Austin David

Page 181 of the 2015 manual details the dry startup procedure. Basically you want to run the starter without letting it fire, until you start getting pressure. Disconnecting the inertial switch on the right firewall by the brake / clutch reservoir, will cut the fuel pump. If you have a wet engine I wouldn't expect it to take long to build pressure. 15.8) Cranking for oil pressure Before running the engine for the first time it is recommended that the following sequence is carried out. This will ensure that the oil system is capable of delivering lubricant throughout the engine.  Apply handbrake and check that the gear lever is in the Neutral position  Disconnect the wires from the inertia switch, located on the bulkhead above the ECU  Operate the ignition switch to crank the engine over until oil pressure registers on the gauge (oil pressure will be low due to the speed of the engine when turned by the starter motor). NOTE It may be necessary to turn the engine over for 30-40 seconds to achieve oil pressure. Once oil pressure has been achieved, switch OFF ignition and reconnect the inertia switch. Press down on the rubber button on top of the inertia switch to ensure that it has been de- activated.

@UglyFastand I met up for a donut this morning in Charleston. He's expecting to have a license plate "any day now" and is sort of on my way up to BRP & Deal's Gap. We gotta get a trip in later this Spring or early Summer! I got a highschooler graduating in May, I think I can sneak a few days away before then, or maybe early June, or later in the summer.

please post said picture of driving NEAR (not "into") a lake or snow bank.

(a) I wanted a dead pedal on my first road trip, but by the end I'd figured out where to put my foot. And my shin-muscle developed enough that it wasn't a big deal. On ~ highways I just rest it flat under the clutch, and have muscle-taught the gymnastics to unfold it. (b) I will offer to print whatever in a lovely flat black, rubber or polycarbonate. Both will hold up to the heat and UV in an open car, but I like the rubber for things that you touch.

I think mine is symmetric, both sides are the same size; both equally snug. My RHS has a channel for the steering column even, though it's all hidden by the dash.

Before I started I'd read in several builds about the point where the owner put in seats and sat in the unfinished chassis. I thought "no way." Then I did it last spring. I did not make the "vroom" noise, but my wife did.

$0.02 I've found it useful to start the car from the outside. And I've only run over my foot twice.

It's been a while since I spent time in an NA, but my NB and NC are great. The Caterham is better, but for several reasons. Weight obviously changes dynamics a lot. It's also got a much lower ratio / shorter lock-to-lock, so a lot less input is required. I did prefer the manual steering in a no-package NA over the power steering in the others.

For those of us without the Kimini book, which brake light are you looking at?

how does it feel while driving? I don't have a target weight. if I wanted to save a few hundred grams I could leave my phone at home. Having done some braining and some research I may try to fill it with silicone, which seems to be a good, inexpensive vibration dampener. I wanted to test it in a Miata last week on a road trip, but the treads are 10x1.25 in the Miata, and 10x1.50 in my Caterham.

so far, this one lucky shot seems to be the better of both options: it damps vibration through the various linkages, and doesn't get hot (or cold). They're also pretty easy to make in this form, so if anyone wanted to try one (and can use M10-1.5 / Miata threads, or tap their own) I'd be happy to make extras.

well, I was modeling my design on what I assume is an original, based on the knob I saw on a '68. Eventually I was thinking of using wood, but I am presently distracted with prototyping to settle on weight and design. I'm 3D printing the prototypes, figured I'd do wood myself the hard way, or outsource it locally. That said -- on a whim I ran a rubber knob. Sort of long story but the outcome is hilarious and amazing. I used rubber mostly because that was in the printer already, and I broke the plastic test part while moving the threaded sleeve. I took it for a spin tonight and it's AWESOME. The plastic one (tested yesterday) feels pretty good, but sounds like a maraca under 45 or with partial throttle (I hadn't potted it, the lead was still loose). I had a good feel for the weighted deadblow, and was moving the sleeve back to an empty model, and I broke the ball. No big deal, but rather than swapping out the material I figured I'd just print off this rubber unit. The rubber material itself is flat black, and is what I am using for the gapfiller / sleeve between the shift boot and the ball. It holds the locknut to keep the ball from rotating. It's about 95A which is sort of hard, about like a tire sidewall. Feels good under skin, but it's not shiny and not really polishable, so I wasn't planning to use it for the actual knob. So here's the surprising part: the model is hollow, with basically a baffle in the center for structure (running transverse left-right, straight up the axis of the stick). I mostly wanted it to survive inserting the threaded sleeve, but ultimately the knob would be full of epoxy and lead so it doesn't need much internal structure. With hard plastic all the little vibrations as transmitted directly; but with this rubber model, the internal structure makes it basically like a tennis ball. I can squeeze it a little, or roll it forward/back a little, but it's PRETTY rigid. Like I didn't notice the compliance until I was trying to figure out why it would shift so much better than the others. So the accidental side effect: it is just a little bit compliant fore/aft, which soaks up smaller NVH when shifting up & down. The effect is subtle, but has more benefit than adding 100g lead. The surface is a little bit grippy, which isn't terrible. It's not as smooth as the polished version but after a few minutes I kinda like it. So now that I don't have to fill it with lead, I'm wondering if I should make a hybrid wood model with a compliant rubber sleeve...

