athens7

I have been very happy with my Toyo R1Rs. Great grip with some ability to progressively rotate in the dry, will go through standing water without loss of traction, and after 1 season of autocross, only 2/32nds gone from tread (6/32nds vs. 8/32nds when new). 9 class wins in 10 season points events against non-LSIS with A06s and V710s-not bad for a street tire! The tires were heat cycled out by the end of the season and needed to be replaced (11 events and 1 school).

Clearly, the car needs the lowered floor upgrade, at least for the passenger side :jester:.

+1 :drool:

There are excellent Caterham people in your area; Jeff Sloan at British Auto Specialist in Ft. Worth, as well as several members of this forum. Outside of California (http://www.californiacaterhamclub.com), the Dallas-Ft. Worth area may have the largest collection of 7 and LSIS aficionados in the US. Lucky bloody you!

Data logging was done using my Diablosport Predator ECU tuner, which includes a variety of data logging options. 2 limiting factors in the choice of location were keeping the heater and not cutting the bonnet. Variances in temperature were not huge, 2-5 degrees among the best options (15+ degrees better than without any assembly), but a couple of design elements became identifiable. Eliminating curves in the intake ducting was more important than the size of the intake opening (we tried Pegasus Racing intake ducts to increase intake area, but they necessitated bending the duct). Having the opening back at the radiator generated cooler temperatures than having the duct opening at the grille, probably due to the bending issue again. The rearward intake opening also reduces the amount of moisture and trash that could make its way back to the air box area. The air blocker around the radiator increased air flow to the duct. Insulating the air box was very important, as heat soak from the hot engine compartment had more impact on intake temperatures than any duct location.

Some time passes... Here is the finished product. LOTS of data logging showed a straight duct was more important than the type of intake nozzle, or whether the intake started at the grille or further back. I now get intake air at 5 degrees over ambient at cruise, and only 7 degrees over ambient under autocross conditions (an improvement of 15 degrees or more), all without losing my heater, which I use in the winter, or cutting the bonnet. The plexi wind blocker surrounding the radiator is a bit hard to spot, but it routes air both to the CAI and through the radiator, and does not increase cockpit temperatures (a concern I had as common wisdom says SVs are cooler than S3s because of additional airflow around the engine). I did drop the charcoal canister a little bit, btw, but it's still there.

Easy enough under current Georgia law, if the car is not coming from a foreign country (already built and titled).

Or the brakes...:leaving:

If the 15s are a straight swap with the 16" wagon wheels installation wise, that is. Anyone have a set to sell? 5 would be great, 4 would be fine.

After 4 runs last Sunday, I had almost 1/2 quart of oil in my catch tank. Certain tracks (high G right turns) can really force oil out of a Zetec. My understanding is that the road race guys just put a block off plate where the PCV valve used to be. As the PCV system is primarily an emissions control device, I have been told eliminating it is not a problem on race engines. The reason I retained my PCV system was because I use factory engine management and felt it would be better to keep operating parameters as close to OEM as possible. Also, I felt oil loss would be minimal in my autocross application.

I have seen some pictures of triangular shaped "cone catchers" on the side of autocrossed Sevens, either on this forum or elsewhere. Could the owners or fabricators of said items post some pictures, especially of the way the catcher is mounted to the chassis? Having completely ripped the right rear wing off my car last weekend... http://www.youtube.com/user/athensse.../1/wtcA8vroVxA I am replacing both wings, both stone shields, & a tail light. I am also having both wings covered in 3M Clearshield. With this investment, I would like to keep these new wings intact for a period of time, so a right side cone catcher appears to be a good idea.

Ben at Caterham USA sold me an exhaust mount that connects to the collector flange, because my exhaust cracked in the first few thousand miles. Since then, no problems.

If one subscribes to the notion of "the more severe the initiation, the more committed the particpant", then Tom's assembly and break in saga should make him the most fervently dedicated Seven owner alive! Good luck on the rest of your journey, Tom :cheers:

I'm sure it's my lack of IT skill, but I can't seem to access the 2nd page.

After checking the alternator (13.8 volts with a 63 amp load) and battery, my mechanic checked the ground at the front right of the car (at the brake line into the car from the right front wheel). He found no obvious corrosion or other contaminant, but cleaned it anyway. He then checked other grounds under the dash, and removed/inspected/replaced the flasher relay at the fuse block. There was no evidence of any problem with connections or condition of any items. When I took the car in, it was misbehaving in an easily replicable fashion. After the mechanic was done, he was unable to duplicate the problem, and I have now driven the car around 50 miles with no recurrence of either problem (glowing light or headlight/fan conflict). I guess it's fixed...

