HankMauel

Whoa...I want a windscreen like that on my 7!

Number 1 on the list is to get my '62 Elite on the road, and soon, for the 2013 California Mille. Number 2...exercise the Lotus 7 more, and no, I'm not masochist enough to take it on the Mille! (I also value my 46 years of marriage enough to know she is NOT going to buy into that excursion in the Seven!) Number 3..which could/should be Number 1...lose a bit of weight so I can: a) continue to fit into the Seven b) not be such a weight penalty when I do Other than that, I'm going to enjoy life and a well-clipped apex! Happy New Year to one and all... Hank

I have the entire dvd set of episodes...from A&E if I remember correctly. Then, I also have this.....for when I tire of watching the tv.

Sorry for the delayed reply, Paul. I "think" it would cover most any iteration of the 7. Mine is a bit "baggy" around the sides, so wider fenders ought to be no issue. Also, there is a nice elastic stretch band both front and rear to help with a wider beam. It is more than long enough for my 7 and actually droops down into the passenger area after passing over the stock windscreen. I have the light weioght "dust cover" style for in the garage, but any off the fancier bird poop resistant model are cut to the same outline. Hope that helps. You could call California Car Covers and compare your dimesions to what they have listed for their unit. Good luck, Hank

I bought a nice light weight cover for in-the-garage-usage on my 7 from California Car Covers: http://www.calcarcover.com/how_to_select.aspx?gclid=CMbrnKn94o4CFQPrYgod-R0dQQ They have a wide variety from $$ to $$$$, depending on how much protection you need...everything from dust in the garage to anti bird crap outdoors! It's cut for the 7 and fits nicely with elastic at both ends to snug it down. Hank

I've used the "friendly, advisory" radar on a dead straight section of road out of Sacramento. I got a calculated 18.5 mph per 1000 rpms. I have "vintage" sized tires...from the days when the tires were skinny and the drivers were fat .... 155 x 13 (80 section) tires with a 3.90 rear end. The BMC A 1275 with .010 over and a mild cam makes about 90 hp. In my

I pulled into our parking lot at work and a woman who was parking her new Audi convertible, saw my car and changed her parking spot, just to be next to my car. Also gave me a lovely smile. No...she figured you had no doors to open into the flank of her new Audi!:smilielol5:

Oh yes, it will still be there. It's under the blue cover at the left rear of the front shop...a very slow restoration due to other life requirements these days.

Comedian Tom Lehr had a song about that sort of thing called "The Old Dope Peddler". One line was "the old dope peddler, spreading joy wherever he goes"...sort of sums up me posting these photos for all you "Lotus junkies"!:drool::smilielol5: I know it's cruel, but I've been there and had the same fantasies...started in 1958 when I read the first review of the Elite and saw the photos. Life was never the same after that and, lo and behold, 25 years later it came true. So, are you even remotely searching for an Elite or just beating yourself up over it?:banghead:

I'll post up some photos when the Elite is complete. Attached is a photo of it when I owned it back in the mid 1980's. Sold it to send our daughter to college circa 1986 and re-acquired it about a year ago, about 80% restored, from the gentleman I sold it to, way back when. I've dubbed it The Prodigal Elite. Note the appropriate location for the photo shoot, nearly 30 years ago. As for the driving differences between the 7 and the Elite, I can speak of that after 20+ years of vintage racing an Elite with my race partner and stock broker, Mike Ostrov. Summed up...the 7 is crude, rough, quasi comfortable for 25 miles max, goes like stink, corners like a scalded cat and has me grinning ear to ear whenever I drive it. The Elite is a ballerina. It drifts corners, soaks up bumps and stays stuck to the road, has creature comforts that enable long drives, is drop dead gorgeous and responds every bit as well as the 7, but with more sophistication. It won't win a drag race, but that was never it's intent. I love them both!

By the way, here are the real deals...

Your wish is my command....

Love the sound in the tunnel. We have a tunnel nearby on old Hwy 40 near Auburn, California. Every time out with the 7 I try to make sure I include a blast through that tunnel! Better than sex, drugs or rock 'n' roll!:driving: Hank

I have just received the final edited rendering on my Lotus Elite (still undergoing restoration at Mike Ostrov's shop). But of greater interest to the USA7's group is that Graeme Jenner in England does this for all variety of foreign cars and can customize the drawing to the exact specs provided by the owner via color digital photos sent to him...as he did in the Elite drawing and also for the drawing of my Lotus 7...The Prisoner. Naturally, he can do a Caterham as well. The prints come on heavy stock and look great framed and hanging in the garage above the car. Attached are the two presentations Graeme did for my Lotus 7, accurate down to the tonneau snaps and the leather belt holding the spare tire. I have no skin in this game and post this as an informational item for those interested in a personalized rendering of their vehicle(s). Prices are reasonable and you can see sample renderings/contact Graeme through his web site: http://classiccarportraits.co.uk/

