11Budlite

Impressive build, awesome car, great action photos, well done Chad! Bruce :7drive:

Sorry to hear about your shoulder problem Skip, but that's some seriously impressive numbers on the dyno! :thumbs: Bruce :7drive:

"A Sh!@#t Load, I'm guessing" - I think it was originally priced at 115,000 sterling pounds which should work out to 213,540.43 USD at todays exchange rate. A simple home equity loan and I could have one sitting in my garage! I'd want to change out the headlights and mirrors, but everything else I think I could live with! Bruce :7drive:

:ack: :rofl: That'll keep those soccer players from faking injuries!!

Congrats Mazda! :cheers: Keep up the good work and I hope to get a ride in the beast someday! Bruce :7drive:

"My lowly V8 lumbers along at 1700 rpm in 6th gear at 70" - Probably getting better gas mileage as well!! I think Caterham really missed an opportunity with the 6-speed. They could have had the first five gears nice and close for track work/spirited driving and had the 6th gear a nice tall cruising gear just to reduce the noise/stress on the highway. I really don't think they would have lost much of the sporting character of the car, especially with the Zetec and Duratec motors. I just calculated my speed at 3500 rpm in 5th and came out to 73.7 mph (.84 5th gear, 3.9:1 rear end, with 205/50-15 tires). Even with my mild Zetec I know that it would have no problem pulling a taller 5th gear. Here's a link to a nice gear calculator that I've used in the past: http://www.our-nest.co.uk/Caterham/html_files/Files.htm Bruce :7drive:

Thought I'd revive this thread to see if some new members wanted to add to it. Here's a shot my son took coming back from LRP in the spring. I think he has a headlight fetish... http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/463404423_dad2.jpg Bruce :7drive:

Great photos Jack (Brian and Jeanna too), thanks for sharing! Tell me again why I didn't make it out there??? :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: Bruce :7drive:

"Also rigged up a mechanical brake switch .. to replace the hydrolic activated brake switch (which was just too slow to react)." - Agreed Rob. I changed mine over to a mechanical switch and it's been much more reliable as well. Bruce :7drive:

I run a hose from the oil separator on the left side of the block to a catch can and put a simple K&N breather filter on the cam cover. I haven't run my car on the track yet, but it has worked well so far for me. I wouldn't want to run my engine long with nothing attached to the connector (I'm paranoid about dust/debris getting into the engine) so as a temporary measure I'd at least put a filter on it. Where does the hose from the oil separator on the left side of the block go? Bruce :7drive:

Sweet!! The rest of the toys look pretty cool too! Thanks for sharing, Bruce :7drive:

Interesting read: http://www.lowcgen.co.uk/presentations/thurs04.pdf Bruce :7drive:

"Anyone order a metallic blue CSR???" - Wish I could say it was me! I bet that was an enjoyable visit! Bruce :7drive:

"Seems like there should be a way to have some type of mechanical lock improvised to solve this problem." - You could use one of these and safety wire it: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/512019249_HP-1004.jpg Or I think I remember someone putting a hose clamp around the filter and safety-wiring to that. Bruce :7drive:

Just rec'd my new Enkei wheels and Falken tires from Goodwin. It looks like they did a good job mounting and balancing them, and they didn't have to use much weight to get them balanced (some had only (2) 1/4 oz weights on them). The quality/weight of the Enkei wheels looks to be pretty impressive for the money. The wheel/tire combination ended up weighing 29.9 - 30.1 lbs on my shipping scale. The original TSW wheels/Firestone tires weighed between 38.2 - 38.9 lbs, the highest one being the unworn spare. I also removed the spare tire carrier that weighed a little over 5 lbs plus the spare tire, so adding everything up it looks like I lost about 76 lbs. Obviously the biggest weight savings is in the removal of the spare tire, but it does feel like it accelerates better and the grip is much better with the new rubber. Needless to say I'm pretty happy! Here's a photo that I took last night before the first test drive: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1715483191_20080809_0003.JPG Bruce :7drive:

Looks real nice! I wish my 64 MGB had half the power and torque of that one, but I feel sorry for the rear end in that thing if it's the stock one... Bruce :7drive:

One of the best mods I did to my T9 when I rebuilt it with close ratio gears was to put a fill plug in the top cover. Anybody who has had to access the fill/level plug in the drivers footwell knows what a PITA that job is, especially when the DPO drilled the access hole in the aluminum offset from the plug! :ack: I bought a Quaife top cover from Taylor Race Eng which I think I read on blatchat was supposed to reinforce the cast iron case which is prone to cracking. The cover comes tapped (from memory I think 3/8" NPT) for the breather filter, but is not tapped for a fill plug. It does have a boss right next to the "Q" that I drilled and tapped 9/16-18 to accept a fill plug. Here's a photo of it installed on the tranny with the breather filter, and the Birkin slave cylinder and mounting block which has to be slightly modified because of the increased thickness of the cover. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/49619016_IMG_9504.JPG And here's a picture of it with the tranny installed in the car: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1889017534_Trans Fill Plug.JPG Now it's just a matter of removing the plug, making up a simple dip stick, and being able to check and fill the tranny from under the hood instead of from the footwell. I ended up making a dip stick out of an old wiper blade metal reinforcement that I bent (so it wouldn't fall down inside), and center-punched for a full level mark. Like this: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1000234743_20080808_0001.JPG I know the price of the cover has gone up quite a bit from when I purchased it, but the same type of plug has been done with the stock stamped-steel cover. If anybody is interested in going the Quaife route, I have some extra 9/16-18 plugs you can have, and the matching tap that you're welcome to borrow. Or send me your cover and I'll put it in the drill press and drill/tap it for you, and send it back with a new plug installed. All you'd have to do is cover shipping... Bruce :7drive:

Ok, it doesn't have quite the same ring as 7/7/7, but today reminded me of the great time we had at the TOTD last year....and that Lotus made quite a few interesting sports and racing cars over the years. Here's a picture of a Lotus "8", (really a Lotus VIII to be correct) of which only a handful were made. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1254774299_MKVIIIGoodwood2004-500.jpg Funny thing was that the Lotus VIII was produced in 1954-55, long before the Seven started production. Bruce :7drive:

Let me know if I've broken the "Busa" rule, but I thought that was to keep the participants conversations in English??? :ack: Bruce :7drive:

You're welcome Randy. Would love to see pics of your car. Bruce :7drive:

Looks good, thanks! :thumbs: Bruce :7drive:

Beautiful job! Wish I could have made it to LOG... :banghead: Bruce :7drive:

rkell - I know the anti-squeal kit is available from Sevens and Elans in Mass: http://sevenselans.com/partsforsale.htm Maybe some of the other Caterham dealers have it as well. Not sure about the carbon fibre stuff. Maybe check with the US dealers here: http://www.uscaterham.com/home.html Or check with Fluke Motorsport: http://www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk/index.php?cPath=1_6 Bruce :7drive:

Not sure what happened Doug. Perhaps it was my wife Nancy (formerly from Ky - border state but really a Confederate state) that pissed off the DMV worker...she has a habit of doing that! Hopefully Paul can follow in your footsteps and get it done in the easiest manner possible. It'll be interesting to hear how he makes out. "In 2050 it will need the plates renewed; I’m unsure who will do it though." - Come on Gary, you have to have faith! Bruce :7drive:

Video of a Series 2 that I had never seen before. Don't understand the language, but I enjoyed it none the less... Bruce :7drive: