slomove

Few more pics....maybe I should mention the rod ends in the picture are cheap McMasterCarr parts. After they wore out I replaced them with the above mentioned QA1 rod ends and installed protective rubber washers as well.

I am wondering if something else may be wrong with your setup. While the rod end/ball end links are a certain improvement (I have them on my car) I noticed only a moderate change in handling. I suspect your spring rates and/or shock settings may not be optimal or if some other problem if it is pinching (which it should not do as designed). At some point you could buy such ball joint radius arms from MSI/Vacaville but they are out of that business for along time. Maybe somebody else picked that up. FWIW, I fabricated my ball joint radius arms myself from 5/8" alloy tubing, cut-off 1/2" bolts and QA1 XF series ball joints. Was not difficult, even with my modest welding skills. Has been holding up since 2003, see pics below.

Not sure what may be relevant to Caterhams, but before my change to wide track on the Birkin I preferred loosening the upper a-arm suspension bolts and turn that part to change camber. Much easier than getting that tapered rod end bolt out. I think it just fretted/corroded with the aluminum upright. Now, with the widetrack suspension the rod ends are seated in left-hand/right-hand thread bushings and I can adjust camber to any fraction of a degree in a minute with two wrenches. Pretty cool.

Not really. I dumped the spare tire long time ago and have been touring 30,000 + miles without. I do have a tire patch kit with me and an inflator can of that green slime but have not had to use them (knock on wood). That should cover nails and the like. If for some unfortunate reason I would shred a tire completely or break the wheel, the AAA premier membership will do a 200 mile tow (assuming cell phone coverage where you break down). In the worst case you can drive with a flat tire (slowly) for some time on a Seven due to the low weight and the stiff suspension. Since the bolt pattern is Mazda style a replacement wheel should be easy to find. I am more concerned about the unique parts on my car. If e.g. the self-fabricated alternator mounting bracket should give up I would need to find the local blacksmith or if the Emerald ECU would fail I am dead in the water and it would be time to get the trailer. I do carry a full complement of tools, spare belts, accelerator cables wires, fuses, connectors and the like.

If you mean the black mirrors with the stainless steel stalks, I fabricated them myself. The mirror glass is ground to shape from a butchered aftermarket truck mirror and the black shells are 3-d-printed which is getting more popular nowadays. But we had such a machine at my company already some 10 years ago. Was pretty expensive back then....

And even more pics....as you can see from the paint color and the headlights they are really old.

More pics....

Sure....just looking over my old pics I noticed I installed the roof and the first version of the side screens in 2004. I did refurbish the side screens in 2010 because of wear, tear and rock impact. The latest version of the side screens is made from a thin-wall stainless tube frame and 0.08" clear PETG sheet, wrapped around the frame with a hot-air gun. Getting the 3-d shape of the frame by hand-bending in a vise without a jig was the most difficult part. The roll up roof is 0.04" thick rubber coated fabric, where there is a spring-loaded tube in the center which is supported by 8mm aluminum tubes. That way I can open and close the roof while in the seat (unless strapped to the roll bar which requires to get out and remove the straps).

Thanks! The wind deflectors swivel out of the way around the mirror stalks when opening. They lock with a pin to the top of the windscreen when down and a thin metal strap over the rear end of the "door" sill. There is no real latch but it does not tend to lift up when driving and usually my outboard arm rests on the door sill and the metal strap anyway. These wind deflector are probably the most useful addition for touring. I have been using them for over ten years. They don't prevent the usual turbulence and buffeting completely but moves it back behind the driver's head. Together with the roll-up roof they also provide pretty good rain protection.

The lower tube of the cart first slips into the vertical bottom slot of the white bracket. The two middle tubes then swivel into the two horizontal upper slots, preventing it from lifting out. Te bracket takes up the whole weight of the luggage. I was thinking about a latch mechanism but opted for the simpler solution with the cord. It is thin but it is a Paracord with 550 pound breaking strength. I don't think I can accelerate fast enough to break that. The cord also allows for the semi-open position and once tensioned with a bunjee it will only tighten up more with vibration. I did have to relocate the license plate, though (temporarily).

