480rider

I had the pleasure of meeting Woody during a race weekend in 2010. His was the only other Caterham in our EP class that weekend, so I made a point of introducing myself. He was just getting out of his car after a practice session, and upon seeing me approaching (while talking), he graciously stopped me, removed his earplugs, inserted his hearing aids, then was ready to talk. He started off by asking if I knew who he was, suggesting he was somewhat famous at that track. (Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.) As it was my first race season, I had to admit that I did not. He chuckled and went on to explain that he had the honor of being the only person to have died at that track! As I heard the story, a few years prior to that he had a heart attack while on track. His car went off, hit a wall, and the impact somehow managed to re-start his heart. Great story. He has a great race history, and is the only SCCA member I've ever met who has a 2-digit member number. (For reference, mine is in the mid six figures.) As of a few years ago, this was a good, solid car. The price is very reasonable.

Thanks for the advice. The only answer I have for why I'm using two is that I didn't know any better! I realize each is typically used on different sides of a cat, but I assumed there was still a reason to have one downstream of the muffler.

I bought my car from a great seller in Houston, and I know there are several in that area. TX seems to be one of the better locations for numerous Caterham owners, so you chose the right spot. As for women, it seems you are on the right track. I've been married twice. After years of dreaming/talking about race driving, my first wife gave me a three day open wheel school (Jim Russell) as a birthday gift. I thought that was the greatest gift ever, and that she really understood me. Until I got home. I was, of course, more excited than ever to race, and all she could say was "now that you've done it, I hope you're over that whole car racing thing." Ouch. In contrast, my second wife comes to the track with me and provides crew and team support, agrees with any car buying decision I make, and is glad that racing makes me so happy. I knew I'd met the right one when she agreed to spend our honeymoon at an F1 race. Best of luck with your car search, and with the marriage. Sounds like she "gets" it.

Thanks for the replies -- I managed to solve it this morning, and the car ran great through the day. Kitcat wins for the right diagnosis. While investigating the O2 sensors, I traced the wiring from the loom to the rear sensor. It was originally affixed to the top (underside) of the tunnel, but apparently a zip tie broke, and left the wires dangling down, where they had become lodged between the transmission housing and a frame rail. The rubbing resulted in the outer sheath being worn through, and one of the wires (the 12v heater feed, I believe) also being worn through. The wire was still intact, but with the outer coating worn through, it was able to contact the frame rail and short. Now for the interesting part. Because it wasn't touching all the time, I was unable to cause the failure by gentle driving or just idling in place. And I realized the failures were occurring during high-G right turns. Aha! The forces and flexing allowed the transmission to move just enough to pinch the wires, thus causing the short and failure. I'm a lot happier today than I was yesterday. I was getting very tired of this!

No. MSD. And a brand new coil pack at that. When it runs, the car runs strong and well. This seems to be some sort of progressive electrical failure (coil pack seemed like a good possibility), which has gone from relatively mild and intermittent, to quick and fatal. I failed to mention in my first post that when this began, the car would stumble and cut out, then full power would quickly return (w/in a few seconds) and the car would generally run fine for the rest of the session. After a while of that (and sometimes with no problems at all), the cut-out duration got longer, happened sooner and sooner after starting out, then the fuses started blowing.

Thanks for the response. I am running the stock motor with Ford starter. I will check on the starter and its wiring.

I'm baffled by an ongoing problem I'm having, and I'm hoping to get some ideas on how I might track down the culprit. I have a 2002 Caterham with a Zetec and 5 speed. The car is set up for track only, so the only functioning lights are the brake lights. (It has no headlights or signals, no horn, no heater or defroster.) Starting last season, the car would suddenly cough and sputter while on track, then cut out entirely. It started happening after a few sessions, usually later in the day. Over time, the problem has started to occur earlier and earlier, and with more dramatic results. That is to say, the car no longer gives any indication a problem is about to occur (no cough or sputter), but just cuts out entirely. The engine will turn over, but not fire. At first, no fuses would blow, and I could re-start the car after letting it sit for a short time. More recently, though, the cut-out happens simultaneously with the blowing of a 20A fuse in the ignition circuit. (More on this below.) So...I started last year searching for fuel delivery problems, and found all was in order. Now, of course, it's obviously an electrical problem, but I haven't managed to source it. I have found no bare or loose wires which could be causing an obvious short. I've replaced the coil pack. I've checked the O2 sensors, and they seem to be functioning fine. I've replaced the kill switch, ignition switch, and rewired the starter button. The car will fire right away after I replace the fuse, and will run fine while sitting in the paddock. It ONLY cuts out while on track -- but today it took just one lap (in the first session, on a cool morning) to cut out and blow the fuse. I replaced the fuse, and ran it for about 40 minutes in the paddock with no issues. I'm completely flummoxed by this! Ben and others have said it is very unlikely the ECU, but I'm wondering if I should replace that next. Any ideas? Is there a chance this type of "progressive" failure could be an ECU issue, or is there perhaps some other part of the ignition system (or related system) I could check? Thanks for any and all help or suggestions.

