bigdog

Like I said. If they are destined to die, So be it. That's just how they roll. We did do this while in Turkey. Fortunately the pilot was from Belgium.

All the Turkish folks we met while on holiday were incredibly nice. We enjoyed our selves immensely.

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af244/k12lt/Turkey%202013/_DSC6912_3_4_tonemapped_zpsec622e0a.jpg

Coffee break, We in the west see it as stupid.

The summer of 2012 the wife & I went on holiday to Urgup & Istanbul Turkey. When I asked our guide Mahmet about all the crazy drivers we saw. He told us that it was simply the view of most Muslim's that if it's their destiny to die, Then so be it. So they truely don't give a rat's behind. So whether they live or die from driving on the wrong side of the road or drifting it was obviously meant to be. Mahmet pointed out (thankfully) that he is an EASY Muslim & prefers to drive properly & have a beer with his lunch.

I got lucky. The local X-flow specialist will start work on my car on Monday next week. He is the shops owner. And only works on the cool cars. He was working on a Ferrari F430 when I went to talk to him today.:drool:

You have 8 valves right?

Do you know the reading of each cylinder?

If its mine, I will hone the cylinder and put a new ring too.

X-flows are 8 valves.

The cylinder walls are fine. The engine doesn't smoke, Which indicates that the rings, valve stems, valve guides are good.

Throwing money at a problem that isn't there is not something I'm likely to do. It's very expensive in Europe. The leak down test & having him look at the carbs. (one venturi was loose) But he didn't rebuild them. That set me back $500 then add in 19% tax. (The Socialist nanny state is a mighty expensive way to run a country) Of course if you would like to send me a couple thousand Euro's. I'd gladly have it fully rebuilt.

I suspect that the original owner (who stated to the second owner whom I bought the car from) that the cylinder head had been modified with hardened valve seats to facilitate using unleaded fuel. Had lied. And thus the valve seats have been pounded out of shape over time and no longer seal.

I looked at Burton power today. They sell a ready to install stage 2 head at 560quid=$930 exchange. May go down that road.

Just got a call from my Mechanic. He did a compression and leak down test on my engine. Seems I need a valve job. He said every valve was leaking. Some more than others. He also did an endoscope inspection of the cylinder walls. They look fine. I just wonder if the prior owner didn't do the hardened valve seats mod as stated for the switch to unleaded.

All in all. It could have been much worse news.

This was a superb helmet that I wore when I still rode bikes.

It's an Arai RX7 corsair Colin Edwards Valencia. Very well vented as well. There are red stripes running from front to back over the top of the helmet.

The idea that a black helmet could radiate heat through 1.5" of polystyrene and the foam comfort liner is rubbish. The reason you get hot is that it's hot out and you have 1.5" of polystyrene on your melon.

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/[img]http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af244/k12lt/general%20stuff/AraiRX7CorsairLimitedEditionColinEdwardsValenciaRaceHelmet4_zpsf633a805.png

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af244/k12lt/general%20stuff/AraiRX7CorsairLimitedEditionColinEdwardsValenciaRaceHelmet4_zpsf633a805.png

The kit option is indeed like it used to be. So you save $3995 and put it together yourself. Originally Superformance was less interested in offering this as an option, as they felt (perhaps rightfully) that they could control quality better by selling the roller already assembled. Of course to meet the rules, the engine and gearbox are not installed. In fact Superformance wanted the dealers to stock rollers already built, the problem with that is how much customization the typical Seven buyer wants. It makes it difficult to floorplan rollers already sorted out with body size, paint, etc.

 

I think some of us convinced Superformance that a good percentage of the buyers enjoy and want the build experience. I know for me it was around 50% of my customers wanted to build the car. Some saw it as a father-son project. Some perhaps as a budget saving move. Some will do more customization beyond the factory build.

 

So if you order a new Caterham from Superformance, then you will receive a car already assembled and then arrange to have the engine/gearbox installed. Unless you order the kit option.

 

I believe all of the existing dealers were offered the opportunity to stay on as a dealer with Superformance. Some have declined. I myself have gone in a different direction. I believe Jon has declined but he does still have a large inventory of spare parts. My guess is he will figure out what he is going to do with that, but I do know he is very busy right now and overseas.

 

The larger question here...will increased marketing effort and exposure increase sales of a niche vehicle (and make up for increased pricing)? I don't know.

A little digression here.

