New member, hello to all [Archive]

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powderbrake

01-18-2006, 01:37 PM

Hi, I saw this forum and registered. This format is much better than the Se7ens mail list, as you can see pictures all the time, and it's easier to follow the threads.
It appears to be a Rotus forum at this time, so I hope that as an Ultralite owner, I am welcome. 
I built my Ultralite last year, and have about 4000 miles on it by now. I drive it a lot in the warm weather, I'm in St.Louis, so it's not really warm enough right now.
I hope to get to know you folks better, and I hope to learn and contribute to this forum.

slngsht

01-18-2006, 03:02 PM

Hi there.

Welcome aboard. I started this forum just to share things with other 7 owners. Most here are Rotus owners because that's what we started with, but all are welcome. I had initially set up different sections for Caterhams, Locosts, etc..., but there are just not enough 7 owners. If it catches on, that's a possiblity.

Looking forward to pics of your car.

Cheers,

Mazda

solder_guy

01-18-2006, 07:55 PM

Welcome .. bring on the pics!

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

(gosh it was warm enough yesterday to enjoy a drive!)

powderbrake

01-19-2006, 01:27 PM

Thank you for the welcome. I am always happy to talk about and show pics of my car. It is a WCM Ultralite with a stock Honda S2000 engine and 6 speed transmission. The sheetmetal is all aluminum over a 1" square tube frame. The fenders are aluminum, and the hood is fiberglass.
The front end has modified fiero spindles, and a double a arm suspension made from aluminum adjustable bars. The rear end is a limited slip Subaru WRX with subaru axles and uprights. The shocks are QA1's all around. Rear suspension is a 10 link set-up all fully adjustable. All rod ends are threaded steel, there are no rubber bushings in the car. Wheels are SSR Comps, and the tires are Falken Azenis.
It is a daily driver in the summer, ( No,Rob, it's not as warm here as Atlanta) and on those occasional winter days that hit the 60 or 65 mark. I don't have a top, so I am cautions about the possibilty of getting caught in a rainstorm.
Ok here's where I start to brag. It was the Kit Car Magazine cover car in September 2005.  You can see the pics and the article at >http://kitcarmag.com/featuredvehicles/0509kc_arment/ (http://kitcarmag.com/featuredvehicles/0509kc_arment/) Click on the pics for a larger view.
here's one of me with the car
http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/powderbrake/2006-01-19_132556_Jerrybytree.jpg> (http://kitcarmag.com/eventcoverage/0601kc_rgun/index.html)
I will pass this forum info on to my Se7ens friends, I hope it grows for you.
Jerry

solder_guy

01-19-2006, 01:58 PM

Nice article .. nice writeup .. and nice car!!

I lived in Chesterfield for one year. St Louis is a great city!

Rob Mitchell

slngsht

01-19-2006, 02:39 PM

Jerry, Thanks for the props on se7ens.net.

I started this site before I found that one. I haven't really pushed it over there. Hopefully this will take off.

You mentioned CorvetteForum in your post. Are you a member? I'm 99C5Vert on corvetteforum.

I gotta run and play with the kids. I'll read your article as soon as they hit the bed.

BTW, did you have any ground or hood clearance problems with the S2000 engine? I've heard that they are pretty tall.

-Mazda

sugino

01-19-2006, 03:07 PM

I was pointed to this forum from a California Caterham Forum.

I don't have a Rotus, but a Caterham and hope I am welcome.

Here is my Seven:

http://members.cox.net/sugino.m/build/seven_front.JPG

http://members.cox.net/sugino.m/build/seven_engine_bay.JPG

<edited><editID>sugino</editID><editDate>38736.6309027778</editDate></edited>

slngsht

01-19-2006, 03:14 PM

Lordy. That's beautiful!!!

This is just a general 7 forum. I have a Rotus, so I seeked other Rotus owners first. Looking forward to your participation.

That is one SHINEY Seven <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley32.gif[/img]

slngsht

01-19-2006, 03:57 PM

Thank you for the welcome. I am always happy to talk about and show pics of my car. It is a WCM Ultralite with a stock Honda S2000 engine and 6 speed transmission. The sheetmetal is all aluminum over a 1" square tube frame. The fenders are aluminum, and the hood is fiberglass.

The front end has modified fiero spindles, and a double a arm suspension made from aluminum adjustable bars. The rear end is a limited slip Subaru WRX with subaru axles and uprights. The shocks are QA1's all around. Rear suspension is a 10 link set-up all fully adjustable. All rod ends are*threaded steel, there are no rubber bushings in the car. Wheels are SSR Comps, and the tires are Falken Azenis.

It is*a daily driver in the summer, ( No,Rob, it's not as warm here as Atlanta) and on those occasional winter days that hit the 60 or 65 mark. I don't have a top, so I am cautions about the possibilty of getting caught in a rainstorm.

