speedwagon

Advice received from those who have been there both happy and unhappy is--- 1 follow the directions of your therapist. 2. (see #1) 3 (see #1) exercise is the best pain relief long term.

In the S1 the car is the seat, but still narrow but 6' 4" is big but not wallmart size. I used to be 6' before downsizing and can move the pedals too far forward for me to reach. Worst part is that my size 13s even in barefoot shoes are too big. And comfortable for longer drives (did about 700 miles in one day and was not crippled which is better than the Miata or jag xj. Still prefer pickup for distances. john

I have had personal experience with them when things went wrong more than once. Their ability and willingness to handle it gets a high recommendation from me. And they do carry some budget (off shore mostly) parts but have them grouped in such a way that it is easy to avoid them.

The add is gone (usually means sold). Cannot remember what the drive train was to prompt my comment about it being nonstandard. And the one I have has a kinda/sorta Lola mk1 clone body and stretched chassis. Find myself eyeballing the 450hp 408 Windsor and c4 in my Ranchero and it would fit actually quite well (might need a low profile air cleaner). Now if someone would just buy the Ranchero as a roller.

I have a car on a Rotus chassis it is sound, easy to work on and room for a ls v8 if wanted. This car has non-standard drive train but should be able to get parts, has patina but at 6k would make an excellent entry car for a slim budget.

And just one more thing--Small frontal area--- means BIG fan the biggest that will fit and big wire to run the fan. With a fan relay near to the fan with direct wire (large #10 or larger) with both an auto on(by temp) and a switch (on the ignition circuit so you don't forget and leave the fan on manual after parking running the battery down. john

some how missed this thread earlier. There are only 54 of us with Focus engines but the heat problem is far worse with a rotary in #22. (a quick side while I still remember -- it runs in my mind that the rear end is from a Ford sierra, whatever that is. mine has a 8 bolt cut down camero) The wiring is the worst thing about these cars, fuse box is a source of eternal problems and all the wires are under sized and run willi-nilly with little or no protection. replace the fuse box and rewire the whole car paying special attention to the fuel and ignition circuits. Since mine had a bovine experience that gave me the opportunity to consider scrapping the nose cone I have tried several options. First tried a 93 rx-7 radiator with a rx-7 oil cooler high behind it and separating the air flow so that they both got clean air. Present configuration (not tested as yet) is similar using an 4 core aftermarket aluminum radiator from a 70s rx-7 that will require just a couple of slight bumps in the nose. Same oil cooler but with an auxiliary oil to water cooler to pre-cool the oil. the inter-cooler will be mounted high and back and receive air "cowl induction". Have not started rebuilding the nose as yet, but have decided to dis pence with the bars and perhaps sharpen the edges to increase frontal opening. Am also considering a "skid pan" just back to the oil pan trying to create a vacuum of sorts under the car. Sorry for rambling but once started just kept going. good luck to all BTW everyone should consider a tank mounted fuel pump for better cooling and longer life. john

my Superformance resided in Ticaboo and there are some real nice although higher speed (and more dangerous) took it from bullhead to boulder on the burr trail once (bit rough and dusty) now in lower desert. john

I use "point replacements" in my VW engines and always carry a spare set of points. Have found that the Pertronixs units are no better than the other Chineeze ones.

Am going to make a few guesses, There are a vast number of thermister manufactures and very few are likely to be in good ole USA. The quality will vary all over the place. Automotive gauges being made to sell, the accuracy is going to be below the desires of most of us. And the buyer will usually not be discerning enough to know whither his gauge is off by 10% at 200 and most certainly not notice a much greater inaccuracy at 100. What I use to check my gauges is a digital infrared thermometer. (mine happens to be a harbor fright from chairman mao's junk store) Point the dot at the sender and get a readout. to check it's accuracy point it boiling water on the stove and correct for elevation to calibrate. The tool is also very good for checking exhaust pipe temperature differences. You can see an almost instant change when the fan turns on and a low performing or lean cylinder shows up readily. So will a poor electrical connection if it is conducting current and there is voltage drop. Cheap tool for what use you get out of it, originally bought my first one years ago for about 500 when doing electrical/mechanical troubleshooting. john

Move to Arizona. Titled my newly acquired (Fake) Lola bodied Rotus last Monday. Took 15 minutes. Had a Texas title with make "ASVE". He asked what it was, showed him a photo and said "kit car". He asked what it might be cost and I told him what I'd paid. He gave me a title for a 1995 ASVE and collected $35 including a 2 year registration. Love it here and besides it is sort of warm. john

AH the generous ending!!!

Leaving Tuesday am for Houston to bring home the Lola MK1 clone. couldn't resist and likely will get it going as is before restructuring it to turbocharged with an rtech stand alone. Have a warehouse of turbo rotary parts. john

My 2 cents, as a superformance owner, I say get a quote from this man with a history of support. during this rebuild I will likely remove the superformance label to prevent embarrassment. car is ok-- needs much sorting and some redesign (and a fab shop for replacement parts)

Thanks for the very informative thread even with the engineering wewe contest. In Hilbiliese the discription is; brakes are grip times leverage with the elements of consistency and control being more important. This discussion helps pave the way there. john

Am near Golden Valley, 18 mi from Bullhead with Superformance S1 #22. And warm.

It is a dune buggy, pure and simple, with a high amount of polar inertia to effect the handling. As for the dak-dak being short on beans-- My meyers fiberglass clone has a 2010 with a vnt25 turbo that is quite competitive

Rick; I live near Golden Valley, AZ. Am about 90 miles from LV 4 miles off hwy 93. the car is a Superformance S1 which is a little more generous with space than most 7s. It is up on a dolly getting an engine transplant and not running but we could easily vacuum out the interior for a seating. john 970-640-4804

I like the color. The brakes on some S1s are a bit hard, the fix is to get one size smaller master cyl for the front and move the present front to the back. Have not done mine yet as it has been getting a heart transplant for two years now. But also to consider would be a different brake pad compound from Wilwood as even a soft pad won't ever wear out. Also on mine the balance bar was out of adjustment. john

love the welding cart-- they all really need the storage drawers and none have them. thanks, john

Being the not so proud owner of an XJ8, the last thing I would want is a SUV made by TATa. the ford English model is just too "needy" to take out of easy reach of a tow truck. Just cannot imagine that things got better with new ownership.

Restrorider you are on the right track, electrics are the biggest problem with the s1, rest is mostly quality parts some from unknown sources, windshield being the worst.

my s1 is raised up with 15" rims and higher street profile tires. Will clear a 5" rock but no more. Has a rear so tight it might as well be a spool, and has been on snow, ice, sand, mud and dirt. It is as good as it gets hydroplaning , and has been over the Burr Trail (75mi) in southern Utah at speed, is great fun on gravel sweeps and esses but not necessarily fast as some. Still handles better than almost all on the road. Life is a compromise.

Did not mean to infer that the Superformance S1 is a poor handling car. it is though quite comfortable on long trips. I no longer race but can attest that the car handles quite well and is more adjustable than most to suit your style. but as a run of 50 it is more expensive to maintain due to lack of replacement parts and support. Mine has rotory turboed power with a gm 8 bolt rear and is even more so. But had I built a "track T" roadster that handled as well with full top and heat good enough to drive in a blizzard the maintenance could well be worse. The car will be with me when i croak. john

The superformance would be a deal as a road car, but you must be or know a good fabricator if you own one. Also $ quite similar to my xj8 sport in that respect.