12,000 miles on an Atom! That's a lot of track days, or some serious street time, or both. Kudos to the driver.

12,000 miles on the car. I have never put a pressure washer or any water under the bonnet. I did buy a bottle of Dirt-X to put on the engine from the same guy I got the light weight racing air for the tires from :jester:.

My 5 year old battery is in a legally compliant disposal facility. I have a shiny new PC680MJ with billet hold down (middle aged car guy bling). I am worried that the alternator has been burned up by the Bummer as it was dying.

While chasing my little green turn signal indicator light problem, I find that when the car is at hot idle, turning on the headlights will shut down the radiator fan. As soon as I cut the headlights off (parking lights still on), the fan turns back on. This was replicable 100% of the time. Is it part of the car's design to do this, or is this a sign of a problem? It would seem to me that the car should be able to run both lights and fan simultaneously while running, especially at a hot idle when the car needs the fan the most. I am wondering if my alternator is having a problem. I have heard that as Banner batteries die, they can take the alternator with them, perhaps as the result of constantly trying to charge the battery. What test might I perform to check the alternator, and what other issues might cause the car to not be able to power all of it's electrical systems while the engine is running?

Those look like Caterham "Type-S" seats, available back in the day.

The little green turn signal light (center of three lights on the tach face) on my car has taken to glowing and/or flickering when the turn signals are not in use. The glow waxes and wanes, and is never as bright as when the signals are in operation. It happens whether the main/parking lights are on or off, but is more likely when they are on. Manipulating the headlight switch does seem to affect the glow. All turn signals and lights are functioning normally. I have just replaced the Banner battery with an Odyssey PC680MJ. The Banner had not shown obvious signs of failing, but it was drawing down to around 8 volts on starting, causing problems with my gauges. Ben at Caterham USA says he has not seen this previously. Any ideas as to causes/cures?

+1 on these plugs. $12, comfortable and durable.

Can you reach out to the seller?

Start here on page 100: http://motor.etax.dor.ga.gov/forms/pdf/motor/MV_Vehicles_Titles_Manual.pdf You'll need one of these: http://motor.etax.dor.ga.gov/forms/pdf/motor/MV_Affidavit_of_Assembled_Veh_Inspectiom_Form_MV100.pdf You MIGHT need one of these: http://motor.etax.dor.ga.gov/forms/pdf/motor/MV_Rebuilt_Vehicle_Inspection_Request_Form_T22R.pdf And perhaps one of these: http://motor.etax.dor.ga.gov/forms/pdf/motor/MV_Labor_and_Parts_Certification_Form_T129.pdf All titling is handled through the Salvage Section of Georgia's Department of Revenue/Motor Vehicle Division. It's a pretty straightforward proposition these days, since new a new law was passed in 2008. The car will carry a branded title, but the brand is "assembled vehicle" and wholly appropriate, unlike "rebuilt" or "reconstructed", which implies previously wrecked. The inspection can be done at your home or office, as well as at specified inspection stations (usually body shops). If you live in an emissions county, the car will have to pass an emissions test for the motor (likely based on the year of the motor-I don't live in an emissions county). This can be a little sticky if you don't have full OBDII equipment; you'll have to find a shop that will do a tailpipe "sniffer" test. My Seven was purchased new on an MSO (Manufacturer's Statement of Origin). The level of paperwork on this type of car is likely higher than if you buy a previously titled car. A car with an existing title, from Georgia or another state, won't typically need the supporting build documentation. WARNING: your local tag/title office probably won't have anyone who knows the ins and outs of this process. Call the toll free number, wait forever, ask for the Salvage Section, and give them your cell phone as the contact number. When they call you back, you'll have a direct number to the Salvage Section for future use. The main office in Atlanta will have people who know the drill, if you have the stomach for going into the belly of the beast. It is possible to do almost all of this through the mail with the Salvage Section. A word about taxes: casual sales (between private parties) in Georgia are non taxable, so if you buy an existing car, there will be no sales tax liability. If you are buying a new car from a dealer, get them to split the invoices; one for the drive train, one for the kit, and one for assembly. There is a good chance that Dept. of Revenue will only tax some of the car.

Is that an EV-1 in the background? I thought GM had scrapped all of those after they ripped them from the clutches of their lessees all those many years ago! And the Ford logo...? Are the wheels street or R Comps? Shaved? :jester: Al, that's like looking at one cell and envisioning the complete human. I admire your patience.