sf4018

I contacted Caterham about the upgraded rear brake package Problem is there's no handbrake and would not be road legal, which after the effort and cost to get the title and tag seems overall a step backwards. I think for now I'm going to try and add some ductwork and see if I can make them last 2 weekends at least, swapping rear pads out isn't the end of the world.

Wow, thanks for all the advice, you guys are great! Anker - Fronts locked up last weekend, nice flat spot to prove it! CarlB - that was a good test, the brake bias seems fine (the fronts were somewhat harder to turn than the rears at different pressures). Croc - Rears Dragging: rear disc rotates by hand though I do hear noise as they do seem to be in contact, but I can’t see how that wouldn’t happen. KnifeySpoony - fronts are air cooled discs with quad calipers (the uprated version), rears are the standard solid ones and standard calipers. Rear pads are the uprated ones from Caterham... https://caterhamparts.co.uk/calipers-pads-discs/668-brake-pads-rear-use-with-4-pot-front-brakes.html?search_query=30B013A&results=1. The picture shows 507CC but they shipped 507CP. I just discovered I can’t get to the front pads - one of the 2 brake retaining pins is blocked by the cycle wing frame grrr. Maybe add air ducts to the rears?

There’s an oil temp sender on the sump oil tank that’s allegedly not used by the ECU (even though there is wiring for it). I had some back and forth with Caterham about it during the build. I still have it connected to be sure, but you could maybe wire to that sender to your gauge so as to not interfere with the rest of the system? Can also be accessed via Canbus/obd2, which is what I ended up doing.

I just finished the first track day of the year, the rear brakes I’ve changed one time already and are already half worn, the fronts are on the first set of pads still and about 80% pad left. Is this normal? I would have thought the fronts would go first... Thanks!

Remember when hybrid cars were the in thing? That didn't turn out well. Same for "clean diesel" in Europe. Electric cars are just he latest way to destroy the planet. I just can't see gas cars going away, but it would make sense if Caterham developed an electric version though, at least for political cover, but it could also be a good seller too.

There's some dangerous counterfeit stuff out there, only buy from reputable companies!

Don't have them but it seems like it might work well to protect the bow tube from scratches, looks good too.

Trim the ride height 9" inches up and he'll be golden.

I'm a gung-ho kinda guy but that sounds terrifying!

So from my novice metalworking tools and skills I've made a Frankenstein pedal from a Lokar throttle pedal set (it's ugly but works quite well so far). I have to add a spring return somewhere - should it attach above or below the pivot point? Where on the chassis should the other end of the spring attach to??

1. Not sure if one is better but we put in bottom first because it’s easier to get in (I stress the word “we” as I couldn’t have done I alone, it was the hardest part of the build!). We used a jack to support the weight with one person holding it steady and the other person hammering the bolt in. Then we raised the jack to line up the top bolt openings. The top bolt took some major hammering to get all the way through, what a bear. 2. I would guess yes as it connects to universal joints? 3. We put a ton of copper slip on the bolts, didn’t chamfer, so dunno about that one.

I purchased a Black 8 a few months ago and it’s not been great, it works like a product that was pushed out before it was ready. A YI is a quarter of the price of a GoPro, worth a look. If you do track days and want to blow some major $ check out Aim Smartycam.

Been fly fishing in the southern Ozarks a few times, beautiful countryside there, I'd be excited to visit this part of the State. It's a 9 hour drive so it's definitely not too far. Hopefully the established track day guys pick it up next year.

That was fun to watch, thanks for sharing! 1:23 in those track conditions shows how precise your lines and car control were. It's a bit of an empty win for the Elva with that straight line speed advantage, I'm guessing you and the Datsun had a much more fun.

Amazing kit, congrats!

Great video, nice job by your son, thanks for sharing! The side view especially the sundown shots are really cool, I may try to replicate that next time. That blue car spinning out in front of you was a bit of a code brown, good job he didn’t jump back onto the track.

Nick, that looks like something I could do, I'm not really a fabricator, so attaching some pedal surfaces and bending stuff is is probably the extent of my abilities. Do you have a part number for those pedal surfaces? I guess they were bolted on after drilling some holes in the existing pedals?

Dave, I don't have a throttle return spring attached to the pedal like you do, should there have been one to begin with or is that something to add later? It would make sense having it, the spring on the actual manifold actuator seems pretty weak and it's hard to know if I'm even touching the pedal with my foot right now even with thin race boots.

Here's a quick vid that was taken from the paddock...

I think you're right, also it looks like what I thought was clag seems to be rubber from the right side of the tires that have accumulated, the lines are suspiciously straight and uniform. If that's the case do you think any setup like the camber needs to change? I'm not really clued in to setups yet.

These are the fronts, picked up tons of clag I guess on the pit entry, they are quite a mess! The outsides of both left and right have more wear, but I think that's more to do with the setup not being quite right, maybe not enough camber or too much toe out. They were 20psi before the stint, the right sides were about 1.5psi higher at the end so there must be more wear for the rights but I can't see it by eyeballing. I'm guessing they'll manage one more weekend, they are a pretty soft compound - R35.

Hopefully Biden knows how to design and fabricate a throttle pedal, if not he’s dead to me.

IMO you only need it if your garage ceiling isn’t tall enough for the engine hoist work or is too small to maneuver the engine hoist around the front of the chassis.

Here's some video from the Daytona Road Course last weekend... The spastic blip shifts were due to a poorly conceived and made last minute mod to the gas pedal - I slid a PVC tube in the circle bit of the pedal with the intention of making it easier to rotate the foot onto the gas when braking. Unfortunately it was too much and every time I braked, I also pressed down some on the gas as you can see from the green bar on the video. A complete failure, I really need to do something properly over the winter break. Anyways, the rest of the car was great, the hoosier slicks were amazing and the track was a hoot to drive, would recommend if you get a chance. Enjoy!