scannon

How about nine Se7ens plus a couple of Elises? There are two more Se7ens in the shop that didn't make it into this picture.

I got an email from Jon this AM. He was able to order just the gasket and already had a FedEx shipment coming so the new gasket is already on its way and will be here tomorrow or Thursday.

Bob, Thanks for the info, I'll try O'Reillys and the import parts place in Boulder and if none is available I will go with the paper version. I assume you are talking about standard paper gasket stock?

I've been getting some gas fumes from the rear of the Caterham for awhile now but could not find the source. When I put in the new differential support struts a few weeks ago I checked the screws holding the fuel level sensor and all were just a little loose. No more than one turn snugged them all up. I also tightened the three hoses connected to the fuel filler. Seemed all was well until I filled the tank yesterday. When I got home not only were the fumes much worse I found gas dripping off the bottom of the tank and the frame tube in front of it. I wiped up the gas and put a pan under it but when I checked later the drip pan and floor were dry and the fumes gone from the shop (the swamp cooler was running). Today I pulled up the carpet and honeycomb floor of the boot and had a look at the tank. As the pictures show, the rubber fuel sensor gasket is toast. I called Jon at Caterham USA and he said the only way he can get the gasket is with a new fuel sensor. He said to make another one out of rubber sheet. He said to use rubber rather than some synthetic material. Is there a better material to make the gasket from? The original rubber gasket lasted 5 years. Is there another source that might have a gasket in stock this side of the big pond?

That's a very nice setup. Was the mounting plate custom made by the shop or is it available from some manufacturer?

Carl, "Done some ECU mapping" does not inspire confidence in this tuner. You should try to find someone who has a lot of experience with the specific ECU you chose. Otherwise you are paying him to earn while he learns, and possibly with disastrous consequences to your engine.

It seemed staged and I wondered where this came from: He makes very good points. This country has been slipping into decline for a long time. I hope it can be great again

The road is now paved all the way to the top but the parking lots are still dirt and gravel. The older section of the road near the bottom has been patched but still in decent condition and the newer sections are very smooth and fun to drive. Croc: buy another Seven from Caterham USA and when you come out to pick it up we can arrange a trip to drive Pikes Peak.

The Lotus Colorado club (LOCO) did a drive up Pikes Peak Sunday morning. There were 19 Lotus cars plus my Caterham, a Miata and a BMW M3. I had expected it to be a slow parade up and down the mountain since it was Sunday and there would be tourists. However, the few cars we encountered usually pulled over at the first safe spot and let us fly by. When we got to the top we parked in a group for a photo op. The leader decided to move us to the other side of the lot and my car would not start. The car had not overheated on the way up, the temp gauge barely made it to 100C, far less than I see on the track. I then suffered the embarrassment of being pushed up a short incline to where the other cars were. After checking out the view and the tourist trap at the summit it was time to head back down. I gathered up a few people to push me over to where I could coast to the paved road to try to start it or at lease coast to the bottom. I tried the starter one last time and the engine fired right up. OK, all's well and headed down the mountain. The next stop was Garden of the Gods park for lunch and another photo shoot. On the way we had to go up a short, steep hill to get on the highway. There was a stop sign and traffic. The car in front of me kept having problems getting going with a stick shift on the steep hill. We had to inch up this hill so many starts and stops were required. When the car in front of me finally got moving I managed to kill my engine. It started but my left foot was on the brake and right on the throttle. I was shuffling my feet to get the left foot on the clutch and right one on the brake when my left foot gets under the clutch pedal and pops the pushrod out of the clutch master cylinder. No clutch at all. Most everyone went on but two cars stop to help, an Elise and the Lotus 7 S4 who happens to have a tool kit. I figure its an easy five minute job to remove the pedal cover and pop the pushrod back into the master cylinder. Not so. Two of the bolts holding the pedal cover on would not come out, the rivnuts had loosened and were spinning inside the pedal box. It was mid 90s and no shade and I was getting frustrated. I rolled the car back down the hill to a flat area and sent one of the helpers to the road above with instructions to wave me through when it was clear enough for me to start the car in gear, drive up the hill and run the stop sign. This worked on the second attempt as he stopped traffic coming from one direction and it was clear from the other. I drove to the lunch stop without a clutch, only running a couple more stop signs. After lunch I recruited the club prez who is of a much slighter stature than I am to contort and worm his way head first into the foot well and see if he could put the pushrod back in. After a few attempts he succeeded and I was able to make it home with no problems. The problem with the clutch pedal is that there is no physical limiter to prevent the clutch pedal from being pulled up. The only thing holding the pushrod in the cylinder is the rubber boot a large washer and the mushroom head on the pushrod. The boot had a tear in it which made it easy for the washer and mushroom head to pull through. I've fixed this problem with a 10mm bolt through the boss in the front of the pedal box where a mechanical clutch cable would have mounted. The end of the bolt now limits the forward travel of the clutch pedal. This link will take you to some pictures taken by one of the club members of the cars and scenery. If you are ever in the Colorado Springs area it is well worth the time to drive to the top of Pikes Peak, even if you don't have a Seven along.

