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heikki jättiläinen tappaja! ha! now i know why one camera on your car points backwards!

I've spent the last 15 minutes just staring at those pics. That's just a beautiful build.

I pulled the shifter out, cleaned it up and was going to have a machinist turn it down and thread it, but the shaft is at a slight angle so it can't be easily fixtured in a lathe. It could be done on a cnc milling machine but the process would be very time consuming and cost prohibitive. I think the thing to do is just cut the shaft off a bit more and then weld on a threaded rod. For now, i repacked the lever with grease and put reinstalled it, because I'd like to maybe drive the car for a change. Plus I can take my time in deciding how much taller I want the lever and if I want it angled differently.

http://www.transportreviews.com/ this is also a good resource, if you haven't already been using it.

I had a good experience with Demoise Trucking about a year and a half ago. Small family operation, all enclosed and they only move cars. http://www.demoise.com/

hi jerry, thanks for the response and pics. nice job on that knob!!! i think i'll do a similar shape. it's good to hear that heat from the transmission isn't a problem, though i'll probably still use delrin because in a open car in texas the sun is still an issue.

thanks guys. and thanks for the pictures, john! pulling out the shifter and having a machine shop turn it down and thread it sounds like an excellent idea. i think i'll do that because i'd like to use delrin. i think aluminum would get a little too hot.

Thank for the response, John. Yes it does appear that a collar has been placed on a (M10?) shaft. I just don't know exactly what came with the stock assembly. It appears that the shaft is at least partially threaded under the collar, but I don't know how much. I've already tried pulling/prying the collar off the shaft and it's definitely not coming off easily. I don't see any traces of cement and assume the collar is just pounded on. I suppose i could usee a dremel tool to cut along the length of the collar and then would be able to pry it off, but i don't want to (further) mangle any threads on the shaft. I guess the easiest thing would be to use a knob counterbored to 15mm using set screws rather than a threaded counterbore. But that probably wouldn't work so well with delrin. The Momo knob I'm using now actually fits well and doesn't slip, I'd just like the feel of a smooth machined knob better.

To the ultralite owners out there, I'm looking at changing my shifter knob, and was surprized to find an unthreaded shaft, 15 mm diameter. I believe the stock S2000 shaft is M10 x 1.5. I'm not sure exactly how the shifter has been modified, if it has simply been cut down or if a bushing has been added. Just considering my options for a new knob. I'd prefer the knob to be threaded, but I suppose just a 15 mm counterbore and a press fit would work. I'd like a simple machined knob, probably delrin. I'm interested to hear what other ultralite owners have done, and in knowing how the shaft was constucted before I start deconstructing it. Thanks,

I need to have a tonneau cover made for my ultralite. Can anyone recommend a good shop in Houston or Austin Texas to have it done? Thanks,

+1. 30 years driving in texas with no front plate and have received one warning so far --from a state trooper. in texas, only the state troopers seem to care.

Hi Mondo, and thanks! I was initially planning on using softer cushion for the top of the tunnel, but was just eager to get the project finished. I may have a pro make a cushioned top for me at some point as I think it would require stitching. The way I did it was very easy, commensurate with my skill level. The car actually drives now, not that you'd know it. I've spent a lot more time fiddling with it than driving it. But I have about 10 hours in the Tilletts (including a 200 mile drive), and love them. The fit like a glove, but are very comfortable for me. There was originally a Momo driver's seat in my car -- a very nice seat, but too wide for me. I'm 5' 8.5", 150 lbs. My nephew finds them comfortable too. I think he's 5'10" and 175 lbs. The model is a B6, very similar to the one they make for the R500, except the headrest is angled back a little for a helmet and the holes for shoulder harnesses are made to accommodate a HANS device. http://www.tillett.co.uk/car-racing-seat.asp And they fit in a seven (but barely on the passenger side!). I had to shave the sides down a little to get the passenger seat to fit. PM or email me if you want contact info for the distributor.

Wow, thanks guys. I got the alcantara from Gulf Fabrics in Florida. http://www.gulffabrics.com/ I'm still not sure what to do with the side sills. I'd like to cover them with cf protectors, but don't have the skills or equipment to fabricate them.

Hank, Yes, alcantara is synthetic. It's a microfiber fabric. It's actually very stain resistant and it's supposed to have good UV resistance -- that's what worries me more than water. I'm going to have a tonneau cover made which should help protect the fabric and also the cf. Thanks for the compliment!

rag1998, Thanks. The seats are Tilletts. The padding is only about 5mm thick but the seats are amazingly comfortable -- for me at least. It probably helps that I'm only 150 lbs.

I'm so happy to be almost finished with the interior of my ultralite that I want to share a pic. The alcantara fabric is affixed to cork/neoprene blend panels. I also made a new transmission tunnel cover from 16 ga Al. Next is replacing the ecu and all the wiring.

Has anyone thought about using an electric actuator to pull the cable? That seems like an interesting solution. It would free up valuable space in the cockpit and probably weigh less that the old mechanical system. When I put Tilletts in my ultralite, the Lokar hand lever had to come out, and I haven't yet replaced it. I need to sort something out in the next few months for my upcoming safety inspection, and i don't really want to put a lever on the transmission cover or in either footbox.

thank you james a.

awesome guys, thanks! lawell's is actually really convenient for me too -- close to home and just a few blocks from work. i'll give terry a call.

anyone have a recommendation for a muffler shop in the houston area? i will soon be putting a hushpower on my ultralite. also, any recommendations for shops for suspension set up and corner balancing?

loren, thanks, that's what i thought. nylon lock washer sounds like a good idea too. there is a hole for a cotter pin, and presumably there was a cotter pin there too. johnk, yeah, tell me about it. i still get a little queasy thinking about what might have happened. most of what i've done so far on the car has been about safety -- fuel cell, new harnesses, etc. so i feel a little silly almost letting the front wheel and suspension fall off. re: the spacer, i have no idea. mine is the only ultralite i've seen in the flesh. hopefully someone else will chime in here.

my left front fender was rattling earlier today, i figured from a popped rivet. i discovered when i got home that it wasn't a rivet, but was in fact a missing nut holding the bracket, spindle and upper control arm together. if this nut was missing a cotter pin, i didn't catch it. anyone had this happen before? anyone know what size nut and cotter pin i need here and what to torque it down to? it looks like a 1/2"-13 but i hate to guess what to order, and i don't have any calipers handy.

WOW, that's service. Loren, you are the man!

loren, mondo, and rnr, i guess i have something else to add to the "to do" list for my ultralite. i still need to move the upper control arms to the upper brackets, so i suppose i'll install a diff brace at the same time. has everyone designed and fabricated their own brackets, or is there a common solution? loren, will extra bracing be part of a new kit, and if so, would you be able to make the braces available to all of us ultralite owners who have not yet done this mod? surely there are a few people who would be interested. it would certainly be much more efficient for me as unfortunately i don't have a machine shop in my garage.

Mondo, Powderbrake and WestTexas, Thanks for the all great info! And great pics, Jerry. I really appreciate all the help! Looks like a piece of cake. Hopefully my ecu will behave from now on...