SanderGA

When you check “avoid highways” on Google maps unmaintained gravel roads might be included in the itinerary. I headed back rather that venture down that path. Regardless, I’ve made it to Palm Springs and now have a clunk in my trunk when I come off the power. I think something in the rear suspension has come loose or is broken. Any recommendations for a mechanic in the area that will put it on a lift? Never mind. Took it for a spin this morning and all seems good. So 500 miles yesterday. With the doors on covering that sort of mileage is a real pleasure.

Thanks for giving me a lead on a brake light switch. That looks perfect and I'll definitely be getting one. So here's an update. I've traveled from Utah Motorsports Campus to SLC to Moab to Bryce Canyon to the Grand Canyon which is 909 miles. Apart from the electrical issues noted previously the car has run flawlessly. Surprising because I had to use 85 octane for one tank due to the scarcity of gas stations in Southern Utah. Maybe not that surprising because while the engine was uprated to 218 hp with porting and hotter cams, it doesn't have a higher than stock compression ratio. Most of the challenges have involved getting it set up livably. I've taken a couple of steps in that regard. After sleeping on the ground four nights at near freezing temps I've even up on camping and mailed all my camping gear home. My vision Rx is around -8 with a lot of astigmatism and my efforts to get sunglasses was a failure. Driving across the desert without sunglasses is a very bad idea. I got some sunglasses that fit over my eyeglasses so I've addressed that. I went without earplugs for a couple of days which was a huge mistake that I've resolved. I didn't think I had the hardware for the doors so I went without. I then realized that the hardware for my new wind deflectors will hold the doors. The doors arrived today and I'll be enjoying them for the first time tomorrow. I think I finally have it about set up to start doing some 400-500 mile days. The plan tomorrow is to leave the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and make it to Palm Springs in no more than two days. I'm planning on two nights in Palm Springs and then doing a run up the PCH this weekend. One question I have is fuel capacity and range. I've been getting 20-25 miles per gallon. Riding a motorcycle taught me to always reset the trip odometer at every fill-up. I don't let the tank go below 1/4 on the gauge and generally fill up before 150 miles. I'm generally putting in 6.5 gallons. If I new I could trust there were 8 usable gallons in the tank I could extend my range 30 to 40 miles which would be great. What sort of range does everyone get?

So the brake light problem could have been a stick switch that came unstuck or a bad fuse. I think it was a bad fuse. No power is going down the lead to the radiator fan at 95 Celsius. I‘ve unplugged it and I’m wiring in a manual switch in the cockpit. With dedicated auxiliary wiring the fan runs great. I’ll just have to act as a human thermostat. Turn signal remains a mystery but we all need a little mystery in our lives. Tomorrow I’m heading to Bryce Canyon.

Earlier, neither side of the brake light switch had power. Pulled the switch so the guys at NAPA could marvel at it and tell me it was unique and there wasn’t another on the planet. Tried a test lead from the positive terminal on the battery to the green wire and got a spark to the frame and no brake lights. Pulled all the fuses for the second time today. First time I visually inspected them. Second time I tested them. One was bad. Not sure if it was bad before or if it went bad when the test lead sparked. Replaced it and put the switch back in. Tested the input and output and the green side had a current. One brake light started working. Put the original bulb in the other socket and now it’s working. So I have brake lights. Still no right rear turn signal no matter which bulb I use. Radiator fan is next.

Thank you for the reply. The switch does look bad but the plunger does move and fully release when the brake pedal is pressed. If there was positive current on either side I’d be cleaning it like crazy. But with no current on either side I’m not sure what good it will do.

So. Traced the wires. There’s a blue wire on one side of that switch and a green on the other side. They are bundled together and leave the pedal box. The bundle is then split open. In the open section, the blue wire is soldered to a blue wire. The green wire is soldered to two green wires. They are then bundled back up and are bundled with many other wires in what I assume is the main wiring harness. At the back of the car, each brake light is powered by a green wire. The problem seems to be that the blue wire is supposed to carry power to the switch. When the brake light switch detects the pedal is pressed it’s supposed to release power to the green wire(s) and the brake lights work. It seems I need to run 12v of power to the blue wire which is pretty simple unless there’s a relay in the circuit. Any thoughts?

So, I bought a 93 HPC on Bring a Trailer back in June. The car was in Salt Lake and I live in Atlanta so I visited it for a few days in August. Great car. Picked it up from Salt Lake yesterday with plans to tour the southwest and drive it home. Yesterday I made it from Salt Lake to Moab. Got caught in traffic and had to pull over as the water temp reached 110 Celsius. I woke up and confirmed the radiator fan does not work. Also went to change a faulty turn signal bulb but the bulb is not the problem. Then I discovered there are no brake lights. Brake lights are the top priority. Tried changing the builds to no avail. Opened the pedal box and tested the connections on the switch shown in the photo. There is not a positive current on either side of that switch. I assume that means I’m one step closer to a solution. Can someone confirm it is that switch that activates the brake lights? I assume so but I’m concerned I’m addressing the problem there when there is another switch in the hydraulic system that’s activating the brake light. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I did that and replaced the IMS bearing and it works fine now. Thanks.

