Jacques

I've passed that along to potential buyer down south. That material is slow reading and I'm not particularly familiar with the different US agencies. Are you able to explain your understanding of how these regs might apply to the situation I've described? thanks

I'm selling a 1987 Caterham Seven Cosworth in Vancouver. An Arizona buyer wants it. My ICBC registration (provincial insurance company) states the car is a replikit because Caterham didn't' put a VIN on it, they sold it as a kit to a Dutch company that assembled it. Dutch guy builds it, it's eventually imported to BC, now I'm selling it as a provincially registered car. Arizona buyer's broker says even being over 25 it can't come across. Another broker says it may work if I can prove the Cosworth is over 25 too. Anyone see if we're missing something here? thanks

Pethier - you make some good points. This car is approx 10-15K Cdn below the price of a newer Elise which gives you LHD and the Toyota. Interestingly, the seller and his family have 3 RHD cars, so little issue with that aspect. Local repair shops can be a major issue here too. My world here is more pick-ups, boats and bicycles. A good friend (Alfa owner) can assist with Weber adjustments but he's a trained GM mechanic. The '02 Rover Elise isn't cheap enough to take a flyer on it so I'll check out the few Elises out here, but note they are not selling too quickly. Thanks for the opinion.

This is an Elise question but I figure there will be relevant opinions out there that my help me. I'm driving an 87 Caterham Cosworth 7 but my co-driver seems to want a car with doors. There's a 2002 Elise for sale out here on the west coast - Rover K engine, RHD. Blog sites suggest the Rover model is a bit lighter than the Toyota which makes up somewhat for the reduced HP. Market values are lower due to the RHD and the Rover engine. Has anyone had a few years with the Rover? Thoughts?

Looking for advice on accommodation, packages, track viewpoints, other regional highlights. How to maximize the adventure. Ciao

MV8 - oil didn't affect the compression. Thanks for the ideas about further steps. This began as a re-timing exercise as I had removed the distributor. We figure the timing is close but it is backfiring thru exhaust, etc. Plugs are fouled now; want to replace them and see if it smooths out at all. What plug would you suggest? I have been running an NGK ZFR6F - 11. it came with NGK BCP6ES. Ideas? thanks.

Compression of 100 in 2, 150 in 2. Backfiring thru exhaust and carbs while adjusting timing. Doing another compression test now. Noted on-line that Edd China doesn't work on Cosworth heads, sends them to a machine shop. While we continue trouble shooting, are head gaskets, etc., readily available for these? Being a Pinto block and popular in the UK, I would think they are still stocked. Thoughts? I'm sure we're going where many of you have been before us.

You saw the 2 purple wires in the background of my switch picture; well spotted. Considering their location under the dash, they probably were for the horn. The problem is finding those wires in the engine compartment. I'm told the horns were normally mounted behind the rad. This car has a new rad and there are no loose or unwrapped wires anywhere nearby. I expect to put in a new circuit.

NSX Guy - this should help. Thank you. I'm not sure if this is a dumb question or not but when Caterham would ship a kit to Holland, in my car's case, was a complete wiring harness of that year's specifications included ? Was the car partially wired? I know the kit concept was a way to avoid some UK taxes but I am wondering how much the buyer was expected to do. James.

Inchoate - I haven't found a wiring diagram that helps much so I'd love to see the one you use. By 'dip switch' do you mean low beam/high beam switch? I'm thinking that makes sense for my car. My photo didn't quite show it, but the toggle is broken off on that switch - and it fits the location of your dip switch. My switch to the far lower left is the high beam flasher which I never really used. Where you have a horn button, I installed a choke cable early on as the previous owner insisted you had to choke the Webers. Since then, my research indicates you do NOT need to choke Webers, just jockey the throttle until they warm up a bit. Again, please send me or give me a link to your wiring diagram. I'm sure it would help. J

MV8 - the high-low dimmer switch is at the far left of the dash and it puts the lights on bright on its own; irrespective of the headlight switch position. Not sure if I'll be able to trace the wires as they disappear in a bundle under the dash. The horns' site was helpful; I'll check that option.