Ok here's where I start to brag. It was the Kit Car Magazine cover car in September 2005.* You can see the pics and the article at >http://kitcarmag.com/featuredvehicles/0509kc_arment/ (http://kitcarmag.com/featuredvehicles/0509kc_arment/)*Click on the pics for a larger view.

here's one of me with the car

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/powderbrake/2006-01-19_132556_Jerrybytree.jpg> (http://kitcarmag.com/eventcoverage/0601kc_rgun/index.html)

I will pass this forum info on to my Se7ens friends, I hope it grows for you.

Jerry

*

*

*

*

Jerry, I read the article. A very nice writeup. It does say your other toy is a C5. I like your taste <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]

solder_guy

01-19-2006, 04:17 PM

My gosh .. all polished aluminum and polished fiberglass too??? Or are the fenders aluminum too! Has the car been road tested yet? How old is it?

My other car is a Celica convertible .. I have cheaper taste! <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley2.gif[/img]

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

sugino

01-19-2006, 04:26 PM

The Body is all aluminum (fenders and nosecone included)

The entire car has no paint, everything is polished aluminum, anodized

aluminum, polished stainless, chrome plated or nickel plated.

I just finished the car within the last month, even though it is a 1989.

I started with a new kit from Caterham and 15 years and 4000hrs later here

is the result. I have not test driven it yet. only dyno time and the entire car

on a test stand. I just passed my level II inspection

(AZ) and have a title.<edited><editID>sugino</editID><editDate>38736.6865162037</editDate></edited>

slngsht

01-19-2006, 04:28 PM

The Body is all aluminum (fenders and nosecone included)

The entire car has no paint, everything is polishe aluminum, anodized

aluminum, polished stainless, chrome plated or nickel plated.

I just finished the car within the last month, even though it is a 1989.

I started with a new kit from Caterham and 15 years and 4000hrs later here

is the result. I ahve not test driven it yet. I just passed my level II inspection

(AZ) and have a title.

Congrats. Make sure you have your cool shades on before going out in AZ sun ;)

slngsht

01-19-2006, 05:00 PM

Jerry, I'm curious about your rear suspension setup. Do you have any info or pictures on it?

Also, I'm thinking about going with bigger wheels for more traction, but couldn't find any wide tires in 15" diameter.

I was worried going to 17" wheels wouldn't look right, but they look great on your car.

powderbrake

01-19-2006, 10:40 PM

sugino: That is the most magnificent Caterham I have ever seen!!! It is gorgeous!!! great job, I would love to see it in person , out in the sunshine.
slngsht: yes I am on the Corvette forum, as JerryC5. I have a red 98 vert. see > http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1272254&amp ;page=3&pp=20 (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1272254&page=3&pp=20)  for my old and new garage setups
Engine height: yes it is tall, the hood bump is needed. I have about 3 1/2 inch under the sump, and with 400 # springs in front it still rides well. it scraped the ground at first on the big bumps, but I had the ride height too low, and only had about 2 1/2 inch under the sump. I raised the ride height, added the 400# springs and it has never scraped the ground since, even with two people in the car.
Brian's new design race version Ultralite has the engine at 45 degrees, and the whole car is only 35" to the top of the roll bar, but it cannot be a street car. see
>http://home.earthlink.net/~wcmultralite/ (http://home.earthlink.net/~wcmultralite/)
It is tough to get enough rubber under a seven. The 17" wheels are there to clear the 12" Wilwood brake disks. 15" will probably work OK on your car.There are some Michelins and Yokos in 15". Most guys go as small as possible for lowering the car and for rotary inertia and weight. One guy is running 15" on the Ultralite, but he has to modify the brakes and get special wheels mmade for wide slicks.
suspension... pics attached
Front, with Aldan shocks which I changed to QA1's
http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/powderbrake/2006-01-19_221450_005_2_Small.JPG
Rear.. you can see the upper and lower trailing arms, two lower  A arms at the bottom and one transverse arm at the top. Again with the old shocks. The suspension components are simply adjustable aluminum arms from a sprint car catalog, with 1/2 inch rod ends. Minimum unsprung weight with the diff being frame mounted.The tank, 13 gallons, sits on top of this area. all the area to the rear of the differential is trunk space. Brian Anderson, the designer, did a great job on coming up with a light weight, fully adjustable suspension. It is very easy to set the toe, alignment, and camber.( if you don't turn the bars in the wrong direction, which I have done)
http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/powderbrake/2006-01-19_221517_017_14_Small.JPG

solder_guy

01-20-2006, 12:29 AM

Wow Jerry! So is this what is called "independent rear suspension??"

BTW: I looked through your site about the evolution of your garage .. That is some setup! I am so envious!

Rob Mitchell

(I suffer in a carport which is always full of leaves and bugs!)

slngsht

01-20-2006, 04:48 AM

Jerry, Thanks for the pics. The Rotus has a solid axle rear. 2 of them were built with IRS as custom jobs. From what I heard it wasn't an easy conversion. Maybe someday I'll look at that.

sugino

01-20-2006, 07:28 AM

I converted mine from DeDion to IRS (my own design)

http://members.cox.net/msugino/build/rear_suspension.jpg

slngsht

01-20-2006, 08:31 AM

Sugino, what diff and rear uprights did you use in your design?

