Wayne Stambaugh

I’m going to put the car on stands tonight and get under it and have a look. I’m certainly not opposed to the idea if it doesn’t create a ground clearance problem. Forgive me, this is all new to me but I’ll do my best to retain all the info I receive. Thanks!

I think it would be nice to have a quick release wheel and I followed your link and it looks like a great set up. One concern I have about quick release is that I have seen a lot of them and many seem a little loose and have a little more play in them than I’d like to see. Do you have a Rapfix or have you been around them enough to know they are pretty tight units? Thanks for the link. I really apprciate your help.

Lower the floor? It's almost on the ground now. How much are we talking about?

Doesn’t look like there is any more there but I may not be understanding the adjustment. I’ll loosen it up tonight and see if I can get a little more but I’m thinking I need at least an inch more.

I have figured out I have a problem when I’m in the car. The steering wheel is in the way of my left leg near my knee. I can turn a spacer on my lathe and drill the bolt hole circle and just set it out an 1” or so or maybe there is a quick change hub that would also bring the wheel back toward me. Anyone have any recommendations?

This is the first car I have been totally obsessed with since I was a kid. A good friend of mine went with me to pick up the car today. He does a lot of autocross with a Honda S2000. He too is now obsessed with this car. It’s great to have someone like him around because when you say Caterham to most folks they get a puzzled look on their face and ask you what you are talking about. This is going to be a real adventure,

I started a build log today.

Keep in mind, the car is just as picked up. No cleaning or prep has been done what so ever.

Today I picked up my 1986 Caterham BDR. This car belonged to a good friend of mine who was my fathers age. He passed away five years ago and left the car to his youngest son. Unfortunately he died at 59 years old and never got the car on the road. His older brother got the car after he died. At the funeral the older brother mentioned to me that he may be calling me for help in selling his brothers belongings since he didn’t really have an interest in them. The Caterham was one of those things. I just couldn’t let him sell it so I bought it. Considering our friendship he made me a price I could afford and could not turn down. I had been watching this car since 1987 and I just couldn’t let it go. The car appears to be fairly complete and I have many boxes to go through with extra parts and who knows what else. It does have a full top but no doors. It has little wind deflectors that fit with pins on the sides of the windshield posts. The steering wheel is a Motolita and is not the quick removal type. I don’t know if the wheel is closer to the dash than most 7s but it really is close. At almost 6’ tall when I’m in the car my left knee is actually on the steering wheel. If I can move the wheel closer to me I think the clearance would be fine. People talking about the toe box weren’t kidding. With my work boots on I couldn’t tell what I was doing. It’s going to be stocking feet or racing shoes for sure. The engine had me asking all kinds of questions previous to getting the car. It is definitely a 1.6 BDR. It does not have a dry sump system. The engine block is cast iron. Some folks said it may be aluminum but it is cast iron. It has two 40 DCOE carbs on it. The transmission is a 5-speed unit. Currently I can’t move the shifter out of neutral. I guess it’s better to be stuck in neutral than in gear. I have attached a number of pictures for you to see.

What is the best book for timing and tuning? I’m sure not going to even turn the engine over with the starter until I install a new timing belt. I have seen a few pages showing the timing marks and the 3/4” movement in the belt when properly adjusted but that’s all I have. I have worked with a few GM LS engines that require pressure priming the oil system. This is done without spinning the engine over. You force the oil into the block in one place and let it bleed out another. When you have oil pressure on your gauge you are ready to spin it. I’ve always been paranoid about oil when the crankshaft starts to turn.

Fortunately I don’t have to have the book today. Hopefully I am not going to be inside the engine for a while but you never know. For rebuilds I have always assembled my engines myself and I’m sure that book would be handy when the time comes. I have seen so many people assemble engines by assumptions based on other engines and ended up in a disaster. Troubles usually start during the dis assembly and cause problems during reassembly. I do have a list of things I want to do before I even attempt to start the engine. The book would certainly have the cam timing information (new timing belt) as well as distributor information. I’d also like to prime the oil system and get the oil pressure up to a running level before I spin it over. Of course the fuel system. I finally got confirmation on when I can pick the car up. It’s going to be sometime this Sunday so hopefully Sunday night I should have something to report.

It appears Jake Lamont’s book is not available at Books 4 Cars either. I ordered the book on Oct 7 and still don’t have it. I just emailed Books 4 Cars and am waiting for a reply.