My Super 7 is a LHD import from Holland. The kit was put together there. I have 2 toggle switches to the left of the wheel that are wired up but not triggering anything. One is a 3-position switch to the far left. The other is broken off, has 3-wires on it and I suspect was a sprung horn switch. But why would it have that many wires? The stamp on the switch reads 15 A 12V X23 2NK, BK ON ON. The car has no horn on it and no obvious wiring anywhere near the rad. Also - I'm not interested in an air horn but if anyone can recommend a reasonably notable 2-tone aftermarket horn, I'd like to hear about it. Thanks, James.

I would like to replace these short tube headers with a longer unit. I am pretty sure it's having a negative affect. The car is stock Caterham LHD long body kit car originally sold to a Dutch builder. the Cosworth takes up a lot of space. The photos aren't great but there's a frame piece, a motor mount strut, an alternator and a starter to work around. Question for the Forum is 'Does anyone know of headers that have been produced for this application?' What is the best way to go? Any options other than custom?

Looks like a reasonable product. Surprised they don't put the weight in specs.

Christopher - just put windshield back on the car. Local shop used a laminated safety glass which I figure will be much less prone to scratching. The old plexi was probably original and badly scarred. Being a flat piece (like the one on your car I assume) it was only $107 incl. tax. The installer scribed the glass which, as I understand it, would meet a safety requirement if the car was ever registered in another province. I'm not a massive stickler on weight reduction. Long before I was able to afford a Lotus/Caterham I remember watching a vintage racer at the Mission River's Edge track in BC. He ran a RHD Lotus 7 he imported from the UK. As stripped down as it was, he kept the spare tire mounted at the back because he thought the car looked better that way. Another topic for you - how well does your car brake? My Caterham has basic 2-pot Spitfire discs up front with rear drums and I consider them quite poor performers.

I've never thought of an A/F gauge. Car guys consider my headers to be way too short so that's one factor. My Alfaholic buddy helps tune the Webers but the situation persists. It has a Cosworth engine so it's been suggested it may be harder to smooth out. I live up the coast so some distance from Lotus Club members in the city who could likely assist in this regard. We had a hockey tournament in Montreal years ago and Henri Richard came to our banquet. Marvelous guy; still at game weight. As they say, he won 11-Stanley Cups. If he wanted to wear all his Cup rings, he had to take his clothes off. I'll look into the A/F gauge idea.

JB Collier/McDavid - Oilers fan i suppose - Haven't done much with them at all this winter - car runs with a sporadic pop back thru the carb. Likewise on exhaust; headers are an unusual design....short, on-line owners think they're a problem and I agree. BC Lotus Club member a ferry drive away will be giving his opinion shortly. Could be any number of issues going on....everybody has those stories. Love your team; love the Habs first but you're more entertaining. The few times I've been to Edmonton, I was stunned by the cracked up roads. I imagine you have specific routes for your blats. James.

Update - I'm in a smallish town 150-km up the coast from Vancouver. Local glass shop said today they can give me 6 ml laminated safety glass installed for under $100 CDN. That's a slam dunk. I wish they could do the same thing with Webers. James.

Charlie - I'll check out a glass shop. I just don't see how it could be a 'legal' windshield but that's a rabbit hole I stay away from anyway. As for the mirrors, there's absolutely no markings on them so I don't know their origin. Maybe check out the UK 7 sites or Caterham themselves. Good luck.

Windshield in my 1987 Seven kit car, originally exported to Holland, is badly scratched. Sunlight, headlights...virtually any direct light creates bad glare. I'm looking for suggestions on replacement plexi. Note, I'm not sure how this was certified when it came to Canada as I think it should be a stickered safety glass.

Scotticus....you may call me Hamish....is there anybody in the states producing headers for these cars? or for the Cosworth? Is a UK product cheaper to acquire? It's not my top priority but it's not helping the tuning process.

I've got a few issues to deal with to get this '87 Super 7 Cosworth 2.0 L working smoothly. The headers have been universally questioned as they are short. The car backfires thru the exhaust. I'm working on timing, then carbs but the headers aren't helping. Is there a supplier in the US, or a preferred fabricator? foto 2.heic

I've seen that article and noted they refer to a 'long, tubular, elongated exhaust manifold.' A few racers have questioned if my set-up is hurting tuning efforts.