Alaskossie

The fact that a car may be legally importable into Canada doesn't gain you any traction at all for importing it into the USA. And swapping VIN numbers can land you in jail, and your car goes to the crusher. A good winter alternative for a Seven is a 1992-1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth 4X4, like my 1995 model. There were about 15 of them legally imported into the US by Sun international (Tom Cahalane) in the mid-1990's, before production ceased, with a total run of 7145 cars. This car was designed in England for world rally competition, but was assembled by Karmann in Germany, so the build quality is very good. i had no trouble at all in registering it in Alaska, as it has its own assigned VIN number, and all the emissions and crash ("simulated crash") testing was done on the model by Sun International before importation began. Most of the emblems identifying it as a "Ford" product were removed by demand of FoMoCo, and it is officially registered as a "Rally Sport." in stock form, the car has a kerb weight of around 3000 lb., and 220 horsepower from a 4-cyl., 2-liter Cosworth turbo motor. My particular car was tuned by Eggenberger Motor Sport in Switzerland before being imported. It has an engine enlarged to 2.3 liters, revised engine management, and 378 hp at 5500 rpm and 435 lb./ft. of torque at 3500 rpm. Needless to say, this pocket hand grenade moves -- particularly with studded tires on snowpacked roads. Top speed is limited by gearing to around 160 mph, so it is not an ultra-speed supercar. But it is extremely quick, responsive, and tossable, as a rally car should be. It is also a sleeper among the rice-burners with their gills, fins, and coffee-can exhausts (though the Cossie's huge rear wing is a dead give-away among the knowledgeable). Tom Meacham Anchorage, Alaska Alaskossie

I'd line one (1) men's watch also. Count me in. I'll pay as soon as I figure out who and where, from this long thread. Tom Meacham Alaskossie 2007 Caterham Classic 2.3 Duratec (extended birthing labor...)

Can anyone tell me why Sports Car Market Magazine has listed the WCM Ultralite as one of the magazine's eight "Halloween Frankencars" its writer had found on eBay recently, and wrote about in the most recent issue of SCM? Go to: http://www.sportscarmarket.com/garage/slideshow.php Perhaps someone needs to set this guy straight. Certainly the Ultralight (and any other LSIS) is light-years beyond the true "Frankencars" (like an MG Midget on a Suzuki Sidekick 4X4 chassis) that he described in the article. What was the author thinking, anyway? Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Obi wan, I know what the Brise tank looks like -- it is slightly curved, "kidney-shaped," and is fitted in the space inside the crossmembers in front of the engine, correct? Thanks. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Oops-- I meant, "I had assumed it was lhd." It's early in the day... Tom Meacham Alaskossie

I mis-spoke. Obi wan's rebuilt Duratec has remained right-hand drive, even though it is now in France. Without looking closely, I had assumed it was rhd. I was looking for photos of a Durartec with dry sump and left-hand drive, to see where and how the d/s tank isinstalled on the right side of the engine, aft of the headers. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Obi Wan, Welcome aboard! The specs of your car are very similar to the left-hand, standard chassis Caterham with 2.3 Duratec that I am building. (No roll cage for me, though!). Do you have photos of the engine bay? I'd like to see how you installed your dry sump tank, and where you mounted it. Merci' Tom Meacham Anchorage, Alaska Alaskossie

With the "simple" battery cutoff, can't you just run the ground to it, rather than the hot lead? I need to know, because I'm jst about ready to install a "simple" battery cutoff switch under the bonnet, as a theft deterrent and easy battery disconnect (though not an in-cockpit emergency shutoff, admittedly). Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Al, this problem was the subject of a thread in Blatchat about two weeks ago. The consensus is that some water (perhaps in combination with heat from the sun) white-spots carbon fiber wings pretty badly. I saw a R400 Caterham at LOG 27 in Snowmass, CO this year that had been driven from Texas, and the wings and nosecone were spotted pretty badly, and the spots would hardly come off. I am building a Caterham Seven at present, with c/f nosecone and wings. The nosecone has been painted body color, but I have had the wings coated on the underside with pickup-truck bedliner, and clear-coated on the outside to give a protective finish. The c/f really absorbs the clearcoat -- it took 6 quarts (at $52 per quart) to do the fenders. We'll see if all of this prep does the trick. Tom Meacham