I think there are still a fair few folks out there that remember and thus have a negative idea of a "kit" built car. And of what do we remember? How about the Bradley GT. It really wasn't a bad car on the face of it. But Bradly and "kit cars" in general did suffer greatly from botched owner builds. As Bradley GT's and the ilk were so incomplete it would soon overwhelm all but the most serious builders.

Of course, As insiders & people in the know. We realize that this is not the case with the modern 7 kit car. But too many out there that don't know, would likely balk at buying a "kit car" or would expect deep discounts due to them thinking it will be a car built in a shed by Billy Bob & his redneck buddies standing around a fridge full of Coors beer.

I'll be perfectly honest. The first thing that came to mind when looking to buy a seven. Was the nightmare of ending up with a poorly built Bradley GT equivalent should I buy a 7 built from a "kit".

Ok, we need to give a little respect to Vette & Porsche owners, since I fall into this category. I have them because I like fast cars & I don't give a $hit if other people are impressed or bothered with what I drive. I drive the Cat for the sheer pleasure of speed & control, & I do it almost 100% on the tracks. You guys harp about spanking Vettes, Ferrari's, etc in acceleration but aside from the drag strip when does that come into play. If you're doing it on the street from stop light to stop lights, you're taking big risks on you & the public.

 

The 7 is like an extension of my hands & feet. If I could be a robot, the 7 would be my mechanism. The car does what I want when I want. The others don't but they provide rewards in other ways, like a/c, Bose sound system, higher top end. You don't need to trash the Vettes, Ferrari's, & Porsches to make the Cat a better car, or beat up the owner because he owns one. I see too much of that in talk circles where someone wants to elevate their standing by knocking the others down. Why ????

I've owned both my self. And more.

1969 rag top Vette I bought in 1978 for 7k.

1973 911T in 1985 for 6k

1969 Mustang 302 rag top in 1991 for 12k

1973 Nova in 1979 $? I forgot (nothing special) but it did have a 427 in it.

I don't think my message is getting through though. There is a big difference between a petrolhead car enthusiast. And the sort that I am speaking of that WANT'S or even DESIRES a car to be super expensive purely to throw it in another persons face to show everyone their ability to pay. It's not about the cars themselves.

The problem with that and similar theories is, at least in the US, sales are quite low. Caterham didn't go for a different distribution model because they were making too much money.

 

As for spanking Ferrari's, how often is that really happening? Caterhams are likely bought for a wide range of reasons, ego being low on the list since few onlookers have any idea what it is. Fewer still would ever believe the cost, thinking it is an old MG or a plastic kit car. I think people buy these cars simply because they are fun to drive, on the track or street. And that's why we disregard the required issues of Caterham ownership (oily garage floors, engine based audio system, mininal weather protection, short tire life, etc.), the car is just pleasing to our automotive senses.

When I was working at a motorcycle shop. We had what we called "brochure racer" customers. We loved them, And we made tons of money off them. They were the one's who would buy a new model of their one year old barely used bike simply because motorcyclist magazine tested the new model and it covered the 1/4 mile in a few hundredth's faster than last years bike.

It mattered not one bit that they didn't have the skill set to make it go that fast. It didn't matter that they didn't go to track days to test the bikes limits or their's. It didn't matter that they owed more than book value on their old bike. It was faster and therefore they must have it or they would lose their cool factor (in their own mind)

That's the low rent egoist version of the high end one I'm talking of.

Of course we are all guilty of egotism to one degree or another. For me the 7 is about.......

#1, the uniqueness & social aspect of seven ownership. Everybody want's to know what it is. And I love to talk to people. It was the same when I owned a 356 speedster replica. Every where I went I had to field questions and I enjoyed it. It's the highly social nature of the 7 & speedster (due to their uniqueness) that I enjoy the most.

#2, It's a hell of a lot of fun to drive.

#3, This is the egoist part of my 7. And it falls in line with number one. Not many people own one & I like that.

Of course I don't take the egotism to the point of thinking I'm better than others because of my 7.

I do have a better wife than most though.

But I would never spend 60k or more for those thing's. Of course that 60k starts just above the sentence about my wife.

Every day, a male co-worker walks up very close to a lady standing at the coffee machine, inhales a big breath of air and tells her that her hair smells nice.

After a week of this, she can't stand it anymore and takes her complaint to a supervisor in the HR department and states that she wants to make a sexual harassment grievance against him.

