Slonie

I haven't driven any Azenis past the original one (RT215s?) but this is what I'm looking at when I get a second set of wheels in 14"... Price is right too, although I guess it's a closeout price (at Tire Rack)

Hey, given that I'm in that club, maybe it was subconscious? Thanks to everyone and I'm glad y'all like the final logo! (or are polite enough to say you do ). Looking forward to seeing the merch. As the design was done as vector art, it will be possible to do die-cut stickers with no background which would be the best way to get them onto your cars. That's what I'd do anyway... Cheers!

That's good to hear that the A052 is in that elusive 55-series 14" (I often see 55-series 14" tires on wheels for sale in Japan, but it seems uncommon here). Unfortunately that's the only 14" size but if I'm getting 14s I'll run a square setup anyway. I currently run a 6 front 8 rear setup on 13s. Edit: The only problem with the A052 is $200 per tire in 14", but I suppose speed costs money... how fast do you wan to go?

This thing sounds really cool! I wish I had known about it before buying a Stack water temp gauge (which I have been very happy with, mind you) It's too bad OLEDs aren't suitable for this application (or so I've been told) as that would really fix the contrast and readability issues.

Some accompanying pics for reference! What it will look like when you finally get it free, hopefully not sending a steering wheel into your face (it went into my chest instead). Due to the bushing's metal core it will feel like a hard stop when the steering column lock collar contacts the bushing, but (in my experience) it will come out. Slowly... then rapidly. Upper column removed with old bushing in place. Steering wheel would be at the top of the photo. Note sheared off rubber nub, plus what I believe is the old white plastic sleeve which had actually been there all along but pushed further into the steering column so it wasn't in contact with the bushing. At the bottom you can see the steering column lock collar which is welded on with 3 tack welds. I have heard of people just grinding them off to make this job easier... Installed bushing, note white tab of inner sleeve is visible (was missing on my car before I started!) View from below the steering column showing hole where the rubber nub of the bushing should be protruding into. As you can see though it's been sheared off. If you look further under the dash you will see the lower bushing (not pictured) Photo from Caterham.jp of the uprated bushing compared to a normal one Measurements of the uprated bushing from caterham.jp (they also had measurements of the original, it's very very close)

Update to this topic: Despite the above photos and claim that I am missing the lower bushing, I think it's just that my car has a different bracket at the firewall than the photo of the "correct" installation. If I look underneath the steering column in the footwell, I can see the rubber of the lower bushing through the positioning hole. Also you can see white in my photo with the red circle on it which might be the inner sleeve of the lower bushing. In any case, I got everything installed again and learned a few more things: 1) I needed that jaw puller to free the column from the boss/wheel. If I didn't have access to one (or an impact gun for removal of the nut) I would have had to remove the steering wheel first before undoing anything else, loosen the nut (but not all the way!) and then re-attached the steering wheel to wiggle and yank it off. Since I didn't have that forethought, the jaw puller worked with the column and attached boss out of the car. 2) Yes, you have to install the upper bushing with the upper column installed if you have a steering lock (non-removable wheel column). This is annoying! Also more on this below. (At least the column lock makes it easier to destructively remove the old upper bushing (slide hammer technique) I used a few-inch length of PVC pipe (3/4" diameter) and a rubber mallet to install the bushing with the column installed. I used silicone spray lube to help things out. I made sure to position the inner sleeve so that the tab facing out was away from the split (this is to keep the sleeve from being driven out of the bushing during installation). And after all was said and done and torqued to spec.... My steering wheel turns! Unfortunately, for whatever reasons (bad condition of new bushing, plastic sleeve collapsing, insufficient lube inside the bushing and insufficient lube outside the bushing during installation), the installation has resulted in the upper bushing being free to turn inside the steer tube but binding on the column itself. So I can steer and the bushing is where it's supposed to be, but the bushing just turns in the steer tube. This is noisy, adds steering effort (though less than I expected), and feels like there's potential to bind up at an inopportune moment so I am not driving the car. Next steps: All that being said, I believe I sheared off the locating nubs on the top and bottom of the bushing during installation (via mallet, see above). I don't have a surefire way of re-doing this successfully but I will use grease on the outside and inside of the bushing and try to be more gentle while tapping it in. I also might try to slightly chamfer the leading edge of the locating nubs so that they don't shear off when pushing it into place. The locating nubs are what keep the bushing from rotating within the steer tube. So I need to order another bushing or three and try again! I am also curious about this uprated bushing available at Moss Motors and others. I've heard it's "better" and would seem to avoid the problems with the inner sleeve pushing out. It also is probably more slippery than the ancient plastic used on the OEM bushing. I have read though that the "rubber" part is also a lot harder and makes for a difficult installation (or requiring more chamfering of of the leading surfaces to aid in installation). If anyone else has tried this one, please let us know! https://mossmotors.com/525-021-bearing-steering-column-uprated

I came here to say that 14" has a way bigger tire selection than 13", at least in this country and for sporty street tires. And also I'm planning to run the RT660s when I get a second wheel set (which will be 14s, for the aforementioned reason!)