Harold, The Caterham assembly manual is too large for me to send to you as an attachment (my five attempts have bounced), and I can't even send you a 2-line e-mail message minus the attachment (your server keeps rejecting my attempts). So please e-mail me your mail address, and I will send you a copy of the Caterham manual on a CD. Thanks. Tom Meacham

EburgE, Send me your e-mail address and I will reply with a .pdf of the 134-page Caterham manual as an attachment. I downloaded it from the California Caterham Club website, but I can't seem to pull up that site tonight. I received a printed assembly manual with my kit in May 2007 (a slightly newer version than my .pdf copy), but I understand that Caterham is now accommodating frequent updates and changes by only doing a .pdf version now. My e-mail is tmeacham@gci.net Tom Alaskossie

GBOLT, Send me your e-mail address and I will reply with a .pdf of the 134-page Caterham manual as an attachment. I downloaded it from the California Caterham Club website, but I can't seem to pull up that site tonight. I received a printed assembly manual with my kit in May 2007 (a slightly newer version than my .pdf copy), but I understand that Caterham is now accommodating frequent updates and changes by only doing a .pdf version now. My e-mail is tmeacham@gci.net Tom Alaskossie

Al, I missed that description of the Panasport wheels. Thanks. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Dino, What brand and size of wheels are on your car? They look great! Are they a true 2-piece, or only cosmetic? thanks. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Another Seven-ism: My friend Bob in Colorado refers to his passenger as the "victim." Tom Meacham Alaskossie

The registration of my half-assembled Caterham Seven could not have gone easier. I am building the car in a garage in Greeley, Colorado. I went to the Weld County Sheriff's Office on a Thursday afternoon, and paid $12.00 to arrange for the VIN inspection the next morning. The sheriff's deputy came out early the next morning, inspected the VIN on the chassis and on Caterham's Manufacturer's Statement of Origin, checked the VIN on the computer database, and signed off on my Alaska "kit-built verification" form. The next day, after I got back to Alaska, I took the form down to the local Alaska DMV and got my title, regisgtration, and plates. I was really surprised at how painless the title and registration process was at the Alaska DMV -- the clerk was even a car enthusiast who knew what a Seven is, and was up on all the other current "minimalist" cars like the Elise, Ariel Atom, and Rocket! Quite a contrast from the usual DMV paper-pusher...... I'm applying for personalized plates ("SE7EN"), but they won't be delivered for 12 weeks. But now the Seven is licensed and titled, even though the engine, transmission, fenders and wheels aren't on it yet... Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Harold, I guess I'm at your stage of "Seven-ness," but just one year ahead of you. I have wanted a Seven (of course originally a Lotus, so now only a Caterham will do) since I first read a road test of the Super Seven in Road & Track Magazine in the summer of 1961. Now some 46 years later, I ordered a narrow-chassis kit from Caterham (through Rocky Mountain Sports Cars in Denver) in late 2006, and I begin assembly next Monday at an experienced Seven-owning friend's garage in Greeley, Colorado. So look at the mind-boggling CC options list, design your own bespoke iteration of the classic Seven, and get your wallet out! Best of luck -- and we'll be looking for an update next year at about this time. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

I bought my narrow-chassis Caterham without engine or transmission. The crate has arrived in Colorado, and I begin assembly next month. The propshaft and diff are included in the kit, i am assured. I bought the transmission from Caterham USA, and sourced the engine separately from Cosworth USA. It is a tuned Duratec 2.3. I did this partly to have a US source of advice and parts in case of trouble, and partly to avoid any hassle from EPA/DOT/US Customs over a "non-certified" engine coming into the country with the car kit. Your exhaust cutout and induction system cutout (you may not need a bonnet cutout on an SV model) are done by you, not by Caterham. Measure twice (or thrice!), cut once... Tom Meacham Anchorage, Alaska