Great list. Thanks for sharing. My #1 dream car from that list would be the '55 AH 100-4. Too bad the collectors/speculators have driven prices for them through the roof. But back on the original topic...I drove a '77 911 (last year before the SC) which was very engaging and enjoyable. Now I have a Honda S2000, which I'd highly recommend as a daily driver. It's simple, reliable, cheap to maintain, and entertaining to drive. The high-revving engine and top-notch gearbox are the real plusses. The only minus is the lack of low-end torque. It can be a bit boring to drive at low RPM, but really comes alive when kept near redline on the track.

I'll bet I"m not the only one who would like to see the detail list (year, make, model) of all 341 and 16! Very cool.

I was lucky to catch the documentary "Senna" at Sundance about two weeks ago. It's a great film. A member of the audience asked the director how we could help assure a U.S. cinematic release. He replied that letters to the producer would be the best way. (It's a Universal/Working Title production.) Regardless of any potential cinematic release, the movie will be available on Blu Ray, but probably not until later this year. They still have to get through the rest of the openings in other countries. Anyway, the in-car video scenes are phenomenal. It's far more raw and engaging than any of the current in-car videos, and really shows off Senna's driving talents. I'd highly recommend this film to anyone.

My car came with a setup for running Hoosier bias-ply slicks. When on the slicks, I run 7" in front and 8" in back, on 13x6 wheels all around. I've also run the car on Hoosier R6 DOT track tires, 185 in the front and 205s in the rear. The guy who mounts my tires had no issues whatsoever with the 205s, and to my eye they look to be a much better fit than the 8" slicks. (I do, however, notice a substantial difference in handling. My scale shows that the DOT tires add about 7 pounds per corner, and that added weight dramatically changes how the car feels on track. The car goes from feeling "squirty" to "sluggish.")

"glentwincam's apology to the calmly stated rules, along with Vogue's calmly worded replies once again shows what a fine group of gentlemen populate this forum." I've only had my 7 for a year, and ran it hard on the race track last year. After problems with the radiator, transmission, fuel system, stack, brakes, and a mysterious electrical demon which continues to frustrate me, I seriously considered selling it and racing my Honda S2000 instead. Even with all the issues, I've decided to keep the 7 and sell the Honda. A major reason is the high level of courtesy in this and other 7-related forums. It truly is a pleasure to read the posts, and learn from those with positive attitudes and genuine respect for the opinions of others. Troy

Condition/price on the T9?

What a sweet ride! I'm orange with envy. Now, I'm sure the car would hate to sit inside for the winter. Maybe you should consider shipping it to an nice, dry western state (like mine) where it can get regular exercise until next spring! Enjoy! And, as others have asked, please bring on the pics!

I paid about $25k earlier this year for my 2002 DeDion Zetec Caterham. It's the "7 America" model, built for SCCA club racing, but it has a VIN and title, and many of the parts needed to license it for the street. (So it's a track car that could also be a road car.) It came with an extra engine, 16 wheels and 18 tires, and many other spares. I thought the price was fair, and when it's time to sell (maybe as soon as this winter, unfortunately), I can probably get what I paid for it. It seems Caterhams tend to hold their value, so as long as you find one that doesn't need a lot of work, it can be considered a good investment, especially given the fun you'll have driving it.

Scott: I can't help with 1,2 and 4, but maybe with 3: I'm in Utah, and bought my car in Houston. After a bit of searching, the seller located Sterling Auto Transport and driver "Tom" at 480-313-1445. The transport price was VERY reasonable, and top-notch in every regard. The car was loaded by the seller, and unloaded by me, with nobody touching it in between. My car, along with an extra engine, body parts, 12 extra wheels/tires and various other spares, was alone in Tom's two-car Featherlite enclosed trailer. It was delivered in only about a day and a half. I'd be wary of any exposed trailers, or multi-car trailers where the driver may have to load and unload your car in order to make other pickups or deliveries. Best of luck.

