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I recall an episode of Run For Your Life wherein two guys ran a border crossing in a sports-racing car (sans rollbar). One guy was crouched down and steering while the other guy was stuffed in backwards holding a mirror and giving directions to the driver. Zoomed past the border guards and under the turnpike.

All This gearbox is sold.

trust is a dirty word. when it pertains to anything that you risk your life with. I always loved the tech inspections as they added to my safety.

Yes. most are competent enough to mount tires, but too lazy to use a torque wrench. So farm out the dumb jobs till you find a smart, willing, and honest wrench operator. (and he will not be at the stealership).

Yes but I had to make a periscope in order to drive while hunkered underneath it.

Thanks so much. I'd like that, but don't want to inconvenience you. What works best for you? Weekends? I'm retired, so generally available.

Thanks ... and good point!

Nice work, newer blogs like this are helpful to future builders, as Caterham makes lots of small little changes over time so the older blogs can have some confusing/incorrect bits in them. PS I saw a mention of painted bolt heads to ensure they are tight on future checks. Many bolts go through powder coated parts and you can NOT trust a painted line. Just because the bolt hasn't backed out doesn't mean it isn't loose. Prime candidate bolts for this issue are the engine mounts into the block. There are others as well. Bottom line is, on a 7 you need to do proper spanner checks regularly.

And sun, and keeps the heat in for the winter. Zip up and you get weather protection too

Did get a drier Sunday. Raining when we arrived at the site. Managed to wait out the rain and get annual tech inspection on the Birkin. Then I put the car in the trailer in cse it rained while I walked the course. Not raining when it was time for my first 3-run heat. I was not getting traction on the dodgy surface of Canterbury Park's overflow lot. Ever since they sealcoated this lot, it releases aggregate we call "Canterberries". These tires may wake up with a better surface and warmer temps. When I went to start the engine for the third run, I needed a push start. Cranking slow. After the run, I found a place on the paddock lot higher than my rig. Turned off the engine to see if it would restart. Nope. Pushed it down the hill to my rig. Removed the air filters. Removed the hood. Fired up the F-150 and hooked up the jumper cables. After a while, I was able to start the Birkin. Let the big Ford charge the little Ford for a while. Turned off the Birkin, disconnected the cables and tried to start it again. No go. Hooked up and let the big Ford charge the little Ford again. As time approached for my three runs in the afternoon, I started the Birkin, refitted the hood, reinstalled the air filters, and drove the Birkin to its spot in grid. DIdn't turn off the car until I had completed my runs and driven the car behind my trailer. Winched it in and tied it down. I carried passengers all day. My best was 39.859. FTD was 33.405. Not exactly great. Still was fun. Now I will have to figure out whether the battery is toast or the alternator circuit is not working. My money is on the battery.

Looks great! Curious what the major benefits are. Guessing primarily wind?

Question...I want to find a magnetic plug for the Titan dif casing...is it a M22x1.5 plug?

Very nice blog and I enjoyed reading it so far. Scott

I had never installed the tonneau cover that came with this car so i put it on and took it out for a spin. I shouldn't have waited so long to try it. Scott

Finished painting and now it has been rainy for 3 weeks, so it is sitting in storage. It has good company though.

Part of owning a Seven is not handing it to a local mechanic. At least the pre-Caterham examples are so simple that it is difficult for me to come up with a scenario where I would. My local mechanic takes very good care of my Miata with my only complaint being the air hammer his resident Neanderthal uses to over-torque my lug nuts. The problems that are a challenge to me, such as 64 year-old Lucas wiring behind the scuttle, would take him just as long to figure out as it has me, and for everything else I have you folks, bless you. Sevens are a learning experience, not just a driving experience. OK, I'll let him mount tires, but onto rims, not onto the Seven.

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@Croc good to know there is a “correct path” to fixing it. I ordered a BFH and will try and create some space. If I destroy the stay will order the 15” ones. Again not loving the thought of removing the fenders and re-glueing them. But I didn’t think I could do a lot of things when I started all this so another challenge. want to try and get some level of clearance for the Hoosiers to work before I purchase them. Need all the cheat codes to try and keep up with you and Blake.

You could use 15 inch wheel stays (yes with 13 inch wheels). Gives a little more clearance given the variability about tire sizes.

Wow! Great start on the blog, I put it in my RSS reader and I’m going to keep up on it. Good tips already, mine is in final assembly now. Similar spec.

Thanks for the offer! May need some help with details ... the Build Manual can certainly be a bit vague and a quick photo of a Greg-built car could be the perfect answer. I still go back and forth on the color. Have always loved green (with yellow, but like your silver stripe as a more modern choice!) but was tempted away by something a bit brighter. Hopefully won't offend to many with my comment 😳

It rained Saturday morning. I took the Cayman, still on its all-weather tires. Hope runs high for a drier Sunday.

The weird part here is that 1/4-inch for roll radius on the front would have a heck of a lot more significance than on a solid back axle.

Funny coincidence, our little Group of Sevens email list has been discussing some of the problems found by those who imported a car from the UK. One member mentioned that his car was in a pretty sorry state when it arrived, just poorly cared for and not as good as the photos and description had him believe. Furthermore, some issues were not disclosed that should have been. Another member said his car was advertised with 13” wheels but arrived with 15” wheels. Upon delivery he contacted the dealer and demanded the dealer ship the 13” wheels ASAP at the dealer’s expense. There were other issues as well but not discovered until much later so thought that too much time had passed. The worst was the buyer was informed the car did not have a LSD. The buyer paid to have a LSD installed. After owning the car for some months he learned of Mr. Martin Phipps, the Caterham archivist. He asked Martin for and received documentation on his car. It showed his car was ordered and delivered with a LSD. The dealer should have sent the old diff along with the car but he did not. One thing seems clear, many UK dealers are not happy to let the best cars leave the UK. It appears that some use bait and switch tactics. They lure buyers in advertising great cars but then turn them onto the lower quality, high mileage and poorly maintained cars offering reduced prices. Speculation is that they want to move those types of cars out of their inventory. If they sell one to a local and there is a major issue then the dealer has to bite the bullet and fix it. Less likely they would pay when the car is across the Atlantic.

And I won’t take offense to the “flat” green comment on the color choice.