I have been using different methods for storing my luggage on several long distance trips (2 people, 2+ weeks), usually on a large luggage tray hanging from the rear of the car with 2 waterproof small duffel bags. Worked O.K. but not that convenient and kind of ugly. For the upcoming trip to Montana, Idaho and BC I fabricated a new luggage rack that allows for quick removal of a sturdy luggage cart/dolly that holds a really large duffel (normally intended for car roof transport). A semi-detached position gives access to the fuel filler cap. The cart makes it easy to haul the bag to the hotel room. Still needs to be proven practically but so far looking good. I thought it might give some ideas for the common luggage challenge with Se7ens.

Is that a robot, repeating some text or title and adding a meaningless phrase?

You should be old enough to understand this is long time beyond rational arguments.

Driver and passenger could hold the hand outside the cockpit ind tilt it down a little for adjustable downforce :jester: But I guess removing the headlight would have much more aerodynamic effect than the chicken wing.

I have had a few close calls with the Seven: - 2003: rear ender in LA freeway jam (small car driver on the phone), very low speed no injury at all but quite some damage ($3500 to fix by pro shop, insurance paid) - 2012: rear ender on a highway (another Seven following too close for a passing maneuver that I had to abandon), high speed but moderate differential speed and luckily with a clothing duffel as fender. No injury but a rear end re-build that I fixed myself. - 2015: driving on Mulholland highway spun out in a curve. I am still not sure how that happened. I don't think I was driving really that fast but probably a combination of cold tires, old tires and maybe a wet or sandy spot on the road. No damage and stayed on the pavement but could have ended up really bad with more traffic or going off the cliff. So, I drive more careful nowadays but I am aware that I take more risk driving this car than in my Honda Accord. I am not so much concerned about the truck next to me on the Freeway. Never had a problem situation with that so far in 60k miles (knock on wood). And yes, I do have a fuel cell and a fire suppression system. Also, I added a bunch more tubes in likely rear impact areas.

Maybe I can see a show of hands of people interested in this trip? So far I have.... - myself (made reservations) - Bill G. (made reservations) - Dion D. (made reservations) - Randall Z. (I suppose very likely) - Skip C. (quite interested?) - Steve/Lancylad (checking schedule) - Herb/Automoda (definite maybe) anybody else?

Here some tour files for GPS devices. It also contains a .kml file that can be used in Google Earth to do a helicopter preview of the tour segments.

Skip, no group rates, just call or go online and make your own reservation. My experience from the 2007 tour is that in Summer the group rates are typicality not cheaper (sometimes were even more expensive) than senior/AAA rates. Like for the last 3 trips, I just picked well rated mid range hotels (actually for this list Randall did most of the work) that seem to have enough rooms left for others to join. I made my reservations already. I was surprised how many hotels were already listed as sold out, although I don't know if that means booked solid or just for the Internet agency blocks. But no matter if you look at the hotel web site, Booking.com, Expedia or other sites, the prices usually are the same. You can save a few bucks with AAA or AARP or if you are willing to pre-pay (noncancelable). I don't like the latter to be somewhat flexible. Group negotiation would be difficult anyway, because I have no clue how big the group may end up. I guess between 3 and 5 cars but who knows maybe more...