I can't get over the attention to detail

sugino

01-20-2006, 08:39 AM

The Diff is from a Ford Sierra. I built the uprights to use bearing carriers and

drive parts from the Sierra and used the driveshafts from the Caterham.

powderbrake

01-20-2006, 12:50 PM

WoW ..... even the frame members are polished. I guess you have to wear white cotton gloves so you don't leave fingerprints. 
I liked my car til I saw yours, I have a lot to learn in attention to detail.<edited><editID>powderbrake</editID><editDate>38737.53625</editDate></edited>

slngsht

01-20-2006, 01:33 PM

WoW ..... even the frame members are polished. I guess you have to wear white cotton gloves so you don't leave fingerprints.*

I liked my car til I saw yours, I have a lot to learn in attention to detail.

I guess you guys haven't seen my car. I won't post a pic here... your cars might run off the screen <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley36.gif[/img].

Let's just say it's the opposite of the spectrum. All in due time I guess. In the mean time, it's nice to see some REALLY clean examples.

RDROCKT

01-21-2006, 12:45 PM

Hello all,

My friend Jerry (Powderbrake) steered me over here.  Looks like a nice forum and hope it does well.

I also drive a WCM Ultralite S2K.  Mine was one of the first built
and has served as sort of a development mule for a lot of the features
the new cars are delivered with at this time.

My interest until this last fall was solely in Solo I and Solo II
racing and occasional track days.  We have had pretty good success
with several SCCA regional and divisional championships.

In September of 2005 I joined 41 Se7ens U.K. and several other european
countries and 16-20 cars from the USA on the truly amazing USA 2005
Tour.  We met in Houston on Sept 15 and toured for the next three
weeks thru TX, NM, CO, UT, AZ, NV and CA, ending up at Fisherman's
Wharf in San Francisco.  This experience has now kindled my
interest in touring with my S2K.

More later, thanks for hosting this site

 

 

solder_guy

01-21-2006, 04:53 PM

We met in Houston on Sept 15 and toured for the next three weeks thru TX, NM, CO, UT, AZ, NV and CA, ending up at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.* This experience has now kindled my interest in touring with my S2K.

Wow! What a great road trip! <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley1.gif[/img]

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

JohnCh

01-23-2006, 08:56 AM

USA 2005 was a blast.  Chuck, do these bring back a few memories? http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley1.gif
-John
http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/vm3.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/MOABTOPAGE_177.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/MOABTOPAGE_253.jpg

slngsht

01-23-2006, 09:47 AM

John, is there an album of all the pics from that trip somewhere? If not, please start a thread and post up what you have. Those are some beautiful pictures there.

As soon as I saw this pic, my right foot stomped on the floor <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]

http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/MOABTOPAGE_177.jpg

JohnCh

01-23-2006, 10:25 AM

Yeah, there were a number of times when feet were stomped to the floor http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif  For links to a number of USA 2005 blogs and photo galleries, go >here (http://pierats.com/nuke/html/index.php) and scroll down to the penultimate box. 
BTW we are planning to do this again in 2007, although this time we intend to tour the Pacific Northwest, and sadly we won't have as many people coming over from the UK - it's a rather expensive proposition for them.  You can read a little more about the proposed tour >here (http://www.californiacaterhamclub.com/chat/forumdisplay.php?f=13) but keep in mind it is still very early in the planning process, so everything is subject to change.  A lot http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif   
-John

slngsht

01-23-2006, 07:29 PM

By the way, the MOAB pic is now my desktop background. <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley1.gif[/img] . We just don't get open stretches of road like that around here.

solder_guy

01-25-2006, 07:19 AM

BTW we are planning to do this again in 2007, although this time we intend to tour the Pacific Northwest,

Only problem would be the weather ...

How may 7s were on the road trip?? How many from the UK?

Rob Mitchell

RDROCKT

01-25-2006, 07:47 AM

Rob,

See above.

41 cars were shipped from the UK via container ship, one came air
freight $$$$$ and another 16-18 (it varied from day to day) came from
the USA.  Total was somewhere around 55-60 on any given day. 
We also had several support vehicles in an out of the trip as various
helpful parties volunteered their trucks/trailers and motor homes to
follow us sweeping up the casualties.  Surprisingly, there were
very few that actually needed transport at any time.

chuck

JohnCh

01-25-2006, 11:46 AM

Weather is hit and miss in the PNW, but September and late spring/early summer are generally pretty nice.  Besides, weather is part of the adventure.  On USA 2005 we were caught in nasty thunderstorms in CO and UT, and also encountered some hail, but we didn't miss a beat.  I can't see a little drizzle slowing us down next year http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smiley2.gif
-John<edited><editID>JohnCh</editID><editDate>38742.491087963</editDate></edited>