slomove

- drive - drive - sometimes I need to make some headlight pods for the Hella DE modules - one more drive - while I am at it I might come up with new rear lights , too - maybe another drive? - build a garage/workshop addition (finally...) - drive - quick change aeroscreen (or maybe that is already next year's project)

I do a bit of long distance touring, some weekend blats and a track day here or there. But nothing during the week and so my mileage is only 30,000 in 6 years. I am embarrassed..... But I disagree with the 6x assessment of Se7en miles. On the contrary: An hour spent traveling in a normal car is just an hour lost from my life. An hour in the Se7en feels at least neutral on the balance sheet. Gert

Where is the problem? #3 is sitting on the layshaft and #2 is the reverse idler. :smilielol5: Slightly simplified of course....but what do you expect from ad agencies?

I did that recently with my rear brakes (with the needle nose plier, though...) but I found I had to lubricate the rubber gaitors around the pistons (I used WD40, hope that does not do anything bad) to make them really go back in. Otherwise it would just turn. Sometimes I will have to take one apart and see how it works. Gert

That went through my mind when I opted for the halogen version. Not to mention the wiring change for the ballast electronics. So in spite of what Hella wrote me there are obviously some folks selling this part retail in the US. Anyway, at $175 (plus tax?) it is about the same or a little more than what I paid in Euros. Still not cheap but that kind of toy project stuff does not need logical justification Actually while much smaller I estimate it is not lighter than the 7" pods due to the cast metal reflector and massive glass lens.

Yes, they could not give me a lead time for the ECE version. Out of stock. You are right, otherwise I would have bought the ECE one, although I am not sure about the practical difference. For this projector lamp it might be "just" the shape of the low beam shutter.

Well, that means headlights to be..... While traveling in Germany I browsed the Hella catalog and found they have some very compact 90mm Bi-Halogen DE (double elliptical) headlight modules that do low beam and high beam in one very compact package. Available in SAE/DOT (US) and ECE (everywhere else) beam pattern. Interestingly they use only a single filament H9 bulb and have a solenoid operated shutter to switch between hi and low. There is also a Xenon (HID) version with same dimensions but that is extremely expensive. I emailed Hella and they wrote back it is available in the US only to OEM customers, not to individuals like us. Nevertheless it was not a problem to order the DOT version at local Hella dealer in Germany (119 Euros a pop). Strange world of marketing....It came in overnight and so I have the next project lined up when I get home Got to fabricate some brackets and carbon fiber cowling (or is it nacelle?). Gert

I remember some 2 or 3 years ago Costco has a special deal for a set of checkerboard vinyl garage floor tiles for $80,000 (I believe for a double garage). Oh yes, there was more. On top of the vinyl tiles you got such a shiny aluminum Cobra built by a Polish aircraft company. Don't know if anyone bit but surely a funny marketing gag. And maybe not a bad deal, considering the tiles :jester: Gert

No, mine is rather small and black. Main purpose was to replace the key switch. All it does is activate the starter solenoid to crank the engine, otherwise I only have a master battery switch and a coded plug as theft protection (key replacement).

Thanks, Blaine! But if I really had a shiny aluminum body (I will ask my wife to be sure) I would rather need a machine shop than health insurance.:smilielol5: Gert P.S.: I am sorry if my post was read to suggest one or the other solution to a miserable problem. For that matter, I believe in the unlimited capability of any government to screw things up (on the other hand, I must admit once a while they do get something right). I just bristle at the irrational discussion that is going on from both sides and rejecting solutions that are working reasonably well somewhere else for ideologigal reasons instead of merits and results (I mean real facts, numbers and not the sickening spin you hear all the time). But once again, Mazda is right. Even if this is the Off Topic section there is no point pulling this unproductive discussion into this forum.

Yes, you are right....I guess this topic is nowadays beyond any rational discussion and not helpful for a car forum. And the joke was pretty funny.

Maybe we would live as long as Brits in average (heaven forbid as long as Canadians) and pump less money in a bloated and ineffective system. I don't know why so many people defend hysterically a "system" that is so absurd. Life expectancy (according to CIA Factbook): - Canada 81.2 years (rank 8) - U.K. 79.1 years (rank 36) - USA 78.1 years (rank 50) but we are right in front of Cuba and Libya (ranks 55 and 57). It would not even be that pathetic if we spent only as little as other folks with similar results.

