West7se

A interesting and thought provoking thread, I have to say I am fairly content with my aging old 110 hp xflow despite its age and noise. Yes it would be great to have the latest trick motor in it, but on todays roads (in the UK) it would be a complete waste of money and the chances of using that extra power are very few - where I live you cant go more than a mile without coming upon the first speed camera and with a GPS detector fitted I have had to turn the audio off as it activates seeming constantly and really gets on your nerves. Out in the country is slightly better, but with the increased traffic and ever worsening road conditions , even that can be hard work in a 7. The concept of the car for me really follows Colin Chapman`s original thought of small engine, light weight and reasonable suspension. To get the best out of my car I would need to get it on the track, where I could push the car to its limits (assuming I had the bottle, lol).I did used to race , but my racing days are probably over due to money and other commitments. I do enjoy just crusing about with odd blasts where and when I can, though its funny how people view the car as well. Some folks say `cool car mister` others laugh at it( though these are teenagers, who wont have seen one before), actually I was parked up outside a shop last month and one small child with its mother said` mommy , look at that toy car`, the mother was a bit embarrassed but I did say " yes it was a toy, a very expensive toy". So I will carry on with my xflow for a while yet I think, when it needs replacing then I may think about more power, but will think seriously before I do that.

Yes perhaps I should have mentioned that, with us also the age of the engine rather than the car dictates the type of test to be done ( only for kitcars). Was funny when he tried to do a co test as well, he admitted to me afterwards that it will take him a week to purge his machine after attempting to check the co content and that he wont be doing that again with a weber engined car again

Yeah same here, I think the rain gods must watch me - as everytime I take it out it pours down, or is that our typical british weather not sure?... Was offered out on a run tonight actually, the local classic car club near here often have evening runs out. Unfortunatley I am busy tonight, but may well take them up on the offer next month. @ powderbrake - Yes I forgot you have to run the emissions gear, do you find it affects the engine much or have you worked a way around that?. I guess we are fairly lucky in that respect, the only critrea is the on the annual test over here ,there sould be NO visible smoke from the exhaust when revved up - which (touch wood) at the monent there isnt.

I know we have differing rules over here(UK), but I too had a few issues with this very subject. The chap who was carrying out the annual check had to resort to his book of words for confermation. He would pass the car, but he had to record that it did NOT have a windscreen or washers on the pass certificate. I think this is more to do with litigation than anything else in my view, he feels he needs to record the fact , so I cant claim if I take my eye out with a stone. I too have a helmet, but unless its a really good blat out somewhere I dont use it instead its just shades. I guess I should perhaps wear it more as it is for my own safety, but I do feel a bit of a prat wearing it on a public road. I have the wipers assy and windscreen, though I dont have the surround anymore if they are of any use.

Hello, thankyou so much for the welcomes, you have made me feel a part of the family already. To be honest when I first got the car it was in a bit of a state , I have got pics of those days but I dont want to flood your board with all my stuff (unless asked of course), the build wasn`t that great and the builder had painted pretty much all of the chassis and engine parts black, and so I began a partial rebuild. I always fancied a seven , as prior to this car I had a Triumph Spitfire that I used to hillclimb and sprint - after 9 years of trying to beat them I decided to get one myself , its not hard to see why I could never keep up with these cars, lol. A chance meeting with an old competitor found us talking about cars and he mentioned that he had a seven which he had just bought but could not fit into ( he has a bad leg), so a testdrive later I became the proud owner. @ KiwiBirkin - I hope all goes well with the refurb, I have posted a few pics below, not sure what you need to look at, so if there is a certain area that you need to see, let me know. @ Mondo - Yes thats my saying as well , absolutley spot on. @ Hank - Not sure how many are available , I did get this direct from the factory about 6 months ago so not sure which version it is. Its fairly well made, with rose jointed ends and expoxy coated. I did have to space it away from the chassis however due to a clearance issue with the electric fan on the radiator. @ slngsht - My door is always open, no honest it is. Well almost, my other passion is dogs , so with 3 here its often easier just to leave the back door open rather than have any `accidents` if you get my meaning... A few pics of the engine for KiwiBirkin. (The coilpack on the bulkhead is for a future ignition project, just need to get a new front pully made to get this project underway.) http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5745/pic0007j.jpg http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3315/pic0001t.jpg http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/9969/pic0002w.jpg http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1871/pic0003jij.jpg

Hi all, Just signed up as I have been looking in quite often and I reckon this is the 7 forum for me. I have been looking at the ( I wont mention names) other 7 forums on the web and I am getting a bit peeved at the constant bickering that goes on as to which 7 is the best. I dont see any of that here hence me joining . I live in the UK , so I am at a slight disadvantage in terms of your meets and runs out obviously, but I hope to speak to some other liked minded 7 folks out there. 1994 Narrow body car, 1600 xflow with 5 speed type 9 gearbox. Just a few pics of the car below, sorry I havent had a scenic run out for ages, so these are taken in my drive/sisters house http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7855/westeng.jpg http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/8452/minrdm.jpg http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2559/min1g.jpg