Mike Rohaley

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070112_190905_Dublin_car_show.jpg Your picture reminded me of one I took last spring in Dublin Ohio. I could use his trunk (boot) as a garage!

I second that, please post it!

I thought the Sevens were already "loaded" (with items like a driver side steering wheel for instance). I would expect many of us have some sort of heat protection for the footwell and tunnel carpeting to isolate you from the heat that soaks the panels after more than an hour of driving. Convenience items that I have personally added are a cooling fan override switch to kick on the fan earlier than it would be otherwise (nice when you get stuck in traffic when it is 90ish degrees out and don't want to watch the temp climb too high before it kicks on). Also there is now a cigarette lighter outlet hidden well under the dash for powering the camera on track days.

I did'nt discover that the Lotus/Caterham Seven existed until I was about 22 and lusted for one until I reached the ripe old age of 29. I have had mine four years (33 now) and use it as my summer daily driver. I still cannot imagine another car that I could enjoy more that this. Well.....maybe I could be pried from my seat by the lure of a McLaren F1 (if price weren't an issue, which it is.)

That is certainly reassuring, I am about two days away from finishing the second buck (the first did not come out so well). This is just one more example of the way that I tend to learn more through mistakes than through success. I have my ear plugs and hammers ready to go.

Besides, the net required on a Seven would need to be much larger than you would ever find on a tin-top. Imagine the cabin covered in a fishing net.

I am not sure if window nets are the solution to the problem. Typically, arm restraints are used in open wheel cars to keep the arms inside the vehicle in the event of a collision. What they do is wrap around your arm near your elbow and then loop into your harness, that way, after the incedent all you need to undo is your harness and you are free to go (as opposed to then needing to undo a net system). At first they give you the feeling of having limited mobility of your arms but once you are out on the track they essentially dissapear because you wont be flailing them around out there.

Thanks for the help everyone. I have a friend who built an entire body for his car from aluminum. The more help and advise that he gives me clues me in to exactly how much work and skill is involved in making something so complex. If (very big if) I am lucky enough to develop my metalworking skills enough to build these I could easily see charging 3K because of all of the time and effort involved.

Is the nosecone on this car a Caterham part? The aluminum workmanship is perfect but the $3,000.00 price Rocky Mountain wants for one is a bit much for me to swallow. I am in the process of making a buck to produce my own but to be honest, I do not know if the final product will be presentable which will leave me back where I am now. Does anyone know of a skilled metalworker that has fabricated parts of this type?

The kid has some talent, he must have developed it during english class unfortunately. In the first few seconds he spells "presents" wrong (nit-picky me).

You must give them credit for the creativity, it seems to be a great solution to a problem nobody asked to be solved. If modern drivers are so enthused with the idea of the car doing all of the work for them, hands free so the driver can talk on their phone or whatever else. I know of a great option for them (plus it helps us all out too). It's called a bus. Just think of it! your ride comes to you...now that is progress. It's the perfect choice for those drivers that don't want to be drivers.

I had the same problem with my 2001 in the first couple months of ownership. My issue turned out to be a poor crimp in the grounding wire that was sandwiched onto a bellhousing bolt. This may have already been done by you but what I did to find the problem was to turn the ignition on and wiggled various wires until I could hear the fuel pump power up. My faulty wire shut down the whole electrical system making it easier to track down.

Thank you for the contact John, and for the warning.

Thank you everyone for the advice and leads.

I am looking for a company that is experienced with the Zetec engine. I want to get the cylinder head optimized for street and track use (flowed and possibly larger valves, mild cam). I am also looking to lighten, balance and knife edge a crankshaft and balance it with the flywheel and clutch package. With the block, I want to get it lined up properly and get it bored out for larger pistons. So far I have not found a shop that focuses (no pun intended) on this engine in the USA. Does anyone have any leads on where I may find someone that is capable and reasonable in price. I have found a ready to go Cosworth cylinder head at FocusSport but it would cost over $2,000.00 just for the top end to get done. I do not expect it to be cheap to do but I am not quite ready to part with ten grand to get an extra 60HP. Thanks in advance.

