Kitcat

This helps explain why the turning radius of a cycle wing Cat is so much larger than one with clams.

I just read a story about a hospital in southern Indiana (abut 50 miles from me) that is currently unable to get badly needed test kits. Why? Because their virus numbers are so low in that rural area. And, the test kits are in such short supply that they are being rationed to areas of much higher need. So the doctor at the hospital asked the feds, how do we show what our infection rate really is? Advice-only by testing.... Yes, Croc, NYC, where you unfortunately are, is where the rest of the country is headed. Among the many scary aspects of this in NYC is that, in addition to inadequate supplies (test kits, ventilators, masks, protective clothing, etc.) so many front line personnel, including doctors and nurses, are getting infected that many are unable to continue to work, leaving the medical community even more short staffed and patients under served. In China, that was the experience as well. Then they seriously ramped up the protections for their medical staff and no further medical personnel were infected. Unfortunately, so far, we always seem to be one step behind the virus in every aspect, including having a well equipped, robust medical response.

The USA numbers are also misleading since they are based on incomplete testing. Now that testing is finally, although slowly, ramping up, we may have accurate numbers in a few weeks. But at the moment our country has significantly under counted the number of cases. For example, in Ohio, where I live, the governor's office suggests that there are 100x more cases than counted thus far. So although 867 have been verified via test, we likely have 86,700. And see NY City where the numbers have exploded, as has the testing.

I always have assumed that, with its 50-50 balance, a se7en would be more manageable on the track than the tail heavy Atom, esp in the hands of we amateur drivers. The Atom's 40-60 front/back distribution is similar to the 911's.

Vlad: What to stock up on? That is a good question for Croc. Croc, thoughts? I know you are pro-active with maintenance. I think have replaced everything on my 2 Caterhams but the frame and radiator, some parts multiple times. Here is a partial list of stuff that was hard to get quickly: rear half shafts, both sides, A-frame (locates rear susp), CV joints, panard rod, deDion tube, rear radius arms, "upgraded" rear brakes discs and pads (if you have them, regular brakes are more plentiful), front brakes/pads, clutch/flywheel, wheel hubs, wheel bearing kits, quick release steering mechanism (mine broke as I was pulling the car onto the trailer for an expensive pre-paid trip to the track. But no steering wheel, no racing). I even broke a steering wheel so I carry a spare. Sump gaskets(s), if you are wet sump, starter, starter button, alternator, accelerator cable WITH all needed attachments, brackets of all sorts, ditto rivets and fasteners. Of the above very partial list, the hardest to find items (6 month+ wait), were the half shafts, and upgraded rear brake system. Many of the other items were 3+ month wait. Typically, parts were replaced in the winter so no lost track time, but not always....

The dollar still is strong against the pound, so that's good from a Caterham perspective. Maybe now is the time for Cat owners to stock up on parts that will be needed over the next year or 2? It will be interesting to see what the Senate and the House end up passing to ameliorate the effect of the current calamity. There is supposed to be lots of help for small businesses.

My wife's work group uses Zoom to do virtual group meet-ups. You can select your background too, so one guy has himself on a beach with blue sky, perfect waves, etc, in the background. He added a Hawaiian shirt and turned on a fan off camera to blow his hair around a bit in the basement, err, sunny tropical beach.

And they put the tube of toothpaste you bought in a large plastic bag. Sometimes I think store clerks' bonuses are keyed to the # of plastic bags they use. But speaking of the virus, I asked my son, who is a brewer at a successful Cincinnati micro brewery, if the closing of bars, restaurants, casinos, etc., in Ohio had killed their business. He said nope, that they were working overtime, and that the panic buying also included huge amounts of beer (in addition to toilet paper). Imagine Croc's bathroom toilet surrounded by hundreds of 6 packs, and you get the concept:).

