John B

I'm planning on installing an Air/Fuel Ratio gauge in my Caterham to keep an eye on AFR while on track. This requires welding a bung into my header after all four collectors merge into one, in other words on the side of the car. How does the wire from the O2 sensor get routed on Caterhams with catalytic converters? Underneath the car??

That's just Fugly!

Update: As Croc and Tom know, I left early Monday as my engine was running rough and I was down about 20mph on the front straight. I left hoping for a bad coil or crank trigger, but feared a ventilated piston. I did a compression test today and got (1-4) 170, 210, 210, 210. That ruled out a holed piston, but left a lingering low compression issue that pointed to valves. I checked the valve lash and all were in spec (0.10"), which ruled out a bent or dropped valve. #1 cylinder was cold, not firing as indicated by a pyrometer on the header. I then checked spark and found no spark in #1, but 2,3 & 4 were good. Swapping coils around revealed it wasn't a bad coil as the #1 coil sparked on the #2 lead & the #2 coil was dead on the #1 lead. Closer inspection revealed a broken wire at the connector to the coil. That was a very good sign! I was still concerned about the low compression and my engine builder Paul Hasselgren suggested that driving with no spark in #1 washed the cylinder dry with unignited fuel and that I should put a little oil in #1 and re-run the compression test. Voila!! It shot well over 210 so I'm a happy camper and am now enjoying a celebratory beer!!

I have basically one like this. Just two posts. I hooked it up in-line in the positive cable from the battery. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-830057?seid=srese1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-JyUBhCuARIsANUqQ_KF7PVW8rXCQbRCdpxsbqCreBF8S7YIKw0i57d8rBpln5j5OWeXwWAaAqbfEALw_wcB

Update: Pegasus Racing is sending a set for Saturday delivery. I'm back in!

Crapola!! I just picked my Caterham up out of storage and the safety harnesses are expired. I don't think NJMP gives any slack on harnesses as the State Police come and do occasional inspections. I'll order up a new set, but I'm out for Sunday

I'm thinking about bringing my Caterham to NJMP for a member day either Sunday 5/22 or Monday 5/23 to shake off the cobwebs. Anyone else interested? Simon, Croc, Tom?

I put a master kill in mine for that exact reason. It's been fine ever since. it's under the dash so it's also a pretty good theft deterrent.

Great to hear you finally exercised the demons Simon!

I'm in, my car's all set, and I'm really looking forward to it. I count 9 already. That's a great start!

I'm in

They sure look like they'd create drag and lift, the opposite of what you want on the track. On the street though, who cares. If you like them, by all means get them.

FYI - Evans Waterless Coolant is a great improvement for systems that are cooling challenged. It's boiling point is 375 degrees. It's when the coolant boils over that things get really ugly. https://www.evanscoolant.com/how-it-works/benefits/no-overheating/#:~:text=Evans waterless coolants have a,times%2C enabling consistently effective cooling.

What a fascinating project! It's a pleasure watching vicariously as it progresses and I can't wait to see the finished result.

Furthest drive: About 150 miles. Failures on the road: A bolt holding the alternator fell off, causing the belt to go slack. The car ultimately died as it wasn't charging and ran the battery down. Trailered home. The Heim joint that locates the rear De Dion tube broke causing some odd handling. Limped home very carefully. Replaced all with higher grade fittings from McMaster-Carr. The rubber mount holding the exhaust up by the rear wheel broke causing the muffler to drop and drag on the road. Jury-rigged fix on the road with a piece of wire I found. Replaced and rearranged to be in compression rather than in tension. The turn indicator relay gets loose about every 5 miles. requiring me to push it back in. I need to do something about that. These are mostly vibration related issues I think. It needs a good nut and bolt check periodically. Especially before and after a track day.

Caterham SV is good to go. A fresh set of Hoosier A6's are mounted on my track wheels just waiting. Other projects coming to completion this spring. S1 E-Type FHC - Hot engine rebuild from Bill Terry, TT Engines going in. 357 hp XK140MC OTS - Also a medium/hot Bill Terry rebuild going in at the moment. BB512 - Engine & suspension rebuild just about done. Alfa Giulia Spider Veloce - in for paint & chrome I know, I should just have my own engine shop...

Nice grab! Congratulations. You're in for a blast, let the fun begin!

I'm following this build with interest. First of all, I love engine builds. Secondly, I've already gone down the 2.4 Duratec road myself. Will this engine be dyno'ed? If so, I'll take the over on 270 hp

My XK140 has one and it works great. It's an odd little device though, it's vacuum operated with a leather diaphragm inside.

I have an SV in New Jersey you're welcome to try in if you're ever down this way. Incidentally, I'm 6'3, 220 lbs and fit fine.

@UlfarE Congrats! looks like a nice one. A compression would indicate if there is particle induced wear in the valves, rings, and cylinders from running without air filters. Keep an eye on oil consumption and oil pressure as well. Fingers crossed! Paul Hasselgren in Berkely built a Killer 2.45 Duratec/MZR/Cosworth for my '03 SV. If push comes to shove, that's a great option. My son moved out to the Bay area two years ago and goes to Alice's just about every Saturday, usually in his orange Elise or a Ducati motorcycle though. He's a total car guy and has been badly bitten by the Caterham bug. He's experiencing severe Caterham withdrawal though and would always be game for a drive or ride along. Drop him a line cburke996@gmail.com

Sadly, it looks like I won't be able to make Saturday 10/9 after all. While street driving my Caterham it started picking up a misfire which progressively got worse. I suspect either a Throttle Position sensor or Crank Position sensor and will be diagnosing and replacing those until I sort it out. It seems unlikely I'll have it ready by Saturday am though. Secondly, the weather forecast is not looking spectacular anyways at this point with a 40% chance of rain.

Great pics! Thanks Croc

While trailering my ‘03 Caterham SV back from my race shop the day before the Se7ens meet at NJMP I noticed the right headlight started bobbing around. It turned out the spot welds connecting the shell and mounting “bubble” had all broken. I then just removed the headlights and continued on to the NJMP event. I ordered replacement lights from Caterham just assuming they were the same (I know… ass-u-me). Those turned out to be 5 1/4” as advertised, the lights on my car are larger 7”. I like the larger lights as they give the car an older retro look. Caterham doesn’t list 7” headlights. Does anyone know where to source these? In the meantime I will try to repair my bucket but I fear welding may discolor the chrome.