I know I’m way late on this topic but I have used a couple of things in my auto restoration work that really help out with heat. The first thing is a product called Lizard Skin. This product is a thick gray/black material that you spray on with a purpose build spray gun. If I recall the gun was about $60 and I don’t recall how much the product is. It can be purchased in a number of places online, for example Summit Racing and JEGS. I have an MGA coupe that tends to get pretty hot in the summer time here in alabama and I used Lizard Skin on the floorboards, the tunnel and the firewall and it really helped. The other product is White Lightening and it is a product of Swain Tech Coatings in Scottsville New York. This is a true ceramic coating for your headers and exhaust system. You have to send you parts to them for coating but it’s the real deal. There is also a company called Jet Hot that coats exhausts but they don’t hold a candle to Swain Tech. If you want a pretty exhaust system don’t call Swain Tech. There focus is on keeping the heat in the pipes. This helps increase the speed of the exhaust flow out the pipes and also reduces the heat coming off the outside of the exhaust. This is not spray can magic, it’s a realatively expensive product but it does what they say it does. If you just did your headers I think you would surely feel some heat reduction. Beware there is plenty of debate about coating like this but I have experienced not issues with it. They did a great job and although I was warned that it’s not pretty, I was very please with the look when I got the parts back. Hope this helps.

I have looked at the forum section for wheels and tires and frankly it’s overwhelming. What I was trying to establish is the best wheel size for the street and the best tires to run on the wheels again for the street. What’s you opinion on this. Again, my car is an 86 Catereham, DeDion rear suspension. I really have no desire to run different diameter wheels front and back. Tire wear really in not an issue, I won’t be putting many miles on it. Thanks

I had a 7 year old and a 6 year old and was spending 10 to 12 hours a day in the machine shop trying to survive and somehow I did.

Tuesday evening I received a tuperware tube full of paperwork on the 7. Unfortunately it wasn’t all for the Caterham. After I weeded out the non Caterham paperwork I started to focus on the Caterham stuff. John Sr. the original purchaser obviously spent a lot of time trying to decide what he really wanted. There is quite a bit of communication back and forth, several quotes, additional parts quotes, etc. Based on what I see Arch Motors completed the chassis October 15th 1986 chassis number 5LC 4578 BDLD. This info was in a letter from Caterham Sales and Coachworks Ltd. addressed to John Weiss C/O Chris Tchorznicki, Sevens and Elans. I have attached the last update of the Proforma Invoice.This is dated July 8th 1986. Later on he apparently ordered an electronic ignition module May 2nd 1988. Then on May 24 1993 he ordered a twin wishbone front suspension. There appears to be instruction sheets that came with the car. The are very short and not too well detailed. They are just single pages , no binding at all. I am scheduled to pick up the car not tomorrow but the next Saturday. I am really looking forward to getting some pictures taken and then start a build page. Wayne

MV8, I noticed your are in the southeasrt, I’m not stalking you but am curious. What state are in located in? As you can see I’m in Alabama.

Thanks MV8, I have the book ordered!

I would like to purchase a copy of this book. Currently it is out of stock at Pegasus and I can’t find it anywhere else. If someone has a copy and like to sell it please let me know. Thank you.

Thank all three of you for your replies and interest. I think I mentioned that I haven’t picked the car up yet and I’m scheduled to get it next Monday or possibly Tuesday. These cars are so unusual. People ask what I’m so excited about and they just don’t understand it. I’m even having trouble imagining what it will be like compared to my MGAs. The BDA 1.6 in a 1200 pound 7 ? I have no clue what that will be like! As soon as I have the car I’ll start a build page as you suggest. I know I’ll have lots of questions and I think I’m at the right place! Thanks again for your replies.

Hello, After being an English car nut all my life I finally own a Caterham 7. I have been involved with MGAs and MGBs most of my life and always wanted a Caterham 7. I’m a machinist by trade and worked in the shop more than 30 years and still machine parts for myself. I started with conventional machines and later on we made the move to CNC so I have lots of experience with both. Previous to, and after my career in machining I did auto restoration and still do. A old friend of mine bought this Caterham 7 in about 1987 new from Caterham. He assembled it in his garage but got frustrated with carb tuning at the end of the build. He stopped working on it and it sat for many years. It has a 1600 BDA (I’m told). I haven’t picked it up yet. He died about 5 years ago and left it to his son who also died about 6 months ago. His brother was liquidating the estate and called me to see if I was interested in it, the rest is history. I have a lot to learn and have hundreds of questions. Hopefully I will able to get a lot of them answered here. Thanks in advance. Wayne Stambaugh