jturrell

Sold!

SOLD I have a pair of Caterham composite (not carbon/kevlar) seats. I installed them and tried them out. I'm just a bit too wide, so I bought a pair of cloth seats. They have some very minor scratches from the installation, but are otherwise unused and as-new. Here's what they look like: http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=4498 These are roughly $460 each from the factory, before shipping. I also have one set of adjustable runners and two sets of the boxed spacers (basically a non-adjustable runner). I'd like $700 for the seats and runners. Please e-mail me at planning17 at yahoo dot com if you're interested. Thanks, - Jake

April would be a pretty quick delivery. The build process is a lot of fun. It doesn't require much talent - just a bit of patience.

When I ordered my sequential kit, it came with a prop shaft. I received another one as part of my R400 kit. The two prop shafts are identical, and share the same part number. This is for an S3 (narrow body), Ford Duratec car. From end-to-end, it's 25.5 inches long. It's 145 pounds on Caterham's site, before shipping, import duties, etc. This is about $234. I'll let it go for $180, including shipping to the lower 48 (extra elsewhere). Please e-mail me at planning17 at yahoo dot com if interested. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/PropShaft.jpg

I purchased a suede momo for my caterham, so I have this one available from my kit. Brand-new, never used. 260mm. It's 115 pounds on Caterham's site (around $186 before shipping, import duties, etc). It's very similar to the Momo Mod 26, however it has the removable center pad. The pad is held on with velcro - not your typical velcro . . . it's pretty strong. I'll let it go for $160, including ground shipping (assuming you're in the lower 48 - elsewhere will cost extra). Please e-mail me at planning17 at yahoo dot com if interested. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Steering_Wheel_2.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Steering_Wheel_1.jpg

I guess it was a good price! It sold immediately. Glad to see it going to a good home. I'm sure my wife is happy to see car parts slowly disappearing from our dining room.

SOLD! Thanks! I purchased a dry sump for my Caterham, so I don't need the wet sump that came with my kit. Brand-new, never used or installed. From what I understand, it's manufactured by Raceline, and appears to be almost identical to this (with the exception of the Caterham name on the bottom): http://www.raceline.co.uk/products/part_section.asp?SectionID=22&CategoryID=1 This kit includes all of the bolts, windage plates, etc necessary to bolt up to a 2.0l Duratec. Dipstick setup is not included. Brand new, it's 345 Pounds (around $565), plus shipping from the UK, plus import duties. I'll let it go for $400. Please e-mail me at planning17 at yahoo dot com if interested. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/WetSump1-1.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/WetSump2-2.jpg

Got the old oil pan off and installed the dry sump pan and updated oil pump. Caterham now offer a couple of duratec dry sump kits. This is the Raceline one. You used to have to machine the engine block to get the oil pump to fit. This is no longer required. They send you a high pressure oil pump that's already machined to fit. It all went together easily. The biggest hassle was getting the old RTV gasket material off. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Dry_Sump_Installed.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Oil_Pump.jpg

Man . . . those valve spring keepers are tricky. Getting the old ones out is easy. Getting the first one in took me 30 minutes. By the time I got to the last one, I could do it in about 30 seconds. The trick is applying very even pressure to the spring with the compressor. You don't want the spring canted in any direction, but rather pressed directly down. While you're compressing the spring with one hand, you gently poke the valve spring keepers down with one finger. If you do it correctly, you can slowly release the valve spring, and the keepers will catch and lock your spring in place. If you do it wrong, you'll shoot the keepers across the garage and never find them again, which is why I still have one to go. New keepers should be in tomorrow. $5 each for a very tiny piece of metal.

One other note - I've heard differing advice on this. Apparently you need to pressurize the cylinder with compressed air while you're replacing the valve springs. This is to prevent the valve from just falling into the cylinder when you remove the spring. Some folks I spoke with have said it'll be stiff enough, and won't just fall in. However if it does fall in, it'll be a pain to get out, so I'll be going down the pressurized route. To do this, there's an adapter you can screw into the spark plug hole and connect to your compressor. I'm hoping to replace the valve springs tonight.

Working on the engine now. I purchased the remanufactured duratec from my local Ford dealer per Caterham USA's instruction. AER remanufactures the engines for Ford. I tried to purchase directly through them, however they'll only sell to Ford dealerships. Working on the duratec is easy, assuming you have the right tools. Caterham doesn't provide any engine build instructions - here are the resources I'm using: CHILTON Guide for Ford Focus (make sure it covers up to 2007) http://www.amazon.com/Ford-Focus-through-Chiltons-Repair/dp/1563927853/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1311076325&sr=8-2 Two great blog entries on replacing cams & valve springs in a duratec http://duratec.wikispaces.com/modification-cams http://duratec.wikispaces.com/modification-valve_springs Here are some tools you'll find useful: http://massivespeedsystem.com/_massive_speed_system_/massive_absolute_timing_tool_set/mato8754/i-273565.aspx http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=schley+universal+valve+spring+compressor&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1600&bih=719&wrapid=tljp1311077644271045&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15492685783458930363&sa=X&ei=IXUlToCjKMzEsQLZwJzUCw&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQ8wIwAQ# You'll need an overhead valve spring compressor - a regular one won't work. I'm waiting on this right now - should arrive today. In addition, you'll want a flywheel locking mechanism. If I had any fabricating skills, I'd have just made one. It's just a little plate that keeps the flywheel/crankshaft from moving. I'm using one made for BMW's, and it works fine. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Engine-1.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Cams_Out.jpg

I have a 2006 Cayman S. I've never felt like it was low on power, but then again I don't track mine.

It's the R400 210hp. To get to 220, I'd need roller barrels. Although they get good reviews, they're expensive. Having gone crazy on the transmission, I had to draw the line somewhere, and outright power wasn't all that important to me. (yet) : )

The front suspension is in. Getting the anti-roll bar balls into the cups (circled in red below) made me question my sanity for a moment, but the rest was relatively straight forward. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Front_Suspension.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/ARB_Ball_Hell.jpg

I ordered the 13" Avon ZZR's. I intend to use them on the street - not sure yet how that'll work out . . .