JohnCh

The badge on the rocker behind the front wheel looks like it could be Pininfarina. Are you able to make out any detail on the hubcap center in the original photo? -John

I toyed with drilling & threading then plugging the port for the elbow after it returned from the machine shop, but didn't want to risk metal shavings getting where they shouldn't. Although not as elegant (nor as light) the silicone caps will work. They are ordered and should be here by the end of next week. Provided the dial indicator holder shows up tomorrow and no other issues arise, I should have the engine buttoned up this weekend. -John

Andy, I just answered my own question, but thanks for prompting me to look. HPS makes a silicone heater bypass cap that should last significantly longer. I'll do a little more digging, but I will probably order those tonight. Thanks, John

I am and I treat them as replacement items. If there is something longer lived that can dead end those unused connections when using a water rail, I'd love a pointer. One is 5/8" and the other is 3/4". Thanks, John

The coolant elbow and thermostat housing gasket arrived today. The latter fit perfectly. The former, not so much. The tolerance for the original elbow is loose enough that I can push it half way into the port above the thermostat housing before needing to apply a lot of force. The new one, however, wasn't going anywhere from the start. This is an issue given the head overhangs the port a little (see photo) meaning one can't bear down from directly overhead. Pulling out the calipers revealed the new elbow is 0.003" wider at the base. Argh. Looking again at the old one, I decided the scratches that led me to purchase the replacement weren't that bad and had a decent shot of working with the help of the Loctite. Given there is a reasonable chance I will need to install a thicker head gasket to reduce the compression ratio (I'm on the edge for local gas) I can redo the elbow then if it is seeping. -John

When I read the green/gray color combo, I though "hmm..." but seeing the photo, I agree with Croc. Looks really good! Hope we can convince you to follow Greg's lead and start a build a thread. -John

I think Greg may have been alluding to the graphics package. Not exactly subtle... -John

Another Caterham has landed on BaT. Nice looking, older car with the rare-ish Vauxhall engine. They are a little heavy, but the head flows great and they can make big power. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-caterham-super-7-3/ -John

The Mitutoyo arrived yesterday. The quality and precision is an enormous step up from the cheap Summit item. Think well set up se7en suspension vs. a stock mid '60s American luxury sedan. Yes, they will both go around a corner, but only one has enough additional movement to make the change in direction seem more like a suggestion than a command. I will probably still find a way to screw this up, but I'll need a new scapegoat. -John

The wet sump is flush with the bottom of the bellhousing, so the delta you have between your dry sump and the bottom of the bellhousing is the clearance you gain up front over the wet sump. The advantage is that a bad hit won't result in a holed sump and the loss of oil in the middle of nowhere (which I've seen happen on USA2005), but as you note, the bellhousing could still take a significant hit if you run over a large rock or speed bump. Not perfect, but still an improvement. -John

I decided to do a few quick jobs this morning over coffee: attach the block breather cover, install the coolant elbow removed by the machine shop, and install the water pump and factory thermostat housing. When prepping the elbow for the Loctite sealant, I noticed a couple of deep longitudinal scratches on the portion that presses into the block, which must have happened during removal. Unfortunately they are deep enough that I'm not confident they won't lead to coolant seepage, so a new one was ordered. It simply isn't worth the risk given it's an easy to find $10 part. Next, I discovered the new gasket for the thermostat housing is wrong. The shape is correct, but when attempting to press it into the groove, it was clear that it's marginally thicker and the circumference is about 3/16" - 1/4" longer. There was simply no way it would fit. Doing some searches in parts databases, it appears the part number changed for the 2012 model year. Oh well, another part to order. -John

It's a touch under 2-3/4". The dry sump definitely makes a difference at the front of the engine, but unless you also switch to the smaller bellhousing that area becomes the low point. I considered making the switch as part of this rebuild, but by the time I added up the costs for dry sump, tank, plumbing, bellhousing, new flywheel it requires, and the shipping from the UK, then stared blankly at the engine bay trying to figure out how to make it all fit, I decided to save that project for a future upgrade. -John

