boss351

Update. Sold!

Here are some pictures under the hood, I really made an effort on keeping things clean, the throttle boddies are from Steve Broughton Developments in the UK (http://www.sbdev.co.uk/) . There is plenty of potential to get more power out of the engine, the next step would be pistons and rods, the fuel delivery is already there..

Thanks Dave. Yes, this colour scheme is a real attention getter, it goes great on the 7.

I have just posted mine up for sale, Duratec Caterham, very nice well looked after car with some nice modifications. http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?10677-2010-Caterham-Roadsport-SV-for-sale Good luck in your search..

Hi All, The time has come to sell my Caterham. In Houston and the surrounding area it is well known for its distinct Gulf colors and impressive showings at the track days. I have had it from new in 2010, the build was by British Auto Specialists in Fort Worth. This car started life as a Roadsport 170 SV. I have continually uprgaded with each year of ownership making it a very quick but also a very driveable, reliable car. Drivetrain: This car did not start off life with a junkyard engine, it was a brand new Duratec 2.0L from Ford. The original setup was a single throttle body intake plenum from Caterham producing about 147HP to the wheels. My first engine upgrade after a year was to buy a superior MBE ECU (the one from Caterham is locked and not tuneable by third parties), a Ford SVT 2.3L racing head (with larger valves and CNC machining for better flow), Stage 2 Crower cams, titanium retainers and uprated valve springs, ARP head and rod bolts. After upgrading the injectors and dyno tuning power increased to 163HP. This kept me happy for another year but I got the itch again and decided to invest in independent throttle bodies. For these I went through Steve Broughton Motorsports in the UK, a company well known for their expertise in Duratec upgrades and tuning. Throttle response, drivability and power all improved, the dyno showed 176HP to the rear wheels. The exhaust including cat-bypass have all been coated by Polydyne for superior performance and heat reduction. I have the Caterham supplied 5-speed gearbox and LSD. Other modifications: Also along the way I added custom 6 point Willans harnesses, upgraded the roll bar and have a removable petty strut for added safety. For the track I remove the windshield and use a single clear air-deflector and nice carbon rearview mirror. All gauges except for the speedometer and rev counter have been upgraded to quality Stack equivalents. Additional gauges for air/fuel mixture and fuel pressure have also been installed as well as shift lights. Having never used the full weather top from Caterham I added custom made Softbits for Sevens top and boot cover for practicality and quality. For handling I switched to staggered 13" rims and Avon ZZR tires and also installed and quick adjustable camber rose-joints. The car has under 5700 miles. I am located in the Houston, Texas area. I can provide additional information and photographs on request. Asking $45990 Contact: Adam Gresswell. Email: adamg at scientific data dot com

I am just sorting out permisions to put my car up for sale on the forum. Please contact me for details in the meantime if you are still looking via private message or email: Adam Email: adamg at scientific data dot com

Thanks, now mulling over doing a matching one on the exhaust side.

We used an air saw and made clean cuts. Added the edging trim because it looked better:

Next up is a little fab/repair work to the throttle cable bracket (re-used the cable from my original setup), the bracket could do with some more meat on its mounting point for the cable. Also cleaning up the engine bay to leave space for a very likely Accusump addition. On a separate thread have made a post about eliminating some of the coolent hoses (together with the already gone heater). The car drives great and pulls harder from about 5000 rpm up. It is in good shape for future upgrades but for the moment I'll enjoy this one how it is.

One of the dyno pulls during tuning:

The engine fired up first time (rich), here is what it first sounded like. (timing is being advanced by the ECU to try and maintain idle target that I am not yet tuned in to - later on have that purring at 1000rpm)

The SBD setup preferably runs a return line with a fuel regulator (brings down the 4.5bar stock pump to 3bar), I tossed the original fuel line (EFI quick fittings) and ran aeroquip AN6 hoses (the braided kevlar type). Modified the pump unit with a AN6 bulkhead fitting and plugged the old fitting, and just connected the pump to the backside of the bulkhead fitting. The return line feeds in to the tank beside the filler neck. I also snuck in a fuel pressure gauge on the return line end of the rail (before the regulator that is mounted on the chassis below).

Just wanting to post some information on some options for Duratec upgrades. First stage: I took my stock Duratec (R300 equivalent) setup and a couple of years back switched out the head to a Ford Racing head (bigger valves and a lot of machine work) and Stage 2 cams, uprated springs, retainers, bigger (green) injectors. I had to pocket the pistons for valve clearance and switched to an unlocked MBE ECU. Keeping the red line at 7250rpm with some tuning that took me to 163 rwhp. Second stage (just completed): Put in ARP conrod bolts (raising redline to 7750rpm), switched out intake to SBD Motorsports tapered ITB's, some more tuning (in sweltering heat) and now up to 176 rwhp. Following some before/after dyno charts and pictures. I think there is more power to tap bringing my compression ratio up (actually down on stock due to pocketed pistons), but leaving that for the future, pistons and uprated rods $$).

Has anyone eliminated their heater and cleaned things up with a Retro Ford water rail on their Duratec 7? I removed my heater and just joined the hoses that were going in/out of it. I find the cooling system a little hard to follow and would like to simplify it more and free up some space at the back of the engine and under the intake.

I have Innovates LC1 setup and its been really useful from tuning to trouble shooting. Nowadays it looks to be the equivalent to their DB gauge.

Even with the hole I intend to give the filter the rubber mallet treatment and put in a mesh grill. The hole is more for getting outside air in to the intake rather than under the bonnet air. Got the nibbler (under $30 at Harbor Freight) and will take some practice cuts on a piece of aluminium sheet I have.

Thanks, going to attempt this next week. Lots of masking tape. Some practice on a piece of aluminium that I have first.

Sorry, attached the blurry photo, this one is better!

Can I get some tips on cutting a hole in the bonnet, it is to place some mesh in (like a CSR) where my new ITB's are. I have an SV so the filter is almost enclosed in the bonnet (about 3-5mm out at the front), I don't mind the filter being crushed a little, there is a lot of air space to the top of the TB. What is the best tool/technique to not make a mess of the paint and look like it was done properly? Thanks. Adam

On SV with a stout Duratec:

The pump/regulator is a self contained unit submersed in the tank. I finally borrowed a kit to measure the pressure at the rail (the quick connectors are Ford CFI style), and it is regulated at 4.5bar (65psi).

Hi, I am piecing together a possible upgrade and one thing I need to know is the fuel pressure from the stock setup on a 2010 Roadsport SV 170, this is the Duratec, single throttle body/intake plenum with the single fuel rail, black bosch injectors. Also, if I just wanted to measure it anyone know what fittings I'd need to put to a gauge in-line at the rail? The fuel line isn't a simple hose-clamp but some kind of quick connect with o-ring seal. (Pics attached). Cheers, Adam

2.0 Duratec, Caterham intake, stage 2 cams, Ford Racing head. http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk27/adamgx50/Caterham/dyno_tq.jpg

Thanks, that kind of confirms to me what I thought about it not going in and that a straight piece would. I'll try fabbing a tool up (if I can get JB weld to take the place of really welding). If not I may be hitting you up on your offer. Cheers, Adam

I fumbled about with a cut-off 10mm allen this weekend, grinding it down to about 15mm length and I couldn't wiggle it in. Almost feels like the plug isn't 10mm, I'll be back at it again with a set of stubby allens on Thursday, but I agree, making a small tool as you described is the way to go. Someone should make/supply them (hint hint)!