Google seems to think it was a 917. Interesting. I can get down to about 28-30g total, including the sleeve to cover the gap between the ball and the boot. The 917 model seems to come in around 35g with the internal shank to hold it together. Pretty sure I ate about 350-500g of dinner tonight.

again the internet is torn on this -- range is "don't do it" to "it makes no difference", but clearly there's an upper limit. I don't necessarily think the Caterham setup is perfect in every way, but I figure as long as I don't make it heavier than the 200g stock knob (about 7 oz) I won't be creating any new problems.

testing 2 models, shifting 3-4-3 in neutral. unit A, 31.8g vs unit B, 136g. Similar materials and construction; both ~ hollow plastic. Unit B mostly filled with lead shot; it's loose, so this may also provide dampening (like a deadblow hammer) Both work, unit B is "smoother" -- less notchy bouncing in/out of neutral. No meaningful difference in the effort required to shift in/out of 3-4-3. For the reference: a similar sphere made of water would weigh about 56g, so I assume a solid wood knob would be about 50-60g

I've always liked a small sphere, but the stock knob had a pretty deep inset "S" that feels weird. And it's solid metal, so kinda warm in the summer and very cold in winter. I've got a polished plastic sphere with the insert Lotus logo, it looks good and feels good. I'll try packing it with lead to see if there's a useful difference with added mass. I think the range will be about 30-250g without having to get too creative...

for the record: stock shift knob is 196g, my test unit was about 30g.

Yeah, trying to see if I need to pack it with $30 in tungsten powder, or melt down some lead, or beg some steel shot from the local armory. Or something. Having a target weight might help. I'll see if I can get some cheap lead tomorrow...

the question is really "stock weight" or "less than stock weight", but I get your meaning. I'll try a few different weights and see what works.

new Caterham, MX-5 transmission with what I assume is a not-quite-Miata shifter (at least, shorter than my NB MX-5 which AFAIK is the same transmission). Should I use a weighted knob? My stock knob is pretty heavy, and I'm making a new one because bored and whatnot. Current iteration is about 40-50g, but I could fill it with tin or tungsten or something and get it much heavier, if it matters. The innernets are relatively divided between "lighter is more agile" and "heavier is more smooth." And of course, both are best. What do y'all think?

the best work I've done / seen involves uninsulated crimps, covered later with heat-shrink. That way you can do the crimp correctly, then apply the insulation around it in the color of choice. Otherwise, (a) color matches wire size, and not purpose, and (b) you crush the insulation when applying the crimp, which looks less fast. It takes about 4x as long to do it this way, but gets better with practice.

Cool, I'll just enjoy skating on the way to pick up milk. It's still awesome, just need to roll it on a lil more gently.

fortunately "fun" is ultra predictable in this thing. My other car also has 200TW tires for 4 seasons, but I hadn't noticed them changing a lot as the weather cools. It also has maybe half the power::weight, and is less torquey. Croc, do you drive year-round in NYC on ZZS? I saw ZT7s out there but I'd need to stash a set of wheels for 'em, and that's a lot of garage space. I did NOT see a lot of interesting 4-season options in smaller wheel diameters (< 16) though.

Do the ZZS tires lose grip in cooler weather? I've got 185/55 R13 ZZS tires on my 360S, and 4000 miles on 'em. They generally still stick really well, but I've noticed I kick the rears around a little more than I used to. It happened today when I was a little spirited coming off a stop. Weather was about 60F and dry. I haven't made any suspension changes. I AM a lot more comfortable with the car, and it's possible I'm just a little more generous with the right foot. I live in coastal SC, car lives indoors. 9 months are 80+, and winter months cool to ~ freezing. Should I be thinking about winter tires?

Shoes are cheap, and "driving shoes" make a shocking difference. None of my street shoes are any good, but driving shoes / mocs are fantastic in the pedal box.