Well, Coer d'Alene is out then. Even the Chamber of Commerce recommended staying away that weekend. So, Sandpoint, ID it is. Now, here is the complete route with hotel information. Thanks a LOT to Randall Z. who scouted out many of the hotels and saved me many hours. The actual tour starts Tue, 6/23 in Idaho Falls and ends 7/2 there. Click the mileage links to get the Google maps. If somebody is interested I recommend making hotel reservations soon. Some hotels I looked at were already booked out. [TABLE=width: 1193] [TR] [TD]Day [/TD] [TD]Date[/TD] [TD]From[/TD] [TD]To[/TD] [TD]Miles[/TD] [TD]What[/TD] [TD]Hotel[/TD] [TD]Address[/TD] [TD]Phone[/TD] [TD]Price incl. tax[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sat[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/20/2015[/TD] [TD]Pasadena[/TD] [TD]Cedar City[/TD] [TD=align: right]428[/TD] [TD]Towing[/TD] [TD]Crystal Inn Hotel&Suites[/TD] [TD]1575 West 200 North, Cedar City, UT[/TD] [TD]435-586-8888[/TD] [TD=align: right]$96.21[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sun[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/21/2015[/TD] [TD]Cedar City[/TD] [TD]Ely[/TD] [TD=align: right]215[/TD] [TD]Great Basin NP/Towing[/TD] [TD]Prospector Hotel&Casino[/TD] [TD]1501 E. Aultman St., Ely, NV[/TD] [TD]775-289-8900[/TD] [TD=align: right]$98.79[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mon[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/22/2015[/TD] [TD]Ely[/TD] [TD]Idaho Falls[/TD] [TD=align: right]428[/TD] [TD]Towing, Vehicle Storage[/TD] [TD]Sleep Inn&Suites[/TD] [TD]3200 Outlet Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID[/TD] [TD]208-821-3647[/TD] [TD=align: right]$122.03[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tue[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/23/2015[/TD] [TD]Idaho Falls[/TD] [TD]Red Lodge[/TD] [TD=align: right]238[/TD] [TD]Yellowstone, Beartooth Highway[/TD] [TD]Yodeler Motel[/TD] [TD]601 S. Broadway, Red Lodge, MT[/TD] [TD]406-446-1435[/TD] [TD=align: right]$94.50[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Wed[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/24/2015[/TD] [TD]Red Lodge[/TD] [TD]Bozeman[/TD] [TD=align: right]249[/TD] [TD]Backcountry[/TD] [TD]C'mon Inn Hotel&Suites[/TD] [TD]6139 E. Valley Center Rd., Bozeman, MT[/TD] [TD]866-782-2717[/TD] [TD=align: right]$153.93[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Thu[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/25/2015[/TD] [TD]Bozeman[/TD] [TD]Bozeman[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD]Rest Day[/TD] [TD]"[/TD] [TD]"[/TD] [TD]"[/TD] [TD=align: right]$153.93[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Fri[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/26/2015[/TD] [TD]Bozeman[/TD] [TD]Great Falls[/TD] [TD=align: right]202[/TD] [TD]Lewis&Clark NF[/TD] [TD]Greystone Inn[/TD] [TD]621 Central Ave., Great Falls, MT[/TD] [TD]406-452-1470[/TD] [TD=align: right]$81.24[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sat[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/27/2015[/TD] [TD]Great Falls[/TD] [TD]Whitefish[/TD] [TD=align: right]247[/TD] [TD]Glacier NP[/TD] [TD]Pine Lodge[/TD] [TD]920 Spokane Ave, Whitefish, MT[/TD] [TD]406-862-7600[/TD] [TD=align: right]$157.30[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sun[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/28/2015[/TD] [TD]Whitefish[/TD] [TD]Nelson[/TD] [TD=align: right]276[/TD] [TD]Selkirk Loop[/TD] [TD]Alpine Motel&Suites[/TD] [TD]1120 Hall Mines Rd., V1L 1G6 Nelson, BC[/TD] [TD]250-352-5501[/TD] [TD=align: right]$148.35[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mon[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/29/2015[/TD] [TD]Nelson[/TD] [TD]Sandpoint[/TD] [TD=align: right]172[/TD] [TD]Selkirk Loop[/TD] [TD]GuestHouse Lodge[/TD] [TD]476841 Highway95 North, Ponderay, ID[/TD] [TD]208-263-2210[/TD] [TD=align: right]$100.93[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tue[/TD] [TD=align: right]6/30/2015[/TD] [TD]Sandpoint[/TD] [TD]Orofino[/TD] [TD=align: right]199[/TD] [TD]Coer d'Alene NF[/TD] [TD]BW Lodge at River's Edge[/TD] [TD]615 Main St., Orofino, ID[/TD] [TD]208-476-9999[/TD] [TD=align: right]$129.79[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Wed[/TD] [TD=align: right]7/1/2015[/TD] [TD]Orofino[/TD] [TD]Lolo[/TD] [TD=align: right]138[/TD] [TD]Nez Perce NF[/TD] [TD]The Lodge at Lolo Hot Springs[/TD] [TD]38600 Hifgway12 West, Lolo, MT[/TD] [TD]406-273-2201[/TD] [TD=align: right]$159.88[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Thu[/TD] [TD=align: right]7/2/2015[/TD] [TD]Lolo[/TD] [TD]Idaho Falls[/TD] [TD=align: right]319[/TD] [TD]Salmon/Bitterroot[/TD] [TD]Sleep Inn&Suites[/TD] [TD]3200 Outlet Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID[/TD] [TD]208-821-3647[/TD] [TD=align: right]$122.03[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Fri[/TD] [TD=align: right]7/3/2015[/TD] [TD]Idaho Falls[/TD] [TD]Wells[/TD] [TD=align: right]223[/TD] [TD]Craters of the Moon/Towing[/TD] [TD]Cactus Petes Resort Casino[/TD] [TD]1385 Highway93, Jackpot, NV[/TD] [TD]775-755-2321[/TD] [TD=align: right]$128.52[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sat[/TD] [TD=align: right]7/4/2015[/TD] [TD]Wells[/TD] [TD]Las Vegas[/TD] [TD=align: right]452[/TD] [TD]Towing[/TD] [TD]Hampton Inn Tropicana[/TD] [TD]4975 Dean Martin Dr., Las Vegas, NV[/TD] [TD]702-948-8100[/TD] [TD=align: right]$133.28[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sun[/TD] [TD=align: right]7/5/2015[/TD] [TD]Las Vegas[/TD] [TD]Pasadena[/TD] [TD=align: right]255[/TD] [TD]Towing[/TD] [TD]Home Sweet Home[/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD=align: right]$1,880.72[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD=align: right]4041[/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Thanks Dave, I will get in contact with you when the tour plan is finalized. Some recommendations about nice roads or interesting things to see are appreciated. I would probably not mind a short hike after sitting all day for days.

