DStew

Tyler, I’ll be back in SF from May 5, you’re quite welcome to come to Marin Co to check my CSR for size, no handshakes or even fist bumps these odd times, but happy to talk Sevens anytime. PS - are you the kind Tyler who helped me jump the line for Race Gas at Laguna a few years ago? Cheers DStew

I'm Darren, British, and a car nut for as many of my 47 years I can remember - fell in love with my American wife at a Maserati Driving School in Parma a decade ago -came to Callfornia in 2008. Live in Marin County, Ca. I purvey natural and organic meats and poultry - the good stuff, raised the right way. Always wanted a Caterham - back in the 70s as a kid, was always intrigued how the little Sevens had faster 0-60 times than the flamboyant Italian poster Exotica! Drove a K-Series Roadsport 160 SV in 2005 and was smitten. In 2011 whilst on an annual Mancation in London with two friends - flew to Inverness (on a whim!) and spent 2 days with two 1.6supersport S3 and a CSR 260 from a bespoke rental company in the Scottish highlands. Epic time driving the Lochs - tinkering with, then discarding completely the weather gear, driving with ear to ear grin through frequent heavy showers and managing slides and oversteer on sodden Tarmac. I couldn't believe how the engine in the CSR pulled, with real fireworks above 5,000rpm. To me, the "no electric gimmick experience" was ultimate sports car road driving - in terms of connectivity to a vehicle, it's so analogue and visceral, there's little that comes close. Chris Harris summed it up perfectly, driving a Supersport R in his YouTube video: "Ferrari or Porrsche do not have a car that can give me the experience I'm currently having." Well said Chris! Knew on my return I would have to save and bite the bullet - I owned a Honda S2000, Subaru STI and an M3, in succession, all and managed to sell all of them at a good price- and along with my incredibly understanding-over-finances other half, purchased my dream Caterham- a titanium silver CSR 260. The previous owner self-built it, quite unusual for a CSR given the extra complexity and (so I've heard) terrible instruction manual! It was already well specc'd but I knew I would be doing the occasional HPDE track day, so I added: Tillet carbon fiber race seats 5-point harnesses stronger SCCA rear roll bar CSR 200 limited slip diff with Reinforcement Fire suppression system Reinforced floor pan under seats Carbon Fibre Aeroscreen Pagid race Pads all round Quick Release Wheel DMV made a mess of naming vehicle but I successfully had the vehicle SB 100'd for eternity after jumping through all those bureaucratic hoops! Inevitable, incurable upgradeitis may lead to race springs/dampers, fuel cell. Thanks to Croc for being so informative and welcoming as I joined the community - I met a Trio of Caterham CSR owners from Oregon at a track day in Willows, Ca a few weeks ago. Look forward to meeting more of you

Hi all, I have a CSR motor with a failed rod bearing for sale. Engine has less than 9,000 miles on it, but spun a rod in an HPDE session at Sonoma, Ca. (See previous "Advice sought" thread. Car was pitted immediately to prevent further damage, head still good. Will need new rod, bearings, ranger crankshaft, gasket, seals, head bolts and Stripping, cleaning of the sump as a minimum. Could be an incredible project for someone with solid Mechanical ability. These engines are works of art. $5,000obo Can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48. image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

Thanks for the info and support Croc. Much appreciated. i'll contact Bruce too. Will keep you posted. DStew

Hello to the Caterham community! I suppose you could say I'm arriving with a bang... I've owned a CSR 260 for 14 blissful months, realizing a lifetime dream with these remarkable sports cars. I blatted every weekend and tracked the vehicle regularly on CR500s, terrorizing all but the quickest slick-shod, race-prepped cars at these events in California. Then, on track day No 13, my oil temp spiked at Turn 10, Sonoma, last lap of the last session. I immediately came into pit lane as hot engine cut. My mechanical knowledge doesn't stretch beyond changing oil, spark plugs, pads if I'm honest so I sent it to a Caterham guy Rich, in Sonoma. initial inspection of motor revealed: The rod bearing on #2 cylinder had failed, after compression test showed it was 20% down. It exhibited signs of overheating severely. So much so that the bearing has melted and found it's way out of the connecting rod big end. See pictures I have attached. Screwdriver tip pointing to the melted bearing material that has centrifuged out of the big end. Additionally the bearing has spun, wiping away the locating tangs which secure it to the connecting rod and it allowed the bearing shell to spin inside the connecting rod. The crankshaft journal is also damaged, heavily scored. Because of the amount of damaged bearing material and the damage to the crankshaft, I'm guessing a complete strip down and replacing all worn and damaged parts is one of few options, because unless I engine swap, I'd want all metal that has been run through the motor to be removed. I've discussed replacing: -Crankshaft -Connecting rod - Oil Pump -Piston ring set -Bearings -Modine oil cooler -Gaskets and seals also removal the bell-tank oil reservoir from the gearbox, strip it and throughly clean it and reassemble it. My flywheel shows signs of big overheating and the clutch disc friction material is loose and disintegrating - I don't want to damage the bell housing so looking to replace, given regular future track days. I'm guessing I could opt for having the cylinder head rebuilt along with the bottom end to clean all the oil passageways, and a fresh valve job. Alternatively, I could bite the bullet, trade the short motor and go on the search for a recon:new engine in the US or from some UK engine builders. Does anybody have knowledge or advice to impart on this? I have no intention of gently blatting down country lanes after this trauma, I want to keep going down the Open Passing Group/Time trial route so any upgrade or preventative advice from experienced track-day attendees would be very welcome. I'm in a bad spot, but I want to emerge from it stronger.