HankMauel

All the photos of my 7 dash/gauges are too big to load on USA7s. Send me a PM with your email and I'll take a full set of the dash and send them off to you. I have a right hand drive car, but all you have to do is reverse the images to get the left hand drive "look". For a teaser, go to the SimpleSevens site mentioned earlier and look at SB2073. That has photos and a write up of my restoration of the car.

Here is my stock layout on my 1963 Seven

I'm 68 and have owned the Lotus 7 since 2009, when my racing partner and I pulled it out of the shop rafters and brought it back to the 1960's era...skinny tires and fat driver. You can tell by the license plate what my inspiration was. http://usa7s.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=4677&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1355783620

And some designer has the gall to accept a paycheck for such a monstrosity?:ack:

Check out EuroSunday http://www.eurosunday.net/. They have a San Francisco/Bay Area association. They meet a various locations (I attend occasionally in the Sacramento region) in the area on a Sunday morning. All sorts of vehicles show up, from the Lambo's, Ferraris down to the Datsun 510s, BMW 2002s etc.. My 1963 Lotus 7 is one of the older vehicles to show up generally, but nobody looks down their nose at anyone's car. It's usually a 2 hour or so activity, often followed by an organized drive through the region. Good fun.

Make two new brackets...it's only a matter of time until the other side follows suit!

+1 on the "avoid I5" advice, especially in California. The Central Valley (Redding through Sacramento, ending south of Bakersfield) can get over 100 degrees this time of year, and into September. Additionally, it has little to visually stimulate anyone...miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.:ack: The Coast route is far more pleasant, neat towns (Eureka, Ft. Bragg, Bodega Bay, San Francisco...BIG TOWN, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara) to stop in along the way, good lodgings and meals. Most always will have some ocean view, except for the inland portion of Hwy1 that skirts the "Lost Coast" area. Good luck and have fun!

My S2 7 America is right near 1000 lbs, wet. However, there is a 20% weight penalty for the nut holding onto the steering wheel!:rofl:

Thanks, Skip. I await my issue any day now. Also, my 7 is one of the cars that Golden Gate Lotus Club used in filming a "promo" for the club (at Sears Point a week and a half ago). It's in the editing process now, but when it's ready I'll post a link here for anyone who wants to look.

This IS going to be "Old Home Week"!

Cool photo. I remember the old wienermobiles from my youth (early 1950's). See one every now and again cruising Hwy 80 in Northern California, on the way to enrich a new generation of youngster's lives. In the good old days, we actually got hotdogs from "Lil Oscar" at events. Nothing like an icon that is carried forward by it's founding company! Long live the wienermobile!

Kiyoshi... you in the photo shoot at Sears Point?

..or you are a masochist. But they really are simple once you get down to the basics and remove previous owner(s) F.U.'s. Mine has been back on the road for 3+ years with no problems. With a well rebuilt BMC A motor and transmission, complete rewiring with heavier gauge wires and REAL connectors it has not failed me yet...even in darkness!

Thank you. Here is what it looked like, sans dry sump Twin Cam, when I began the resto. http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1589/7808673/19264650/308710048.jpg

Sort of like the "legality plate" on an F1! Bet it feels "interesting" when the front wheels come off the ground for a second as the skid plate does it's job. Gives new meaning to the phrase "catching some air".

10-4!

Well, we'll see what rnr has to say about it. I'd love to do it! Here's another angle to view:http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1589/7808673/19264650/399688813.jpg

How's this: http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1589/7808673/19264650/399688804.jpg 1963 Lotus 7, stock but for Minilite rims and 1275 BMC motor, right hand drive, yadda, yadda. I raced a Lotus Elite for 20+ years at Sears Point events, as well as elsewhere on the Pacific Coast. It would be like old home week. I'm in Auburn CA, about 2 hours max from Sears Point.

OK. I understand your issue. I'll still vote for pop rivets as the hole required is fairly small and if it ever does work loose, it won't enlarge the hole. I'm afraid a screw thread will require a larger initial hole and possibly enlarge that if it should strip out in the future.

Scott...does your car have some sort of lining on the inside of the boot that restricts your access? My Seven is just bare bones so the "inside" of the boot is only separated from the "outside" by the thickness of the aluminum.:smilielol5: I could have used the flat head machine bolts in lieu of pop rivets in that location...and may still in the need ever arises.

A follow up thought...on the cowl, where the tonneau fastens, I used small flat head machine screws with a washer and a nylock nut instead of the pop rivets. If you would like a close up photo of that installation, just say so and I'll post one for you. That application would make an almost bullet-proof system for the boot cover.

My canvas boot cover uses the two piece round snaps. The "receiver" portion is attached via pop rivets about an inch or so below the upper chassis tube. I've had it like that for 3+ years now with no problems. An alternative would be to back up the pop rivet with a washer if you want to spread the "stress" of unsnapping the cover over a bit larger area of the aluminum skin, but I think that would be overkill, and not easily done on the curved corners...unless you bend the washer to fit the inside curve on the skin. Here's a photo of mine: (I used Sunbrella cloth for the cover) http://usa7s.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=4677&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1355783620

Second the comment re: shirt quality. Have worn mine twice and already a small hole has developed...sort of like Colin removing tubes in the 7 frame until it folded...then putting the last tube back in! So, blipshift...up the shirt quality and you'll have a real winner on your hands.

WOW! That is BEAUTIFUL. Best reason for NOT having a pool I have seen to date.

It's Back: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170976118676 :deadhorse: