catracer

Kit, that's been the story of EP for many years. It's one of the reasons it's always scheduled late on the last day, usually. Keeps the spectators in their seats until the end. Anyone in the top ten can have a shot depending on attrition/crashes. Buddy Norton was in my car that year, had outside pole, couldn't get through the first corner on the first lap before someone tried to run us off the road. It was Kim Knapp that made a superb move late to get in front after the smash fest in the last lap. Always exciting!

Just got FAP'd (fair access policy) on my miserable Sat internet provider. But worth it!! That was a great effort! We ALWAYS paint the roll cage a brilliant color! Be sure and watch on Sunday. If it rains....could be very interesting.

Martin, too much fun. Raining and dreary here. Jury duty this morning, but, these are great races.

Maybe OT but just a heads up that the SCCA Road Racing National Championship races are being webcast live today and this weekend. Of interest to us are the F Production and E Production races. F runs today at 3:30 (central, 4:30 Eastern). Eric Prill in an original Lotus 7 has qualified well at 5th overall. Eric is marketing manager for SCCA, has been a lifelong SCCA member and is still driving the same car that his father ran since the 60's. E production is late on Sunday (4:30 central) There are 3 Caterhams in the race group. Kevin Leigh, from Harrisonburg, VA, has also qualified 5th in this race group. Quite impressive at Road America. Kevin has been on a tear last couple years, setting new class track records at several locations in the Northeast. He will have his hands full being as much as 100 hp down compared to several of the other frontrunners. But he drives well, can make up a lot of distance in the corners, and if it's a rain race, my bets on Kevin. He tells me that fuel may be an issue if the race stays green for the entire length. We've the standard fuel cell with an additional 1-1/2 gallon compartment. Hope it's enough. The Caterham driver from Texas, I do not know. Also, Richard "Woody" Adams is there again in a Caterham. Woody competed in the very first Runoffs in an original Lotus 7 America, one of 7 (I believe) race specific chassis brought in for SCCA competition. He still owns the car. In 2001, I think, Woody bought one of our racers and continues competing to this day. This is the 46th Runoffs. Hope I'm that fit when I'm his age..... Anyway, They are at Road America, a great track that requires handling, power and finesse. It's a thrilling , long, long track. I ran there only in 2003 and was amazed at the amount of concrete. Scary... flat out down a concrete canyon into a blind, off camber apex...Wish them luck. webcasts are at http://www.speedcasttv.com I watched one this morning (T2) and the coverage and commentary is excellent. Chip Bond

More... there is no internal seal for the shift rail so the recess (drilling) in the bellhousing comminicates directly with the oil/vapors in the transmission. The .0015" annular space between the shift rail and the bore in the transmission case can pass oil into this recess in the bellhousing.

Sorry if I'm not clear, at the top of the bellhousing,on the face that mates with the gearbox, there is a drilling to recieve the front of the shift rail where it protrudes from the transmission case. The aluminum casting in that area (on the bellhousing) was porous.

Reason I mention, is I chased a weird leak on one of the racers for quite a while. Turned out to be excessive porosity in the bellhouse casting in the area of the shift rail recess. Looked fine when new...but after a few heat/cold soakings, fine fissures could be seen by eye. In the early stages, it would only leak when hot, but later, all the time under dynamic conditions (when oil was being splashed on the shift rail, shift rail in motion, hard brake application, etc) Took 4 R&R's to finally find it. Drove me batty. Just sayin.... Chip

Gary, did you use the same bellhousing on both the first and second trans?

