Croc

Congratulations on your first post at USA7s! Sounds like you found a basket case. First thing is are you really looking at a Lotus 7 Series 2? Replica plates are cheap and lots of people put them on cars that look like but are not true Lotus 7s. Factory records are not great. Unless you can score a hit from the numbers on the plate you have or find it on a DMV website then you may never know its history. You may determine it is likely a Series 2 by photos of the chassis, suspension, etc but that is not absolute proof without the provenance/history. Lots of claimed Lotus 7 end up being 1970s or 80s Caterhams for example. In this situation buy at the right price and know what the likely exit Market price after restoration is going to be - there is not a lot of headroom in these cars to invest money and get it back. If you feel comfortable - post photos here in case someone recognizes the car or can determine its origin. Forget the color issue. You likely have Grandpa's axe. It was probably never red originally but the ali was. Change to what you like - no value issues from that unless you went a pink polka dot or something equally repulsive. Taking it back to original frame is a good thing. I guarantee there will be hidden corrosion which you will only find by stripping it back. Powder coating afterwards seems a good approach to protecting a restored chassis. Resources - start here: Good luck.

Congratulations on your purchase! First things are no upgrades initially - you want to drive it and feel it as it is - then you can select upgrades based on what you think is important. Do the basics first - a good service - replace all fluids, including brakes, diff and transmission. Change air filter - flush radiator and fresh coolant. - inspect brakes but if pads have enough life then live with brakes for now. Make sure your brake hoses are in good shape - check throttle, brake and clutch linkages, cables for wear - hoses - they usually perish unless they are high quality silicone. Check hose connections are tight. - check fuel hose and filter - replace as needed. - spanner check on all nuts and bolts. This usually stops 95% of breakdowns in your initial drives. If alignment feels off then do one plus cross weight the front set up with your weight loaded up in the drivers seat.

Reverse parking difficult with the hood up this morning? Hang on, why is the hood up on such a gorgeous summer day? All jokes aside, I do like the color half hood you chose for your red car.

I am remiss in posting my good experiences with these high level LED brake lights on my new monster, Kato. I installed them vertically on the uprights for the cage same as Slonie. I spec’ed mine to act as just brake lights. The only catch was the wiring connector plug was something completely different to the choices offered, reflecting that this car has been bastardized one too many times. Great product. Thank you @das76

D type replica steel wheels?

Carl - really sorry to see this. As a true engineer you have critically reviewed the outcome with logic - wet track and worn tires do not mix well. Caterhams are tricky to drive in the wet at the best of times as their light weight does not allow them to build enough tire pressure to cut through the surface layer of water on a track. So they are prone to aquaplaning before other cars might do. What you want is a rear basket replacement. Really common repair in the UK. My 420R in the UK had one done under its previous owner - you would never know once it is done right. https://caterhamparts.co.uk/rear-baskets/7545-short-rear-end-metric.html and here https://caterhamparts.co.uk/rear-panel/7880-rear-panel-s3-metric.html?search_query=panel&results=131 You remove wheels and jig the chassis on a flat table. Confirm chassis to remain is still square and has not twisted. You cut off the old basket and marry up the new one - weld/braze/etc. Its not a structural element to the car - just creates a trunk/boot and a protective space around a fuel tank. You then install the rear panel - it has to be hammered around the rear basket tubes. Clearly not a task you can do at home yourself. And definitely shipping is not going to be cheap. If you source the bits for the repairer, this might make them reconsider their ability to do the work. One option if you cannot get someone local - reach out to the Caterham dealers on the East Coast and ask for their assistance to do the repair (it is a Caterham after all). While they will not do it themselves - they will have the network of contacts and can organize the parts to be shipped over. You would have to ship the car to them - it will not be a quick fix but she will be as good as new. One thing to check now - any damage to suspension mountings, A frame, or the deDion bar (i.e. bent)? That rear wheel would have stressed them and or their mountings on impact into the wall. The A frame and its bushings is the one I would be really cautious on.

Bullshit - be careful with Caterham with dated belts. They have said they have expiry dates and then you get them and they have no expiry label. Thats a non starter at NJMP and many other locations. Go with Schroth. Safer and known quantity

oh I don’t know? I’ve seen many USA7s track days, there’s plenty of room to accommodate many drinks based on the driving I’ve seen.

