L7C Hants (North) & Berks - May 2001 meetings
Gearbox changing, and Haggis Hunting.
By Steve Foster.
A very eventful month. Many seven owners frantically spanner twirling as the weather picks up and cars are not quite ready for the onslaught of summer.
I had another gear box change so engine out again! Thanks Phil for the day of hard labour. Popped in an SPC CR Semi helical that is run in nicely now and not so noisy as the SC box it replaced. Same great ratio's.... I invested in Weber Alpha 3D mapping and rejet and choke by James W. I can report that it too is running very nicely. Nigel got his Zetec humming, sounds great on drive past! Simon and Rory are competing and flying the area flag.
The big event of the month was the Haggis Hunt run. This was organised by the Se7ens mailing list members. Goto http://www.barriskell.com/se7enstour/haggis/haggis.htm for all the info you could want.... 8 of us intrepid North Hants and Berks'ers signed up and had the 7'ing time of our lives blatting around the best roads in Scotland. Jonathan 'B' Rarity (v quick Blackbird engined Westie!) organised the trip, got us great hotels with views and even donned a Scottish cap and red wig and entertained us with guitar and song. The overtaking opportunities, twisties and swoopies make the South East seem very mundane. indeed. The Whisky flowed and so did the petrol. I filled up 10 times in 5 days. 1566 miles in total and 27 mpg avg. Not bad from a 2.0L VXC. The mapping and jetting will pay for itself in next to no time (honest dear). Zetec and XF fellow runners were gasping and making pump needing gestures while I was capable of carrying on and on.... Of course I took the opportunity to fill up as we had stopped. My average fill was only 5.8 gallons.
The weather was the best Scotland must have ever seen. Not until the return journey on Monday as we neared Manchester did it start to rain....hard! All 24 cars completed the trip. Some needed minor attention, others push starting due to 'K starter syndrome'. I got a comprehensively cracked my windscreen... hurry up Autoglass. Jason cloughted sump on the Isle of Skye and detached his engine mount rubbers, entirely on one side, and pretty much entirely on the other! Nothing but gravity holding the K down.....
We had a support van with tools / spares laid on and the nicest White Van man in the world, a fellow 7 owner. Many thanks Gavin. Bravest 7'ers, Nigel & Tracy who stared a Rover 800 in the face, head-on at 5 yards and 70 mph but did not flinch, or was it Phil and Mandy for taking on a 5 day tour of Scotland without a hood! I looked everywhere for it honest love!
Reddest faced 7'er, Roy. He had a little chat with plod about speed and lost the toss.
I aim to hold a high tech slide show with many of our members photo's at the end of May area meeting.
When the trip was over we were all left with that "I want to go back and do it again" feeling... Jonny B 7 has promised to invite us all back to play again.... Wifey Marie is now hooked on 7 touring... Amazing!
Area scribe Steve Foster.
This page is http://www.strangely.org/7club/meetings/200105.html. It was first published on Sunday 27 May, 2001 and last updated on Sunday 27 May, 2001.
