JohnCh

Time for more pictures...and problems, albeit nothing significant. This morning I moved the bagged short block from the safety of the dogs' car into the shop. The goal for today was to get it on the stand, look it over for problems, reassemble the Raceline wet sump which the machine shop disassembled to thoroughly clean, and if I was in the mood, install the new oil pump and the associated chain drive components. Issue 1: The shop removed the locating pins and the 90degree elbow from the top of the water pump housing so they could deck the block. I completely forgot about the locating pins and need to find replacements. I also am not clear how to properly reinstall the elbow. It appears to have been a dry press fit, but trying to seat it just now feels like I can do so with hand pressure alone. I would expect a tight seal like that to require a little more force. Anyone have any experience with this? In the picture below, the port is in the upper right of the block immediately below the letters AN. Issue 2: I forgot to order a new oil pump gasket for the new oil pump. The Ford gasket is plastic, and although the old one looks great, that's not a short cut I'd like to take after this much effort. At this point I also realized that I need a new plastic gasket that fits between the back of the head and the water rail. I had ordered one from Raceline and although it is on the invoice, they sent me a paper gasket for something entirely different. Issue 3: The machine shop disassembled and cleaned the Raceline sump. In anticipation, I had Raceline include 2 sets of replacement O-rings with my piston order (they're cheap, and I like spares since I'm a bit of a klutz.) My sump uses 2 O-rings on a small wedge-shaped block that mates the oil pump to the sump pick up port, and 2 slightly larger O-rings that fit around the end of the pickup tube that feeds into a small chamber beneath that port. However, my order included 3 different sizes of O-rings. Hmm moment #1... Fortunately they also included the sump assembly instructions. Something they didn't have available when I purchased my sump in 2003. Looking through the instructions revealed the 2 thickest O-rings go on a small alloy thimble (their words. it's just short, thin walled tube) which is then inserted into the port in the sump that feeds the pump. My sump never came with that thimble. Hmm moment #2... Doing a little measuring shows the ID of the O-rings is 17mm, meaning the OD of the thimble is a tiny bit bigger and the ID is probably ~15mm. The port on my sump is only 16mm. I suspect that they now drill that port bigger for some reason and the O-ring/thimble assembly is to restrict the size. I'll attempt to confirm with Raceline this week. Issue 4: Another bonehead move by me. I ordered the wrong clutch slave cylinder. It turns out I needed one for the V6 Ford Contour and I ordered one for the 4 cylinder version. The two parts look the same and the part number differs only in the penultimate digit, but the throw is about 10mm different. A replacement is on order. I'm still not sure what happened with the keyed crank. It measures at 3.06mm and the pre-slotted crank pulley measures 3.00mm and fits fine. There is no slop with the key in the crank, which is good, but you can see a very fine scratch on the nose, which I assume is from whatever tool they used to enlarge the slot cut by the subcontractor. My best guess is that the subcontractor screwed up and I paid an extra $145 for the primary shop to fix it. ARP rod bolts and main studs -John

Greg, based on that BlatChat post, it sounds like like Caterham previously used slotted trans mount. Would that solution give you enough room, or would there still be an issue based on the location of the engine mounts? -John

Given I live in one of the Covid-19 hot zones, I'm anticipating a shelter-in-place mandate is imminent which will likely close the machine shop. Fortunately I was able to carve out 90 minutes around lunch today and just picked it up. No pictures for now as it's in a bag in the back of the dogs' car, but I hope to pull it out over the next few days and will take some shots then. I did learn more about the overage for the keyed crank. As we had previously agreed, they subcontracted out that work to a different shop which had the specific tool required. However, they provided them with the instructions I supplied from SBD which state to machine for a 3mm key. It turns out the key is actually a little bigger than that. This meant the slot in the crank was too small and had to be painstakingly widened. Also, because I purchased pre-keyed chain gear and crank pulleys from SBD, the simple solution of narrowing the key to fit the slot wasn't an option. My bad for not measuring the key myself when it arrived (something I'll do later today), although I am disappointed the machine shop didn't do the same, or at least supply the key with the crank to the subcontractor. Oh well, if that's the biggest problem with their work, I'll be happy. -John

