11Budlite

Thanks @Christopher smith I sent you an email.

Thanks Jeff - I took a couple photos of your car on that day and I forgot completely that you had a side impact bar! If you get a chance would you mind taking a detail closeup of the mounting points?

@Christopher smith If you have any photos of your S1 that you would like to share, I'd love to see them.

Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and photos. My car is a 2019 S3 so a narrow body metric chassis. Croc - I had seen the two photos that you posted before, and it looks like the only one available from Caterham now is the one from the blue/yellow car. I think this is the one: https://caterhamparts.co.uk/side-intrusion-bars/3702-side-impact-bar-lh-s3-metric-chassis.html One of my concerns with the latest SIB from Caterham is how low it's mounted on the body, I really want the bar to protect a little higher up. I have access to a tubing bender and a little free time this week, so I might just try bending a single main bar using ideas from Kitcat's and Tom's setup. I'll update as I learn more.

I've just started doing track days this year in a well setup Turbo NA Miata, my ND Miata, and I did get enough miles/hrs on my Caterham to take it out on track recently but keeping the revs below 5k to continue the break in process. I've also done a couple ride alongs in a very fast Turbo Exocet w/slicks which was enlightening. I'm looking to get my Caterham and myself better prepared so I can drive on the street and do track days as well. My philosophy for track days listed by priority: 1) Don't hurt the car 2) Have fun, learn the lines, and try to be smooth 3) Try to improve some aspect of my driving on each track day At 64 years of age I'm under no illusion that I'll ever be one of the "fast" guys but I'm really having fun! What I have so far for the Caterham/myself: Track day roll bar Petty Strut Clear aeroscreen (easily switchable with the captive nut brackets) 13" Revolutions w/ Toyo R888R (to be used at a later date, using stock 14" for now) PPF on critical areas, and spare yellow nose cone just for track days CHMSL and LED bulbs for all brake lights SA2020 Bell K1 Pro In the process of acquiring: Simpson Hybrid Sport 6-pt harness Arm restraints What I'm looking for is input on addtional safety equipment, specifically side impact protection. I plan on this being a dual purpose use vehicle and don't want to go to a full cage, and if I did go to a side impact bar I would want it to be removeable. When I first looked at the Caterham SIB it looked like it was mounted close to the body and wouldn't provide much crush space between the driver and the object being hit. I did a quick visual layout with some 1.5" cooling hose and felt like extending a SIB 8" from the body side would give some added protection and leave some extra elbow room. When I had the Cat on track I was keeping my arm inside the body and it wasn't always comfortable to drive like that. I know a talented welder/fabricator who I've talked to about options but I'm looking for ideas specific to a Seven. 1) Does anyone have experience with the Cat SIB or is there a better option available somewhere? 2) Would something like the following photo fabricated with 1.5" steel tube be beneficial? The tube would be clamped to the rollbar and bolted to the existing front threaded boss near the dash. It would extend 8" out from the body and then taper towards the front near the dash. I had a hard time drawing the curve in the photo. The bar would extend out from the rollbar parallel to the ground and then curve towards the front.

That's some pretty impressive customer service!

This is a good general article on locking fasteners: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/how-right-fastener-can-prevent-hardware-failure-tr/ At my work in the jet engine business, there's been a big shift in usage from safety wire to safety cable. It's a lot easier to install and real easy to inspect for acceptability. It can't be used in every application, there's still some applications where safety wire is the only option.

I think he's looking for the the torque for the locknut circled here. I've never seen that torque figure listed. Knifey - Can you check the surface of the UCA where the lock nut hits and make sure there's not an uneven surface that would prevent there from being full contact for the full circumference? Something like excess weld, etc. That could cause an issue with it loosening. Also check that the ball joint moves freely.

I'm pretty sure the Ultrashield seats are made in the US so should be readily available here.

I just looked in my assy guide and didn't see a torque posted. That nut is just a locknut to hold the upper ball joint in orientation with the upper control arm so I would think 'good and tight' should work. Similar to the outer tie rod locknut on the steering rack. If you did have a torque value you'd have to use a crows foot wrench and calculate the torque for the center to center distance of the wrench or turn it 90 degrees.

I think I did pretty much the same thing as you did Papak. I also cut off the seat headrest because I'm using the headrest from the rollbar. The modified seat looks like this.

I've used a Kirkey seat in a Miata track car and found them to be pretty rigid with good support, and they're not too expensive. I don't remember the model number but like the Ultrashield they're available in different widths to fit. I ended up getting a 14" Kirkey #38140 to use in my Series 2 vintage rep and had to modify the rib brace/wings to get it to fit in the narrow space available....and that's the 14" model! I really like the standard Caterham seats that I have in my 310 for comfort, but they could use more side support if you were going to go on track. Like most things, you really need to sit in one to see how it fits. Nice looking Seven clone TBone!

Ted - If you have any luck contacting "mirrors for sevens", let us know. I tried contacting them a few weeks back and didn't get a response, and I didn't have a chance to follow up. Thanks

Glad I could help Bill. And I found one source that said the oil pan bolts should be torqued to 15 lb-ft and that's what I used when I reinstalled the bolt.

Bill - The pan bolts should be 8 x 1.25 x 35mm long. Not sure of oil capacity because I haven't changed the oil yet, but it should be right around 4 qts.

I agree with that. "They truly are survivor cars, that should be preserved in their current state." - I think this statement is just a tad optimistic when it comes to the Seven! If anybody checks out the condition of the Seven, I'd love to hear a report.

Nice video on Classic Team Lotus presented by Clive Chapman:

There's also this one but I don't think it was from the factory.

I don't think a Caterham ever came stock with a Cosworth YB engine, but did come with the Cosworth BDR around the same time. I think the most appropriate badge would be the "16 Valve" or the "HPC" versions. They might be hard to find though!

Thanks for your help Mike, I contacted Simon.

It's a clear aeroscreen from Meteor Motorsports. I wanted a clear one or I would have just gotten one from a Caterham dealer here in the US.

Thanks for sharing your previous experience Bartman. I'm really hesitant to provide my SSN in an email. It's for a part valued at appr $275.00 so I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

Did a little searching here: http://www.fedex.com/gb/quick_help/lite/pagehelp.html Specifically this, see highlighted line below. Sounds like Fedex wants your SSN, I'm assuming to clear customs. Really not comfortable with this. To Address Recipient name: Enter the recipient's first and last name. The recipient is the person that you are shipping this package to. Company: Enter the recipient's company name. This field is mandatory if the company is the actual recipient. Country/Territory: Use this drop-down menu to choose the recipient country/territory. Address: Enter the recipient's address. This is the delivery address for shipment. Phone Number: If there are problems with this shipment, FedEx may need to contact the recipient for advice on necessary actions to help minimize service delays. Email Notifications: Enter the recipient’s email address to provide notification when FedEx has picked up the shipment, a proof of delivery when it's delivered, and a notification of problems with delivery. Notification Language: Select a language other than English for your recipient’s notifications, if desired. Tax ID Number: Enter this information if you have the recipient’s tax ID number as it may be necessary for clearance processing. For companies, the tax ID is the identification number such as GST/RFC/VAT/IN/EIN/EORI, or as locally required. For private individuals, please enter the personal tax number or Social Security number of your recipient. Note: You can get this information from your recipient.

Has anybody ordered a part from overseas and had to supply your SSN? I just recently ordered a part from the UK and they're requesting my SSN for Fedex to ship to the US. This is the first time I've run into this and I'm concerned with giving out my SSN. Thoughts or experiences?

Nice, that's going to be a beast!