blami

Hi James, I should have read your first post more carefully since you did state that you have the FIA bar. Your last post leads me to believe that you will have no issues passing Tech. The tall FIA bar and full windscreen will insure that you pass the broomstick test. One possible issue, but one that can be worked around: if you have a tall instructor, his head may be above the FIA bar, even the tall FIA bar---it depends on the style of seats that you have installed. If you have a tall instructor who is "uncomfortable" (and I can understand such a reaction), simply ask for another, shorter, instructor. Most of the instructors will have seen my Caterham on track. It has always been fast and reliable and I've even kept it on the track surface most of the time Most will enjoy the opportunity to instruct with you. If you speak to any Allegheny Region tech people prior to attending the event and they have any questions about your car you could ask them to call me for clarification. My home number is 412 341 9565, cell is 412 389 7236 Bart Lami

This event is being run by the Allegheny Region of the PCA. I have been a 25 year member of this region. I have instructed with them for around 20 years, the last 14 years in my Caterham Super Seven. The good news is that they are familiar with Super 7's. My car has the tall FIA rollbar and full windscreen so the broomstick test was never an issue---I passed. The Allegheny Region is very serious about safety and they may have some concerns about your car. Is your head/helmet at least below the rollbar when you are seated in the car?? If you can answer YES to that question then you have a chance of running with them. Has your rollbar been upgraded from the factory stock bar? IF you have a harness system, what kind of system do you have---a 4 point harness is not allowed--you must have 5 or 6 point harness with an anti-submarine strap (note: oem 3 point system is ok) You might want to call the event chairperson, Rob Warden: rwarden@gmail.com 724 312 7784 Get his opinion on your situation. I would offer to walk you through TECH but I am not attending this event. Good luck and if you get to run you will have a great time. Bart Lami

Where are your rear tie down straps??? I could not see any tie down straps in your posted picture. If you do not have rear tie down's you are likely to have some serious problems. Don't tow you Seven anywhere without at least one rear tie down, better yet, make it 2 rear tie downs. The left rear tie should be attached to the right rear side (through the wheel or to the frame), the right rear tie should attach to the left side. You don't want you Seven moving forward or sideways while on the trailer!! Bart

Hi Bruce, My 1993 Caterham optioned with the Vauxhall engine was supplied with K&N filters, filtering Weber 45 DCOE carbs. It is normal for the filters to get 'dirty' looking quickly, though this is not a problem nor has is been harmful to my car. In fact I remember reading that the K&N's filter better with some miles and dust on them, and that you shouldn't clean them to often in an attempt to keep them clean looking. And yes, that does sound counter intuitive. Bart Lami

Hi Bob, Sounds like you have researched this throughly. Let us know what you think of the Pace unit once you have it sorted out. I have also read about the hydraulic seal for the throwout bearing being a problem area for Caterham. I was told that this was not an issue with later bellhousings but to be honest I don't remember how the issue was supposed to have been corrected. Maybe wishful thinking. You're right about there not being many 2.0 Vauxhalls in the States. I know of a couple in Ohio. It would probably be a good idea to try to collect the names and locations of owners of Vauxhall powered Sevens in the USA--we could then compare notes, sources for parts, modifications, etc. What do you think? Bart

Sorry to enter this thread at such a late date but after noticing that Bob has a Caterham with the Vauxhall engine I had to ask: have you considered the Caterham dry sump system? Caterham's system is unique in the sense that the oil tank is built into the bellhousing unit, so tank placement or accessibility is not at issue. I was planning on using the Caterham dry sump system on my car (in fact, I purchased the system) but I did not like how the external oil pump, mounted on the right side of the engine (and below the alternator) required that it's drive belt be routed so close to the alternator drive belt. A broken alternator belt would likely take out the oil pump belt. This would not be an issue on right hand drive cars where the alternator is mounted on the left side of the engine. Modifications to the Caterham drysump system could probably be made that would lessen my concerns but I never got around to attempting them. I have found that the Vauxhall engine, with Caterham wet sump, windage tray, and "fuel-cell" foam in the wet sump actually has worked well for me---no oil starvation problems after 17,000 or so track miles. However oil temps were another issue, but resolved with the addition of a Mocal oil cooler. Yes, my Vauxhall is Swindon tuned too--218 HP on Weber 45 DCOE carbs. Good luck with your project. Bart Lami, 1993 Caterham HPC

Hello again, I've never used a pressure regulator and it has not been a problem for me (knock on wood, etc). My car will idle at 900-1000 rpms, quite reasonable for a track-type engine tuned to produce over 200 hp. Before you try to set the idle be sure to balanced the air flow through the 2 carbs (4 throats). I have found that a tool called the "SynchroMeter" Flow Meter works well. It's made in Germany and a lot of the guys with older Porches running carbs use this. Good for use on Webers, Solex, SU, Stromberg, etc. General procedure: Bring engine and fluid temps up to normal operating conditions. Balance carbs first, then check mixture, reset idle, THEN, check balance again. I got this right early on (lucky perhaps) and have not had to fiddle with the carbs over the years. I'm at the point where I usually just check the balance each spring. I've only made a few adjustments to the jets as I've played around with different exhaust configurations (competition muffler, carbon fiber muffler, straight pipe, straight pipe with SuperTrapp Diffuser Discs) I suspect much of the credit for the reliability of my engine goes to Swindon Racing who set everything up well to begin with. Bart

Hi Al, I'd love to be part of 7/7/7 but I will be at Mid-Ohio Racetrack on 7/4 & 5 making a bunch of Porsches look very slow. It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. Bart

