jlumba81

I had 7 gals in 3 gas cans and was getting an unexpected ~35mpg. Roadside bathroom breaks and gas fillups were a good chance to stretch my legs. I had the full weather top and doors on. I used an mp3 player w/ etymotic mc5 earbuds, they do a good job keeping road noise out. General rule that I don't really drink much on drives but have a couple bags of jerky to munch on. Oh btw the caterham seats tend to keep a bunch of water if you ever get caught in the rain.

Caterham cloth seats are fairly comfortable. I added some padding on the back since I knew I'd be driving on rough roads. I did 15hr drive 750mi at night one way and then the return took 12hrs. Other than just being tired from the drive I didn't notice any unusual aches or pains. I did have a bit of numbness in my arms from a pinched nerve in my back, but may have done that from work the day before the drive. Oh I did bottom out a few times hitting frost heaves at 80mph. Hurt less than my wrx since the seat harness in the 7 kept me in the seat.

What's the difference in weight between the 5spd and 6spd transmissions? H pattern or sequential.

I was only up there from Sept 16-19th to do the autox event and visit family. 15hr night drive there and 12hr day drive back. Probably going to look into building an external rack that mounts on the spare tire carrier to carry the gas cans. Fyi to keep the thread on track I was getting around 35mpg @ 65-70mph one way at night and 27-30mpg @ 80mpg on the way back. Rushing back to catch a ferry forced me to worry more about speed than fuel range. 200+ mi nonstop in a 7 is a bit much. I usually had to empty my bladder around the time the 7 needed a fillup. Also consider putting in some seat padding unless you plan on driving on perfectly smooth roads. Ah frost heaves @ 80mph had me scraping the skidplate on bumps and dragging my rear exit exhaust on dips. I'm planning on running slightly taller tires on the next run for a May autox event. I drove w the full weather top and doors. My sound meter gave me a reading of 85db at 60mph so I usually drive w earplugs or an mp3 player w earbuds. 85db over 8hrs gives you permanent hearing loss.

I did a 1500mi round trip from Haines, AK to Anchorage, AK last Sept. I used 3 gas cans. 2-2.5gal and one 2 gal can. The 2.5 gal can fits well in the trunk, much better than the 2 gal can. Made the 750mi to Anchorage w one fill up using all the cans. Had no choice since none of the gas stations on the canadian side were open.

Is that a 6" or 7" diameter silencer?

Where is the sensor mounted? If its close to the waterpump it could be cavitation from the high rpms.

Curious on the hose leading to the catch can. It says 'car heater' on it. Is it a cooling hose or is it also rated for oil? +1 on the hose clamp. Better safe than sorry.

Could it be an issue w the brake fluid being not compatible w/ the brake hose material? DOT 3 vs DOT 4 vs DOT 5?

How about adapting a cordless screwdriver? Easy to replace if it burns out.

Same w/ the confor foam I use. Its a bit stiff until you get enough body temp in it.

I used Confor Foam which looks like the same stuff as from pegasus but without the fabric backing. I used the blue stuff on the seatback to keep the vibrations down. Works fairly well, but should have used the pink foam.

Is it possible that the clutch needs bleeding?

That's too bad about the weather. It was mostly sunny days in June and July. Right now its low 40s in the mornings to mid 50s during the day.

I'd like to write about it but it brings back bad memories. Getting lost, horrible weather, too many 5hr energy drinks, sleep deprivation, dozing at the wheel way too many times and running off a canadian highway at 80mph. I had a few restless nights when I got home. Waking up thinking I was still driving and dozed off at the wheel. Also waking up thinking I caught on fire (too many blankets). PS don't buy those cheapo car compasses from walmart. I bought one to put on the windsheild and it kept reading one direction. Not an ideal situation when trying to navigate with a mapquest printout.

Oh yeah. That's mine, Croc's former SV. I daily drive it and work 6 days a week. I work for a vendor and walmart is my account. 40+ hrs a week there makes me a bit sick of the place. Did you happen to catch a break in the weather or was it raining?

Can you post a pic of the damaged intake plenum? Can it be taken to a local fiberglass shop to be repaired?

Just curious, do you have to use the paper gasket? Can't you just run a bead of silicon/rtv instead? Also most auto part stores sell gasket material and you cut it to fit your needs.

Also check the sensor + connector. May have gotten hit by debris.

Thanks for the tip on the wheel studs. I'll add it to my winter to do list. Do you know how much more clearance you gained on the inner side of the rear tires? I'd like to run a similar setup but w/ 225/45r15 tires and I'm worried about exhaust clearance. I still run the rear exit exhaust. Chose that tire size because I'd like to test out the hankook ventus R-3S and that's their only 15" size.

What tires are you using? How's the fender fitment w/ the different offset?

+1 for the mirror. It came w the car, but was planning on buying it. It works w/ full weather top, soft bits top and topless perfectly fine. I broke one of the clips holding the mirror to the windsheild and got a replacement for free. I was being stupid and leaned on the windsheild w my hand on the mirror.

I purchased Croc's Zetec SVT powered 7 and haven't noticed the power dip at 3000 rpm. I'm rarely at WOT (traction issues) so that might be the reason why I haven't noticed it. Its been very reliable. Only mechanical issue I had was my fault. I had a coolant hose rub a pulley. I cut the ziptie holding it in place for some reason and forgot to replace it. Pinhole leak, no big deal. Went to local parts store for hose and coolant. Fixed in 45 mins.

http://www.carcoversdirect.com has a few covers listed under 1969 lotus seven. I ended up getting a storm force cover since I have an SV model. That said the carcoversdirect covers look more secure than my stormforce cover. I lock mine mainly to keep it from getting blown off and to prevent a passerby from removing it, which did happen once.

Thanks for the tips. The external mic that cam w/ the cam is 5ft long, so it can reach under the dash. The mic doesn't come w one of those foam wind guards. Should I get one? I'm trying to figure out a decent setup before doing a 1500mi trip next month. Haines, AK to Anchorage, AK. Visit some family, eat out a bit and do an autox event. I forgot I have a flip video cam and it fits my panvise rollbar mount. I'll have to try that out when the weather gets better. I just ordered the fat gecko double suction mount so I might try running both cameras. I can use the flip for in car video out of the wind and the tack cam for outside video since its water resistant.