I like it. Goes well with how green the owner looks right about now. Such a delicate constitution.

Let’s start with first principles - disconnect the battery. Then disconnect those electrical connections - they are a friction type based on what I had on my CSR. But the easier option is trace the wires down the cable until you see an easy click plastic connector. Uncouple there. Then start to cut around what I suspect is blue hylomar or similar sealant - you want to lift this round metal cover plate out vertically eventually. The actual fuel pump is attached underneath. Then unscrew the cover plate fixings. Refer back to the photos of the complete unit removed from my old post to help you visualize. That’s enough for now. No point getting too far ahead of things.

Average life consensus seems to be 10-12K mileage. If you break it then Josh at Rocky Mountain has a solution - same casing, Drexler LSD internals plus a choice of different final drive ratios. Plug and play replacement.

Sure will in an SV. I had a gentleman 6'8" and 300lbs fit in an SV. You may need to tweak for roll bar clearances like lowered floor, different seats (maybe leather S Type seats?), take seats off runners and bolt through floor, etc. - you don't want to clout your head on a roll bar. Maybe go back to a regular non-overhead roll bar? I have taken some hefty gentlemen out on track - the biggest was 6ft and 360lbs. Dented performance somewhat. Plenty of options to work with to make it work for you.

Sierra diffs (open or LSD) are fairly bullet proof - I've never broken one yet. What you were likely experiencing was excessive backlash or some looseness in how the tailshaft connects everything together. It may be within tolerances but still feels odd compared to a modern car. Easy enough to drop in a Tracsport LSD if its broken. The current Caterham model diff with a BMW M2 (or M1 ) housing and (I think) Titan internals are dogs. I fixed a 2021 car recently that had one wheel drive after 6000 miles and one fairly sensible owner. It should be a hydraulic clutch set up. They always felt a little dead and lacking feel in the Zetec. Was the take up point (i.e. where the clutch starts to bite) in the right spot though? Oh I get this - it makes it worth a premium just to save the hassle. CA emission certified classic cars get a mega premium for this reason. If this does not work then wait until a better titled one comes along - one that followed the year being replicated format. Not as common as more recently titled cars but definitely turn up frequently. I usually flag them when I see them. Lets put this in perspective - its not as much an issue as you think. This engine came from a Ford Focus. Its designed for drivers like my sister who regularly kills her cars because she is so tough on them. Driving is the 6th most important thing in her life when she is driving behind the wheel. She rags it from start. Forgets to change oil. The Focus was a wonderfully tough little car. As long as the oil changes were done right then should be no issues. If it does break then buy a spare from Ebay and drop it in. In over 100,000 miles on track in a seven I have yet to break an engine - Duratec, Zetec, Cortina, Crossflow, A Series. Gearboxes - T9, Cat 6spd, Miata - are more fragile as the installation adaption was usually flawed by alignment issues or mismatch of hp to design tolerances or crap production quality (Cat 6spd). Now if we are talking about Holden or BMW engines, yeah I break those....

Well said Bob! Always grow old disgracefully - its more fun!

Welcome to USA7s. Keep in mind that there is always another suitable car that comes along within the next 2 months. Shipping a car is only a couple of thousand dollars - that frames your bidding strategy. Good luck with the auction!

Caterham on Bringatrailer https://bringatrailer.com/listing/caterham-seven-5/

Interesting thought. Its the standard tank installation and I never had a vent like that on my CSR260 - clearly its a later modification if it is a vent.

Is now the time to mention that when I insured a 2021 Caterham 620S in October last year my premium with Hagerty was $9? Cue the smug face. It helps being in their VIP program - only offered to those who are considered good risks.

It’s only a sub 15 amp circuit. Not a lot of current needed to drive a small pump like this. For the size of engine and hp this is the minimum you can get away with. Keep this in mind if you ever decide to up hp via a new tune. Otherwise this pump will lean you out.

Two options One, it says Weber and my carburetors are always in front of my fuel tank (I don’t drive VW beetles). However, I really think the answer is two, a nozzle for the onboard fire extinguisher. Weber makes those too.

The carbon seat is more rigid with a fat fucker like me. Noticeably so. But that’s seat of the (monumental) ass - not particularly scientific.