An amazing video/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/15/racing-in-slow-motion-iv-sells-the-drama/?a_dgi=aolshare_email

Ken Hill lives somewhere in PA and knows the Hydra system. His email is kenhillmx5@comcast.net. He's a good guy and used to work for Flyin Miata. He has a side business tuning turbo Miatas.

Well, the Kenworth has much more total drag since you have to multiply the Cd x Frontal Area to get total drag. Good thing the Se7ens are so small. For example, typical examples of drag coefficients for typical automobiles are between 0.3 and 0.5. In particular, 1. 0.36 : Honda Civic (2001) 2. 0.31 : Honda Civic (2006) 3. 0.29 : Honda Accord Hybrid (2005) 4. 0.35 : Toyota MR2 (1998) 5. 0.34 : Ferrari F40 (1987) 6. 0.57 : Hummer H2 (2003) 7. 0.7-1.1 : Formula 1 car Typical drag coefficients for some other bodies are: 1. 2.1 : smooth brick 2. 0.9 : bicycle + rider 3. 0.4 : rough sphere (Re =106) 4. 1.0-1.3 : person (upright) 5. 1.0 -1.1 : skier Note that the Hummer has a better Cd than the Se7en. In any case, its a drag, man.

When Gert and I visited Caterham USA last week Jon showed me the differential strut braces that go between the upper rear bolts on the diff cover and the underside of the upper transverse frame tube that has the bosses for the shoulder harnesses. It bolts into the bottom of the harness bosses. Since day one with this car I have been concerned about the effects of the torque of the turbo motor on the diff mounts. I looked into fabbing a set but never got around to it. When I saw these I bought a set. Installation of the struts is easy, what is not so easy and yet to be accomplished is cutting the holes for them to pass through the floor of the boot. I'll post more pictures when the floor is finished.

While installing the new differential struts I pulled the fill plug on the Sierra diff to check the level. The plug has a magnet on it and it was full of filings and a gray viscous fluid that looked and smeared a lot like antisieze. See the before and after pictures of the magnetic plug below. The level is down a little and I decided this was a good time to drain and refill the diff. There does not seem to be a drain plug on the differential. Does anyone know if removing one of the lower bolts on the rear diff cover will allow the lube to drain out? Because of the position of the deDion tube there is no way I can get the Torx driver in there without dropping either the diff or the deDion tube so I can't just remove one to see if the fluid pours out. I'd like to know if this will work before I go to the trouble of removing the diff or deDion tube. BTW, I am starting a new thread about the diff struts.

It appears to be the same Laguna Seca Blue from the BMW M3 series that is on my Caterham but pictures can be deceiving, colorwise.

My Caterham resembles that one but it sure puts my shop to shame.

I've heard, but haven't checked, that there are numerous YouTube videos shot from roof tops and apartment windows.

He's at it again. Enjoy. http://jalopnik.com/5924388/gymkhana-5-ken-block-jumps-and-drifts-at-the-same-time

I was at Caterham USA yesterday and Jon told me the same thing. They use a sort of cage around the diff and it bolts to the same mounts as the Sierra diff. As usual, I forgot to take along a camera to get pictures of it. While I was there I saw the struts they use to provide additional strength for the diff. They mount to the bottom of the inner shoulder harness boss and go down to the back of the diff. Jon said the hardest part of mounting them is cutting the holes in the boot deck they go through. I bought a set as my biggest worry is the strength of the diff mounts vs. my torquey turbo motor. Jon said that they are expecting their first Sigma engined Caterham in the next shipment. It will become the entry level Caterham in the line up here in the USA. Sales are brisk, every car in the last and the next shipment is already sold. He is having problems getting the cars assembled quickly enough. I got the impression that most sales are completed cars rather than kits for the owner to assemble.

Sweeeeet! The Lotus XI really got me fired up, I love that car.

There is a Lotus Super Seven in the video along with a number of other Lotus race cars.

This is the fire that is on the west side of Colorado Springs. Gives quite a perspective on the fire that has taken two lives and destroyed about 350 homes. 35,000 people have been evacuated. Only one of about 10 fires burning in Colorado right now. Go full screen, comments are along the bottom of the picture,

Stephen, Congrats on the new job and getting out of shaky town. Best of luck in your new adventure. I'm glad Grace is going along with you.

Tom, Good to see your Seven is finally fixed and back on the road after that accident on the drive to Alaska. :cheers: