Alaskossie

We're theoretically looking for downforce on the front here, not streamlining.... Referring to the c/f winglets on the A-arms as "aero" devices is not accurate; they are (at least in theory) "downforce" devices. In fact, obtaining downforce is at the expense of streamlining.

Martin, Thanks. It has an aluminum back, so first I will pad it, and then put it in a woodworker's vise to see how straight I can get it.

I bought a similar set of lower wishbone aerofoils from SevenTweeks in UK, looking for a bit of downforce. Like the Mog Racing aerofoils, the aerofoil shape is moulded in, but unlike how I think the Mog foils are made, the trailing edge of the Tweeks foil is not left unsupported -- there is a rear lip that goes over the rear leg of the A-arm. Unfortunately, the Tweeks foils do not fit my lower A-arms because mine are the Caterham thin "aero" arms, instead of the round cross-section arms. i don't know if anyone makes aerofoils for A-arms that are of the Caterham "aero" type.

Blubarisax and Croc, I got the "Ford Cosworth" plastic cam-cover badge off eBay UK. You sometimes see them in pot-metal (too much weight!) but this one was lighter, though it was all black at the time. i had it painted body-color silver, then lightly sanded the paint off the raised letters and logo, so that they showed black. I believe they originally came from the Sierra Cosworth Ford; they are definitely not from the Escort Cosworth. I also put side-badges on the rear corners of the bonnet, to tell (advertise?) what was "behind the curtain." See photos. These did come from the Ford Escort Cosworth (the later, small-turbo series 1994-96). This badge is found on the moulded plastic plug-cover that installs between the cam towers on an Escort Cosworth. These were a real bear to find, and to make usable. I was lucky to buy two plug covers off eBay UK, then laboriously trimmed the ridges from around the badges with a razor blade, then removed each badge by sawing away on the exposed edges with fishing-line leader (30-lb test?). As you can see, one of my bonnet badges has suffered from my little encounter with the rear end of an F-150 that I had in Whitehorse, Yukon last August. Unless I can straighten it, it will be a long search to find another....

That photo of your engine bay looks awesome. I was worried I have too much bling. This confirms it is not possible! You will note, of course, that I did restrain myself -- no shiny Aeroquip hoses with red and blue ends......

Croc, I got the first cam cover that Reverie had ever built for the coil-on-plug layout of the Cosworth Duratecs. I had to twist Simon Farren's arm a couple of times, to get him to add it to their line. So spread the honey on pretty thick -- any Duratec owner worth his salt just has to have one of these, to complement all the other carbon fiber on his Seven....

Yes, I also have the 2.3 Duratec, dry-sumped, in my S3 Caterham chassis. I opted for a Reverie carbon fiber cam cover with no oil filler cap on top, which reduced the overall height a bit. No clearance problems with the block, but we did have to re-fashion the upper c/f airbox fasteners so that they would not interfere with the bonnet.

Hank, WOW! And I thought my own fleet of ex-military all-wheel-drive vehicles was somewhat intimidating..... 1980 Mercedes Benz Unimog 4X4 (24-volt, 6-cyl diesel) 1975 Volvo CV303 6X6 (24 volt, 6-cyl gas) 1990 MWG Esarco 8X8 (12-volt, 4-cyl. turbo-diesel) Perhaps we should combine our resources, and start a free-lance military motor pool...?

......before they were taken down by admin., and the list cleaned up and disinfected.

solder guy, You are fortunate that you missed all 20 of them.

Bob, I know what you mean. Are you searching eBay UK? or USA? or both? Some of the brand-specific UK sites have been totally polluted with wheel sellers. I have not yet gone to the trouble of the "exclude seller" route, but it may come to that. I'd like to see your master list of undesirables. Tom

Bruce, It was a 1997 NPR Isuzu truck. Tm

Where is it on eBay? Couldn't locate it.