IMHO pure nonsense....what is a "driver's car"? Or what is not a driver's car. Reminds me of that VW commercial "drivers wanted" for that utterly boring Jetta. I would maybe take the definition of a fun car but then fun is still in the eye of the person having fun (or not). Gert

Don't tell me that you are planning to build a low-rider Se7en :toetap05:

Depends on your environment. If you don't have rocks strewn on your local roads and are a bit careful with speed bumps, nothing should happen (assuming a properly set up car). However, our mountain roads are littered with crumbly rocks and I am a bit careless with bumps and the like that is why I need a sump guard (notice: a well-used sump guard never rusts) http://www.californiacaterhamclub.com/chat/attachment.php?attachmentid=103&d=1142737530 Gert

I live in L.A. , kind of by choice because I chose to work here 15 years ago when I did not know better. It has its upsides, including excellent Winter blatting weather, some of the best mountain roads (unfortunately burning right now) and lots of other things to do. But I know the day when my wife and I retire we will move out. I can live with some of the strange people here and that my neighborhood could just as well be a suburb of Shanghai (after all, I am a stranger, too). But what drives me nuts is just the sheer number of people and the related traffic. I made sure that my work commute is only 6 miles on surface roads. Obviously I need to use the freeway for other destinations but I agree with that blog rant it just sucks. I am sure other metropolitan areas are not different, except for the mix of people. That is why we am looking for a nice mid-sized town to move to when the time comes. Any recommendations? Right now we are considering something like Boulder/Co, Ashland/OR or the like. A bit of rainy climate is O.K. but not hot and humid. Gert P.S.: Maybe I should mention I still have some 10 years to save up for a decent retirement

I did the embedding routine with the new Hawk HP-plus pads today and they grip much better. The required pedal pressure when cold is a fraction of what the ECB Greenstuff pads needed. That said, they do have a slight slurping, metallic grinding sound that I can hear when I take the ear plugs out. I would not really call it "noisy pads" or as bad as some race compounds but definitely a difference to the dead quiet ECB pads. But I guess there is some kind of friction/abrasion trade-off. Gert

It is a dip relay from a late 70's VW bug or VW 181. You can order it from an auto store or I bought one a while ago at the "Thing Shop" because they had the original Bosch part and not a plasticky Brazilian knock-off: http://www.thethingshop-az.com/images/products/largerimages/111941583.jpg

Yes this is Dion's self built Seven. I also know he has a yacht in Ventura. Furthermore the big fire here was approaching Acton where he lives and he may have bailed out (or maybe was forced to). Gert

P.S.: I did not measure the disc thickness before but I estimate the old ECB Greenstuff pads did not much damage there either. Maybe they are not really made for highway use with a very light car and no power brake.

Yes, I noticed....the Pagid price really hurts, I believe north of $500 for a set of the blue ones?. Let's see what the Hawks are doing for me. That set was something like $140. I will take take note of the disc thickness and watch it a while if the wear is extreme. Gert

Nice, very clean! Although....have another look 5 years from now. According to laws of thermodynamics something that orderly can not be sustained. Believe me, I know. ;-)

I think that is what most people are using on Zetecs. Especially the hydraulic tappet ZX1 engines seem to be a little picky.

I have been driving with ECB GreenStuff brake pads for the last 6 years with kind of mixed feelings. They are great on the track after a bit of warm-up, no fade ever and have a good "feel". The brake bias appears to be right as once a while I see a puff of smoke from the front tires on the track when braking too hard. However....on my car ('98 Birkin with VW GTI front and Honda Civic rear calipers) the brakes always required very serious pressure when cold on the highway. Occasionally my wife drives the Birkin and she just can not make the brakes lock (she is not a wimpy person). Anyway, I finally installed Hawk HP-Plus brake pads today and hope it gets easier on the road. If not I may install smaller master brake cylinders. Attached some pics of the old GreenStuff pads. These have 25k to 30k miles of use, mostly highway plus maybe some 15 trackdays. The rear pads are down to about 30% of the original thickness while the front pads almost look new, well maybe 80% of new. Does that sound reasonable? I am all in favor of long lasting equipment but when it comes to brake pads I would expect a bit more wear, being a friction device. Or is it that the 10" GTI brakes are oversized an just don't wear that much? Any opinion or related experience? Thanks, Gert P.S. come to think about it....the worn-off material volume of the small rear pads is probably similar to that of the larger front pads.

Morgan, I bet your folks would LOVE a tour of anchor watch duty for a few days. While I am so far planning to trailer out, the thought of driving the Seven to Arizona crossed my mind. I have done it for the USA tour in 2005 before and it wasn't that bad (only 105 degrees in September). Would save the hassle of finding a trailer parking spot, too. Gert