DavidL

I was trolling around on the web and came across something quite remarkable. Although not a Seven, I found the minimalist design and amazing grace of this homebuilt quite captivating. Oh, and it has twin Chevy V8s inline! In addition to the car itself, there is a video interviewing the builder, a guy named Yannick Sire. Anyway, for pictures, see the article in HotRod, and the guy's website. Hope its of interest. http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0909_custom_speed_buggy/ http://www.sirecustomperformance.com/Sire.html

Protective tape (also called helicopter tape) is available from amazon or Pegasus: At Amazon, search for "ISC Helicopter Surface Guard Tape": http://www.amazon.com/ISC-Helicopter-OG-HD-Surface-Guard-Tape/dp/B000QC6H90/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1316120632&sr=1-1 At Pegasus: Search for "clear surface guard tape" https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=3437-001&utm_source=google&utm_medium=productsearch&utm_campaign=gps ---David

Third time is a charm. I got it to seal on attempt #3 with the cork gasket, but no sealant and being very careful to not over tighten. I think the hylomar sealant was making the gasket slip out of place on attempts 1 and 2. Thanks to everyone for the help, -David

Good point. My valve cover is cast, held down with 4 bolts. Its the same as in most pics I've seen of the 1700 SuperSprint.

Thanks for the link to the previous thread Dingo, the King mod sounds useful. I did look around the web for a neoprene gasket, but didn't find one for this engine (but did for MG, chevy, and airplane engines!). My first attempt will be to retry cork without sealant. Thanks, -David

How did I know it was leaking? More smoke than usual out the hood louvres, and a few drips in the driveway. This is my first British car that does not normally leak! ---David

Hi all, I finally got around to adjusting the valves on my 1990 Caterham with the 1700 Super Sprint XFlow. I installed a new valve cover gasket, but it started leaking near the carbs because it didn't seat quite right. My mistake may have been using hylomar as a sealant, which might have made it more easily slip. What d other do here.... install dry, or use a sealant? Any advice would be welcome. Thanks, David L., California

"Zed Cars" in the UK built a Seven with dual Hayabusa engines and 4-wheel drive.... not much technical detail, but way more attractive than the Kiwi. Doesn't seem to be on their website anymore though (zcars.org.uk). I believe one engine faced forward, one back, dunno how they dealt with dual gearboxes.

ick.... Sevens are not particularly beatiful creatures, but this is colossaly ugly. Not a single line, plane or feature I would consider pleasing. Just my 2 cents of course....

Looks like its probably a 4-speed, old-style front suspension (ie, sway bar is also the top forward link), and therefore likely a solid-axle car. Man, I wish people would give the facts and specs instead of waxing poetic about the history of the Seven.

I'm pretty sure I visited the workshop in the early 80's. The bare chassis looked identical, as far as I could tell, to a Lotus S3 chassis, with the same rear suspension as the Lotus (large A-arm to the solid axle). They were using Japanese market Toyota TwinCams, and were selling them in Japan, at least that's what the guy told me. I was only 18 at the time, so it was out of reach, but I'm pretty sure I still have some sales literature from that visit. ---David ('90 Cat SuperSprint DeDion)

Thanks everyone. The engine is as sold by Caterham USA: twin Webers (40 DCOE's), Lucas distributor with Petronix electronic ignition. I am the second owner. I got the build manual with the car, but didn't find the specs. -David

Hi, Does anyone know the correct sparkplug gap for the Caterham 1700 SuperSprint engine? Thanks, -David L., Menlo Park CA (1990 Caterham DeDion, 1700 X-flow)

Nice to hear the stories of Spring drives. Mine ('90 Xflow Caterham) is still up on jack stands for maintenance and a carb rebuild, so I'm jealous, especially as it has stopped raining here. I have not, however, been totally deprived since I did get to drive my friend's '98 SuperLight Cat (no windshield) recently in order to take my mom for a spin! -David [san Francisco Bay Area]

I visited Chris's shop (Sevens and Elans) last week and saw the CSR. Indeed, it's still being assembled. Everything on the car is amazing, from the inboard front suspension to the big-bore headers. I was on the East coast and Chris was nice enough to spend an hour answering question, even though I only bought a few suspension bushings. -David Lenzi ('90 XFlow Cat)

Does the seller have any interest in selling the car lift? Thanks, -David

This is obviously the same car that was for sale in Reno about 5 years ago. I test drove it then... had a well-done Zetec conversion on carbs. The green things are indeed cloth half-doors. I believe the asking was $25.5 K five years ago. Color scheme was a bit over the top! -David

I went and looked at this car yesterday (6/14). Although the seller thought it had rear drums/solid-axle, it actually has rear disks and a Dedion rear end. The car is pretty dirty, having lived in a carport most of its life, recelty uncovered and without a top. Seller says it was built from a 1991 kit, which is believable considering the seat design, the front suspension (lower outer ball joints, not trunnions like on my '90). However, the dash is mor retro... smiths chrome gauges and metal toggles instead of plastic switches. my guess is the the original builder wanted a retro look. The car is registered as a 1979, but has a California tag saying that the engine block is 1967. There is no Caterham chassis tagt, but the car clearly is a Caterham. The owner just had it smogged. The cars runs well and the motor pulls hard, but I suspect the carbs could use a tune. Two things stood out in the tes drive: the clutch is incredibly sudden in take-up, and very difficult to modulate....lots of stalls trying to get it going. Second, its quite darty in a straight line. The car could probably use bushings and an alignement. The car did seem straight though. Overall, the car is promissing, but the asking price of 32K seems high. I didn't take any pictures, but could likely answer more questions if anyone cared. Thanks, -David

To add to the conversation, I'm the guy who bought the Seattle XFlow Caterham. I paid $26,000 for it. That seemed like a bit of a premium over some recent sales on the East Coast (there was a 40th anniversary XFlow advertised here for $24K in the fall), but California smog rules are a bear, and this car was registered in a way that I could bring it into CA. Good condition, original owner, plus the lack of cars for sale in California in the last 6 months figured into my decision. I'd have loved an injected Duratec or Zetec, but they are routinely well over $30K, which is out of range for me at the moment. There was a Superlight (with a Zetec) for sale near Monterey a year ago for the seemingly good price of $25K. I drove that car but passed becasue of condition ... it had hit a dear and had smashed carbon fiber, bent and rusty suspension arms, and as the new owner reported, a cooked engine. ---David

Happy to report that a friend and I drove the car the 850 miles South to the Bay area without incident, top down the whole way on the weekend. Overall its in great shape and drives really well. I was smiling the whole way! -David

I'm "that guy" who posted on the Cal Caterham site, and I'm happy to say that I'll be bringing this 7 back to California soon, the SF Bay area to be precise. Special thanks to whoever posted the original Seattle Craige's List ad to this forum, I would not have found it otherwise! -David Lenzi

25K for a solid axle, drum brake car? Seems a bit expensive considering mid twenties buys a late 90's De Dion car with a 5-speed, separate sway-bar front suspension, although with a pushrod engine (but of at least equal power to a Twink). The car is in Canada, but with the Canadian dollar at par to the US, no help there! -David L.