Kitcat

Lots of pluses and minuses. Diesel is sometimes almost a buck a gallon more, other times 30 cents. And cost varies wildly state to state, town to town. It does give you more towing capacity in a same-size vehicle. My Touareg's 3.0 liter turbo diesel can pull 7700lbs, yet has foot print of an Accord. While I can get mid 30's at 65-72 mph w/o the trailer, I get 12.5 mpg towing my 16' enclosed trailer at 65-68 mph. It is like climbing a steep incline the whole way. Finding diesel can occasionally be an adventure. And when you finally find a pump, it is blocked by another diesel owner who has wandered into the store to use facilities, check e-mails, write the great American novel..... So it can be a tad frustrating accessing diesel, whereas finding gas is never an issue.

First race is?

BTW, Tom/Croc: plz add some links to past se7ens video of this track (or post new video). For those who have never been there or for folks, like me, who haven't been there in a year.

Looks like I have a reputation to live down to:)! xcarguy: If you look at the track we will be running both days you will see the potential to run away and hide from the rest of us due to your "ground effects" wings/splitter etc. Specifically, the bowl, or 'light-bulb' that leads to the straight can be entered at around 80-85 mph, then down to around 60-65 mph at slowest part of apex, at bottom of the bowl, then accelerating up other side of it and entering the straight at 90-110 mph, depending on hp. I suspect, since it is such a long and high speed curve, you will be 20 mph faster, all the way thru. And then all that hp will kick in and you will blast down the straight. Shd be a good test of your new (and vital) Accusump system. Otherwise kaboom.

xcarguy: Remember there are more Caterhams than Stalkers at this. So once we Caterham guys decide who of us will be in charge of blocking the Stalkers at any given time (on a rotating basis of course), I think you will find we are very competitive:).

I agree-what a trailer! Cant wait to see it and the uber Stalker at NJMP in eary July. Unless Karl really steps up his game, Shane is a lock to win the coveted "best trailer" award:).

No opinion but what abt applying 3M clear plastic, once paint cures? I did that on my Birkin, it got chewed up, not the paint. New cars come with "clear coat". Is that an option on small jobs like this? And, color choice-black, or something new?

Ditto.

I am sure it is right/correct. A number of us waited 8 months for Redline UK to get that part, so the "no big deal" is true (now:)). I think the Caterham's rear 1/2 shaft is a modified (cut down) Merkur/Sierra front 1/2 shaft. Anyhow, I now keep an extra (and wld have offered to you if I had relaized you had Caterham-I thot yr se7en was a Lowcost).

Ron Mathis seems like an amazingly knowledgeable guy. Surprised he dropped out of nowhere to help (Does he have a cape?). I will probably buy his book. Suspension looks beautiful, btw.

Sorry, I cant answer you questions. Wld be iterested tho, in knowing what hp/torque #'s you get from this overachieving little X-flow, once reassembled. Also, what spec head are you using?

K-69. I suspect that the new distributors of Caterham are working to deliver a more finished product than the one you got. Wont know for a while if that actually happens, tho I am impressed with the effort so far. For instance: when did any any of the former Caterham big-wigs show any interest in this site, or the opinions of actual Caterham owners?

Tom: I am impressed, given that your tires are 2x as wide as mine:)! Good old clam shells.

As one who has owned both a Cateham 6sp and 5sp, I'd say to prospective buyers: save some $ and get the 5sp. My 6sp has baffled me since I got it (You are right Croc and YellowSS, its not hard to do:)). But the 4th,5th and 6th really "feel" like 4th, 4a and 4b. Not a lot of rpm difference. And my Zetec is torquey enough that all the banging around between 4-5-6th is sort of academic. Throw in the (frequent) missed shift due to driver confusion and the added baulkyness of the 6th speed and the theoretical advantage is lost.

Why doesn't Caterham just buy Stalker and slap a Caterham badge on it? (Just kidding, settle down). Any one in a se7en shd be held for observation: its the most impractical/dangerous 4 wheel vehicle out there (and the most fun). Cost is a killer for Caterham/Superformance. Maybe production cld get shifted to China?

240 hp isn't a common rating for a Duratec so it has some upgrades over the run-of-the-mill version. And the 6 sp isn't cheap. Still, it definitely is on the pricey side since it ends up being in the new Z28 Camero league, and way more than a new 'Vette.

Ditto. Cant wait to see the progress. Looks like you are taking the time to do it right.

One of my 1st cases as an attorney was representing low income parents who had 6-7 young kids. The Welfare Dept wanted to take their 12 year old girl out of the home and place her in foster care. Said it was an unhealthy environment, parents were irresponsible, etc. I rode to the rescue. Kept her where she was. Twelve months later she was pregnant (by her 14 year old step-brother). Nearly 40 years ago, but the memory of it is still difficult.

18.6 lbs for my 13" wheel AND my Goodyear racing slick. Anyone got a lighter combo?

Only downside to super soft tires is they will pitch a lot of grit, stones, whatnot, into your car, and onto you. Also more likely to have road rash (sandblasting) on your rear fenders. Since whole point of the car (to me) is performance, that's a small price to pay to allow your car to reach its full potential and to do what it was designed to do. I understand reasonable minds may differ tho.

Per Albuquerque news, he was shot dead. You can Google it.

6 quarts, for this Zetec engine. Raceline pan, closed loop oil recovery system (oil-air vapor goes from valve cover into a catch can w/drain back into the oil pan thru a 1 way check valve (per the builder). This was a 25 hour endurance racer so engine longevity was key.

Both of my mid-20's sons have been stopped and harrassed by cops on recent trips across the country. Each time the stop lasted 1+ hours, no partiicular reason given. All luggage seached, sniffer dogs brought in, cars (a Prius and an Accord) thoroughly searched.Both were let off, grugingly, by the disappointed troopers. Both survived intact because the didn't inform the cops of their rights being violated. Instead, they did what their mother and I (both lawyers) trained them to do when interacting with the police: cooperate, be polite, do not question them or their motives, give them the finger after they are out of sight.

Per another post on another thread topic a while back, using an Accusump is just as effective as a dry sump and costs about 1/2. I had a low oil lite that came on occasionally in my previous 7. Then I replaced my engine(:. Turned out to be a combo of braking AND turning, that shoved the oil over to one corner of my well baffled "track day" wet sump pan , and caused oil starvation. My current se7en has an Accusump.

Sickening. Impossible to see how so many officers who were armed to the teeth could have felt threatened by this guy. And they videoed themselves doing it. So they obviously saw nothing wrong. The vid is on its way to being viral, don't see how the cops sweep this under the rug, tho wldnt be surprised if that happens.