The_ASH

BTTT for the weekend.

Vintage Green with Yellow nose band and stripe (Classic Lotus Colours). 6000 miles MOT May 2018 1600 Rover K series 120hp. 5 Speed. De-Dion Metric S3 chassis. BMW open Diff. 14 inch Minilites with Avon ZV3 tyres. Cloth Seats. Lowered floors. MOMO 260mm leather steering wheel or original Motolita if you prefer. Carpet in cockpit area & boot plus rubber footwell mats. FIA Bar or Standard Rollbar should you prefer. Unused full hood & Oxted Shower cap. Recent replacement Banner battery. A lovely, almost new, very standard and very 'fresh' looking unmolested car, which would make an ideal first or second Seven and is perhaps spec wise like a Roadsport 'lite', so would be a nice car to start out with or an almost blank canvass to modify. Tentatively offering for sale due to possible chance of building a 160S kit soon if planets align etc etc OR should you have a 160 and wish to 'upgrade' to something faster… message me before I keep the car and reach for 160hp. £16,000 ono. Offers from private or trade considered as long as you are a club member. For pics etc contact me via 'send author a message' club mail system below.

I remembered this thread when I read this BBC article on marginal gains http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34247629

Not listed on eBay as yet and I may just wrap it up and stick it in the loft so before I do... any takers???

Zircotec are about 15 mins walk from my house, I had been musing over getting my exhaust manifold coated this winter but I think you've suitably dissuaded me, I now understand why so many people use the wrap stuff.

That's interesting, I'm sure my last Seven (which had a standard splined Q/R wheel) still had a steering lock and you are very correct about the Rover plipper. Another way around ditching the barrel key lock would be to look around to see if any aftermarket 'keyless go' solutions would suit I'm sure there must be a few that incorporate an immobiliser.

The standard barrel arrangement does provide a mechanical column lock when the key is removed, ISTR there being discussions about doing what you are suggesting many years ago on here, I think it came down to whether your insurer was happy with a keyless and perhaps un-immobilised car. If removed it's a bit more weight saved but don't forget to take the filler cap key with you!

It very much sounds like the original 30pin connector as pictured on the left, would have been interested if it was the other.

Which type of connector is the Dock, 30pin or Lightning?

Previous experiences with Radweld always point me towards repair or replacement... you know it makes sense.

I believe that only the passenger seat can be permanently fixed in place without runners and that for the MOT the drivers seat has to remain adjustable... not that I've ever seen it checked on any car I've owned.

Another thumbs up for Tayna, I bought the vent tube from them with the latest Banner. Reading this thread made me look at my battery after yesterday's trip to Poole and back, no sign of any leakage though or anything having gone out through the vent tube.

Wassssat?... Demands enlightenment... as it sounds like something an Android Tablet would have first thing in the morning... looks to the Internet. edit: So, it's a shared Spreadsheet of some kind? could be exactly the thing for this subject.

The spreadsheet after much searching can be found here :- https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lct2ure0w7yqpvu/AACuNkfcG4WShsYP6RhkJz0ha?dl=0 I've just (in the last day or so) moved to a new desktop machine (after using the same machine for 13 years or more) so can't even view what the content of the spreadsheet is at present, from memory of my last look at it some years ago its not all that comprehensive but it is a start, it would be good if someone central could be the keeper of a master copy of what all the weights are. edited to say: it seems to be viewable in dropbox and is more complete than i remember.

On seeing the title I immediately thought :-

All this talk reminds me that years ago there was a spreadsheet running on here which had weights of many things regarding Sevens, somewhere in my massive archive of data I have a copy (which may take some finding) obviously it dates from 10 or so years ago but if I can find it would anyone be interested in a copy? ISTR it had various comparison weights like for instance the standard gear knob versus the infamous nylon gear knob that one of the club members used to manufacture at one time. It would be good to bring the sheet up to date with the many new things fitted to Sevens now such as the Sigma engine, BMW Diff and MX5 gearbox.

BTTT for one last try and then I'll list it on eBay.

I saw an ally nosed car at Penn Sevens some years ago (the first link might even be 'the car') and can understand the attraction, somehow more desirable than (and really predates) Carbon. I think I'm right in remembering that the nose was so valuable (and vulnerable) that it was a special inclusion on the insurance policy.

I've been wondering for some time what a complete chrome wrap of a Seven would look like, having seen a Veyron which had been done (which I quite liked) I noted the comments from people around and it is very much a Marmite subject people seem to love or hate it. I do wonder if it would make a Seven look like it had a stainless steel skin... and thus as if someone had built a car from a double griddle gas barbecue. Having seen a few complete wrapped Sevens I wonder if having the car x-rayed as per the kind of thing L7 club member Stijn Luyck does, having that printed onto vinyl and applied to the car would look good, you could even add an x-Ray of the driver side on sitting in the car. For me an unpainted Seven looks good with full carbon (nose, wings and aero) like some Superlights but the cost of that lot would probably out-budget an ally nose!

Matty7 - I really did think about trying one but wanted 'a battery' almost straight away and didn't fancy buying yet another charger as the Accumate is not for charging Lithium Ion batteries. I do like stuff to be a standard size so the Marelli battery very much ticks that box and is so light also. JK - Some interesting points, Longevity is questionable plus in my case I don't know what happened to my batteries historically but many people do not understand that the Banner has to be maintained, levels checked etc. Deep Discharges, I think I tipped mine over the edge just by leaving the Accumate plugged into the car but turned off which helped to drag the battery down into the 11's volt wise from which it was very hard to raise again and then once the voltage was reliably 12 or more it just fell over when any load was shown it. Rather oddly the last car would crank ok when the battery failed and the ECU was working ok but the immobiliser started acting oddly, this car the immobiliser has been fine all the way through but the battery only had enough energy to turn the engine over perhaps one turn so it's like the last battery could do amps but not volts and this one volts but not amps. I did also consider the PVR25 but again I'd have to buy another charger although I did wonder about creating a small wooden storage box to hold fuses and bulbs and also fill out the battery clamp as the standard battery does. OliverS - That's very interesting. You can see both sides of the argument, you'd not want a big heavy battery in a Seven but equally a suitable capacity is needed to avoid the item being over stressed in normal use. Really by buying another Banner I've bought some more time to consider what to do next and hopefully by then even more people will have experience of the various options available and they might even be cheaper by then as well.

Judging by what others have said, yes a flywheel upgrade would be of benefit perhaps combine it with one of the gearbox upgrades that are also talked about on here at the same time.

Probably not the correct thread to ask in but why are the Banner batteries so carp or is it purely the way they are used in a Seven that seems to shorten their life so. My last car needed one at 3.5 years and I've just replaced the one on my present car also at 3.5 years, is it the fact that unlike normal cars they don't see use every day, it's almost as if they should be a 3 year service item and at £60 I suppose that's not a bad idea but when many car batteries now last between 5 & 8 years or more why should a Banner only last for half of what seems the average.

Anyone?

SOLD

Hi Phil, YHM.