Michael: Thanks for posting the info -- it has helped me to sort the issue. With the shifter box cleaned out and lightly greased, my gearbox shifts smoothly and no longer leaks. After a conversation with Ben at Caterham USA I changed the fluid (from where it's supposed to be) to Redline MT-90 (he recommended Redline MTL, but I decided to go to MT-90 for my track-only application), and it seems to be working fine.

I've heard the same thing. But given how cut back the clamshells were (virtually no fender whatsoever behind the tire), I'm hoping cycle fenders will at least help a bit. They should cut down the vertical spray the tires currently put up, which is less than a pleasure to drive through!

The SCCA rules are pretty strict for this car, including detailed limits on just how much the clamshells can be modified. The previous owner trimmed the fenders in the amount allowed by the rules, resulting in cracked and pretty ugly looking fenders. This year I'm running it in a local series (not enough time to travel to SCCA events) which does not restrict fenders, and that's why I'm changing the clamshells to cycle fenders. I'm keeping the clamshells, though, so the car can remain SCCA-legal. It's a pretty quick and easy changeover. My local track has a very long straight, and is pretty fast overall (average lap speeds approaching 80 mph in this car), so I feel like less aerodynamic lift would be good! In addition, having already run it in the rain, I'd like to have some fenders doing a better job of keeping water (not to mention gravel, rubber, etc.) out of the cockpit. I'm hoping the cycle fenders will help a bit in that regard. The brakes are the tiny 9" solid discs. They work pretty well, although I'd certainly like to have more stopping power. I could change them for my local series (MPRA class SP at Miller Motorsports Park), which is pretty open regarding mods, but I don't want to take the car too far from its SCCA EP roots, and I want to keep it easy to take it back to EP-legal.

Thanks for the replies, and especially thanks to Bruce for the pic and link. I'd been searching for a manual or build guide, but had come up with nothing. Your link helps a bunch.

Attached are a couple more pics. The front suspension is "as it came," and appears to be upside-right. (The "Bilstein" sticker is upright.) So far, I'm running the car as bought, since the prior owner spent quite some time on setup and balance. Since he provided 16 wheels and 18 tires, I'm running those until they are all used up. I'm sure new tires (and seat time) will bring up handling issues which I'll be tweaking to suit my driving style. For now, I'm running the bias-ply Hoosier R35A tires which came with the car, 20.5-7x13 fronts, and 20-8x13 rears, on the factory 13x6 wheels. I understand switching to radials will require a substantially different alignment, which I may do in the future. There are too few choices in 13" bias slicks, and the series I'm running may require a change to R-Comps anyway. One of the attached pics shows the owner's solution for a cold air intake. Not quite as elegant as some I've seen on this forum, but it seems to be effective. The SCCA's GCR for this car is pretty restrictive, so I don't think much more could be done to the intake side. Regarding weight, the GCR calls for the car, with driver, to weigh at least 1,460 at the end of a race. With about a 160 lb. driver, 50 lb. of ballast, and a couple of gallons of fuel, this means it probably weighs a bit under 1,250 wet.

Geez, tough crowd! OK, here are a few more. One is from the first track day, with clamshells removed. (I'm still waiting for my cycle fenders to come in.) The others are in the driveway, the last showing a before (notice mischievous look) and after (results on pavement) pic. The wife says I have to clean the driveway now. But really, how could I help it?

The only access is through the top -- good thing the car came with a certificate for free gymnastics lessons!

I did. I found the shifter box appeared to have been filled with transmission oil. While no longer "full," it was certainly coated with the same color and consistency of fluid as I found in the main box. I should have mentioned before that the seller told me he had a problem with the shifter, and had recently replaced it with a new one. This would explain why his mechanic had opened the box and filled it with fluid. Their theory may have been that the prior shifter failed due to lack of oil, and filling it would keep the new one from the same fate. (Just my speculation.)

Martin, you were right on. Thanks for the replies, Bart, Slo. I've got a message in to Ben at Caterham USA. Hopefully he can help me with the proper level question. I have noticed different info on just how close to the plug it should be. As for the shifter area, it certainly makes sense that it should be free of transmission oil. I suspect the last time it was opened the mechanic thought it should be filled. Now I just have the engine leak to deal with!