Croc

Just to prove a point that it is not only the West Coast that can have gorgeous weather, I turned up at the Cars & Croissants event today in Chatham NJ. A nice sized event with plenty of interesting autos to inspect and chat with the owners. A large number of Porsches, nice smattering of Ferraris and Alfas, the odd Corvette, a few Astons, Loti and a couple of Dodge trucks…oops sorry Dodge Vipers. 1968 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 and its lovely sounding 12 cyl engine. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20April%202010/DSC_2824_edited-1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20April%202010/DSC_2826_edited-1.jpg 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta and another v12 engine note to die for http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20April%202010/DSC_2821_edited-1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20April%202010/DSC_2823_edited-1.jpg

G'day Kiwi Caterham also use a modified bell housing to mate a zetec with a type 9. The standard transmission options for the Zetec in Fords were all for front wheel drives so I am not aware of any rear wheel transmission that bolts on other without modification. From memory I think even the Quaife, Elite, or other aftermarket boxes (including the Caterham 6 spd box) needed the modified bell housing. I suspect the Birkin bellhousing option would be cheaper than the Caterham option though! From memory the bog standard blacktop Zetec running FI put out 147-150 hp at the flywheel. Probably drops 30% or so to the rearwheels. With throttle bodies and other engine mods I have heard that this gets up into the 175-185hp range (flyweel hp) but someone else here maybe able to refine how they achieved this in practice.

Thank you for sharing your story. I can relate to the temperature issues you experienced with my own adventures. The car looks wonderful and I am sure you will sort out these types of new build issues with fettling over time.

Due to uncooperative weather expected for this weekend, the Fish and Chips Run has been postponed to Sunday May 16. Meeting time and place remains the same.

That would be the least of your problems if you were driving it!

It looks such a dog that I would tie it to a tree and leave it there. I mean honestly, what market are they aiming at?

Pssst...Arya - I am whispering so we do not let Mazda know your dastardly plans.... Excellent idea! We kick off from Milford NJ. From memory it is about 1 hour from downtown Philly (about 30mins to Trenton on I-95 and then 30mins on Route 29 to Milford). You could also follow the route the other side of the river that runs through New Hope. Both are nice cruising roads to get to Milford. Last year we did a nice loop starting and finishing in Milford with lunch at the Ship Inn. It is very nice Seven country up there - if there was work there for me I would move there. Jon - Echo you on the low speed caravan. No stop lights that only let 3 cars through each cycle.... better route planning needed. And more batteries in the GPS!

That is brilliant. The sad thing is that it is so like various people I work within at the office with their love of acronyms, jargon and over-technical words. I like to play buzz word bingo during meetings :jester:

It is looking better than when I last saw it a year ago at Carlisle. I like the work you have done with the dash - that looks nicely finished. EVen the bonnet shape looks good in these shots. What is you plan for the scuttle between the windscreen and back of the dash? Maybe enlist Jon at Carlisle to clean the car with Windex like last year? Nice shiny paint job? :rofl:

It is hardened steel - that was confirmed. I think it came from outside the bellhousing - there is a small access hole at the top - I think something fell in - nothing inside the bell housing was missing or damaged (other than by flying bits). I suspect a clutch bleed nipple or something similar that would be located in the vicinity of the access hole. Hole is now covered up so it will not happen again.

Gert - As you noted, it is identical to what happened with MoPho - same symptoms, description of offending object and damage - even to the point where I also unfolded the object to try and recognize it. Very curious.

Martin - A very good guess too as this was my initial thought - either a tooth from the flywheel or starter gear. However, apart from some gouges across the face, the starter gear is whole and looks in pretty good condition. Gert - I had forgotten all about that incident until just now - thanks for the lead. I think I will go and search the back posts to see. Either way I think it got in through the little opening on the top of the bellhousing - now it is covered up to prevent future surprises.

I love the pic of you with the smile - just says it all! Congratulations

I was fitted somewhere near the top (outside?) of a Ford Type 9 5 speed gearbox mounted in a Caterham Seven SV I make a very loud crack crack bang bang noise in the bellhousing when the car is being driven at speed. I must be illegitimate of underdetermined parentage based on my car's owner calling me a bastard - several times over too - along with lots of other exciting expletive deleted words :cuss:. I can stall a revving Zetec in less than 20 seconds I leave great big gouges on the inside of the bellhousing, flywheel, starter gear, etc I am made of hardened steel but that did not stop me from transforming like a butterfly into multiple pieces of lovely abstract art I can take blood from my owner via scrapes, knuckles bashed and general mechanical incompetence (and get more owner expletives deleted). I am the cause of a recent engine and gearbox removal to find me (and more cursing from the owner). However, I really do not know, what am I? Some pictures of two pieces to help you out: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/DSC_2814.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/DSC_2815.jpg My guess is a bleed nipple but heaven knows how it got in there. Little banged up to be really certain and multiple fragments as it broke up on impact. It left some really nice gouges around the place. Car is mostly back together and runs smooth again - just need to finish tidying up tomorrow.

or maybe the bumper sticker was: "I really am a different man behind the wheel" :jester:

Did it have a bumper sticker: "My other car is a Miata"

And here I was hoping for a couple of Hooters girls strategically draped across a Westfield

and I may be mobile again this weekend.....just a little more work....:smash:

No affiliation, etc.....asking $35000 http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/lotus/1268503610/1268503610ss.htm other photos http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/lotus/1268503610/1268503610pp.htm

As probably the only Holden owner on this forum, I am a little surprised to see your family owned one. I did not think they were sold in the US?

Thanks for the kind words on the gearbox. I will admit some apprehension to dealing with this - I last did an engine out in 1992 on a very simple V8 and in 1991 on my first Seven. A buddy tried to reassure me last night that its easy as it is just like sex - just get in there and f*** it up! Jim - You're a lucky man to come out of that mess safe. The highways are dangerous places for us Seven drivers because of all the muppets driving.

My little car's drive yesterday led to a busted selector arm (or the pin holding it together or something similar) as something went crack then bang bang bang around inside the gearbox before the engine stalled. Ah....the joys of an engine out job just when the weather gets good Something to worry about on the weekend....

wonderful - an old HK Holden from 1969 with a slightly more recent (and more powerful) engine. It looks to be the Summer Nationals held in Canberra Australia each year. Its a hot rod and street rod show. I bet that cost a lot in tyres See! Us Aussies can drive!!!

This is soooo tempting - one of my wish list items is to tour the Scottish Highlands. Unfortunately the timing conflicts - it will have to be another year.

Vote for the gauge being the problem. The standard gauge is pretty unreliable. Before I took it out it was acting like a windscreen wiper. The mechanical gauge has been great - nice stable readings - gives plenty of confidence. Plenty of choice out there to put in the standard sized hole. The closest I found to matching the original gauge style was Mocal or Racetech. Neither are a perfect match because of the missing Caterham logo.