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 . . .

The crates finally arrived. Picked everything up at British Auto Specialists in Ft. Worth yesterday. Unfortunately, I have to go out of town tomorrow, so I won't be making much progress this week. Jeff and his crew were very helpful getting everything on my trailer. Just getting organized is a fair amount of work. Some surprises with the kit: - The chassis was pre-insulated with heat reflecting material. I had seen this on a few recent cars in the forums, but wasn't sure if it would be included on US cars. They did a better job than I would have been able to do. - I got the Ford diff. They're switching to BMW diff's, and I wasn't sure what I'd get. This should be a plate-type diff, so hopefully it doesn't really matter. - I ordered a regular black Stack dash, and they gave me an R500 (white) dash. I think it looks really good, and compliments the white stripe. Feels like I got something extra. - Lots of items already installed (dash, gas tank and associated hoses, wind screen, etc. Pretty happy about it all. - So far, no obvious shortages. But I'm not that far into it yet. Here are some pics: http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Chassis.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Nosecone.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Dash.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/jcturrell/Tires.jpg

I am just relieved it isn't a replacement for the car I ordered two months ago!!! (R400) I had this image of the car I ordered being instanly obsolete. What a relief!!! Having owned a Radical, I can safely say this isn't the car for me. Aero cars are cool, but a very minor "off" at the track can cost you many thousands of dollars, and a lot of time. These cars require spares packages and local support. These are "big boy" cars.

I don't know this for sure, however I suspect those cars aren't really available quite yet. (other than the used superlight). There are six cars being built in early March and sent to the States in a single shipment. Mine is one. Two others are going to British Auto Specialists (where I purchased my kit). The other three are going on to Denver. I suspect one of these three is either already spoken for, or is going to another dealer. That leaves the two on the Caterham USA site. Pretty exciting that we'll have so many new Caterhams showing up at once.

Hmmm . . . I'm interested in the engine, but I've already got all of the ancilliaries on the way (including the dry sump). I suspect it would be a pain for you to part it out. The good news is that there are 6 Caterhams being built in March and destined for the states - hopefully being delivered in early April (One is mine. Two are going to Jeff Sloan at British Auto - not sure if he already has customers lined up for those. Not sure about the other three. Someone will want this engine. You might call Jeff to see if he's interested in it. Why not just order another kit for your wife and drop the motor in there? : )

I received my chassis number. The car is scheduled to be built the week of March 4-11. I was surprised to hear that there are 5 additional cars coming in the shipment from Caterham with mine. That's a lot of new sevens.

I like the paint job a lot. Combines my two favorite colors. How have I missed this thing tooling around Frisco? I've only seen one other seven up here - a burgundy Caterham SV. Have you had it out at MSR? Good luck with the sale. Seems like a lot of car for the money.

How many hours are on your motor? Powertec recommended refreshes every 30 hours for my Radical if racing, and something like 40-50 if I wasn't racing (I had a standard 1300cc Hayabusa). Having a bike-engined car was REALLY fun, and it was reliable with appropriate maintenance. But it wasn't low maintenance. It's all about having the correct expectations. Bike engines just don't last as long in cars.

. . . but reduce reliability. Having owned a bike-engined car, you should be prepared for more frequent rebuilds. If you're okay with the additional upkeep, they're a blast. I would personally need a pretty good reason to stray from the duratec. It's the current engine in the R300. It's cheap. It's got lots of support for upgrades. It was designed by Mazda and is very reliable. There are many dry-sump options. Why go anywhere else?

I've never driven a car with a sequential transmission on a public road, so I'm not sure what it will be like. I don't know why it would be any less practical than a regular transmission - motorcycles don't seem to have any problems navigating public roads and they're all sequential. My car will be registered for road use, but I'm not sure how much time it will spend there. The lack of a windshield will likely prevent any significant road trips. (You don't need a windshield to register a car in Texas.) I'm not sure how I feel about tooling around town in a helmet. We'll see. I might end up with a windshield later on down the line. Since I won't be involved in any competitive racing, the main benefit is the fun factor. Banging through the gears with clutchless upshifts will put a very big smile on your face. All you have to do is lift off the throttle a bit. And while I wouldn't consider myself a particularly skilled driver, the sensation makes you feel like Michael Schumacher.

I've heard a couple of people mention these, but can't find one on the Caterham parts site. Also, couldn't find mention of them on BlatChat or Pistonheads - but I know I've read posts about them before. I'm probably searching on the wrong term. Can anyone direct me to a specific part?