The Other Cars of USA7s Members (Non-Se7ens only)

[Sean]

Daily driver is a boring, decidedly unimpressive Mazda Tribute SUV (re-badged Ford Escape), and it does not have the V-6 option.  It's not worth much, doesn't handle particularly well, and nowhere near a performance vehicle.  However, it does have a 2.3l Duratec Ford engine without the balance shaft, should I ever need a spare.

[Croc]

On 1/30/2023 at 11:28 PM, Sean said:

Daily driver is a boring, decidedly unimpressive Mazda Tribute SUV (re-badged Ford Escape), and it does not have the V-6 option.  It's not worth much, doesn't handle particularly well, and nowhere near a performance vehicle.  However, it does have a 2.3l Duratec Ford engine without the balance shaft, should I ever need a spare.

 

Now now Sean.  The rules were you had to post a photo.  We all need to admire your Bucket of Magnificence appropriately.  

 

 

 

Seriously - there is nothing wrong with a beater car.  Those folks likely have their priorities right compared to some other pack rats on this site (looking nervously at himself in a mirror...)

[11Budlite]

My other fun car besides the Caterham is my 2020 Mazda Miata Grand Touring. This is the best all-around fun car I've ever owned. It's quick, economical, comfortable, and just plain fun to drive. I drive it to work, take it when I go MTB-ing up in VT/NH, and I've even used it for track days when the Caterham wasn't done. If I didn't have the Caterham I would stiffen the suspension, change the exhaust, and get another set of wheels/tires just for track days. I picked it up in Texas when I was visiting my brother and college roommate, and drove it home stopping at Barber Motorsports and running the TOTD. Would not have enjoyed the considerable highway driving with the top down if I had done the same trip in my old '91 Miata BRG SE.

 

I tend to keep my vehicles for a long time and this one's a keeper.

[Bruce K]

1 hour ago, 11Budlite said:

My other fun car besides the Caterham is my 2020 Mazda Miata Grand Touring. This is the best all-around fun car I've ever owned. It's quick, economical, comfortable, and just plain fun to drive. I drive it to work, take it when I go MTB-ing up in VT/NH, and I've even used it for track days when the Caterham wasn't done. If I didn't have the Caterham I would stiffen the suspension, change the exhaust, and get another set of wheels/tires just for track days. I picked it up in Texas when I was visiting my brother and college roommate, and drove it home stopping at Barber Motorsports and running the TOTD. Would not have enjoyed the considerable highway driving with the top down if I had done the same trip in my old '91 Miata BRG SE.

 

I tend to keep my vehicles for a long time and this one's a keeper.

Really pretty, too, with that burnt silver color.  The Miata's Elan heritage is completely apparent in the profile, the distribution of components, the stance and the overall proportions of your car.  If Colin Chapman had continued to develop the Elan (no chance - has was always on to the next big idea), she would have looked and performed like your Miata.

[Croc]

On 1/29/2023 at 9:30 AM, MV8 said:

I like them.

With roller rockers and flat tappets (solid lifters), top end restrictors can greatly reduce the volume in the heads. The restrictors screw into the back of the block replacing the small plugs, reducing flow to the lifters and push rods. I assume you are scavenging from the back of each head and the valley (through the intake) with a total of three scavenge stages.

 

Yes - they are your classic Chev 350 mods and while the Holden 304/308 is a ground up design that owes more to Buick/Olds 283, the same mods work to lower the top end pressure.  Frustratingly I have done those mods and still have a top end pressure issue.  Back to the oil drum catch tank approach to vent a 2 inch hose from the heads.  Just not much room in the engine bay to do much with on a massive catch tank.    

[slowdude]

On 1/30/2023 at 11:28 PM, Sean said:

Daily driver is a boring, decidedly unimpressive Mazda Tribute SUV (re-badged Ford Escape), and it does not have the V-6 option.  It's not worth much, doesn't handle particularly well, and nowhere near a performance vehicle.  However, it does have a 2.3l Duratec Ford engine without the balance shaft, should I ever need a spare.

The first car my parents ever bought new was a 2002 ford escape, with the V6. It did a little over 350k miles and 17 years on the original motor and a refurbished Trans. Rust eventually killed it. Absolutely fond memories, and yours will run forever. 