I installed the PC680 about a year and a half ago, I have had no problems with it while using the car as a daily driver. After I replaced the original Banner battery the car would fire up quicker with less cranking. Another bonus is that it saves about 9 lbs. (cannot remember exact number)

I weighed my wheel/tire combo a couple of years ago When I got fresh rubber installed. They are the Caterham 16" HPC wheels (5 spoke as used on the Caterham 21, 7" wide) with Goodyear Eagle f1 GS-D3's, 205-40 size. they tipped the scales at a hefty 36lbs. Pretty much every Sevener I have spoken to says that they are very heavy for a Seven and therefore will negatively effect the handling potential of the car. The 280 treadwear rating certainly does not allow for ultimate grip either. To answer your question, even for being 8" wide, they are on the bulky side. What a top shelf modern lightweight wheel would weigh in your size is unknown by me though. The general concensus is that 13" is the way to go for the ultimate in light weight and handling. A whole lot of text for very little help huh?

Dave, The louvers do not require any special hand polishing. What I do is hold the polisher at a 80 to 90 degree angle and lightly let the foam conform to the shape of the bodywork. I slow the rotation speed down as much as possible during this step. The foam is thick enough that at a mid-range speed you can finish polish over the louvers at a normal 15 degree angle to smooth out any swirls. In the end it looks just like the rest of the panel. The same delicate work applies to the openings for the front suspension and steering rods.

Andrew7, I forgot to mention that the cotton mitt method does not work well compared to the foam, even with the correct compounds. I tried that originally when I got the compounds and was disappointed in the results. The foam is the key.

Andrew7, I had the same problems that you are experiencing now, swirls and clarity issues that no amount of polishing seemed to fix. Having seen some vintage aircraft with perfectly polished metalwork I set off to find what it is they use. I tracked down the company listed in my above post and ordering the correct products, purchased a 7" angle polisher (from Harbor Freight for $30.00) and a few velcro backed foam pads (also from Harbor freight, about $6.00 each). Using these products while keeping the work surface damp produces the results that you are looking for. All aluminum has graining in it that disappears the more you polish it. If the graining is deep you may want to use the angle polisher and foam pad with a generic polishing compound from Autozone (or similar store). The grittier consistency of the polishing compound will level the surface off much quicker than the finer products. Remember not use the same foam pad for any other compound, rinsing will not work. I keep each one in a large Zip-Lock bag and mark it with the compound used. The first time you go through this process will take you longer than subsequent sessions. Just rmember to keep everything damp and wash the car between compounds. The final product is well worth the effort.

John, No, nothing special beyond regular waxing on the fiberglass. It was replaced over the winter due to a kid on a motorcycle crashing into my parked car at the track (blood starting to boil again). Since they could not color match to my bodywork (gelcoated) the insurance company agreed to put on all new fiberglass so that it would match. Give it a couple years of regular use and those panels will not look nearly like they do now.

I looked into the Zoop product a few years ago, it is not cost effective for the square footage we are dealing with. It is aimed more at the motorcycle crowd and only covers a relitively small area. You would need to buy quite a few kits to cover a Seven.

Sorry, I suppose I never actually ever did answer your question. The answer is that I do not have a major problem with oxidation. With proper care bare aluminum is less labor intensive than painted aluminum (no chips to fill). You just need to maintain it annually to keep it nice, and use the right stuff on it. The guys on some other boards (unnamed) really dislike bare cars because they say they are so hard to maintain. That is only true if you try to polish the whole car with wadding polish sourced from Autozone or something similar. If you got it...flaunt it.

Every winter I pull the fiberglass and windshield off and give the aluminum a once over with an orbital. I invest about two to three hours into the actual polishing and get a mirror finish in the end. The aluminum lasts the whole driving season without a noticable amount of oxidation showing. The key is in the polishing products used. I found a company that sells a product used by the aircraft industry (for large square footage polishing). Go to www.topoftheline.com, from there click on "Pro's Choice", then click on "Aluminum/Metal Polishing. The products I use are the Aluminum/Fiberglass polish ($20.00) and finish with the Aluminum/ Plastic Polish ($75.00). Using an orbital with a foam pad I polish the car down and rinse with soapy water between polishes. Do not forget to use a seperate foam pad for each polish. I originally put the product on dry but removal of the residue took a ton of time which is why I use some water, it makes the job so much easier. I could not recommend these products with any higher praise, I have tried the locally available polishes and they are simply not in the same ballpark as these. If you would like to see the finish on my car you can check out some pictures from our club website. Go to www.calotus.com, click on "Photos". You will see photos of our car in the Wine tour section. These photos were taken last weekend and the shine is still nearly flawless. The car was polished in April and has only had regular cleanings (no polishing) since.

What car does not look good in the Gulf livery colors of blue and orange, also Maclaren orange with the black-pack package would be nice.