build diary
<< | show individual entries | >>January 7, 2007:
I've been really busy.
But not on the Seven, unfortunately. I have a pile of things to try out but thanks to a book deadline, no time to try them. The book has to be done in the next week or so, after which I'll catch up on all the work.
There's some travel in the future. I'm heading to San Francisco on Friday to take part in the Bay Area Miata Club tech day. They've asked me to come out a few times in the past, but this year it worked. I'll know more in a couple of days, but it's also likely that I'll turn around and head back to California a few days after returning to attend a testing session at the Streets of Willow. And yes, the presence of the Seven has been requested. I hope this works out, it's going to be a really interesting day if it does. More details will follow once I know if this is going to happen or not. But it may mean a week of frantic work checking the car over to make sure it's ready for another high-profile test...
entry 1320
January 17, 2007:
Lots of snow on the ground, so the Seven is stuck in the garage.
Quite possibly literally stuck - I haven't dared try it yet.
The long drought of no-car-time is over. I handed over the final photographs and manuscript of another book, so now it's time to start making things again. I have heard from the owner of another CMC Miata frame who has found extensive cracking in the welds of his rear control arms. This is a car that sees exclusively track use on big slicks, but I'm definitely going to investigate that. The rear end of the car is certainly going to get some close examination. This is just one more reason to amputate the CMC geometry in the rear and replace it with something else.
Unfortunately, the trip to California this weekend looks as if it's not going to happen. I think it's going to be postponed for a similar event in Oklahoma in early March. I should know more later this week. Time to get cracking then.
entry 1321
January 18, 2007:
Okay, it's time to kick a new project into high gear.
The Targa Newfoundland is only 8 months off. I'm about to start work on the third chassis, as the first two just didn't work out. With the new book and the move, not much happened on that car. That's going to change soon. It's going to be a totally different sort of build than the Seven although I'm not sure there will be any less welding :) It took about 7 months for the Seven to hit the track the first time. I have less time than that so hopefully I can put this thing together in a hurry. Wish me luck. And don't worry, the Seven won't be completely neglected.
January 29, 2007:
AutoRacing1.com has an article about Locosts that includes a short bit about yours truly.
The site is subscription-only, but a one-week pass is $5.95. The article itself has the best summation of the Locost concept that I've seen:
"The basic Locost rules are: Keep it as light as you can, keep it cheap, make it look roughly like a Lotus Seven, and keep it fun."
In other news, the new garage is now plumbed for 220v so I can start throwing sparks. Yesterday was a gorgeous day but the ice on the driveway kept the Seven trapped inside. I'm starting to get a real itch to drive it again!
entry 1323
January 30, 2007: 
These Konig wheels look a lot like the ones used on the legendary Caterham Seven JPE.
And they have snow tires on them. Hmm.
entry 1324
January 31, 2007: 
While cleaning up the garage, I came across this badge.
I pulled it off an old Holden in the Australian outback over 20 years ago. Since the Seven is a "special" in the lightweight-race-car-built-of-production-parts meaning of the word, it's actually appropriate for the car. And kind of rakish too. I'm very tempted to run this along the driver's side of the hood. This is what happens when I don't get to drive the Seven over the long winter.
entry 1325
February 6, 2007:
Due to an influx of spam, I'm reworking the guestbook.
I love to hear from people, but the constant barrage of garbage is tiring. The best ones are the ones offering to sell me something to stop guestbook spam! Regardless, it won't be a problem much longer. True to form, I'm building my own code for the website. I just have to finish loading up the database and we'll be spam free once again!
entry 1326
February 8, 2007:
The guestbook rewrite is done.
Okay, it's not a major thing and I still have to do a little cleanup. But it does cut down on a whole lot of annoyance. I really do like to hear from people - copying all the entries over to the new database gave me the chance to read it all again. It's always fun to see early notes from folks who are now driving or building their own cars, and the reactions to various problems I faced along the way.
In actual Seven news, it looks as if I'll be heading to the track for a comparison test in March. This should be really interesting. I'm not really looking forward to another 1900 mile road trip, but you do what you have to do. I must be nuts.
entry 1327
February 9, 2007:
There's a new video!
(2.88 MB) John Hunter, the fast Miata driver (of a fast Miata) who was my big motivation at the 2006 Flyin' Miata Open House, sent me a February surprise. It's a little shaky, being hand-held, but I really enjoy it because I don't often get to see the car from outside. I love the noise, it makes me tingle. It's not the fastest lap of the day - you can tell the tire pressure is too low from the noise - but it's still pretty quick. Oooh, it's time to get back out there.
entry 1328
February 10, 2007:
It was a nice day, and I had to move the Seven in the garage in order to move a Miata hardtop.
So the obvious thing was to go for a drive! This was partly to remind myself what might have to be done for the trackday in March, but really it's just because I could. Ahh, it's nice to get back behind the wheel of the little beastie, with all the entertaining pops, snorts and crackles it likes to make. I do have a little work to do before the track test, mostly a nut-and-bolt through the entire car to make sure it's in good shape.
When I got back from my short buzz around, Janel informed me that I "smelled like the Seven". This does not incite lust in the female of the species, apparently.
entry 1329
February 14, 2007: 
I'm doing a little testing for Kinetic Vehicles.
These are front upper control arms that are a direct replacement for the ones I have. However, they're a little more cleverly designed. The thick tube is steel and has one right hand and one left hand thread on the rod ends, so I can adjust the camber without having to disassemble things too far and with a high level of accuracy. The short arm is made of aluminum and is a gorgeous piece - and also lets me adjust the alignment without undoing a thing. I'm going to use these to take out a bit of the camber I have now and see if the steering doesn't get too heavy with lots of lock. They should be on the car for the track test in a couple of weeks. Hmm, I should probably get to work on preparing for that, shouldn't I?
entry 1330
February 15, 2007:
I've been reading various forums and coming across references to my car.
And I've realized that people remember when I have a problem, but not always if I solved it. For example, my various trials in getting the individual throttle bodies working and what the final configuration was. Or if I ever got the diff to stop moving around, or if the car has evil killer handling. I guess I'll have to post a "This is the current state of the car" page at some point along with the current problems I'm trying to solve. It's going to take some thinking about how to set that up so it's not a royal pain to keep up. Maybe a FAQ. Suggestions, anyone?
entry 1331
February 16, 2007: 
While I'm waiting for one last bolt to complete the new front suspension, the Seven is under wraps.
The Targa Miata is getting ready for a paint job. By the end of the weekend, it should be white! Let's hope so. It might also be runny and covered in bumps.
entry 1332
February 21, 2007: 
It's not often you see a Seven running on Bizzak snow tires.
Hey, they were both in the garage, I had to try it. Of course, there's no snow left near town now.
On a more serious note, it's time to get ready for the trip to Texas. I'm going to install the new control arms and get the car realigned. Otherwise, it's just a matter of checking everything over for health and tightness. I might also stick one of the motorcycle mufflers on the car and make it removable so I can swap back and forth. Or maybe not.
entry 1333
February 22, 2007: 
My girlfriend Janel gave me a pewter Caterham for Christmas.
It took the scenic route over here from England, but it was worth the wait! It turns out I have a bit of a model collection without really trying - this is from the last 9 years! The largest you've met before, it was what actually put me over the edge to build the Seven. The second is the new one. Third is a bright yellow model of the Caterham JPE. The little pewter model is really nicely done, the one in the box is a white metal model that I've never assembled (lazy!) and the littlest one is a lapel pin that has a mysterious origin. Oh yes, and there's a 1:1 scale model in the garage of course!
entry 1334
Enough prattle about models, what about the real thing? Aren't I supposed to be on the track in a week? Yes I am.
So I decided to try bolting on the new control arms I'm testing from Kinetic. They made all my coworkers go Oooooo when I brought them in to work. I still have a bit of tweaking to do, but the goal of cutting down the amount of caster has been achieved and adjusting the camber is ridiculously easy. Just loosen the two jam nuts and give the aluminum bar a twist. With a camber gauge on the wheel, I'm dialed in within seconds.
entry 1335
February 27, 2007:
All packed up and ready to go!
I realized last night that I was approaching this test day much differently than the one nearly a year ago - despite the fact that it's the same sort of deal. I'm heading down for a magazine test along a very interesting piece of hardware. I'm more relaxed about it because I know the guys at Grassroots Motorsports much better, and the car's in pretty good shape. No last minute hood bending or anything like that. I have decided not to run the new control arms despite the fact that they might improve steering feel a bit, as I'd rather show up with something tried and true. It's a shame, they're a gorgeous piece.
So the car's all packed up and ready for the trip. I'll be meeting up with a bunch of Miata and Locost builders after the track day, and there should be a Westfield XI at the track as well. This should be fun.
entry 1336
March 3, 2007:
Yet another track day - with a difference.