I get a display that is one step up from a text version when I use Chrome on a Macbook. In Safari it looks fine. It has been that way for weeks. I'll try to post a screen shot.

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/blob:http://www.usa7s.net/c6287fb6-050a-453a-a1d3-3cea2cfd86a9

I just got a set from Caterham that has FIA tags with 2025 expiration dates and a bag of Caterham Parts in addition to the Schroth parts. Did you got these? I got these.

My car has the set-up you described. I believe the Luke/Caterham four points were added around 2008 and the original owner added the crotch strap later. The crotch strap is clearly newer than the four-point harness. That set does have an expiration date which is around 2012 as I recall. I'm replacing them because I want a set with a current date and the old ones are pretty oily and will deposit oily dirt on anything I'm wearing when I strap in.

It's a 1,300 pound, 30 inch high, 200+ hp car without airbags, doors a roof or NHTSA safety testing in a world full of 5,000 pound SUVs. Whether the shoulder straps are two inches wide or three inches wide is well down my list of concerns. In fact, I can't even say it's on my list of concerns.

I got the Caterham Schroth belts directly from Caterham. They are Schroth Formula 2X2. Six point harnesses. Two inch shoulder straps with pull down tighteners. I believe Caterham throws in the necessary 7 specific hardware. Key thing to know is that the crotch straps do not have male fasteners that plug into the cam lock. Instead, they have loops. The loop on the end of each crotch strap goes through a loop on the end of each lap strap. The shoulder strap goes through the loop on the end of the crotch strap and is then inserted into the cam buckle. Be aware of this feature/flaw before you buy them. I would much prefer a metal tab to insert into the cam lock over the loops as it would be easier to deal with. Mine are labeled as FIA certified through 2025. Here's the link.

FYI, the Caterham belts are Schroth Formula 2X2. You can find them here. Mine arrived this week with an FIA certification that expires in 2025. These belts are intended for formula cars with a very reclined seat. I've never sat in a formula car so I don't know if those seats recline as much or more than the Caterham's. I do know that my S3 seats are quite reclined and took a bit of getting used to. I guess Caterham decided that this particular harness set was the best solution. I find one feature/flaw that I wish I knew about before I bought these harnesses. The crotch straps do not attach to the cam buckle. I know right? At the end of each crotch strap there is a loop. That loop runs through a loop on the end of each lap belt strap and then the male buckle for the shoulder strap goes through the loop on the crotch strap before being inserted into the cam buckle. I'm sure I'm going to find this interesting. I think the reason to order from Caterham is that they include Caterham specific mounting hardware. I haven't mounted them yet but I'm guessing that's what they have done.

I sent the form back and got an email they released them yesterday and they just arrived. Time well spent. From now on I’ll order safety equipment domestic.

I ordered Schroth harnesses, headrests, wind deflectors that mount on the side of the windscreen, a clutch cable and a throttle cable from Caterham UK. It's stuck in customs and they want me to submit a form with the catchy title of "Declaration of Importation of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Equipment Subject to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety, Bumper and Theft Protection Standards." It appears that the problem is that I'm importing seatbelts and they want to make sure that they meet Federal Motor Vehicle Standards and are certified and labeled as such. I'm sure they haven't been tested for compliance with Federal laws since they are for the race track though we all use them on the street. The forms provides a number of exemptions but many require documentation. For example, there's an exemption for a vehicle for racing, training and demonstration but that exemption requires an NHTSA permission letter which I don't have. Anyone have any tips on getting the stuff out of customs? Many thanks, Sander

I’ve looked around trying to figure out the HPDE rules for the NJMP event. Haven’t found much so I’ll ask a couple of questions specific to me. I’ve done about 5 HPDE events with different clubs but never enough with any club to have enough sessions to be promoted out of the novice group. I have no evidence of those past events. My car has a road roll bar. Will I be able to drive on the track? Will I have an assigned instructor? (I’d rather not.) Do I need an FIA roll bar or cage? Will I have to run with a windscreen because of the broomstick test? (I’d rather not.) Thanks Sander

Having peeked under the dash of my 93 and seen an amazing amount of wiring that appeared to need a good tucking in, I'd fully expect electrical problems driving in such weather. Am I being paranoid or do you have the Submariner edition of the Caterham? Admire your determination.

I might be interested. Email me if it’s still available at sander@sanderabernathy.com

What a car. Congratulations on the restoration and enjoy.

My 93 Caterham arrives in September. I’d be glad to meet up then.

Reading Rees book I wonder if the engine-specific valve covers were a feature of cars that were designated as HPC Evolutions. I think @lotusfan and I have an HPC ordered with the 218hp upgrade but the cars aren't Evos so the valve covers are red.

An email through the contact page at Caterham Cars resolved my questions. Martin, the Caterham archivist responded within a week to verify that the car was ordered as an HPC with the 218hp upgrade. He sent along documentation verifying the original specifications of the car. Not sure what the difference is between an HPC ordered with a 218hp Swindon-tuned Vauxhall and an HPC Evolution with the same engine. Not going to worry about that though. I was going to drive the car from Utah to Atlanta in September but the pandemic has too many planned destinations along the way closed so I'm arranging shipping. In a few weeks I'll be out driving the thing and can't wait.