When rebuilding my 7, I used a 1275 BMC engine and transmission. The rebuilt engine was taken .010 overbore and a mild cam added. Reckon it produces 90 hp, give or take. The rear end in my car was a 3.90 so the extra oomph from the 1275 is useful and I get about 18.5 mph per 1000 rpm, so it's not revving it's guts out. Acceleration is still brisk and if I'm not careful, it's easy to chirp the tires. 1275 BMC engines started in 1968, if I recall, and were used for quite a while. They mount up just like the old 948's in the 7 Americas and look good in the engine bay. Good low end torque, parts availability and gas mileage make them nice motors for the 7.

Well, considering the taxes I pay, the salaries and benefits they get, I expect them to go get someone in the office who does know the ropes, or will at least pursue the matter in a professional manner. It's all about attitude and "customer service" (DMV may be a requirement, but we are still customers), and while there are good DMV experiences, most I have had were barely tolerable. I recently took all the pages and forms from the DMV website re: YOM license plates and even with that in hand for the clerk to reference they couldn't handle it without a minor snit. No one would put up with that in a "real" business, why should we accept it from a government entity? If you have had nothing but great experiences at your DMV office, congratulations. Tell us where it is so we can go there.:hurray:

Is it any wonder that CA is so screwed up and nearly bankrupt? If they can't handle the miniscule fraction of cars like this without a bureaucratic tangle, think of how they manage something of significance...like our budget.:rant: Makes me shy away from claiming my 6th generation "native Californian" heritage. Think I'll go out, climb in my 7 and break a few speed limits!:hurray:

Not unless it's "hands free", although concentrating on driving is still compromised IMHO. The real issue is the "fine" versus the "degree of danger" to all drivers. Just for a side comment...we (my wife and I) were in the HOV lane "legally" the other day and passed a guy reading his newspaper on the steering wheel, doing about 65 in the morning "commute".

I'll hazard a guess...Cellphone. Out here on the Left Coast they are ubiquitous. What is really upsetting...the fine for talking on one while driving is about $50. However the fine for driving in the "commute lane" during restricted times with only one person in the car is $300-400. Now, tell me which is going to be more life threatening...one person in the HOV lane at the wrong time or the clown next to him at 60-70 mph yacking on the cellphone?:banghead:

I have 5 grandchildren (ages 5-15) who line up for rides in my 7. Of course, the 15 year old wants to "learn stick shift" in it! And it's right hand drive so that should make things interesting.

Well "young at heart" may fit, but the votes are still out for the "stud" part.:rofl: For you history buffs, check this out on YouTube: [/url] (FYI:My corporate America gig was Pacific Telephone for 22 years) It looks like it spans the "switchboard era" from about the 20's to the early 70's...judging by the hairdos and headsets the ladies are sporting. After a closer look, it appears to be one of the control boards for an electronic switching machine in a Central Office. I'll guess it's an English system so it looks different from stuff we had in the US when I was in the business. Any operator assistance nowadays is "cord free" and carried out on an electronic console. And now you have more computing power in your I-phone!:conehead: Now...back to our regularly scheduled program.

For you YOUNG folks... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/JT_Switchboard_770x540.jpg/200px-

Some of us may be younger, but.....

My nephew, a car guy, got me a set of wire mesh stone guards for the 7 headlights and a nice, LOUD airhorn (from Griot's) to replace the "bleating sheep" sounding horn I had. Now, if they don't see me they will certainly hear me! I plan to test it out on the first bozo/bozette babbling away on their cell phone, totally oblivious to the requirements of driving!:cuss:

After a cup of coffee I, too, see the shocks mounted "normally"...piston rod up and valve unit down. This still poses the question as to compression and rebound rates. Way back in the dark reaches of my mind, I remember something about "jounce" and "rebound"...circa the 1960's. There were discussions that the two were different rates. I went looking at gas pressure shocks and see a variety of input. SPAX coil overs, like on my Seven front end, do indeed have an adjustment for "stiffeness" and it does the bump and rebound simultaneously...up or down over a range of settings. Koni shocks...at least the competition units...have a separate adjuster wheel for bump and rebound. See here: http://www.koniracing.com/images/File/2812_Reference_Sheet.pdf Without a clear view of the shocks on the Seven chassis, I can't tell if they are adjustable or not. I would guess that they are adjustable and along with spring perch changes can alter the suspension for various handling needs at different tracks. Perhaps the owner of the car can shed some light on the subject. Still, it is a very trick setup and much simpler than the Lambo. And we all know "simple is good".