11Budlite

I'm such an idiot!!!

It's for mounting a spare wheel to the back of the body/chassis. They used to be part of the chassis, but now they're optional/removable: https://caterhamparts.co.uk/other/3798-spare-wheel-carrier-bolt-on-metric-cars.html?search_query=spare+tire+carrier&results=13

Hi G - I sent you a PM.

Thanks for your input CarlB. I did some research and found this thread which has some good info and links for eliminating bumpsteer:

Early pre-litigation Westfield Seven for sale in CT. Wire wheels, 1275cc, no price: https://www.bugeyeguys.com/2025/02/pocket-rocket/

Thanks MV8. Didn't even consider the washer thickness being a potential issue. I will definitely measure them upon dissy and when I'm doing the install. It tracked straight before so I shouldn't have to worry but I'll be aware of the possibility. I had planned on checking bump steer as well as corner-weighting too.

My first car was a Bugeye Sprite, and I had a '72 Midget when the Bugeye got totaled when a lady ran a stop sign. She said she never saw it! Great little cars, but they are tiny (much like a Seven). The 4AGE has been done before, but I think I would go with a 1.6L Miata motor like you said. Much easier to find than the 4AGE, and nobody wants to use the 1.6L in a tuned Miata because the 1.8L has a lot more potential and there's a lot more of them. I have a 1.6L Miata motor sitting in my basement out of '92 Miata with 150k miles. I haven't mic'd it yet but the crank looks like new. Still haven't decided what project car it's going to end up in but maybe I'll replicate my first car but with a modern drivetrain! Now if you go a bit larger to an MGB there is a ton more space for any kind of motor you'd want to put under the hood. Miata, Duratec, Ecotec, V6's, V8's have all been done, with lots of build threads for viewing. The later cars are already modified to take the Rover/Buick alum V8. Also a ton more space in the interior too. I owned a '64 MGB for almost 3 decades and drove it all the time. Check out: https://www.mgexp.com/forum/ http://www.britishv8.org/

I'm going to be installing a wide-track kit and new springs/dampers as soon as my garage warms up a bit. I have recommended starting points for camber, caster, and toe. The recommended caster setting is "as much as possible". The following are the washer combinations that I found from this build thread: https://caterham420detailedbuildblog.co.uk/2019/11/03/front-lower-wishbone/ There are five possible combinations listed from most caster to the least caster. 4-0-4 More steering effort, more self centering / straight line stability 3-1-3 2-2-2 1-3-1 0-4-0 Less steering effort, less self centering / straight line stability I'm presently running the recommended 2-2-2 from the Ikea assy guide. So going to the max caster setting of 4-0-4 will increase steering effort, stability, and will also gain neg camber on the outside wheel during cornering. I've never felt that the steering effort was excessive even with the 260mm leather steering wheel that came stock, and I'm presently running a 280mm suede wheel. My question is, are there any other negative consequences to going to the 4-0-4 caster setting other than increased steering effort?

Hi Seb, where are the parts located? I'm assuming you're still out in the mid-west not in CT.

I don't think that HF tubing roller will do the minimum radius necessary to bend the rear tubing of a Seven chassis. The Eastwood or other brands with multiple width and radius dies is what you'll probably want. I bought a JD2 tubing bender with 1.5" and .75" dies to do some fabrication. I made this side impact bar with the bender, it did a really nice job with a smooth radius and no kinks.

You have to figure out what thread size the stud is. I don't have a Zetec Seven any more but I would think it would be an M8 x 1.25. Any stud that fits in the block should work. As far as your comment about not buying a Zetec-powered Seven, I would have to disagree with you. Parts are not as easy to obtain in the US as they used to be, but there is still a big supply of parts for Zetec-powered cars in the UK available from Burton, RetroFord, Kent, Piper, etc. The nice thing about the Zetec is it's a 'relatively' easy, more modern design upgrade from the Kent Crossflow that was used in so many Caterhams. The biggest downside to the Zetec compared to the newer Duratec is the heavier iron block, and a less efficient head design that limits power compared to the Duratec.

