FE07

Mike, I would've said OK.............but only if you promised to offer me a ride. And you didn't so..................nevermind!! Jim

Mike, Sounded rather intriguing. 256 HP with lighter weight and a sequential box. I'd find it hard to live with the central instrument stack though. Just bugs me. Somebody needs to buy this and bring it to the gathering at NJMP so I can get a ride!! Jim

http://race-cars.com/carsales/other/1458694360/1458694360ss.htm Don't think I've ever seen this one before. Looks interesting. Jim A

The car was originally specced with a fuel cell when ordered from caterham and the cell as made by ATL. Not the one they show in their catalog that sticks up above the floor in the boot. This one sits totally beneath the floor. Think its around 8 gallons. Would have liked to replace it with the same to keep the car as 'original' as possible but not for an extra $1,000. Jim

I initially called ATL in US and they basically told me they did'nt have the drawings for that cell and that it was manufactured in UK. I then contacted UK and when they heard it was for a Caterham they told me I needed to go through Caterham: Hi Jim, Can I ask that you discuss this with Caterham first please. They should be able to identify the cell from your chassis number and I would like their blessing to sell directly please. As you can imagine they have first refusal as they spec’d the fuel cell. Kind regards, Not an unreasonable request but after contacting Caterham my remembrance is that ATL would have to build it and take 6-8 weeks, then they could pack it in a container for transport. Would'nt come directly to me, had to go through a dealer and then come to me. So, cost would increase substantially. They were very polite and responsive but I did'nt want to wait that long/or pay all the markups/shipping so went with Fuel safe. Glad you were able to obtain what you needed directly from ATL. Jim

My Superlight R came with the ATL cell. When it started to leak I looked into replacing it. Bottom line, call Fuel Safe. I shipped my old cell to them and they made me a custom copy to replace it that was at least $1,000 less than the ATL cell. Tried to contact ATL directly and when they heard it was for a Caterham they directed me back to the factory to try to get one. Just another middleman making a profit. To make it worse, ATL in the US won't make it, it comes from England with all the expense of shipping. Jim A

Thanks guys. See you at NJMP in July!! I'll probably reorder what I have now. Jim

Anybody with any thoughts?? Jim

When I bought my car, it came with new ACB-10's on it. These seem to work well on track and fine on the street. The car never see's rain unless it's on track and probaby not for long even then. My question is with the different compounds. For my car there are 3 different compounds for the front A24, A30 and A60. Rear- A24, A31 and A60. A24 is the softest and A60 the hardest. Right now the car has the A30 and A31 combo. Anyone have any experience using the A24 compound? Significantly softer/less wear? I called Roger Kraus and spoke with someone but he didn't have any direct knowledge of the difference. They don't order too many of the ACB-10's. Just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions/comments before I order new tires. Thanks, Jim

Well I'm definitely NOT a mechanic but if it's not a temp/pressure problem and head gasket seems to be OK, what else could it be? Pulley or impeller on water pump wrong size leading to too much flow with increased revs?? See why you're scratching your head!! Please let us all know the problem if you get it figured out. See you at the track, Jim

Tom, Don't remember whether we brought this up before, but ever consider the Evans waterless coolant?? Jim

Skip, I replaced mine with a Speedhut 3 3/8" and it works great. Had to slightly enlarge the hole in the carbon dash. Used a dremel with a sanding disc and just kept trial fitting. Tried to find my receipt to tell you exactly which model it was but can't find it at the moment. Just tried to match up the bezel and font as closely as I could. Hard to tell it's different. Kind of fun since you can record 0-60 times with it. Gives you altitude, trip odometer, time and speed digitally as well. If you let them know, they can preset it with mileage on the odometer to keep it accurate. I put the wire for the antenna through the hole where the windshield washer was mounted. Filled that hole with a black plastic plug which I slotted and then filled in with a little black permatex. My car has a central black stripe on it so the antenna blends in on top of it infront of the windshield. Let me know if you have any questions. Jim

Wow- Guess I'm a wussie. NO thanks on that trip!! Jim

Bruce, Just interested for my own education- what makes these 'for racing purposes only'?? I've never seen that before on any wheels. Doesn't appear to be a one peice wheel like most Panasports. Jim