Thanks for asking! It would be about [past] time to think about calling for one. I'll keep this thread posted.

This is what I learned in this procedure - the joint is designed to slip in an accident and can be used to provide a modest amount of reach adjustment otherwise. After seeing a photo from Josh at RMC of what the lower bushing looks like in situ, I can see that mine must be missing altogether? Correct photo: My car, looking into the frame tube. I think the circled area is the hole in the tube where the nub on the bushing is supposed to sit. In any case, the bushing would be completely visible from the outside. (I know it also looks like a huge amount of wiggle room here but i took this photo with the upper/outer column removed and you’re looking at the inner column here)

Thanks folks! I gathered all the info I could find from this thread and others, and asking Josh at RMC, and went to work today. This was a great link, although they've got a QR column. https://caterham420detailedbuildblog.co.uk/2020/01/29/steering-column/ The short version (perhaps not that short) is, I got the column out, and got the new bushing in. With the clamp bolts undone and the key in the "1" position to undo the steering lock, I encountered the expected "hard stop" after a few inches when pulling on the wheel. I got it out with the ole slide hammer technique as many have done before me. I didn't lose any teeth in the process, but that's probably dumb luck. The bad news is that the upper bushing is "stuck" to the column and rotates within the steer tube when the column is turned. This was caused, I believe, by me shearing off the ears on the rubber part that keep it from turning within the tube, and also that my steering column doesn't line up perfectly with the tube (you can see in my earlier photos of it sitting to the left and then the right, one of those photos is its natural position before I started taking anything apart). I also used silicone spray lubricant during the assembly and maybe I got the outside of the bushing slipperier than the inside, and maybe the white plastic liner was already a bit funky on the part as delivered to me. In any case, with everything back together and torqued, the steering "works" but I can see the bushing turning around with the column and it's very squeaky. Surprisingly, steering effort isn't too bad (as tested by lifting the front wheels off the ground, I can still steer with one finger that way). I'm not totally sure yet what my resolution will be besides getting another bushing and trying again (maybe with a change to the QR column!). Other errata: 1) The assembly manual specifies the flat part of the steering column facing up when assembled and the wheels turned straight. Mine was facing towards the right side of the car so that the clamp bolt heads presented themselves to the left side of the car. I left it alone. It did make it easier to use a torque wrench on those bolts with the steering wheel straight, at least! I left it alone as correcting this would require repositioning the lower column by 90 degrees. 2) I noticed I'm missing the 17mm locknut that is supposed to go onto the grub screw in the steering column clamp. I should probably source that. 3) A three inch long segment 3/4" ID PVC pipe made a nice drift for tapping the bearing into the steer tube (with the upper column in place, as is I believe the only way to do it). This tip may not really be that useful though given my predicament. Note that I had to get the column clamp completely done up before I could tap the bushing into place, because it was tight enough to cause the column to telescope immediately otherwise. 4) I've heard of people grinding off the steering column lock in order to be able to install the bushing in the same way as with a QR column (It's only tack-welded into place) but I didn't do this. 5) I needed to borrow a jaw puller to get the steering wheel boss off of the splines (in order to fit the new bushing) but that went smoothly after that. To take the nut off with the column out of the car, I used an impact wrench and it came right off. 6) Surprisingly, I did not have a problem with the lower of the two column bushes popping out even after a few rounds of feeding the upper column through towards the clamp It does make me wonder if it is there to begin with.

Thanks for this pic and explanation, that's very helpful! I've gotta change (at the very least) my upper bushing now as the plastic part has seemingly gone missing and there's a considerable amount play in the position of the steering wheel as a result. I was wondering what the process is for re-fitting the upper bushing in this case. Most guides online seem to suggest that you can install the bushing in the dash first and feed the column down to it, but doesn't the column lock collar prevent one from doing this? I've seen one post suggesting grinding off the tack welds on the collar (and maybe, if you want, welding it back after) but I was wondering if there's another way (removing the steering wheel and slipping the new bushing onto the wheel-end of the colum then installing together?). Admittedly, this all might make sense once I actually have it apart but it's better to go in with a plan, right?