[Croc]

On 1/29/2023 at 10:33 AM, slowdude said:

Are the commodores similar to the Lotus Carlton via the GM connection in the 80s?

 

Sort of.  Broadly the connections are as follows.  The 80s Commodore was derived from the 1977 Opel Commodore out of Germany.  GM thought a straight copy would work but the first test cars from Germany broke in 2 within a few days of driving on Australian roads.  So the Opel Commodore was essentially redesigned ground up to make it survive the local Australian roads.  It ended up being a very different car under the skin as a result.  

 

The Lotus Carlton/Opel Omega were 1990-92. and were based on the later evolution of the 1977 Opel Commodore, being the Opel Omega introduced in 1985.  The replacements had a family resemblance but were very different under the skin - longer.  So the Opel Commodore became the Opel Omega which Vauxhall then badge engineered for the UK as the Vauxhall Carlton and that was the base for the Lotus Carlton.  New platform completely.  

 

The Opel Commodore derived  Holden Commodore VB to VL models lasted 1979 to 1988.  The Holden Commodore then went a different direction for the 1989 VN model.  It was loosely based on the Opel Omega but it was lengthened and widened.  They were a noticeably larger car than the European cars and the styling went in a more rounded aero direction than the Euro cars reflecting the it was being styled a few years later than the Opel and rounded shapes became the fashion by then.

[Croc]

On 1/29/2023 at 9:33 PM, Bruce K said:

That nose is reminiscent of an early Foxbat Mustang.

 

Actually it is the late Fox body you are thinking about.  I think it is this 1993 model.  You are not the only one to make the connection - quite a number of people have observed that exact resemblance.  

 

[Croc]

On 1/29/2023 at 9:33 PM, Bruce K said:

Loved your word choice regarding the interior color of the SS Holden:  Cerulean blue.  It is one of my favorite colors and phrases.  In order to match A J Foyt's car # 83, my Lola is being painted a version of cerulean blue right now.

 

To be fair it was not my word choice - that is the actual name coined by GM Holden for the interior.  I do miss how the colors were so vibrant in the past and now are so muted by comparison. 

 

One thing I do not miss is the hard cheap quality plastics.  One false move and you can crack the plastic which is unreplaceable these days.  

[Bruce K]

Old plastics are also difficult to clean without removing the protective finish.  Too many car lots submit their inventory to "detailing" which leaves the old plastic clean, but unprotected and sticky. It then collects dust, small insects, dirt and more, and subsequent cleanings by the new owners begin removing the color.  Unprotected old plastic also ages quickly, developing cracks.  Specialized products like Car Guys Plastic Restorer should be used in lieu of strong detergents, oily solutions that leave sticky residues or harsh cleaning chemicals.

 

I really enjoy this thread.  We occasionally discuss Sevens, but the world is our oyster here, and every car ever created is subject for polite, informed discussion.  I have owned Sevens my entire adult life, with various brief periods of respite (like now).  Sevens drew me to this forum, but the open-ended nature of this thread is something special and will hopefully increase in importance.  Look at the results:  9 pages of invigorating input in only a few weeks, and all of it interesting and often provocative.  I am happy to boast that I was the thorn in Croc's side that lead to the establishment of this thread.  Gadflies, like ordinary flies, have their purpose.

 

Getting close to the goal of a full tribute to car # 83 piloted in the '60's by the immortal A. J. Foyt.  Mike at Sentry Body and Paint in GA is busy recreating the paint and graphics as I write.  I have contacted A. J. for an authorized signature.  While most T70's were fitted with bored-out SBC's, A. J. installed a big-block 427 Ford for improved oomph on long straights and out of corners.  I will retain my current Chevy engine, which has only 495 miles on the odo, and was crafted by well-regarded Hypercision Performance located near Chicago.  Family owned, 40 years in business, and able to provide me a durable, hi-revving 460 hp:

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Bruce K

[Bruce K]

1 hour ago, Croc said:

 

Actually it is the late Fox body you are thinking about.  I think it is this 1993 model.  You are not the only one to make the connection - quite a number of people have observed that exact resemblance.  

 

And just when I thought I was somebody special . . .

[Croc]

5 hours ago, Bruce K said:

And just when I thought I was somebody special . . .