The Human Resources supervisor is puzzled by this decision and asks," What's sexually threatening about a co-worker telling you your hair smells nice?"

The woman replies, "It's Frank, the dwarf."

Wow have We come a long way. Now we are being called Egotistic because we drive a Kit Car????:willy_nilly::willy_nilly:

That's not what I'm saying at all.

I talk of the recent universal aligning of the very rich non petrol head types and the car manufactures ability to obtain customer info data bases in an instant & the world wide press that Caterham got from top gear. The stars have met in a perfect conjunction. The high end auto makers have taken advantage (rightly so I might add) of the egotistic sort that would take umbrage at having a car that a lowly commoner could buy that just beat their Ferrari from the stop light.

I surmise that if the Caterham was heavy enough and or didn't have the super powerful engine selection that enable them to beat the ultra high end super cars. The rich guys wouldn't bother with them, As without the super fast world beating acceleration. What would attract the egotistic rich guy to a Caterham? A car that won't keep you dry, Warm. Won't let you go shopping, Is difficult to pack for and take on holidays with out meticulous planing. Won't let you pass a petrol stand. In fact. Out west one might need a fuel can.

Minus the ultra fast factor that attracted the likes of Simon Cowell & his ilk. Our Caterham's would still be in the $30,000-$40,000 zone all in ready to drive.

I think it's mostly a numbers game. In that since a Caterham with 240HP can get to 60MPH faster than a Porsche, Corvette, Etc. It makes sense that they (Caterham) would up the ante at the behest of the well heeled. It makes it a win win for Caterham and the Egotist.

The egotist wins by making the Caterham unaffordable for all the commoners that normally could buy a Caterham and then take said reasonably price car & spank said egotist & their Ferrari's off the line in front of the hot chicks.

Caterham wins big profits from feeding the egotist's quest to quell any effort to show them up for less money.

I was thinking they were overstating the prices but when I looked again, Yep, it's quite clear and quite expensive. The 480 model at $53K plus the $23K for the 240 HP engine coupled to a 6 speed is $76K without shipping and not installed. Get fancy with a sequential tranny and fork over another $8,250 in higher cost, and again not installed. WTF ?

 

Don't get me wrong, I love my R300 but I would have to pretty friggin drunk to pay more than $35K for the privilege of getting rained on. Great thrill but poor value. You can get two (2) brand new LS3 Stalkers for this kind of money.:deadhorse:

It's called the rich fan boy (I don't mind paying double or more to keep the commoners from buying one, So that I can feel superior to them) pricing curve. The manufactures know this & price accordingly with the gleeful support of the well heeled.

An example is the Porsche 911. In 1965 a 911's MSRP was $6,500. Up tick the 1965 dollar to today's level. That 6,500 becomes 48,000. Not even close to enough to buy a base 911 @ 84K in 2014. Porches have increased at a rate nearly double that of inflation.

It's actually worse with the base 4 cylinder Caterham. $3k in 1958 = $25k in 2014 which is half what you would need for a base Cat with the Sigma 140 engine. Of course there are no added in mandatory safety, electronic systems to add to the original cost of the old seven like in the case of modern versions of older cars like the 911, Corvette.

I have no major problem figuring out the Superformance site. I am in disbelief that they are charging $23,000 for a 240hp engine and 6 speed trans. All of a sudden my Cosworth seems like a bargain.

Wow! That's a bit spendy for a rather common Ford engine.

I just priced the 270 HP 3 Ltr Magnesium engine & 6 speed trans combo for my old 2006 BMW Zed4. $13,800. HMMM!

It just horrifies me that the state can wield that much power.

In a way it's no surprise. We as a people keep abdicating more of our day to day responsibilities in our lives to the faceless bureaucrats in office.

But. As I wasn't there, I don't have all the facts and can't make a final judgement. I do find it odd that I haven't heard very much from the first hospital. But then it's not been a big news item in Germany.

If it is as the Pelletier's say then we have gone very far down the path of becoming a despotic nation who's leaders clearly see themselves as God like. Of course said leaders do so with the blessings of the low info or short sighted voters out there.

Fingers crossed that it gets sorted.

So are mine. Along with my toes, Arms, Legs, Eyes.

Don't suppose you are located anywhere near Westermann Motorsports? Didn't see their address but their website says they are based in Kuppenheim. Here's a contact:

 

Joachim Westermann

Managing Director

+49 7222 94 24-0

That's only about 60 miles or so from my house.