http://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/features/48/20-great-things-to-do-in-los-angeles

We did 3 ferry crossings in BC on the 2013 tour (not at this lake, though). I can imagine a long low trailer may have trouble because of the attack angle of the ramp but for the short Seven is was no problem at all. The nice thing is because it is part of the highway system, the ferry is free.

Thanks, some good ideas. This was anyway only a first draft. In the meantime found some changes necessary. The place where we stored the trailer last time in Jackson is not available, so we will rather start in Idaho Falls, where there is the usual RV/boat storage for little money. It also means to move the tour forward one day, so that we arrive on a Monday because most storage places have their office closed Sundays. I already considered Red Lodge to shorten the first tour day. Got to look over the rest. I also inserted a rest day in Coer d'Alene but might move that to Lewiston indeed. Otherwise we prefer not to stay in some backwater village because the bigger town usually have more to see and eat in the afternoon/evening. I will post an update once I have more information.

Would be great to see all you guys from the Black Hills Tour again! Sorry that the Polar Bear Blat did not work out but it was anyway too long for us.

Well, not really an organized tour but what we are planning for this year. And if somebody wants to joint for part or all of this trip or just meet at some point please let me know (similar to the Rocky Mountains 2009 or Black Hills 2011 tour). We still need to pick the hotels but to give a general idea here are the tentative dates and places. ----->>>>Original route table deleted, see updated version in post #10