Anker: I hope your wife’s rentry to the states was easier than this crowd’s at O’Hare yesterday:3-7 hours in line to be “tested”

Hey Croc: Has this virus put a crimp in your peripatetic lifestyle? And, as a 73 year old who is squarely in the cross hairs of the Corona virus, I am practicing a self-imposed "social distancing" (Not leaving the house unless it's on fire), and experimenting with homemade hand sanitizer formulas:)). This will get old fast.

I agree Croc, kudos to Bruce. The lack of needed parts has been the biggest problem I have faced in my 10+ years of Caterham ownership. And I only wish the issue were the inconvenience of having to deal with Caterham UK and related time zone and shipping problems. But the bigger problem is they are often totally out of parts themselves and don't get them for many months. All the while my car sits on jack stands.I once had the temerity to ask how they were able to continue to build new cars if they were out of so many parts. I was told they had a separate, and adequate, parts supply for "production" purposes. Nice(:. I don't expect that Beachman Racing will have everything, but this increases our chances of getting mobile sooner, and with less hassle and $.

Hey Skip. As you suspect, that is the ex-scannon Caterham. It was there at a USA7's event, along with a bunch of other se7ens for which Croc graciously provided over night shelter.

I think the more challenging question is what are the other cars in the photo? I see a bunch of Porsches and, of course the Ferrari with its engine bay on view to admire. But not sure of the rest of those jelly beans, eps the bottom three on the far right (front) row?

Re-valving would be the upgrade. I think what a shock expert does is "tune" the existing shock, whether it is a new one at stock spec, or a used one. They use their shock dyno to determine what levels of compression and rebound are ideal for the application, weight of the car, etc. If the shock is adjustable, the owner can further tune it (usually screw it up by making everything too stiff:)). There should be no reason to replace the shock body etc., when the inner valving is where the magic is. No?

Does he re-valve existing shocks?

Hey Shane: I don't know the new owner and don't think he is a member, tho I think the seller may be?

The S3 1991 X-flow just sold on BAT for $29,507 to a fellow Cincinnatian. Probably the most perfect (Yeah, I know that's redundant) X-flow Cat I have seen to date. Looks better than new. Congrats to the new owner. And he wont have to go far to get it since the seller is in Cincy too.This place is a hotbed of Caterhams:)! He may be driving it home right now.

No, but I can think of a few that I wish I had sold faster (my Fiat 128, purchased new in 1969, comes to mind:)). It broke down leaving the showroom.

See, the guy's a veterinarian, so his "patient" is a....? Anyhow, I laughed.

Some very nice cars Bob. I sure like the T-Bird!

If the seats have sides (I cant tell from the photos and vid), maybe pull them out and build your own seat? Croc has a thread somewhere here on how to do that, I think. Stock Caterham seats are just a cushion, and seat back. The sides are the tranny tunnel and the body. I found when trying to squeeze my "lanky" 5'9" frame into a stock Birkin seat that even 1/2" of extra room via a new seat was a huge help.

I see that the above-referenced BAT Caterham includes a current high bid from a "mrmustang". Could there be 2 such persons, or is USA7s senior Forum member, mrmustang, in the mix to buy this lovely little se7en? If so, happy bidding. This seems to be a very sweet vintage Caterham.

I somehow missed the custom Storker hood (err, windshield) ornament earlier. Very nice touch!

That's an interesting fact about my steering rack, Bruce, one I didn't know. As it happens, I have had a brand new wide-track steering rack in the basement, gathering dust for 10 years. I don't think it is the faster, auto-X type I now have. I will check and if it is the normal-speed rack, I will swap it in as I have always hated the huge effort required to steer my car. I compensated somewhat with the larger steering wheel, but it blocks my vision of the instruments and rubs on the top of my legs. Now back to your regular programming.....

I have maximum camber in my S3 Caterham and the steering is very heavy (too heavy, even at speed). I switched to a larger, detachable, steering wheel (that grazes my legs) to get more mechanical leverage in this track-only car. Otherwise I was worn out after one track session of 30'.