the_rainman

I posted the below on the other USA 7 forum the other day and got the best crash protection 7 thread i have ever seen. I was wondering what this list would be able to add to the conversation. Again, rear and side crash protection are the main questions. If i did have really robust side bars that were high enough to make sure the SUV bumper hit them and not my head and if i had a fuel cell and a spare tire in the back, what exactly will happen in the event of being hit a decent clip (20-50mph?) in the side (at speed) or rear (at a dead stop)??? Thanks! Here is the original post... Hi yall... I bought my first 7 this year and have been driving it for about 3 months now, lately as a daily driver to work and back, over 50 miles a day. These last months have been my 'evaluation period' on owning a 7, as i couldn't decide if i could live with one in my situation without having one and driving it. 3 main issues have come to the surface after owning one for awhile. Crash safety, struggling to find time to work on it, and the possibility of needing to go to Sweden for awhile in a couple of years. Now, the original builder/owner of my car is ready to have her back and i am thinking of backing out of a 7 for the moment due to the above issues. I am a single dad with two pre-teen girls, one autistic, and finding time to put towards the 7 has been a challenge. My ex is Swedish and i might end up going to Sweden for 5 or so years in order for our daughters to be 'part-Swedish'. The big issue though is crash safety. I had told myself for years that i would put serious sidebars on the 7 when i got one, and that that would make it 'at least as safe as a miata'. I am really wondering about this now though as i go thru 4-way after 4-way driving around town. What are everyone's opinions about crash safety, both in rear and side impacts? I have a fuel cell and kept the spare tire on so that will help with rear enders. I was going to put on serious side bars (thick, sticking farther out and higher up than the stock Caterham sidebars). Assuming getting hit on the side or rear between say 20mph and 40mph (anything higher i am toast in any car), will we avoid serious injury? I am ferrying around my kids every day in the car to camps, etc. I simply cant put them in an unduly dangerous situation, nor can i let myself get hurt, as i am my autistic daughter's anchor in life. She depends on me being here and healthy. Am i fooling myself that i could be even as safe as say a miata, in a 7, even with the right sidebars and fuel cells, etc? I have scoured the web for threads about this issue and cant find much. It seems that everyone is doing what i have been doing, which is to kinda accept the risk and not talk about it much. The safety issue become more and more of a concern to me as i have lived with one in traffic in a big city. My plan, should i decide to sell the 7, is to go dump about 18k into a very nice (somewhat modded, with 200+whp and a serious coilover suspension) Mini Cooper S. I would drive that very safe car while the kids are still young, then in 3-5 years or so could get a 7 again, this time put a 'green high mpg' engine in her and use the now older mini as a fantastic family backup car. However, if i still don't feel that the 7 is safe in the event of a fairly hard side or rear impact, i shouldn't have one now OR later either, since, as i said before, i have a responsibility to my autistic daughter. The 7 is SUCH an awesome car, nothing else like it. Can i make it safe enough with the right bars on it? Thanks! Randy

Hi yall... I am in the market for Caterham clutch cables...looking for several in fact (in case one breaks)... Where is a source for these now? Dick Brink has already called Caterham USA and Rocky Mountain and no luck, as it looks like all the new Cats are fitted with hydraulic clutch systems. I need not just the two to start with, but a source for other Caterham manual clutches in case one breaks down the road... Thanks! Randy

Thanks for the advice everyone... I will try this week and will be honest but will divulge only the minimum needed... Sounds like i can figure out a way to drive it 10k or so a year and to drive it to work and back one way or the other... If i cant drive it to work, i wont be able to drive it hardly at all given my unique situation (single dad with 2 kids)... Randy

Hey everyone... I bought an 88 Caterham in April and we are putting a Zetec into it right now with Dick Brink in Arlington Texas...At the moment the car is still engineless and unregistered etc... I read the insurance threads awhile back and decided to move all of my insurance (home and other car) to State Farm in preparation for trying to insure the Caterham with them, since i had read lots of good things about using State Farm for 7s...i told the agent that i would be insuring a 'collector car' in a few months and he said Ok... Since then, I had been waiting to broach the whole insurance subject until the car was further along... Was talking to a Bernie Long yesterday and he brought up the subject again, especially given my saying i want to use the car as a 'daily driver'... That's the catch, i want to DRIVE this car a lot, at least 7k per year i am thinking. 5k per year would be the absolute minimum and that would really get to me i think, especially if i move a little farther out in the boonies like i am planning... I want to drive the car to work and back, don't want to worry about where i park it, whether i leave it unattended, etc, etc... That's why i went to State Farm...i figured they would be the easiest to work with on getting a very high mileage limit (or none)... So, some questions... * When should i bring the whole thing up officially to the State Farm agent? * What things should i make sure and tell the agent and what things should i make sure and NOT tell the agent? * I know there are a number of you out there that use your 7s to and from work and also drive them 7k or more per year, Cherik and Michael Dougherty come to mind. What do yall do to be able to drive it 7k or more per year with no restrictions on driving to work, etc? * I know i should NOT tell the agent its a 64 Lotus (thats whats on the engine plate right now). Should i change the plate for insurance reasons to an 88 Caterham? * What do i need to do to make 99.9% sure that the insurance company will replace it for the full stated value? Don't want to create any loopholes for them to disallow any claim or to not pay full value... Thanks! Randy

Hey...i live in Dallas... Sounds like a lot of possible track fun days...once i shake out my car... Randy

So, how hard would it be to strip the paint off the bonnet aluminum? I am guessing REALLY hard since its so thin there and has the louvers...but if i am to keep it mostly aluminum, then i want to be able to have the bonnet also aluminum...looks much better that way i think... Randy

Got ya about getting it on the road...just kinda feeling my way thru the initial stuff here...i am never shy about asking for advice, its how i learn everything! Plan is to just keep fixing/modding it until i am 95 and cant see the road anymore... Wonder what kind of engine/fuel i will be running in 2050?! Randy

Also wanting advice on painting the caterham...need to lock down a paint shop in the next couple of weeks... Surely, there must be a way to limit the costs of painting...i am not looking for concours level painting, just a good solid (not Maaco) paint job by some garage type shop...surely i can get a good solid full paint job on the car that will last with less than $800 or so...i would also be willing to do some of the paint prep myself to save some $, but dont know if anyone will work with me on something like that... Why do most quotes i have heard run $1200+ for such a little car? Is the prep required to paint aluminum responsible for the high cost? Part of the car is already aluminum, and i could go with mostly aluminum instead of painting the whole thing to save some money... If i went with mostly polished aluminum to start, i would want to strip the bonnet of its paint. How hard is stripping a bonnet back down to bare aluminum? There is a small hole in one part of the non-painted aluminum area right now that i wouldnt think could be fixed without painting over it. How do you plug a hole in aluminum and have it look ok without painting over it? Also, how many monthly hours will i end up spending to keep a polished aluminum car looking decent if you are driving it alot? Finally, anyone have any recommendations for good inexpensive paint shops in the Dallas/Ft Worth area? Thanks! Randy

What kind of mileage do you get with the Jenveys? What are the seat of the pants, right foot impressions of them? Why not put some of the little Focus forum type improved throttle bodies on? Why do no 7s do this it seems? Randy

Posting this to all 7 type lists! First, a tad of background... My name is Randy Flowers and i have bought an 88 Caterham from Dick Brink in Arlington Texas...the car was mostly used for occasional trackdays in its previous life, it has a nice suspension setup, De Dion, LSD, etc, and is now engineless and we putting a Zetec ZX2 engine in it (mated to a BGH T9 close ratio tranny rated to handle 240hp)...i have been spending the last month since i bought the car learning about what stuff to order, etc, and having a blast doing it! My own situation is that i am a single dad with two young daughters (one of whom is autistic) and time is my #1 thing in life right now. I am also not a mechanic but will definitely learn all the basics for proper maintanence, etc. I plan on DRIVING the car ALOT, mostly around town, to work and back, to pick up a daughter at daycare, short trips, that type of thing. The top considerations for me are a) reliability day to day and 2) driveability around town including in some traffic, especially wanting below 5,000 RPM responsiveness and quickness as i will very seldom rev past 5000 going 0-50mph between lights...i will occassionally take it to a track once i get used to it, but only to have fun and learn the limits of the car, not to compete... With that said, i need some advice for initial and long term Zetec mods. I have scoured the Birkin and 7 sites (including BlatChat in England) and Focus mod sites, and am finding very little advice for good mod paths for a Zetec... I am thinking i want long term to have a very reliable and driveable 175-185hp. I would love to do this from the start, and Dick Brink is suggesting a $1300 head he has (with very good porting, bigger valves, etc) and to use that head to put stage two cams of some sort in. The wiring loom we are using for the car came out of a Birkin that used a head that was ported, shaved, stage two cams and bigger valves, and the chip that came with the Birkin wiring loom had been modified for $300 to match the above stage two type of head setup. If i went with the modified head and stage two cams right off the bat, then i should very closely match the modified chip i already have, and would guess i would need not more than a few hours of dyno time to dial the already modded chip in...would guess i could do all this for around $2500 for everything and have 180+hp right off the bat... HOWEVER...money in the initial budget is a getting very thin, and also i am thinking i should stick pretty close to stock for the initial build of the car until i get used to driving a 7... But dang it, i want at least a little more power i think initially than a pure stock 145-150hp setup! Maybe in the 160-165hp range... So, some questions... 1) If you were wanting to do some very basic (easy, reliable, inexpensive) mods to a stock Zetec as a starting point, what would you do to improve 0-50mph style around town, below 5000 RPM, crispness of throttle and easy to rev power? I am thinking of the following for initial mods (if i dont go with the stage two type head and modified ECU/chip that Dick has)... a) $300 Lightened (Fidanza) flywheel (this one i am sure i am doing while the engine is out of the car!) b) $100 Shave the head to get compression into the 10:4 range (.040?) c) $100 Underdrive pulley Note that if i dont go with a stage two modded head type of initial setup, i am planning on just putting aside the modified Ford chip that i have and purchasing a stock Ford chip... 2) Will shaving the head cause a stock Ford chip to blow its mind and need tweaking, or will it adjust on the fly properly? What will shaving the head mean to seat of the pants 0-50mph 3) What are opinions on the worth of an underdrive pulley? Especially given that the pulley is driving alot less stuff on our cars. 4) I talked to a Zetec race engine prepper locally and told him all the above, and his recommendation was to do all the bolt on stuff first before any head mods, and wanted me to get a) serious

Be sure and check my Zetec parts wanted email in the parts section of the list! We are missing a few pieces and i want to see if i can find any of them on the lists before ordering... Randy

Hi everyone... My first official email on the list as a 7 owner... I have wanted them since i saw them beat the Vets in 60s clubsport racing at Green Valley Raceway near Dallas... I bought one from Dick Brink in Arlington Texas. Every owner i have talked to so far has been very available and helpul. I can already see that this is a tight knit community and i want especially to meet with all the other 7 owners in the Metroplex general area! A little about the car itself first......its a 1988 Caterham 7 with De Dion and LSD, uprated suspension and radiator... frame, etc are all in good shape... Its engineless now and will be putting a Zetec 2.0 in it, probably pure stock at first... Now, i just gotta figure out how to set it up to be very reliable as i plan to drive it alot...want reliability and driveability above all... Randy Flowers

Hello everyone... I am finally a Caterham 7 owner after almost 40 years of wanting one! I bought one from Dick Brink in Arlington Texas. Every owner i have talked to so far has been very available and helpul. I can already see that this is a tight knit community and i want especially to meet with all the other 7 owners in the Metroplex general area! A little about the car itself first......its a 1988 Caterham 7 with De Dion and LSD, uprated suspension and radiator... frame, etc are all in good shape...the car is now engineless... The car also came with a Quaif Racing transmission with close ratio gears. The gears are likely of the sycro type but we do not know that to be a fact, nor do we know the ratios at this point. What we do know is that the transmission performs perfectly and shifts smoothly. The gears will of course handle very high torque engines which I am not planning to have at this point. The tranny is very good if you want to shift fast! I am wanting to swap the Quaif tranny for someones stock T9 tranny + $$, or to find someone that will just buy the Quaif alone without a swap. We will have more info on the exact gear ratios shortly. I will be buying a stock 2.0 Zetec from Dick with a Dunnell sump on it...we will stick with fuel injection and Dick has the wiring loom...other than a lightened flywheel i will be sticking with a stock head, intake and ECU for the first build of the car... We are looking for the following parts for the 88 Caterham using a stock Zetec 2.0 and T9 tranny... 1) Wanting to arrange either a) the sale of the Quaif Racing transmission or b) the swap of the Quaif Racing transmission for a T9 tranny (in good condition) + $$ 2) Headers for a Zetec 2.0 3) Clutch cable (for Caterham) 4) Bellhousing (for Caterham) 5) Throw out bearing for bellhousing 6) Starter that bolts to bellhousing 7) High pressure fuel pump (plus the other items needed to convert a carbed car to EFI) 8) O2 Sensor That's what we need at the moment. You can email me at randyf@4pcbs.com Thanks! Randy Flowers