speedwagon

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.

Tranquillo! tranquillo, I was attracted here and continue to return, I do not actually belong even though owning a sort of seven and being well over 70. I have driven over 700 miles in a day in it and it would be my favorite road car (although if the xj8 jag could be trusted it would slip ahead for comfort). Some of us here know far more, have more funding, are more fanatic, are more attached to the original brand, and may even be a little more proud, but all contribute and should be accepted for what they are-- just as imperfect as the rest of us. Sorry just had to speak.

Agree with BusaNostra. 58lbs core weight without flywheel bell housing and accessory drive. That and a tbo of 500 hrs makes the Mazda rotary that's in mine look good. It is a directed toward the aviation market. Rotaries are not for the faint of heart but do produce a lot of power for weight and size/shape.

have taken a poll and Jon Stewart won the debate the other night while absent.

Have a question. How does the intercooler location work out? I have a Superformance S1 that is getting upgraded to a fresh T-ll street ported 13B and have considered a "close to cowl" location as the frontal area is used up with oil and water cooling and the more rear location would be much neater. Had cooling problems with old na engine with the original S1 radiator and oil cooler but it was tired. Now have a fb alm radiator and a fc oil cooler with a beehive in reserve for added oil cooling if needed. It is not easy being different. thanks, John

My advice; Buy!! You will get plenty of experience just keeping one going. Start looking and when you find the one that bumps your switch in your price range that fits you- buy it. Look at; fit, finish, build documentation and content. Miata drive train would be most reliable. Do not be afraid of a "home built" and do not worry about "best handling" (the light weight will give you that) I have a Manx clone that is quicker, handles nearly as good and is more fun to drive than my superformance S1. If you buy right in today's market, your losses when selling will be minor and whichever you buy later you will want something different. "don't worry be happy"

Try the haltech web site or google haltech, have a haltech on a rorary and have found the rx7club.com to be a wealth of information. Am sure that there is a focus web site similar.

It seems that we all agree it is a niche market. In my case if I had wanted a "track car" it would have been a RX-7 fd with a ls v8 (cleaner lines and much more aerodynamic ) Wanted a track style T roadster but stumbled across a S1 for 16.5k with a rotary and bought it. Then rather than upgrading to a v8 or such decided to go with a turbo-ed rotary. still under 20k and all the defects are caused by me, lots of bang for the buck.. But to defend the US vs small engine choice- there is more thrill with more HP and HP does indeed win races.

Basically think -"tilt Trailer" Can offer two suggestions, for the ramp to beaver tail my trailer has a hinged extension to the ramp that folds to the inside(top) of the ramp that helps, then I just either park the truck so that the rear is high or on wheel ramps to bring the trailer dove tail closer to the same plane as the ramp. if the dove tail to trailer still cases problems add a sheet of 3/4 plywood just inside the beaver tail in the trailer to smooth the transition. These puppies can be hard to load, a lot of my problems went away when I raised the car enough to be able to straddle a 4" rock in the road while living in Utah near lake Powell and the new home with 3 miles of dirt roar in golden valley,az will keep it there. Better to not handle quite so good and get home