One of my links in the message above was in error. It should be: http:www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/duranail.html It shows a really nice Duratec/classic Seven. Tom Meacham

Tom, A couple of California guys (Tom Jones and others) have installed the Duratec in a narrow-body classic chassis already. Caterham is apparently gearing up to do it with the new Caged-built chassis, but I couldn't wait. Tom's Website is http:www.pierats.com/gallery/sevenbuild A couple of Brit websites on the narrow-chassis Duratec are : http:www.caterhamduratec.com http:www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/durnail.html The 2.3 is slightly taller than the 2.0. I will be using a Raceline valve cover with recessed oil filler cap. Side to side clearance is fine. Where to put the dry sump tank is a question. I may have a friend design a custom tank to go in front of the passenger footbox. He is building one for his VX Evo (it will fit on the other side of his engine, since the VX intake/exhaust is reversed from the Duratec, and he has right-hand steering). Titan makes a long bell housing for the Caterham 6-speed, which has a longer input shaft than the Ford 5-speed. I believe that Raceline makes an extension unit for their bell housing to accommodate the Caterham 6-speed, but it would be neater to have a one-piece bell housing. I'm planning to buy a new digital camera to document the build, and hope to post somewhat of a build diary as work progresses. Bruce, I've done the gearcalc numbers on the Caterham 6-speed and the 3:23 rear end, and the numbers look acceptable, i think, though for a track car, a lower rear ratio might be desirable. Tom Meacham

Dave, Nice-looking car, and wide-open scenery besides! Are you a friend of Russ Kaiser of Bozeman? He and I are fellow Ford Escort RS Cosworth owners -- he bought his Escort Cossie from a friend of mine in Boulder, Colorado. But i guess Russ wanted more comfort than Seven motoring provides, and went out and also bought an Elise for his summer driver...! Best wishes, Tom Meacham

I have a new Caterham Classic (narrow-body) kit en route from England to Colorado right now. I bought it without engine or transmission, through Rocky Mountain Sports Cars in Denver (Caterham dealer). To avoid import duties, EPA questions, etc., I bought a tuned 2.3 Duratec direct from Cosworth in California (drool over their website!). They finished building the engine earlier this week, and the initial dyno run shows 244 hp at 7250 rpm and about 185 lb/ft. of torque at 6200 rpm. I still have engine mounts, headers, etc. to buy from Raceline, and other bits and pieces I'm sure I will find I need when I get down to assembling the car. i am using the Caterham 6-speed (even though everyone says the 2.3 Duratec's torque will make shifting obsolete). But I like to shift gears, and I know the Caterham transmission has a heck of a lot better "feel" to it than the 5-speed Ford transmission. i have ordered a 3.38:1 rear end, which is quite uncommon I guess, but it should give me a bit better highway cruising than even the normal 3.63 "touring" ratio that Caterham provides. We'll just have to see if 1st gear is too high... i just wish that Caterham offered a different ratio package for their transmission, with an o/d 6th gear. Why don't they, now that the Duratec is becoming the engine of the future? I considered the Quaife 6-speed sequential box with helical gears and an o/d 6th gear, but the expense is about double the Caterham box, and the "on/off" nature and the gear play of a sequential shift action makes it ideal for the track but not so pleasant for the road, I've heard. Anyway, we'll see how much I have yet to learn..... Tom Meacham

Jean-Edouard, How did you get such beautiful and detailed photos of your JPE frame for your website? Are you a professional photographer? The backgrounds are so clean and white that the details of the frame components are very easily seen. Definitely the best I've ever sen on a private website! Bravo! Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Regarding the discussion of Sugino's shiny all-aluminum Seven, here is the address of a fellow in UK who apparently makes beautiful aluminium Seven body parts by skillful use of an English wheel: http://andywiltshire.com/index.htm Don't know what they cost, but they can't be cheap. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Are the Atoms street-registered, or is that possible in the US? Tom Meacham