scannon

I had my exhaust manifold, turbo housing and down pipe ceramic coated by a local shop with good references. I paid for a 2,000 F silver coating. It looked great for about 1,500 miles until the first time on the track. After the first 20 minute session I popped off the bonnet to check oil and water and saw that the silver ceramic coating was completely flaked off leaving a grey finish on the parts. The coating was guaranteed and I got my money back. Turbo manifolds and housings get hotter than headers, but no where near the 2,000 F the ceramic coating was spec'd at. EGTs showed that it was getting close to 1,400 F in the manifold. I then painted it with a 1,500 F rattle can paint which required a three step heat and cool curing process which I did in my powder coat oven. This has lasted for several years and still looks the same as when I first applied it.

He broke his wrist on the landing. Not bad for a $2m payment. This was a New Years Eve stunt in Las Vegas a few years ago.

It has 12,500 miles on it, about 1,000 of that on the track. It has started to gather some patina. It only rides in the trailer when I have further to travel than liquid oxygen I can carry in the car. I have two small portable tanks that are good for 12 hours combined so for more than a day trip it rides in the trailer with the big LOX tank.

Early in my aerospace career I worked for Thiokol, the rocket factory in Utah that designed and built the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the shuttle. During the pre-test phase I had to go in through the nozzle and crawl to the forward end (it was on a test horizontal stand) and take pictures of the grain where the ignighter was located. The empty core is just high enough to crawl on your hands and knees and you are surrounded by about 1,000,000 lb of solid rocket fuel. It was a little creepy being in there taking pictures with an electronic flash. On the long chance that the flash gun exploded we would have been incinerated almost instantly. I got to witness two test firings while there. Pretty amazing show.

0 to 2,000 mph in 91 seconds, strait up lifting about 5,000,000 lb.

No, it came with the bare ali windshield trim and chrome headlights. Had I been the one to order it from the factory it would have been yellow with the black pack. Originally I intended to paint it yellow before putting it on the road but the blue has grown on me and until it really needs new paint it will remain blue. There are pictures of the whole car in the link in my sig line.

The color is Laguna Seca Blue from the BMW M3 series. Once your brain and right foot get calibrated to the turbo's responses the car is as drivable as any non turbo car. I'm not a racer nor are my skills on a level with racers but I have been doing track days with a turbo Miata and the Caterham for many years and I find my cars are as drivable as any other non turbo cars I have driven on the track. IIRC Caterham's top of the line Levante had a supercharged V8 in it.

I didn't say you cannot get into the throttle at the apex, just that you have to learn how much throttle you can give it and still maintain control rather than just mashing it to the floor at the apex. The power comes on quickly but controllably when in boost but not like the old days with the Porsche 930 turbo and its on/off switch throttle response.

My Caterham has a turbo and I wouldn't have it any other way. It has a Miata engine rather than a Zetec but since it is an SV there is plenty of room for the turbo. Turbo lag is a non issue, the car is quick without even getting into the boost. The car is totally docile in everyday driving and a rocket if you give it the boot. You cannot floor it coming out of an apex but you can learn just how much throttle it will take and roll into it and once you are straightened out mash it and blast down the straight. The turbo is a Garrett 2560 and no cutting of the frame was required. I cannot use the bolt in pieces of the frame that go forward from the firewall to the frame near the front suspension on either side of the engine. The turbo is in the way on one side and the intake manifold on the other. http://www.britishv8.org/Other/SkipCannon/SkipCannon-BA.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIOIM6hHBk%26autoplay%3d1

Drinks That Reflect Personality Before you order a drink in public you should read this. Seven New York City bartenders were asked if they could define a woman's personality based on what she drinks. Though interviewed separately, they concurred on almost all counts. The results: WOMAN DRINKS AND WHO THEY ARE. Drink: Beer Personality: Causal, low-maintenance; down to earth. Your Approach: Challenge her to a game of pool. Drink: Blender Drinks Personality: Flaky, whiny, annoying; a pain in the ass. Your Approach: Avoid her, unless you want to be her cabana boy. Drink: Mixed Drinks Personality: Older, more refined, high maintenance, has very picky taste; knows EXACTLY what she wants. Your Approach: You won't have to approach her. If she's interested, she'll send YOU a drink...... Drink: Wine (does not include White Zinfandel) Personality: Conservative and classy; sophisticated yet giggles. Your Approach: Tell her you love to travel and spend quiet evenings with friends. Drink: White Zinfandel Personality: Easy; thinks she is classy and sophisticated, actually, she has NO clue. Your Approach: Make her feel smarter than she is..this should be an easy target. Drink: Shots Personality: Likes to hang with pals and looking to get totally drunk... and naked. Your Approach: Easiest hit in the joint. You have been blessed. Nothing to do but wait, however, be careful not to make her mad! Drink: Tequila No explanations required - everyone just KNOWS what happens there. MAN DRINKS & WHO THEY ARE The deal with guys is, as always, very simple and clear cut: Domestic Beer: He's poor and wants to get laid. Imported Beer: He likes good beer and wants to get laid. Wine: He is hoping that the wine will give him a sophisticated image to help him get laid. Whiskey: He doesn't give a damn about anything but getting laid. Tequila: He is thinking he has a chance with the toothless waitress. White Zinfandel: He's gay.