Grassroots Motorsports was testing an Ariel Atom, and they asked me if I knew of any Locosts that could come along to provide a different perspective. So of course, I happily jumped up and down and volunteered to drive to Texas to bring my car. I'm a sucker that way.
The track was the brand new Eagle Canyon raceway, just north of Dallas. It's not finished yet, with no paved parking, no final coat of asphalt and no finished runoff areas. Obviously not a place for really pushing the limits of cars, but we could still run pretty hard and stay safe. We had a group of professionals so everyone behaved. Unfortunately the Westfield XI didn't make it due to a mismatch of clutch components.
I drove out with Bill Cardell from Flyin' Miata. This made a long trip much more enjoyable, especially since it was an even longer trip thanks to me not paying attention. It wasn't until we saw the signs for Santa Fe that we realized my mistake. Whoops. Have a look at a map sometime and draw a line from Grand Junction to Dallas. Then look at where Santa Fe is. The good thing is that I did get to see Las Vegas, New Mexico.
We were the first ones at the track. I wanted to make sure the car was running well after the massive change in altitude as well as the new Texas gas. I also needed to clean the remnants of a snowstorm in Colorado off the car. The car ran pretty well (didn't even foul the plugs!) and we got it scrubbed up...and then a duallie towing a giant trailer rolled up. The door opened and two Atoms were hidden inside. One was a UK car with a UK-market 220 hp Honda Civic Type R engine inside and a 1300 lb wet weight. The other was a US-built example with a supercharged GM Ecotec motor good for a claimed 300 hp and 1500 lbs. Five guys swarmed out and started cleaning and detailing the clean cars. Gulp. Even when it's been detailed - and this was far from it - my car has a lot of patina. Stone chips, scuff marks, little bits of dirt hiding in joints. The car's been used hard for over two years and has spent a lot of time on an uncovered trailer. It looks it.
The Atom is a really cool car. Designing the "modern Lotus Seven" is a rite of passage for UK car designers, and the Atom is the most impressive version I've seen. The design is clever in a lot of ways and the detailing is gorgeous. One thing that doesn't show up in pictures is how wide the car is - the body is fairly fat and the control arms are long. It almost looks square and with the low height, is really spectacular when seen from the front. It's also beautifully made, which is a good thing when all the components are on constant display. But they're not cheap. The price of the supercharged car was $70,000. Yikes. That's why GRM had invited me along, to see how a homebuilt car might compare. Last year for Car and Driver, I had the expensive "ringer". This year I was exactly the opposite.
I took the Seven out to warm it up. The track is initially quite daunting, with a large number of off-camber corners, usually with a double apex and a blind crest leading up to it. We had cold temperatures so I was just tiptoeing around, leaving ludicrous amounts of room when braking and generally just being a wuss. The car felt good though, its usual rabid self and with about 20% more horsepower than usual. It's been too long since I was on a track, so I was super-cautious. I did enjoy this track once I got comfortable, and it's one that you could easily drive on for a long time and keep learning things. Loads of elevation changes, just the way I like it.
I also got the chance to drive an Atom, thanks to a really generous gesture from Jim Sharp, the owner. It was the 220 hp Honda powered car. From the first corner, it was obvious just how different the car was. It was designed nearly 50 years later than the Lotus Seven, and it feels like it. The biggest difference is that you sit right at the pointy end. On a Seven, your butt is pretty much in line with the rear wheels. This is one reason why it's so easy to drive sideways, it just talks to you all the time. The Atom, however, puts your feet in line with the front wheels. The passenger actually has their feet on the steering rack! This changes the feel dramatically. It's very eager to change directions and you go with it right away. It feels as if it's a much shorter wheelbase than my car although they're within an inch of each other. I didn't get comfortable with the gearshift and I was just pussyfooting around in someone else's very expensive car on a cold unknown track so I certainly didn't set any lap records, but I did get a feel as to the dynamics. The one thing I found is that it was hard to get the car to take a set - it would either understeer or oversteer. The most entertaining thing came from the open body. On my car, I can place the wheels pretty accurately because I can see them. But on the Atom, you can look right through the body and see the tread of the passenger's side wheel to place it perfectly. The Honda-engined car I drove had a heroic motor as Honda likes to do - it never seemed to stop accelerating. With the intake mere inches from your head, it also had a very vocal soundtrack. The switch on to the second cam was obvious!
Of course, the cars are super-adjustable mechanically and this means it can take some time to get the setup sorted. The supercharged car was brand new, and over the course of the day it was improved quite a bit by adjusting shocks and bolting on some new Hankook race rubber instead of the Yokohama A048s it was running. Watching one from the sidelines is entertaining, especially when you're looking at it side-on and you can see right through the car.
B.S. Levy (of The Last Open Road fame, he'll want you to buy his books and you won't regret it) was there to drive the cars and write the article. I was pretty nervous - while Larry Webster drove the car last year, he didn't really get a chance to test it at maximum chat in a track environment. I've set up the Seven in a bit of a vacuum, really - I think it works well, but what would an experienced race driver think, especially when comparing it directly with a high-dollar, world famous car? Bert (the B in B.S.) belted up and headed out.
I wasn't right there when he first came in, but it was pretty obvious he liked the car. He spoke highly of how it was set up, saying it felt like a race car in the way it was so happy on long sweepers. It could be balanced well, and it rotated really nicely in a couple of corners. The second driver there (Tim Webb) had a similar reaction. Both drivers thought the car was fantastic fun to drive. Whew! Both drivers really enjoyed the car, and it was obvious that they were taking more laps in their sessions than was really necessary. It was the setup that really impressed them. It just worked well, and Bert was really enthusiastic about the amount of fun the car offers particularly in light of the cost.
It'll be interesting to see what Bert says about the cars in the article. I know he really enjoyed driving my car and I'm very happy with the results, but I'll let him come out with his verdict on Atom vs Locost.
It wasn't all goodness, though. When Bert came in from a session, the engine dropped a cylinder as he drove into the "pits". Try as we could, Bill and I couldn't get it to come back. Was it a burnt valve? A bad injector? We're not sure, despite a bunch of testing. There are some indications that it might be in the head although there are no nasty noises coming out. So Bill didn't get a chance to drive the track, and neither did Tim Suddard from GRM. That's a bummer. I'll have to do some serious diagnostics when I get home and it did cut our day short by about an hour or so. It's not how I wanted the day to end, that's for sure. Still, nobody at GRM seemed to have a problem with that.
We loaded the Seven on to the trailer and headed for a dinner with a bunch of Locost builders and Miata owners. Chris Fiaccone was there and it was good to see him and his gorgeous black beast again, now with a year of development. Martin Keller brought his Toyota-powered Locost out, and it's probably the closest I've ever seen to a "book" car. It was really interesting to look at it and compare it to the various mutated versions I'm used to. Julian Dziurawiec showed up without his car (he was on a business trip) but again, it was good to meet him. The next morning, we drove 15 hours through desolate, deserted Texas towns and snowy Colorado passes to get home exhausted but safe. A good trip overall, and I can't wait to read what Bert has to say. The focus of the article is the Atom, though.
entry 1337
Welcome to Eagle Canyon Raceway.
It's not quite done.
entry 1338
The track is hidden away in a farming area north of Dallas.
It's pretty flat overall, but the track owners found 70' of elevation change. They're super-friendly people and have built a great track. It's a "country club" style setup like Motorsport Ranch, and this is a track you could spend a lot of time on. It's been designed to allow a lot of passing opportunities in racing, which means there are several ways around every corner.
Oh, and since it's not finished, we had to deal with the odd truck.
entry 1339
The reason I'm here - the Ariel Atom.
Grassroots Motorsports had a couple to test and they asked me along to provide a contrast. Visually, it's an enormous difference.
entry 1340
The Atoms get their bath before meeting the press.
The "red" one is powered by a supercharged Ecotec and was made in the US. The "black" one has a UK-spec Honda engine and was made in the UK. There are some interesting detail differences, but both cars are gorgeous. From a gearhead's perspective, anyhow.
entry 1341
The level of detail on an Atom is just as good as you would hope it would be.
entry 1342
Note the nicely shaped cycle fenders, with a proper place to attach the solidly mounted brackets.
You won't see an Atom with a cock-eyed fender! I also like the little fairings for the lights, although I'm told they're very thin and fragile.
entry 1343
Bert "B.S." Levy poses with the cars before all the action starts.
entry 1344
Bert downloads after his first session.
Jim Sharp is in the blue shirt - he's the one who supplied the two Atoms on less than a week's notice after the original car suffered a mishap. Very friendly and generous guy. That's me crouched by the side of the Seven, getting some good news.
entry 1345
Two ways of building a lightweight sports car, designed 50 years apart.
entry 1346
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