John, In 1988, I was at the Devil's Playground above tree-line on Pikes Peak, when Ari Vatanen made his record run. The neat thing about this course from that high vantage point is that you can see about 20 or more corners below you, all at the same time. Ari's car was never running straight, but instead, was constantly slaloming uphill, just like an Olympic skier would be slicing and carving downhill, throwing a tremendous, weaving rooster-tail of dust and gravel and noise all the way. it was spectacular! And no pavement, and no guardrails... In the 1988 race, Walter Rorhl and Audi were not there, and it was just Ari and his teammate Juha Kankunen in the top-flight Group B cars. They held up the start for some cars for about 20 minutes or so, because there was a snow squall in mid-course. I believe Ari was already on the course at the time, but in any event the snow squall and the wet, greasy surface didn't slow him one bit; he just set a new overall record... Witnessing Ari Vatanen drive an "improved" Group B rally car car at maximum speed on that extremely demanding course is one of the automotive highlights I'll remember forever. It isn't often that you can truly say, "I've just seen the best of the best, that ever was...."

This maybe general knowledge, but I have read that the most long-term damage to hearing comes not from the engine noise, but from the constant rushing of air past the ears. If that is true, then it is a wonder all of those thousands of helmet-less Harley riders are not stone-deaf by now (perhaps they are!). On my 6100-mile blat last August, i had Etymotic earphones hooked to my ipod, and over them a pair of folding contsruction-worker earmuffs. The combination worked very well (of course, I didn't have to try to carry on a conversation with any passenger). I could still hear the beeper for the turn-signal switch, for example. Anybody know the legality of wearing construction-worker earmuffs on the road? I didn't ask -- I just did it.

I used the standard Carterham c/f race airbox for the Duratec, on my car. Since I never ran it without the airbox, I have no basis for any before/after comparison. However, it was clear that the stock Pipercross sausage-shaped air filter fit into the airbox as a "press-fit," thereby appearing to cut off a significant volume of air that could pass through the filter. So we replaced the sausage filter with four individual Pipercross foam "booties" over the intake trumpets.

I'll be interested to see how that supercharger nests in the Birkin engine bay, which I think is about the same (narrow) dimension as a standard Series 3 Caterham 7.

What kind of horsepower and torque are you expecting with that block/head/supercharger combination, based on the builder's past experience? Why did you decide to not use the 2.3 Duratec block?

The latest EVO e-mail Newsletter (and I presume, eventually the current issue of the print magazine) features driving impressions of seven Lotus/Caterham Sevens of various vintages: http://www.evo.co.uk/features/features/260362/seven_sevens_catherham_celebration.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=644de570d6ec32c92203dbe6e50bcda0

I really wouldn't want anyone referring to my car's engine as a VAG, either....

Kiwi, Here are some good wishes from the Alaska/North Pacific "Ring of Fire" -- glad to hear that you and your immediate family are all right, but very sorry to learn of the tremendous damage to Christchurch. We live with tremors and moderate shakes up here all the time, but not since the magnitude 8.6 earthquake in 1964 have we had anything to equal your two recent natural disasters (and I was not here in '64 to survive that one). Stay safe, and I hope you can pitch in to help get your beautiful city back on it feet. Our best Seven wishes are with you and family.

I originally was going to upgrade my new Caterham S III with Powerflex bushings in the rear suspension and diff area as I assembled it. But some discussions with engineering types, including Seven owner BobS, persuaded me not to. Even though the steel-centered rubber bushes supplied by Caterham may not be ideal for the purpose (at least in terms of longevity), the thinking is that there is a certain aopunt of compliance that is anticipated and built into the Caterham assemblies. if this is lost through the substitution of entirely non-compliant poly bushes, then things may not work together as intended,and the additional stresses introduced by loss of compliance may stress or break things. Any thoughts or comments?

MoPho, That is truly a calendar-worthy Seven shot!

Mr. Ron Hickman, the designer of the Lotus Elan and the Lotus Europa (and also of the Black & Decker Workmate folding workbench that made him a rich man), has died at age 78, on the Isle of Jersey. Ron was a native of South Africa, a pianist, a Director of Lotus during the Colin Chapman era, and a man of many talents. See: http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/news/octanenews/264394/ron_hickman_19332011.html Another direct link to the Lotus Chapman era is lost.....

MoPho, As I said initially, this commercial has probably been around for awhile, but I (for one) had not seen it until recently. Thanks for the "behind-the-scenes" clip of the making of the commercial. Here is a YouTube clip of the New York City shoot, in an empty Times Square, on a cold morning, with a Porsche Cayenne as camera car: Alaskossie