I did misunderstand that. But I have seen one that way.... it was after the selector arm pin sheared, got lodged on the clustergear and then was forcibly ejected through the bottom of the iron case. When the driver came off track, there was no oil, but plenty of smoke and later it could not even be fully disassembled. Frequently leaks on these boxes is due to an incomplete seal between the top of the bellhousing and the shiftrail where it passed through the case into a drilling in the bellhousing. If oils leaking out between the bellhousing and engine block, it's either that area, or the seal (or gasket) at the input shaft retainer or Much less likely is the countershaft (early versions) or the countershaft front support (later). Those have very tight clearances. At any rate, any of those fixes are pretty straightforward and just need the bellhousing removed and, of course, an engine/trans R&R. Rear seal is a btch but can be done in place if the driveshaft is removed. Using a slidehammer for removal and some made up adaptor to seat the new seal.

Gary, Can't believe that your box is completely dry...??? How old is the box? what lube are you running in it and what is your fill point? And, where is it leaking? I've got all the seals and gaskets that you would need, but a couple of the case gaskets require a complicated (near complete) teardown and reassembly.

Mondo, these cars can feel a bit loose for a several reasons. But little recognized is the fact that we are just about sitting over the real wheels, so any small displacement "feels" like it's very significant, where, in fact, it may be little. The beauty of these cars is that they really "telegraph" whats happening in the tires. Good thing, but a bit hard to get used to coming from the typical 3000# + daily driver/grocerygetter/commuter type of vehicle. You mentioned you are feeling better about the car, that's seat time. As others, it's really hard to predict optimum tire pressures because of all the different comounds, constructions, sizes, corner loads, suspension setups, dynamic weight transfer, etc. etc. Just keep at it and you will find a point where you and the car kinda "meld" togther. Keep accurate notes so you can always come back to some baseline. When you change tire types, it will be a bit easier the next time. Another thing to explore is the rake angle of the laden chassis. If the rear is too high, you may gain significant benefit from lowering rear ride height and lessening lateral weight transfer in cornering. I'd recommend no more that about 1/4" overall rake from front to back measured at the flat portions of the frame front and rear. Not sure what rear suspension you have, but if you change, you may have to realign, but if you are high now, it will be well worth it. Corner weights can have a large effect also. Since you, as driver, represent say 10-15% of the total package, and you need to sit off the midline of the chassis, you need to set up corners maybe a bit different that recommended for a lot of other race cars. Formula car set up really doesn't apply here because of driver position, nor does, say, set up for a large roadracing sedan because of the huge weight differential. Two choices: set up anticipating a passenger, or set up for driver only. I usually recommend that we set up a car for driver only since yuo would expect a bit more driver restraint with screaming, terrified passenger along.... maybe not ... Anyway, I digress. If you need more specifics on corner weight PM me so I don't bore the good people here any more that I have. Chip

Jacking points.....You will find a tow point on both the front and back (a small solid steel loop, brazed to the tube frame). Use those and a very low floor jack. In general, only use 3 jack stands under these cars, 2 on the rearmost frame crossmember, and a single stand under the center of the front cruciform (where six tubes meet). It requires that the the rear be raised supported first, then the front.

