John B

It's hard to part with a 7, but a Griffith will certainly help ease the pain. How 'bout a Griffith pic

Mine is built with all the race goodies, but 11.5 compression instead of 13 to run on 93 pump gas. It dynoed 273 at the crank and puts the power down reasonably well... in 3rd-5th

That's very helpful guys, thanks. I did get the bolt ins, but grabbed the wrong pic.

I have a Cosworth/Duratec 2.5 MZR in my 2003 Caterham SV and it fits fine, no hood bulge required. I don't know about a Birkin, but if anything I suspect it has more room for an engine than my car does. I would say go with the extra displacement, you pick up about 25 hp over a 2.3.

4-point harnesses no longer pass tech at NJMP where the 2019 7's HPDE event will be held, and my belts are out dated anyways, so I've ordered two sets of 6-Point Sparco racing Harnesses. My question how have you guys mounted the anti-submarine belts (the ones that go between your legs)? I don't think mounting them to the thin aluminum floor would be a good idea, nor pass tech. The cross bar that is in front of the seat? The same bolts the lap belts are secured to? Any other ideas?

Here are a couple pics of the sticker on my 7

Croc - Did I read correctly, this year we need 6 point harnesses and arm restraints? - And four pistons with no holes in them

I made up a sticker like the one in the Caterham Airways ad for the dash on my Caterham and ordered a few extras. If anyone would like one for $5 send me a PM.

Brightonuk. - I've been down this road many times myself and I understand your angst. But in my last 30 years of probably doing over 100 rebuilds of race and street engines, a slogan from a sign hanging in an engine shop sums it all up. "Fast, Reliable, Cheap - Pick any two" For me it's boiled down to Fast and Reliable. Based on that, in my experience I think double your $8k budget is a deal. Trust me, if you're hard on your cars like I am recycling "OK" parts is a losing game. While you have it apart replace everything that is remotely questionable. Otherwise, you will be looking at a string of failures down the road. Ultimately that costs more for mediocre performance. I just spent $30k on my Caterham engine. Tell that to your wife and you'll look good : )

Here's a temptingly cheap project for somebody... https://www.facebook.com/groups/394747090593372/permalink/2210660095668720/?sale_post_id=2210660095668720

Bet you can't keep a straight face on this one! https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-eva-beva-2/

I noticed this Birkin S3 on BaT. 1.7L Crossflow. No reserve auction. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/no-reserve-1999-birkin-s3/

I'm in!

I needed to replace a hose on my BB512 this summer that was difficult to source. I ended up going to my local Advance Auto Parts store where they allowed me to go in back and search through their inventory of radiator hoses until I found one with a section matching what I needed. After a few quick cuts, it fit perfectly. They had hundreds of different hoses in all shapes and sizes hanging by wire hooks off a rack so it was easy to find one with the section I needed. Your application looks very straightforward with two opposing 90-degree bends. Give it a shot, I'm sure you'll find something that works.

Wow Croc! That's awesome, How did you get that?

Congrats Jeff! That's a nice car indeed. Well done selecting the BDR to go with it.

Looks nice! Congrats What part of NY are you in?

Nice writeup! I enjoyed reading it and watching the vid

My son Connor just picked up a new to him Elise, which prompted our first of many "Simplify and add lightness" drives. We had a great time Sunday cruising around some of our local twisties. I really like the Elise, and of course, the Caterham remains absurdly fun! We're planning a larger run this Saturday 7/28 which will likely include another Elise and new Ariel Atom 3S. We're planning a nice 1 hour run through the twisties in the horse country of Millstone, NJ followed by a stop for a nice outdoor lunch at the Tavern on the Lake in Hightstown, NJ Any locals want to join in?

I'm 6'3" and fit fine in my SV. I almost have to pull the seat up

Crap! I'm out. Going to be away...

Good luck on your trip. For the record for anyone looking for transport, I've had very good results placing the jobs out for bid on U-Ship. You specify what you want (enclosed, open...) it then gives you an estimate then transporters actually bid. Often they will bid aggressively if it fits their schedule, i.e. fills a dead leg return. Select a transporter based on their reviews. I've used it probably 10 times and am 10/10 satisfied. www.uship.com

I was wondering when someone was going to do that! Can't wait to see it run

That's a sweet Caterham! I'd be most interested in the BDA myself if I were looking. One thing, I think Croc's logic includes the Car, the BDA and the Crossflow. I'd subtract the cost of the crossflow ($3k?) from those numbers. Good luck!

Chris, Those are the lap belt mountings. The belts from there go up and over the lower portion of the seat and join to buckle at your waist. My car only has a 4-point harness (2 belt, 2 shoulder), no anti-submarine harness between my legs.