Hi Al, I just thought about it and I am pretty sure that I've towed my Caterham around 60,000 miles in the 13 years that I've had it (Pittsburgh to Lime Rock, VIR, Road Atlanta, Mid Ohio, Watkins Glen, Nelson Ledges, GingerMan, BeaveRun--usually 10 to 12 events/schools per year). I've had an open alum trailer (Trailex), with dual axles and surge brakes which I was able to pull with my company cars (Chevy Lumnia with the smallest 6 cyl engine). Total weight of Seven and trailer: 2000 lbs. I now have an enclosed trailer (Classic Trailer) with a 14 ft box and I tow this with my GMC Envoy (6 cyl. engine). This trailer also has dual axles and electric brakes. This was made by Classic as an enclosed motorcycle trailer and I had them modify it to my specs. Some general thoughts: the small, light open trailer is very easy to tow. It handles well and it was easy to back up. You could tow with the family sedan--the "tail would not wag the dog". The trailer was easy for me to move around by hand, in the paddock or at home. Problems: it's an open trailer and at least once a year I would be at some track with the following weather forecast: Thunderstorms, high winds and possibly damaging hail" Enclosed trailer: You have shelter and security. You have cabinets, an electric winch, a lawn chair, MORE STUFF. And more weight to pull. With a 14 foot trailer, I do not have a problem with "the tail waging the dog", even though my GMC Envoy is considered to be a mid-size SUV. Get a good hitch, one that allows you to put a little more tongue weight on it via torsion bars. Most importantly, whatever you do, break down and spend the money to buy a trailer that will do what you require of it, in a safe manner. Guys will spend thousands of dollars on Wheels/Tires and a few carbon fiber parts for their car and then they don't want to spend more than $1500 on a trailer---Get dual axles, get brakes on all 4 wheels, trailer tires only, and understand the difference between the various hitch models out there and get the right hitch for the job. Pay attention to the height of the hitch ball--if you don't know why, get proper advice from a good trailer dealer. Call me if you want to discuss any of this stuff in detail. Bart, 412 341 9565

Hello, Al is correct, I have the 2.0 Vauxhall engine, set up by Swindon Racing, running 45 DCOE carbs. I speced this engine out when I ordered my kit in 1993. The fuel pump has worked flawlessly but there is one thing that you should check: Do you have a fuel filter somewhere between the pump and carbs? My car did not have any type of inline fuel filter--the Weber carbs do have an internal screen type filter but it's very small and could become restricted easly---so, do yourself a favor and install an inline filter. Bart

The answer to your questions is "I'm not really sure"-- BUT I have the same pump as you, mounted in the same general area, running Weber 45's, and I have never needed to prime the fuel line and pump--your situation is different from mine however--I never had another pump--my car was set up to run these carbs from day one. I'll bet that you will be OK if you simply put gas in the tank, let the pump work for 8 to 10 seconds, pump the throttle 2 or 3 times, then hit the ignition switch. Bart, 93 caterham hpc

I've used my Caterham exclusively on race track since I assembled it in 1994. Tracks that I have run on include Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, BeaveRun, VIR, MIS, Road Atlanta, Nelson Ledges, Mid-Ohio, and Gingerman. I have somewhere near 15000 racetrack miles on my Seven. Noise has not been an issue with my car as long as I have had my Caterham supplied competition exhaust and muffler installed. I must admit that the packing in my muffler has seen better days and that it will need to be replaced soon. When you try to sigh up for a track day or track driving school you need to know who the organization is that has rented the track and is putting on the event and what their goals and standards are. If a club (Porsche, BMW, Corvette, etc) has rented the track ask if they will allow "non-marque" cars to attend, ask about tech. standards and ask for a copy of the tech inspection form--you don't want to show up the day of the event and find out that "open" cars need arm restraints for both driver and instructor (this assumes that you also have a seat, good belts, and rollbar protection for the instructor). Same things apply if you sign up for a non-club event run by an organization like NASA. With a little pre-planning you will find that you can get on track as much as you can afford. Bart

From my experience (and mine only) I would say that your tire pressures seem to be low and I would suggest 15 to 16 PSI as a starting point. This suggestion is based on my experience with Hoosier and Goodyear bias belted slicks on 13 inch wheels. Good luck--at least this suggestion does not cost any money to try out. Bart

A little more information may shed a little light: Were the original tires bias or radial design and what design are the slicks? When you switched to slicks did you change tire size including the overall diam. of the wheel tire combo? What tire pressures are you running? Bart

Andrew, I use the doors only all the time on my Caterham. I have found that using the doors creates a more comfortable driving environment and it reduces drag: with the doors in place my drag-limited-redline goes up by 200 RPM. Since we're both in Pittsburgh (at least I'll be back in Pittsburgh after 3/15) feel free to contact me to take a look at my convertible top (which I no longer use because of my "tall" FIA rollbar), doors, and door brackets, if you would like. Bart Lami

Hello Catie, I don't race but I use my 93 Caterham HPC exclusively on racetracks. I instruct for a number of clubs and some "professional" schools (professional in the sense of for profit). Most of my track time is spent at Mid Ohio, Watkins Glen and BeaveRun. I have also had the opportunity to run at Lime Rock, Gingerman, Nelson Ledges, VIR, and Road Atlanta. I probably average 20 to 25 track days per season. My next event is at Watkins Glen (9/18-19) where I will be instructing for NASA and PDA. I finish my track season at BeaveRun where I will be instructing on 9/29-30 and 10/1. My Caterham has been a real hoot to drive for the 13 years that I have owned it and it's still faster than me. Bart Lami