 

Well you are. Not everyone is a Bruce!  

[Croc]

7 hours ago, Bruce K said:

I really enjoy this thread.  We occasionally discuss Sevens, but the world is our oyster here, and every car ever created is subject for polite, informed discussion.  I have owned Sevens my entire adult life, with various brief periods of respite (like now).  Sevens drew me to this forum, but the open-ended nature of this thread is something special and will hopefully increase in importance.  Look at the results:  9 pages of invigorating input in only a few weeks, and all of it interesting and often provocative.  I am happy to boast that I was the thorn in Croc's side that lead to the establishment of this thread.  Gadflies, like ordinary flies, have their purpose.

 

 

No - definitely not a thorn, just a mild prick. 

 

We just needed to balance the varying directions of enthusiasm that all of us have automotive while remaining on topic for those who need their focus to be solely on sevens.  I think this thread works well.  Besides which, most of us have automotive interests beyond sevens and these often have a connection to our sevens.  Mind you that connection may be quite tenuous in the case of Birkin Bernie's other cars!  

[MV8]

9 hours ago, Croc said:

 

Actually it is the late Fox body you are thinking about.  I think it is this 1993 model.  You are not the only one to make the connection - quite a number of people have observed that exact resemblance.  

 

I had a '93 mustang coupe (lighter than the hatchback) in the 90s as a daily driver with a 2.3L lima four and T5. I visited auto salvage yards on a regularly basis look for treasure for upgrades. I fit cobra rocker skirts (different/better than GT skirts), GT front and rear skins, Thunderbird Turbocoupe axle, swaybars and springs all around (had to cut two full coils to sit at normal ride height so way too stiff), urethane bushings, a strut tower brace and the alloy 10 hole rims with blank centers and polished lip and caps like the cobra in your pic. Hurst shifter and an SAAC (Shelby America) replacement label sheet from Ford. Only club members could order an SAAC so they sold around 45 total if memory serves. What I had was essentially the lightest mustang posing as the rarest. I would get "challengers" regularly, to which I would hold up four fingers. I do have a few pics somewhere but it was the "Dark Ages", before digital cameras or browsers. I was collecting parts for upgrading to a Turbocoupe engine. SVO mustangs were always expensive and rare.

My job had me on second shift, switched me to third one day, then downshifted me to second the next day. I fell asleep on the way home and totaled the car. A waste, but I still had my 80's 5.0l swb ford ranger.

[Bruce K]

On 2/5/2023 at 4:53 AM, Croc said:

 

 

No - definitely not a thorn, just a mild prick. 

 

 

This guy!  He tries to make things better by calling me a prick!  As if a "mild" prick somehow ameliorates the appellation - unbelievable!  Croc, if this is how you treat friends, sagas might be written regarding your treatment of enemies.  I promise to NEVER owe you money - I can only imagine the language a debt might generate.  It's a good thing we're old, or a call to pugilism might be in order.  If you ever drive my Lola, the things I will be saying about you while you are out on the track . . .

Edited February 17, 2023 by Bruce K

[panamericano]

"... If you ever drive my Lola, the things I will be saying about you while you are out on the track . . ."

 

If he's on track in the Lola, I doubt he will care what you say about him.

[speedwagon]

That you would even think about him on the track in your Lola speaks volumes about your relationship.    john

[Bruce K]

5 hours ago, speedwagon said:

That you would even think about him on the track in your Lola speaks volumes about your relationship.    john

All in good fun, John!

[Croc]

22 hours ago, speedwagon said:

That you would even think about him on the track in your Lola speaks volumes about your relationship.    john

 

Its worse.  It means in a race setting I have messed with his mind and already won.  He will be thinking of me when he should be concentrating on driving and winning.  Clearly I will now be faster on track than Bruce.  

 

 

[Bruce K]

8 hours ago, Croc said:

 

Its worse.  It means in a race setting I have messed with his mind and already won.  He will be thinking of me when he should be concentrating on driving and winning.  Clearly I will now be faster on track than Bruce.  

 

 

Well, yes, with that fusion-powered booster rocket you call your SV race Cat.  But you will faster than anything under a well-prepared Formula 3000, so slaying my dragon is more like stepping on the tail of an anole lizard.