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Bob, please forward the doc when you have a chance -would be most helpful. Thanks James

Good suggestions, thanks very much Bob!

Sorry I meant WL7064 not 7640 - not trying to confuse the issue further!

Thanks Bob - mine is dry sumped so I need the short one. The 7640 is just under 6 cm which works, but the one I took off my previous engine says M20 x 1.5, and the one that is now on my new engine is 3/4 x 18, and both are part number 7640...I am confused as to which one is the 'proper' fit.

Calling Vauxhall C20XE owners: What are you using as your 'short' oil filter? I have run through my stock of WiX WL7064's and before I re-order from Europe, wondered if I could source a suitable replacement in the US? Many thanks, James

Skip, Teeth are for the crank position sensor, if we're on the same page? Engine is a Vauxhall C20XE which has been over bored from 86mm to 86.5mm making 2.1 litres. Engine has been blueprinted. Standard crank has been polished (reputed to be strong to 10,000 rpm which I won't be going near - rev limiter was previously 'supposed' to be set at 8250!!!). Rods are forged items from QED in the UK. Pistons are forged race items, again from QED. Cylinder head is a Coscast item (Cosworth), port matched and polished, with quite a lot of material removed. It uses two Q450 QED cams but retains a street-drivable nature with a normal idle. QED 45mm throttle bodies on a manifold with 90mm trumpets and an ITG foam filter. DTA fast ECU, wasted spark system. Dry sumped, Quaife 6 speed straight-cut sequential box. Aluminium flywheel, heavy duty clutch case and heavy duty ceramic 4-paddle clutch. JPE style 4 into 1 exhaust. Radtec aluminium radiator with larger diameter Spal fan, silicone hoses. According to QED, the Q450 set-up is around 245bhp, but I never confirmed that. I am very keen to get the car on a rolling road for mapping on the new capacity once it is run in. Just need to get it out to Arizona or Florida over the winter to get some miles on it! There's a ton of other stuff on the car, but this is most of the engine detail from a non-mechanic James

Hello everyone, I wanted to give you an update of the progress with my engine build, especially as today is a very good day! My fully built engine came home today, and I just need to get it back in the car now! Here are some pics of the progress...

Steering wheel has been sold - thanks for your interest.

480rider you have a PM. Thanks, James

As new condition 290mm leather-wrapped Momo Mod 26 steering wheel. Already drilled with 3 holes for a Momo boss (boss not supplied). Wheel has Lotus badge stuck in center of wheel which possibly could be removed. This is the wheel on the Momo website (shown with a suede wrapping) http://www.momousa.com/products/products/steering-wheels/mod-26-steering-wheel-4.html Wheel has perfectly placed bulges for extremely comfortable hand position. This is a spare wheel which I no longer need. New discounted price is $192, asking $90 plus shipping. Thanks James Also selling T9 gearbox and ported C20XE cylinder head

Seats have been SOLD - thanks for your interest. James

I have a QBE60G with straight cut gears in my Vauxhall 2 litre Caterham, it really is a lovely piece of engineering. The cost was approx $10k which I still wonder about, but the feeling of solid very fast changes with your foot basically flat on the floor is something else. I have no problem using it on the road, as I am used to riding sportbikes - it just takes a little forethought. It does clunk when pulling back into 1st from neutral when sat in traffic, but when someone has been staring at you and then they hear that, you can almost feel their smile turn into a grin! Heartily recommended, you will love it.

Hi Bob, I sent you a PM. Thanks James

I have had 3 people interested in the seats - enquiries received in this order: 1) MightyMike - Mike 2) 11Budlite - Bruce 3)Glenntwincam - Glenn Bruce, Glenn, sorry - Mike beat you both to them. If he doesn't buy them, Bruce gets next option. Thanks for your interest. James

Caterham Part number 77672 including headrests 77673 - link here - https://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=77672&osCsid=9270c7cbcd51edd0c644f4b0d9375c77 Black leather with red piping. Both seats Include adjustment handle to move seat forwards and backwards. Less that 1500 miles use ( I swapped them to Tillets). As new condition, just having a clear-out of items I no longer need. Very comfortable. Approximately $1300 plus shipping from the UK, asking $700 plus shipping for the pair. Other items to be sold include Type 9 5-speed gearbox which occasionally stuck in 4th gear, as well as QED built hi-flow 16 valve GM cylinder head for C20XE Vauxhall (went porous and was replaced with Coscast item) Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks James

Can you confirm if this is in a standard chassis or if it needed to be an SV to have sufficient room?

I looked on ebay.co.uk for several weeks until I found a suitable one and had it packed up and shipped to me using DHL - that was a 'fun' story...

and a few more

These are a few older pics from when the Quaife sequential box, lightened flywheel, new clutch etc went it...

This is what I got when Santa turned up with a box marked QED... Forged rods Forged pistons (86.5mm instead of 86mm) ARP bolts for rods and main caps New Caterham Ali dry sump pan Lots and lots of gaskets and washers Head was stripped and tested and luckily showed no damage, so the block is being cleaned and overbored, and then all rotating parts will be balanced and blueprinted prior to the engine being rebuilt by my trusty mechanic. The goal is to have it running and run-in before Winter hits Ohio...wish me luck! James

So it has been a few very long months since I put the hole in the side of my C20XE Vauxhall block, so I wanted to give you guys a bit of an update. This is what I managed to do.. Looks horrible doesn't it? I'll add another post with some extra pics to show what I have managed to do so far

Just wanted to add my tuppence to the thread.. I have one and a half VX engines in Ohio. The first now has a rather large hole in the side of the cast iron block due to an idiot driver and a failed rev limiter - I tried to argue that I was adding lightness but failed miserably! I have now secured a replacement block which is currently undergoing an overbore to 2.1 which I will describe in a separate thread. The engine has a number of QED components in it, and a heavily reworked coscast head. The cosworth (coscast) head was required as the GM heads fitted to some of the engines were likely to go porous (as mine did a couple of years back), but the coscast did not suffer from this ailment. The engine responds well to tuning and has a lot of torque. The original crank is pretty strong unless you are looking at circa 9500rpm and higher, the rods are weak if not forged, the standard mahle pistons are pretty strong, and the head responds well to better breathing, especially on the inlet side, apparently. Fuel injection also made the car more drivable and produced more power. It is heavy, agreed, but you can set the geometry up to make it handle and you have to be looking for tenths before most people would notice the difference at the front. I heartily recommend the Vauxhall lump, but would look at Duratec or turbo hayabusa if I was starting from scratch. James

It is a very sad day....that I bring myself to tell you that I put a conrod through the side of my VX XE block last week 4 laps into my first trackday with slicks and my sequential box, concentrating on my lines and a pesky Elise, and relying on a 'faulty' rev limiter is not something I am proud of. I have had many thoughts about what to do now. The car is incredibly high spec (I have just fitted a 6 speed sequential box to what was already a pretty serious car), and I wondered if I should look for a buyer as-is, but I can't bring myself to lose the money, or the car. I thought about taking this opportunity to go to 2.3 duratec, or turbo hayabusa, but the most economic and "right' thing to do is to replace the block and use this as an opportunity to go to forged rods and pistons, keeping the standard crank if it's salvageable... I wonder if anyone has a VX 2.0 XE block kicking around, or any similar stories to share with happy endings to cheer me up a little... Thanks guys, James

I have one too which I replaced with a sequential jobby...It occasionally stuck in 4th gear though so may need some work - I have pics of the interior if interested and the other option doesn't work out for you.

Craig - thanks for your reply - YHM