JohnCh

I’ve had three different engines with DCOEs and one with Jenvey Direct to Head Throttle Bodies. To my ears the sonic signature is similar. The Weber fed engines did seem to go a little deeper, a little more baritone, but that probably has more to do with them running a bit richer than the FI car which is easier to get right A/F ratios across the rev range. When done correctly, a FI system will provide a better torque curve, easier cold starting, better fuel mileage, and is easier to tune when you make upgrades. Part of this is down to the 3D nature of the ignition – which you can also add to a carbed engine – and part down to the granularity and flexibility of the mapping. But it is also far more expensive, and requires far more effort to install. You need a swirl pot, high pressure fuel pump, high pressure fuel line, high pressure filter, injectors, wiring harness with various relays, ECU, new coolant & air temp sensors, ITBs, TPS, crank sensor, crank trigger kit which involves modifying or replacing the crank pulley, etc. I’ve been there, done that. It’s a big project. Before making the decision, I’d give thought to your plans for the car and what you like about the se7en experience. Is it scratching a vintage car itch or is it the best way to have a visceral driving experience in a modern world? Are you just changing the induction, then stopping, or do you think you will upgrade the engine (1700 cc, pistons, rods, cam, head work)? Any longer term thoughts of an engine swap to a Zetec or Duratec for a significant power jump? DCOEs and ITB-based FI are both great options, but they do scratch slightly different itches. -John

Third observation - why the massive jump in registrations in 2018? The prior 14 years ranged from 2.2k-2.4k yet suddenly spikes to 3.1k? -John

Driven, I'd gladly trade you some square footage for the Noble. -John

Although I prefer Croc's unedited post (Mike, don't tell me you've actually been swayed by all those HR mandated classes?!) even this version nailed it. If the car doesn't work for you, then it's not perfect and you shouldn't hesitate to make it yours. Let's face it, as nice as it is, no Stalker will ever be invited to participate at Pebble Beach and no one is going to lament it's lack of originality when it shows up on Bring a Trailer in 30 years. We aren't caretakers, we're owners. Embrace that reality and modify it to to your heart's content. In addition to the Caterham and Westfield seats, Intatrim makes some that may also work. http://www.intatrim.co.uk/. Now about your banking details I asked about earlier... -John

The 951 is simply proof that I've elevated procrastination to an art form. -John

My plan was never to use the adjustable air horns as the permanent solution, but rather to use them on the dyno to see how various lengths impact the shape and the height of the torque curve. Although calculators are fine in the absence of real world data, I have an opportunity to experiment with my engine. As previously noted, seeing how the curve differs between the two air horns when the adjustable versions are set to 90mm will be telling. Is it a marginal difference, or a holy crap delta? If it's the latter, then the data I capture between heights will be less compelling, but still interesting to me. -John

As an admin of this site, I am sworn to influence, cajole, and compel people into se7en ownership. Seriously, if you really like this specific car, I wouldn't give up just yet. Newer Caterhams and Birkins have pretty consistent build quality because so much of it is done at the factory. For other brands, more is left to the builder, resulting in greater variance. Yes, they can be just as good, but they can also be utter crap. It sounds like this one is done to your standard. Another like it may not come around for a long time. If it helps, you can send me your banking details, social security number, and shipping address and I'll take care of the rest. -John

The adjustable airhorns from Emerald arrived. Given they slide into the TB, they have a narrower throat than the standard 90mm airhorns (43mm vs. 45mm). They also don't have a flared bell mouth which in theory should further impact airflow. The torque curve comparison when they are set at 90mm should be interesting. One thing I didn't realize is that the adjustment range stated on Emerald's site doesn't apply to my Jenveys without surgery. They should adjust down to 60mm, but at anything less than 77mm they foul the butterfly. Here are comparisons at 77mm, 130mm and looking down the throats. -John

I sent the ebay link to Martin in case he's tempted to return to the dark side. Sadly he's moved on to Triumphs (apparently they are more practical) but he did ask that I say hi to the group for him. -John

Those salads would be more fulfilling if the Stalker was in the garage as an incentive. -John