I'm fortunate enough to have an elise and a 7. The elise for 10 years and the 7 for 2. What can I say- I like the lightweight thing and have always been more into handling than horsepower. I like faster through the turns! The elise is fine on track BUT- if you had an off track excursion (AKA- agricultural racing) especially into a gravel trap, it could get expensive fast. The front of the car is really low and the whole front bodywork is one piece and somewhat fragile and it ain't cheap to fix/replace. Being mid engine it's definitely more well balanced than the 7 and more responsive in handling. You can totally steer it with the throttle or brakes more easily than the 7. Maybe I'm just more comfortable with it because I've had it longer. I haven't had any reliability issues with mine. Getting in and out of them is about the same unless the top is on the 7 in which case there is NOTHING harder to get out of. I'm pretty flexible and 5'7" and I thought I might have to cut a hole in the roof! The elise is certainly much more user friendly- Don't have to worry about 'wind control' The ride in the 7 is actually better than the elise. Feels more softly sprung and definitely leans more in the turns. It's kind of funny- when I drive the elise after I drive the 7, I feel like I'm in a 'regular' car. The 7 is definitely something special! Wish it was 1/2 as reliable as the elise though!! Congrats on 3000 post's. You need stay off the computer and go out in the garage and find something to fix on the car. Jim

Rob, I've got a spare set that look just like those (although not quite as shiny as yours!) Not sure if they're 13's or 14's. Would be great for track as is or you could clean up and paint if you wanted shiny Let me know if you're interested. $200 for the set. I'm outside Baltimore. Met you at Kevin McGovern's party 2 summers ago. Jim

Wow- gorgeous shop Bruce. Wish you were on the east coast to hang out in. Tell us inquiring minds- whats the SP/300 like on track?? Jim

Agree with the Ace hardware/Home depot suggestion. Try to find one with a rotating head. Makes it easier to get into awkward positions. Check out this one: http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-6-in-Swivel-Head-Riveter-Tool-DWHTMR77C/204285381 Jim

I used horseless carriage to transport a race car from CA to MD. Did a great job. They'll give you the drivers cell # so you can see how he's progressing. They're BIG transporters so just be prepared that you may need to meet him somewhere to load and unload. They ran over a large portion of my neighbors front yard to get the truck into my neigborhood! Jim

Hey guys- I'm in. Really like Thunderbolt though Shame we can't coordinate with LOG in Princeton in August. Bout a 1 1/2 hr drive. Thanks for arranging again Mike. Jim

I'm in Owings Mills, MD just N.W. of Baltimore. '02 Superlight R. Happy to take you for a ride. Jim A

Michael, Can you add a Baltimoron to that list as well? I'll root for the Caps and Wizards No Redskins though. Jim

Tom, I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that you're pulling the head to check the head gasket. Sounds like you've done multiple tests to confirm it's not the head gasket, no antifreeze in the oil or exhaust, leakdown OK, temps OK. So............ I'd say don't worry about it. Of course-my Zetec would probably cost about 1/10 the price of your Cossie to replace!! Sounds like you've done your 'due dilligence'. Just my 2 cents, Jim

Tom, If you remember, I had the same problem at NJMP. Changed the overflow cap, checked all the lines/clamps, thought maybe the head gasket was bad etc... Long and short of it- I simply removed some fluid from the overflow and problem has resolved. I run with about 1/8 of the tank full. No leakage, antifreeze smell and car runs fine temp. wise. If you have'nt already tried that, I'd certainly do it before I'd pull the head. Jim A.

So- put on my new aeroscreen (Thanks Craig!) last Friday. Had to cut the wires for the windscreen heating elements to get it off. When I went to start it back up, got an odd buzzing noise from the area of the fuse block/relays. Figured something was shorted/loosened from me sticking my hands up into the wiring. Never really found anything but I looked around, pushed on some wiring and it started. Took it to the track- no problems. Probably started it up a dozen times without any problems. Went to take it out of the trailer tonight and.........nothing. No fuel pump noise, no lights on dash. Took out my handy dandy dead battery starter (which is charged) and..........nothing when I turn the key. But- the lights go on fine and emergency flashers work. No turn signals, wipers, fan. Tried the inertia switch and nothing happened. Obviously I effed something up but I'm really bad with auto electrics. Thoughts???? Thanks- Jim