Sorry to hear about your woes :-(

 

Just seen your post on BC - I would be down in the dumps if I was going through the same palaver. I can offer no advice, but at least with the likes of Roger on the case hopefully you will be able to get to the bottom of this before too long (hopefully without having to shell out for a new engine).

 

Stick with it if you can - I've had 35k miles of fantastic touring in my 2 Caterhams and I've enjoyed some great track action as well.

 

Have to say, this post backs up my reluctance regarding purchasing an older 7 for my upcoming stay in the US.

I wouldn't let my post deter you from looking at an older seven. Even if the engine is kaput. The cost of fixing a X-Flow is far less damaging to the wallet than most engines. The advantage you have is not having nearly the language barrier that I have while trying to get things done on my car. And you have recourse in the courts in America. Should someone misrepresent a car during a sale or botch repairs. As an American living in German having bought a car from the UK. I'm toast as far as having a legal remedy for any thing.

My disadvantage was having to fly from FRA to Stansted. Hire a car to drive to the Manchester area. Look at the car. and then reverse the process. Then make a decision. All over the course of a few days time. And due to importation legalities. It was mandatory that I buy a car that is at least 25 years old. Or face confiscation at the US port. Which made the pool of available cars rather small.

I'm of the opinion that the shop probably set my valves far to tight.

I will def recheck the compression. I will have it done with a screw in type of meter. I don't mind the fettling at all. It's just that the fettling has lead nowhere. It's scheduled to go into the shop on Monday for a carb rebuild/tuning.

The engine does not smoke at all. Nor has it used oil. Maybe the shop that adjusted the valves got them too tight. I only found out today after calling Mike Abbas about the car that he thinks the car has an uprated cam. Something that I wasn't told at the time I was looking at the car. the shop & I were both under the impression that the stock A2 cam was installed. Which could alter the clearance.

When I went to England to look at the car. It was pouring rain & cold. And it had the 048 tires. As The car starts and drives fine while cold. Nothing was amiss.

Well I sure wish my short time as a Caterham owner had been a pleasant one. But to be honest. I regret it. I wish I still had my BMW Zed-4 that I sold to buy the Caterham.

After getting the car from Britain to Germany. It's never run very well at all. I just can't seem to get the progression working at all. The car runs great at first start but steadily gets worse as the engine and air temp rises. It has a very pronounced hesitation at the up shift. and hunts at part throttle around town. Which indicates rich, The carbs are balanced, float levels are spot on, valves adjusted. the two front plugs are black, the two rears look fine. So I thought that I need to make a big move in jetting to see what direction I needed to go. So I changed my 50f9 idles for 45f9's. Two things happened.

1, the hesitation went away.

2, It started to spit so badly from the carbs that it melted the air filter.

50's are rich 45's are lean. It figures. I've had a X-flow Caterham racer here in Germany look at the car. He says that it's a high performance car, so the hesitation and rough running at part throttle are to be expected. (that's bullshit) At the behest of Roger King in the UK. I did a compression check. Not so good. From front to back

120psi

140psi

80psi

160psi

Mr. King said 1600 sprint engines should be at 175psi. So looks like I get to buy a new engine.

Oh joy!

As the wife was against buying the Caterham in the first place. Boy am I going to catch hell.

If the race is decided at the qualifying sessions & only changes during the race due to mechanical issues, Wrecks or the FIA intervening. Then what's the point of it all.

In fact I do tend to like watching the F1 practices & qualifying more than the actual race, As the race tends to be a parade more than anything else.

And yes. The MotoGP boys certainly have some actual racing going on. That was a great race.

I was just giving you some jazz Klasik-69.:jester:

Your fuel generally won't go off that fast.

Pre-mix works wonders. As in gas-oil mix for two stroke engines. I have used it for years in my Honda lawn mower. I run 50:1 all the time in it. Then it sits for 7 months in the South Dakota winter without being drained & it starts right up. It's also a wonderful upper cylinder lube. I bought that mower in 1991 & I still have it. I've only changed plugs once in all those years of running pre-mix in that four stroke engine.

I think you guys have the wrong approach. This is how I solved the noise problem;:jester:

Unfortunately some of us aren't wealthy enough to have a collection. So we unwashed commoners have to be careful of the poison we pick & have to compromise.

Of course this is said without any malice aforethought.