I thought the Stalker could take wider seats than most other se7ens? It might be worth investigating this and the available options before you completely walk away given how much you liked the rest of this car. -John

Looking at Jenvey's site, the TBs for the 2.5L are available in 48mm or 50mm whereas they make them from 40mm-50mm for the 2.0L & 2.3L heads either under their brand or partners like Raceline. I intentionally went for the 45mm vs larger when building the original engine 16 years ago as I was advised based on extensive dyno testing, the 45mm is best under 250hp as it will flow to that level and keeps port velocity up to help at low rpm, particularly important when you are doing a 2.0L rather than a 2.3L. The 2.5L sounds like a great option for someone looking for big power or doing a clean sheet build who wants to maintain significant headroom, but I think it's overkill for my needs, particularly given my starting point. Thanks, John

Thanks Tom, is that 10-15hp increase compared to a stock 2.0L, stock 2.3L, or a ported head? How does it affect the shape of the torque curve? Is it all at the top end or does the revised shape have a meaningful increase at low-mid rpm? -John

There is too big a hole in the bottom where the engine once sat. I'd have better luck with the ass-engined car in my garage since it is related to this: -John

The 2.5L head flows better but the ports are different and would require new throttle bodies and header to mate up. Given my current head is more than capable of meeting my power target, and I already have 45mm direct-to-head throttle bodies and a custom header, what would I gain replacing those and using the 2.5L head? Thanks, John

Same head as before: 2.0L Duratec head with the exhaust tumble removed, some port clean up, and this time he reprofiled the backside of the valves. It may not flow quite as much as a later 2.3L head or the high port head that was available in some non-US markets, but it should flow more than enough for my target of 225-230hp. -John

Shane, it sounds like your cars have more ground clearance than mine I just heard from the machine shop. There is too much clearance with the standard thickness rod bearings, which is the opposite problem we had with the main bearings. New, one size thicker bearings were just ordered and this time they agreed to make an exception and ship directly to the shop. -John

The floods finally receded which enabled me to drop off the rod bearings at the machine shop yesterday. If the standard size prove correct, and there are no other issues (I know, I know…), the short block should be back home by the end of next week. Since people like photos and a photo of a box of bearings is kind of boring, here are a couple of photos of the flooding across the valley between my house and the rest of civilization that delayed the trip. Multiple road closures meant nasty traffic along the one main road that was still open at the north end of town. Thankfully things are back to normal. For now. -John

I'm pretty sure Scannon added hub adapters so he could use his Mata wheels. Might be worth a PM. I have H&R bolt on spacers on the back of my car. Very well made and they do a version that allows you to change PCD called the Trak+ Wheel Adapter. Of course, they may not make an adapter for 4x108 to 4x100 and they will adjust the offset which may or may not work with your existing wheels, but might be worth exploring. -John

Staggered is stock; I'm just surprised by the delta. 185/245 is more extreme with my ass-engined car. Even the 620R -- which by all accounts is reasonably powerful -- only has a 185/215 stagger. -John

I thought the CSR used 245 rears, but the S3/SV used 215? Does that significant difference in front & rear width result in a lot of understeer? -John

We have completed implementing a number of changes to reduce the impact from spammers. PM is reenabled and notification emails are flowing again. However, there is a backlog for the latter, so don't be surprised if you receive thread update notifications for posts made several days ago. Hopefully things will be back to normal within a few days. Please let me know if you uncover any new issues. Thanks, John

I was impressed until I saw the box of Dos Equis on the bench. Hey, at least it's not Fosters, but we clearly need to work on improving your beer palate so it's a better match for your garage. -John

Good to know, thanks. If the dyno shows there are big gains with this engine by running a variable intake, I plan to take a shot at making one. I picked up the variable intake system from a Yamaha R1 a few years ago for inspiration and when Emerald made my replacement engine loom, I had them include wiring for the native VTEC switch functionality in their ECU. Whether I can get everything to work well and fit within available space is a open -- and very large -- question. The video below shows the system in action. Relatively primitive, but so is the rest of my car -John

I've heard that's a good strategy to broaden the torque curve. Did you find that cylinder mixtures were acceptable given you were tuning for the average between longer and shorter runners? Thanks, John