Hmm, May want to look at the idle air valve also (think it's still in place in your car). I've seen them hang open on occasion (trash inside) . But agree that a vac leak somewhere is the the most probable. You do have to remove the throttle body to adjust idle screw, and by doing so, void you new FORD warranty!. If the sealant paint is tampered, it will key you that somebody did this But its' also possible to change throttle plate position by: 1: slight bend in the plate that secures the end of the throttle cable (where the nylon wedge secures the cable housing) 2: bend in the idle stop. (the metal part that contacts the sealed idle screw below the throttle body) Removing the throttle cable totally will tell you if there is a cable/linkage problem. It's a simple matter. The white nylon wedge is removed allowing the cable to slide through the upper slot in the securing bracket. Then open the throttle manually (car not running of course!) and slide the cable end from it's bore on the bell crank. (did that make any sense?)....start up and see it the idle is lower. You may be able to learn something with the car running, by rotating, with your hand, the throttle bellcrank in reverse. If it moves a bit and the engine slow, something in linkage/cable/accel pedal may be amiss. The fun part....while your at it, with the car OFF, check full throttle by having someone in the car holding the accel pedal to the floor and look at the throttle plate position...it should be....well, wide open....if not you have just found the cheapest horsepower ever. And you would be suprised how often this is never even considered, or examined.... It's really important, in the stock condition, to NOT modify the idle externally. The stock position provides the base voltage reference in the Throttle Position Sensor that tells the computer that car is at idle. In the idle position, drastic changes in ignition timing and fueling occur (compared to normal driving). These are non-linear. In other words, a very slight rotational deviation from the stock TPS position will tell the car that it is trying to accelerate. Ignition advances (usually a lot) and injectors stay open longer. If every thing is working well, over several start/stop cycles the stock ecu will tend to adapt to variance in mechanical and operating conditions but only within it's pre-programmed limits. Big cams with the stock ecu can create the issue you see. They may create a situation beyond the ecu's ability to adjust (since it is mandated by Big Brother to keep the fleet average MPG at a sub-regulatory level). Often when cams go in, the idle goes to hell and the PO compensates with one of the above "fixes" so the car does not stall at every stop sign. There is no simple fix here except live with it, put in stock cams or replace the ecu with aftermarket and develop a new calibration for the engine. 2 ?'s....is that 0.3 amp fuse in place (ECU memory)?...and do you have any history of any modifications on this car? Chip

Heres a US supplier of the wellnut. http://www.mcmaster.com/#well-nut-inserts/=30znm6

16 pin connector. That's it.

7heaven. I looked through the photos that you have posted of your car. It looks as if it's a standard Caterham USA Zetec engine package. If so it should be using the stock Ford ECU (under the passenger foot well) and OBD2 should be functional. The connector should be in the bundle above the steering column. 3/4" x 2" and pretty hard to miss. They are all standard with OBD. If your shop was able to actully plug in their scanner, but could not access stored data, then check for a wire near (and hooked to) the battery positive terminal. There should be a small single fuseholder with a 0.3 amp fuse installed. That powers the memory of the ecu. If it's not installed, it should be. It maintains modified maps of timing and fueling (adaptive ecu). But.....Your shop should have been able to get realtime data with the car running..... Also....Often, it's hard to "feel" for the sparkplug boots engaging the top of the plug in these cars. They can feel like they are home, but end up askew in the sparkplug well with the result of a single cylinder out all the time. If you have changed plugs recently, you may want to take a look at that. It's happened here more than a few times..... Hope that helps....btw, nice looking 7. Chip

Believe I'd be looking at fuel filter and ignition first. Rule that out b4 going into carbs.

PM sent

Header insulation makes a huge difference. Just don't use it on mild steel headers (it will turn them to rust in short order), but fine for stainless tubes original to the Caterham.

Derek, obvious, but just a suggestion...I would not do a thing that can't be "undone". Save any original parts. Best Chip

Very special, Derek. Thanks for the pix! Chip

Great story! Any pix from back then?

Derek, From Chris Rees' book. Caterham Sevens, S3 Prototype with Twin Cam CS3/3550/TCP 1974 First RHD production CS3/3551/TCR 1974 First LHD production CS3/3564/TCL 1974 First 1600GT CS3/3575/16R 1975 First 1300GT CS3/3580/13R 1975 First Ford RS axle CS3/3601/TCRS 1975 First Mk2 Escort Axle CS3/3612/TCR2 1975 First Vegantune built TC CS3/3643/TCR2 1976 Also he states that total TC S3 production in 74 was 20 units...in 75 47 units. You have a real rairity there. And it looks great! Chip

Thanks Mike. Don't worry about your wallet. Remember lighter is faster....... But really the best performance increase is free, or nearly so, seat time.... C

Another suggestion is the Burns Stainless site (race exhaust specialists) have (or had) an application that would optimize exhaust system components based on your inputs. If you have a good handle on the specs of the engine, it's intended usage, it's a pretty good first step.