I have what could be a very long update, but I'll spare everyone the drivel, keep it short, and cut right to the chase. After a significant amount of frustration setting, then resetting cam timing with no consistency, I finally discovered the root cause. The cheap dial indicator and magnetic base set up I bought back in 2007 is randomly inaccurate and is at it's limits working with the angles required by a DOHC engine. After wasting parts of the last two weekends questioning my competence and sanity (full disclosure: the jury is still out) I went through a methodical series of measurements with the engine fasteners torqued and confirmed the inaccuracy. The primary culprit is the dial indicator which has significant lateral play that impacts repeatability. The magnetic base dial holder appears stable, but the arms are barely long enough to work with the Duratec and are fiddly to adjust. Although this isn't directly causing the repeatability issues, it makes the lather, rinse, repeat aspect of setting cam timing incredibly frustrating. This doesn't help. Lesson learned. Don't by a cheap $32 set up from Summit Racing with good reviews and expect it to work well. After a little research I've ordered a Noga magnetic base with fine adjustable arms, and a Mitutoyo dial indicator. The saga continues. -John

I think a lot of people don't like them simply because they don't care for the aesthetics. Nothing wrong with that. How do you feel about that aspect? -John

Kudos for calling it a bonnet. To achieve elite status, you'll need to start making aluminum a 5 syllable word. I still struggle with that one There is some truth to rocks ejecting over the bonnet with mud flaps. I live down a long gravel driveway. When driving it at low speeds, a small piece of gravel will occasionally kick up and land on the bonnet. However, I've never noticed this occurring on the road. -John

No, I don't have a sense of humor, and I'm borderline pathologically vindictive. I smell a ban coming... Okay, that scores you some points and pacifies my ban finger. Now back to our regularly scheduled build updates from Greg. -John

I also did mud flaps. I cut them to size out of a pair intended for a truck and attached them to the base of the fender with the same style dome head fasteners used to attach the fender to the stays. They work well, but over the years they have arched backward a bit from air flow and should probably be replaced. I suppose I drive too fast If you look closely, you can just make one out in this picture. Edited: one advantage to working from home is I can pop into the garage to take photos. I've replaced the picture mentioned above with a couple of closeups. Quality isn't great, but I'm supposed to be working at the moment. -John

Depending on where you drive, the stone guards can look worse for wear after a while and will really stand out if the rest of the car still looks good. Murphys' Law indicates that if you make them hard to remove, you will want to replace them relatively soon. If, however, you make them easily removable, they will still look good many years from now. -John (Murphy's Law Disciple)

I don't like this type of bullshit on the forum. Lightguy, you fired the first shot and Apex responded. As far as I'm concerned, you've both had your say, and this discussion is finished on the forum. Period. Revisiting will result in deleted posts and a very long time out. -John

Glad you found it when you did. A press fit without an additional mechanical fastener does seem a bit odd given the pressure involved, but I don't see a groove or other indication of a fastener in the white plastic housing. Do fingers from the fitting go through the slots in the white plastic? Perhaps that's enough? Interested to see the resolution. -John

You're close Greg. I bought the Elan because I've wanted one since I was a kid, almost bought one instead of the Westfield, and wanted something I could use when rain was possible. In fact, that's why I went for the FHC rather than the convertible. Far more practical! From a safety perspective though... Although the Westfield looks far scarier to the casual observer because it's...well, there's not much there, and the Elan looks like a real car, looks are deceiving. The Westfield has steel in key places like the sides, and between the front wheels and the occupants, whereas the Elan is just thin fiberglass everywhere but the central backbone. It is fun though. I took care of the other gear yesterday. Only took a few minutes since this time I knew what I was doing. Hopefully the engine will be fully assembled this weekend and ready to drop in the car. Of course I fully expect to uncover a host of other things I forgot to do during this long layover that will add to the timetable. You may still beat me! -John

Hard to tell if the passenger seat is far more faded or if that's just the lighting in the different photos. I'd be tempted to give both seats a very thorough cleaning and proceed from there. If the fading is inconsistent and it looks like the seats don't match but the fabric is in good shape, I'd investigate upholstery sprays that restore faded cloth, or speak with a good detail shop in your area. That could bring the seats back to a level where they don't stand out even if you decide to go down the polished aluminum path. I'd also speak with the upholstery folks to see what they would charge to properly finish the edges of the crotch belt cut (or practice on an old shirt or rag and see if you can do it yourself.) If $100 makes it look finished, it might be worth it. Regardless, I don't think they look that bad. Someone may decide they want to replace them, but they are at least serviceable. -John

You're the one who brought up spending $1000 to recover the seats, I was just providing another option at a similar cost I do think that spending money to go non-stock, and do so in a way that isn't highly popular, will narrow your market. For better feedback on the seats, it might help to post some photos. The consensus may be they fine as they are, or it could be they are a major problem and you need to do something. My guess is the former, but we really don't have anything to go by. -John

At todays' exchange rate, a new pair of cloth seats from Caterham is -John

Good point Mike, I forgot to account for the Vlad factor. Never mind :jester: -John