AlanO Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 People have been extremely helpful thus far and I wonder if you might offer your thoughts on the pros and cons on a couple of issues I have unresolved.Ignoring aesthetics, what are the pros and cons of having a bare alloy car vs painted please? Obviously cost if buying from new but are there practical issues? Or is it just down to looks?Also, and this time ignoring the obvious lack of performance between them, what are the pros and cons of a Suzuki powered 7 and a Ford? I'm thinking reliability, simplicity and costs to maintain etc.Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrightpayne Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 My only observation about the suzuki is they are a fair bit different to the normal seven and they had a fairly short production run. Longer term I'd worry about provision of spares. (Pretty sure someone was struggling to find an engine recently).Ally body does take a bit of keeping tip top. If you get caught in the rain you cannot just chuck it in the garage wet like a painted car - it needs drying off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 I'm with Colin - pant is merely extra weight Ally does need more work up front, once you have the mirror finish then a quick whizz with the twin head polished maybe twice a year.A synthetic leather soon dries off a wet car after rain or washing - 10 mins workA fellow member shared some great notes etc re polishing bare ally, let me know and I can blat them over for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team 700newtons Posted February 14, 2021 Leadership Team Share Posted February 14, 2021 Hello Alan,I built a Suzuki 160 and had it for three years. I then swapped to an Academy Ford sigma in 2018.I loved the 160 - really light and precise. Smooth running reliable engine, and between 30-60mph the turbo really made it shift. A real pleasure to throw around A roads. It is a great touring car with a range of about 300miles. We took it around Scotland, Ireland and to France. My wife and I still rather miss it. I swapped to the sigma because the 160 is not really in the same league for trackdays and hillclimbs. The sigma feels heavier and more planted. The biggest difference I noticed was grip (especially in the wet). But driving the 160 with less grip kind of made it more fun. The Sigma's range is more like 220miles, but it has more power.The suzuki 160 has limited options for upgrades. I asked Caterham about the possibility of a limited slip diff (like the sprint version) but this is not on offer at the time. There are lots of possibility with Caterham's Ford engined cars.The Suzuki car tax is much cheaper, but the insurance is about the same. Maintenance costs would be similar. I'm no expert but I expect the Suzuki engine would be pretty reliable. The only problems I had were due to my occasional ineptitude rather than the kit.I hope that this helps,Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogW Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 Dont do bare ali. No No NO.Been there - doing / done that. Just NO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanO Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 That's a no, then. Care to expand? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Nick Chan Posted February 15, 2021 Area Representative Share Posted February 15, 2021 I've had bare Ali cars and painted is far easier to keep clean. I'd spend a couple of days polishing before going to events and if it was a bit wet, it wasn't worth the trouble. Now people use Mother's Mag polish which seems to protect the bare Ali better but personally I'd go for a painted car. If you want the bare look, maybe go for a light silver paint or perhaps a shiny wrap Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Nuvite NuShine is the polish to use for ally.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted February 16, 2021 Leadership Team Share Posted February 16, 2021 ... and move to California Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john g Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 My 7 is ali, I use Autoglym metal polish. I've used various other polishes but I find the Autoglym creates a protective barrier and protects the ali longer. Yes it does get mucky when out driving but a bucket of water cleans off the muck still leaving the shine. The car is never SORN'd so used throughout the year albeit not to often over winter but a polish around spring time will last the '6 months' blatting season.I'm not saying go for ali, just my experience of owning an ali car. And yes I'm sure a painted car will be easier to keep clean, also, you can choose your colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricklaw7 Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 I like the colorful Seven's (orange, yellow, etc.) but at the same time I admire those in bare aluminum polished to a mirror finish. I am going for the latter on mine, just to save a few dollars and some weight. I would highly recommend Zephyr. I bought a starter kit from them and tried it on a piece of aluminum. As a newbie I was able to polish that to a mirror finish in less than half and hour. Check out their video on an Airstream. Impressive!https://zephyrpro40.com/polishing-resources/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur rayner Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 I'd be interested in seeing these polishing notes please. email is art@spitfireart.comWhilst on this thread, anyone know if it feasible to retro make an S3 type body (my car is a Suzuki 160) look more like an S1, I noted Axminster panel's website from another thread, and would love aluminium wings and for that matter wire wheels.Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel B Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 http://bathoscars.simpl.com/lotus_caterham.html This place might be worth a look Arthur. They look reasonably priced to me too, given the work that must be involved producing alloy panels. I loved your article in Low Flying by the way. By strange coincidence, I read it this morning. It was a fascinating story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Geoff Brown Posted February 17, 2021 Area Representative Share Posted February 17, 2021 160 is cute & cuddly with a certain character but due to the limited production run spares could become difficult.Bare aluminum does look good but can be a full time occupation to keep it that way - avoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougBaker Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Regarding wire wheels MWS look to be a good company to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420R Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Go for a painted car! Less agg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Nah!, winter is for polishing and fettlling, Summer is for driving... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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