Your engine looks like it's from a later Ford Focus Zetec with the plastic cam cover. I think these were used from 2001-2004 IIRC. One of these should work: https://www.autozone.com/engine-management/camshaft-position-sensor

You're welcome!

The factory cam position sensor is located on the right rear side of the cyl head. See the sensor just beneath the small K&N breather in this photo. This is from a 95-97 model Zetec, but I'm assuming the later versions have the sensor in the same location.

One of the things on my 310S that I never really liked the appearance of is the gear knob that comes stock in grey paint. The 'R' models had a much better looking black painted finish. To me the grey finish of the gear knob and gauges looked like they belonged on a 80-90's Nissan Sentra. I liked the weight and feel of the stock knob so decided to see what I could do to change the look. Since it came from Caterham with a small nick in the knob I didn't have much to lose. So I cut off the head of a bolt (M10x1.5 IIRC) and chucked it up in a drill press. About 15-20 minutes later after using various grits of emery cloth and red scotchbrite, I had a nice brushed aluminum gear knob. And the nick was gone too. I'm not sure if I'm going to paint the shift pattern again but to me it looks so much better than before.

If you're not looking for the standard Caterham or Tillet offerings you could check out KitCarDirect: https://www.kitcardirect.co.uk/collections/caterham-seat Are you looking for a padded seat or a CF/Fiberglass seat? Just an FYI, I've been able to use the stock 2019 Caterham S3 seats with a 6-pt harness on track without any issue. You just run the crutch straps on top of the seat base and sit on them before buckling up.

A set of (4) Caterham Minilite-type wheels, with Avon ZT7 185/60-14 tires off of my 2019 Caterham. PCD: 4 x 108, offset: ET23, total weight: 26.4#. I'm switching to 13" wheels/race wing stays exclusively so these will no longer be usable. These have approximately (2) hrs of break-in use on the road, (1.5) dry track days, (1) cold track day, and (1) wet track day. I removed after every track day and cleaned the wheels inside and out. They were also waxed before use and they are in great condition. They've been semi-vacuum sealed in garbage bags when not in use, and haven't been used since May '23. The tires have 2/19 and 3/19 dates codes and very little wear. They were vibration free up to 110-115 mph or so. Even with the 2019 date codes, I wouldn't hesitate to use them, but YMMV. Caps and an unused set of metric lug nuts included. I have photos of each wheel front and back if requested. Prefer to sell these local and could help with delivery. Will ship at actual cost if they don't go to a local buyer. Wheels are Sold, Thanks $700.00 OBO, plus shipping

It looks like a Lotus 38 Indy car.

Have you identified the brand of the wheel you have, and the width/offset? There are so many different Minilite-style wheels that were produced that it'd be good to know the manufacturer of the wheel you're looking for. Sometimes there are markings on the backside of the wheel/spokes that would help ID the wheel.

Sir John Whitmore drove a Cortina prepared by Alan Mann Racing and was very successful. Nice looking livery, almost as nice as the stock Lotus Cortina livery. https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/ford/lotus-cortina/1965/682840

I saw this video yesterday on the BAC Mono. Pretty interesting, but I was expecting a carbon fiber tub rather than a spaceframe chassis for what they go for. Nice little section on the Duratec engine they use as well.

I wanted to update this thread with my experience with @renntech. I reached out through email and ended up dealing with William. I was very happy with the communication and customer service, and ended up purchasing several of the parts. I just rec'd the parts this afternoon and was very satisfied with the quality of the parts, and they were packed very well. I wish my original rear wings from Caterham were packed that well! I would not hesitate to deal with renntech in the future. Just my 2 cents.

This is a new video, but I think I've seen a few parts of it before.

I can add that when I was building the dash and tidying up the wiring on my son's Miata-powered Exocet, I ended removing enough wiring and connectors to fill up a 5 gallon bucket. It was amazing how much wiring there is, even on a very basic mid-90's sports car. So I can definitely see it being over 13 lbs!