I don't want to alarm you, but that's not the official Alpinestars site even though it clearly does a good impression of being the real thing. I'm getting a bad feeling from a lot of little things around the site (nonfunctional links in their footer, "chiefsalesservice @ gmail.com" as their customer support address, and the blanket "too good to be true" ~80% +/- off pricing on every product including $600 motorcycle leathers). To give them the tiny benefit of the doubt, the "about us" page claims that they are an independent seller of Alpinestars gear, but the rest of the site seems designed to impersonate the genuine article. Lastly, Alpinestars's official site has an online shop and there are some going on but they're more normal, i.e. 25% off on those gloves. PS: Feel free to ignore all this if your gloves actually arrived. Just looking out.

Oops, double posted again...

I suppose this is what my car was plumbed with. Call me naïve but I was surprised as I didn't know fuel hardlines could be made of anything that wasn't metal. Thanks for the roundup. My fuel lines in the engine bay look to mostly be the braided type IIRC. For whatever reason, the rear fuel lines all looked fine except for the one closest to the filter which was horrible. I changed them all as a preventative, but boy was that one gross. Josh at Rocky Mountain Caterham set me up with a new one (since this one also has the banjo bolt)

Oh, did you run a braided line all the way back entirely replacing the factory hard (plastic?) lines? Something for me to think about in the future (on my ~2001 Zetec/TWM build) During the long hiatus of my car the last rubber line to the fuel filter cracked in much the way yours did, dripping fuel when it got pressurized by a hot garage. Of all my regrets from having the car parked for a while, letting that failure occur while parked is not among them. During the resurrection, we replaced all of the rubber lines behind the rear bulkhead with new ones (but still rubber, nothing fancy). I still need to replace the engine bay side ones at some point. I was surprised to find out that the factory hard lines are plastic and was wondering if those are ever a point of failure for people.

I don't have any points of comparison between the R888R and the RA1, but since you got me wondering I looked up and the RA1 only comes in a 205 section? I was going to say that might be wide for a 6" wheel, but Toyo's own site specifies approved widths as 5.5-7.5, so you're right on. I didn't even know it was an option when I bought the R888Rs, so I'll definitely consider them next time. (I run the R888R in 185/60-13 and 205/60-13 on 6" and 8" wheels on my car) Edit: Also doing some Googling between your current tire and the 205/60-13 RA1s, you're only losing a quarter of an inch of ground clearance compared to your current setup. I know some people would say that every little bit counts but I might just leave it be at that point. (23.2" diameter -> 22.7" diameter, 0.5" shorter overall so a 0.25" lower ride height)

Just saw this being extracted from the container on Adam's Instagram story, so this Steelbro Mk4 has landed in the US (via Japan, as per usual). Interesting one! https://sodo-moto.com/listings/lotus-super-7-6/ 1979 Lotus – Steelbro Super Seven Mk4 – 3051 / Lotus twincam engine nr. 32559. $29,500

I decided to try out the vacuum filler myself after a long period of cooling system frustration and don't regret it at all. I've done the funnel-burp shuffle many times and have never been convinced that it has gotten all the air out the system. You need a compressor for it to work, and you need to trust your cooling hoses to not crack under vacuum, but besides that it seems fairly foolproof and allows you to avoid the funnel burping anxiety and potential mess. In the end I'm not convinced it got an absolute 100% of the air out of my system but it was a whole lot easier than massaging hot coolant hoses or running the engine hot in the driveway hoping for results. All you do is hook it up, pull vacuum, wait a little while to confirm that it's holding, and then flip another switch to fill (from your coolant container). It's actually quicker than pouring it in, as a bonus. You also get a leak test of your system as a leak under vacuum would manifest itself as a dropping needle on the gauge during the first step. I understand that this isn't as accurate as doing a pressure test on your system since a leak under pressure might not manifest itself while under vacuum but I still appreciated the data point. There are fancier (more expensive) systems and cheaper ones out there but this is the one I got. https://www.mobiledistributorsupply.com/24444-airvac-coolant-refiller-oem

You owe it to yourself to watch the whole special (The Grand Tour) https://thegrandtour.fandom.com/wiki/A_Massive_Hunt

The video is also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DIO1RRbo8OF/?hl=en

Oops, wasn't actually sure I wanted to post that one but it's out there now

Oh believe me I went down this path a bit but balancing readability with pleasing aesthetics is a bastard. Might noodle on it more later. I have plenty of practice from another design I did. Getting this one to look right is real hard though

That idea applied to my further iteration might end up looking something like this (un-italicized the 7 too, and rebalanced the size of the car)

Thanks! It's a mixture. The Helvetica and Eurostile (favorite of Lotus later on) and Microgramma ones are stock fonts... And these ones started off inspired by New Zelek but were significantly modified: New Zelek would look like this without any tweaks. 1970s and 80s designers loved to use New Zelek as a jumping off point for logos and I'm no different...

I've got quite a lot of ideas (mostly not pictured) but actually thought @JohnCh's initial concept was pretty solid so I iterated on the theme: Also pictured for the hell of it, the draft pile...