what oil temp do you think it becomes wise to instal an oil cooler? I have been having this debate elsewhere off forum....

I hope the driver made it out ok with no injuries or problems ?

Yes and at a full moon the driver howls too!

Great photos! Does the Lancaster bomber still fly or is it just a grounded display piece?

I have not really named my current car other than call it "Seven." However, my first Seven (1965 Series 2) was called "Elvis" by my father, because it had so many hits on the racetrack from my driving.

Great photos as always Kiwi! Makes me really want to go there again.

Is there much difference between the ZX1 and the ZX3? I thought the power output increase was only marginal. Does it make sense to go for the SVT Zetec and then use that as a base to step it up?

I have a CD driving tour of the battefields from when I toured them last year. You just pop the CD in and then it tells you all about what you are seeing as you drive along. Will that help you? :jester:

Definitely want to do that - everyone has said it is good evening and a beer will soothe the dry throat from the drive! :cheers:

I guess the motto of a Kiwi bird is "pluck me gently" ? Come on - get off the sofa and try the real circuit out in a real car!

Unfortunately insurance is state-specific premium rate filing plans. Safeco will not touch our cars in some states. State Farm is usually reliable for insuring sevens as regular use in nearly all states. Hagerty, Grundy and the other specialist classic car policy insurers are also good. Chubb insurance will insure in nearly all states under their masterpiece insurance product.

+1 everyone should try a race there at some point in their life They seem to have flattened out the dipper - no more lifting inside wheels. What lap times were you turning there?

Sorry to hear about the motor. I bet you were bouncing off the rev limiter along Conrod Straight which would not have helped it along. I raced my 1965 series II 7 there way too many years ago and it was SLOOOOW up the mountain but it was fun to hassle much faster cars across the top and down through the esses and dipper to forests elbow. Still my favorite circuit. One day I will get back there to do another race...

Hotel is booked. I will deal with forms as soon as I get near a printer to print them out. Planning to be there at least Friday night through to end of day Sunday.

Jack has a good idea. A spare tire mount can be used to carry a tire but it could also be used for luggage and you replace the tire with a can of tire fix-it. Caterham also has a luggage rack you can buy that mounts off the back of the spare tire rack. Here is a pic from our Sevens outing in Milford NJ just recently. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Sevens%20Run%20June%202010/DSC_3220_edited-1.jpg There are some bars that fold down to the horizontal (forming an L shape) that you can mount luggage on. Hopefully this helps you imagine what you could do.

This really says it all. Knowledge of the car brings confidence. While mine had been built by a well known reputable outfit, the car was coming to me via a former owner wealthy business guy and a Rolls Royce dealer in West Palm Beach Florida. I could see the car had not been cared for in some time (rusted suspension on a 4 yr old car?) and needed work. For that reason there was no way I trusted it to drive from FL to NJ after I bought it. Now that I have had it some time, pulled it down and put it all back together again (and again) I know it well and trust it to be reliable. I also know what I need to monitor closely regularly to keep it running reliably. Now that I quit my job on Monday, I am already planning a long driving tour to ME, NH, VT and upstate NY to find mountain twisties (Kancamagus Hwy) and see friends.

Awwwww....come on.....I will drive the yellow peril for you. I will even put my own cash into it by betting Franken7 will win