Thanks Mike. My surprise wasn't that the Atom was faster -- honestly, I couldn't care less about that sort of thing, as it's the driving experience that matters most to me -- it was simply the apparent instability of the 620R in that video. I can't recall seeing any other S3 Caterhams behave that way on track and was curious if that was exacerbated for entertainment value or if at 310hp, the S3 has reached a stage where it's finally more engine than chassis. Although I see where you had a moment, it certainly doesn't appear you were fighting the car like Chandhok. I suppose that could be down to show, track temp, or you were showing far more respect to the throttle. Now since you responded nicely and scored extra points for posting a video, I'll leave it to Shane to comment on your driving ability :jester: Thanks, John

I watched a rerun of Fifth Gear that pitted the Zenos, Radical, Atom, and 620R against each other in a series of knock out tests. The tests and order were chosen in such a way that the Atom and 620R would be pitted against each other in a short race at the end. Although it's not surprising that the mid engined Atom would have a lot more traction out of corners, I was a bit surprised how unstable the 620R looked. Croc, as I recall you've driven one on track. Does this mirror your experience? Fast forward 52 seconds for the track action. -John

The machine shop called Friday to say the short block work is finally done and ready for pickup. It came in about 15% over budget which is a function of the bearing issues and previously undisclosed issues with keying the crank. Unfortunately I'm not yet clear on the specifics of that latter overage. The conversation with the owner was brief and he seemed to be getting a little defensive as I asked a few probing questions to understand what happened, so I'll wait to get the complete rundown when I pick up everything (hopefully) next Friday. -John

I tried something different yesterday given that everyone is working remotely. My team and I did a virtual happy hour. We set up an online meeting, everyone used video, had a beverage in hand, and agreed absolutely no work talk. We ended up shooting the sh*t and playing online trivia for an hour, which proved a nice escape from the pressures and anxiety of the current situation. As one person put it "this was the first time in 2 weeks I've gone more than 30 minutes without thinking about Covid-19." Recommended for those of you working remotely and missing the non-work interaction with colleagues. -John

Looking forward to reading Croc's color commentary on this late breaking story: (CNN)An Australian newspaper has printed an extra eight pages to be used as toilet paper after coronavirus fears prompted customers to bulk buy supplies, leaving some supermarket shelves bare. Full article here: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/05/world/coronavirus-australia-toilet-paper-scli-intl/index.html -John

I am selling all my stock and liquidating my 401k in the morning so I can go all in on toilet paper Futures. I'm going to be rich, I tell you. Rich! Another potential money making opportunity is the Covid Cone. -John

My starter is out of the car, however, the label with the part number is worn and difficult to read. Combining the upper and lower numbers on the left of the label gives (I think) 3S4T-11000-AB which is the part number for the starter on the Duratec-powered Ford Focus. I don't see any starter numbers that include the numbers on the lower right of the label (3K17BY) and I'm not sure if they have any meaning for this discussion. Anyone have insight or can confirm that the Focus is the right application? One caveat on my starter. The install was done in 2003/4 when the Duratec was only available here in the Ranger and that starter would not work with the Raceline bits. The correct application at the time was the Duratec-powered European market Mondeo. My guess is that's the same as used in the Focus, but it would be good to have confirmation. -John

I spoke to the machine shop today. The second set of rod bearings arrived safely, but they had to mix the sets to achieve optimal clearance for each cylinder. This is not uncommon with Duratecs. Consequently it's not a big surprise, but still a little annoying as I now have an extra mixed set that doesn't serve a purpose except perhaps as the basis for a new art project. Maybe I'll have one too many martinis this weekend and come up with a design I can sell on Etsy to finance part of the rebuild. Anyone looking for a unique ring, bracelet, or necklace for their wife or girlfriend? The shop hopes to have the rotating assembly balanced and the short block assembled by the end of next week. Of course the machine shop is in Kirkland, WA the hot zone for the Covid-19 outbreak in the US, so retrieval runs a risk to more than just my checkbook. Oh well, I've never liked doing things the easy way... -John

One more thing regarding the question of soul. I've never found a difference in that respect when driving, but it definitely exists in the ownership/maintenance/tuning aspect. Using a laptop to make changes, or using data logs or a multimeter to track down a problem is far less soulful than changing gaskets to stop raw gas from seeping out, tweaking float heights, or playing with a various combinations of jets, emulsion tubes, and air correctors. -John

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