Have you tried a band clamp on the slip joint? I've had good luck using them. You can see it in the picture on the joint between the exhaust pipe and catalytic converter.

The initial timing was set by guess and there was a small vacuum leak. The RPM was probably around 2,500 - 3,000 on start up. It now idles at 1,250 RPM. The engine was not new (18K miles) and had been pre-oiled before start up so no damage to the engine. The smoke was from the preservative on the new turbo manifold. There were probably some greasy fingerprints on the turbo and exhaust as well.

After 80+ hours of building a Mazda engine/ECU wiring harness and integrating it into the Caterham chassis here's how I reacted on the first start.

Spring is getting closer and we have a good excuse to have another Colorado Sevens Gathering. Tom Meacham (Alaskossie) is escaping the frozen reaches of Alaska and will be in town in April for a visit. Saturday April 28th fits his schedule so let’s get together for some tire kicking, food and most importantly go for a Blat. Nothing is planned as yet so I welcome suggestions. We could meet at my shop as in the past and go from there. Let me know if you are interested and if you have any suggestions. Anyone is welcome even if you are passing through the Denver and don't have your Seven with you or don't have a Seven at all.

If Caterham clams will fit I noticed a couple of sets on the shelf when I visited Caterham USA earlier this week. One set was yellow and I think the other was BRG.

I believe it will come as an MSO and bill of sale although they can probably get it inspected and registered in Colorado. If that happens it will be registered as a 2012 Kit and be exempt from Colorado emissions requirements.

Hi Jim, The new Caterham USA shop is located at: 14700 W 66th PL, #4 Arvada, CO 80004 66th Place is just off Indiana. Phone is the same as before: 303-765-0247 Please do give me a call when you plan to be in the area. We might even be able to scare up a few Se7ens and go for a blat. My number is 303 661 9914. This goes for anyone on here, I always enjoy meeting the good people on this forum.

So far I have been using wrap around sunglasses made by DeWalt with the Brooklands screens. They are safety glasses and they make them with the bifocal area so I can read the gauges. They are safety glasses but I am planning on getting some aviator goggles. Those along with the leather helmet should do a pretty good job of protecting my face. I am looking through the Brooklands screens so I'm probably getting more bug and rock protection than if I had an aeroscreen. There are now two people working in the Caterham USA shop, Jon and Cory. Both are part time and when they are working on an engine or car they don't always stop to answer the phone although the two times I called yesterday Cory answered quickly.

Ben and his father are no longer part of the business. I don't know just what happened. I wore my leather Snoopy helmet today on the blat. I used a crash helmet on Saturday when it was 25F on the way to the Cars & Coffee. I took the Caterham home after that and used the Miata for the Lotus club trip to the Bugatti shop.

Warning, this website can waste a lot of your time. http://www.cliffreuter.com/etceterinihomepage.htm

Its a really nice day here today, nearly 70F and no wind so needing a new brake light switch I decided to take the Caterham and see what the new store looks like. It was the first blat of any distance with the new Brooklands screens on the car. The first blat was about 6 miles at 25F. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant experience. Today was great. The location is much nicer than the old place and they actually have a large sign that says "Caterham USA" above the entrance. Layout inside is much the same as before but the shop looks to be a bit smaller. There were three R500s and one SCR undergoing assembly in the shop. Jon wasn't there but Cody is back working there part time. The brake light switch is the cheapest Caterham part I have ever purchased at $8.20. Bessy is no longer there and Cody didn't know what had happened to her. Does anyone know the story? Al?

I just finished doing the same on my brake light switch. First electrical problem with the car that wasn't caused by me.

On the track. In a formula car. http://www.wimp.com/racecar/