danilo

Given that thing is from '83 ..the car at least who knows re the mechanical bits true ages. It's unlikely it has run hot for almost 30 years AND is still operable. There are many causes of overheat : Fuel raitio, Timings Ign and valve , failing: headgasket, waterpump, thermostat, hoses and even the rad fan and the perennial suspect the rad itself. There is a Looong list to check... before... simply replacing the rad.

More Vaporware :-) Like Ponzi schemes a seemingly never ending supply :-) Years..ago there was some effort to make utility motors (mowers/chainsaws/weedeaters etc) from plastic extrusions. Started as entire motors soon devolved into partial plastic components then finally air shrouds. Just wasn't much of a price difference from metal and the materials were not as stable 'as advertised' .

Dunno.. I have Kids and Grandkids on the streets. Best give some serious thoughts to surrendering your license if you cannot even see the darn dials on your dash !. Every week there are reports of some doddering fool ruining families/lives just cuz the shmuck wouldn't admit to human infirmities ?? This is an overcrowded world.. there's no longer a place or tolerance for selfishness.

At least in Kalifornia... the Gummit does not pour 22 Milllion Metric tonnes of Salt on the roads ..each year... like Ontario does. You have to see to believe what that does to cars.. let alone the Aquifer.

I had an RHD 7,for many years. Not to put too fine a point on it: It was a genuine PITA in traffic. Happily.. it soon became a track only car. Seriously Not recommended ... just too much of an ongoing problem, in ...Urban.. traffic.

Dunno How old your car is. But My old Lotus 7 used to crack the mount metal on a regular basis. Sometimes twice in a season. Only a fresh set of fabricated 'new' ones solved the problem permanently. Likely your new to you replacement could break as well? Weld your existing one in situ, then start thinking about a bespoke decent substitute at your leisure?

In North America? Likely not nearly as many as got started. Here the boys are intent in stuffing in V6 and V8 engines... essentially following a "Hot Rod" dream.. that only superficially resembles a seven. Success/completion ratio is Much higher in the UK. Prolly cuz Caterhans/Sevens are still a visible element in the daily parade of traffic. Regardless, the clone 'craze' does seem to be winding down. We are all aging and most Kids couldn't give a toss about 'building' a Kar. Ever driven a 'recent' cobra clone? These are typified by massive excess AND ridiculous HP.. to the point of absurdity/uselesness.. and a price tag approaching $100K.. from either direction. These drive ..Nothing.. like a genuine 289 Cobra.. which was so 'interesting' as to remain a vivid memory for almost 40 years :-). Gonna be genuinely 'interesting' when all the 'Car Collector' types fade away and there's no one left who's interested in their old toys.. beyond a few museum curators.

You might consider using some Automotive sillycone to glue the H4 housing into the chrome ring?? Semi-permanently (you can always exacto knife thru the sealant..if genuinely necessary) Unlike the sealed beam unit, removing the chrome ring will not be necessary for replacing bulbs.. It could conceivably stay there for ever?.

Curiously there was semi recent posting on Blatchat by someone who took their Caterham into a Wind tunnel facility for testing/upgrade information. From Memory of reading it :-) Wee spoilers (ala CSR) on the top of tighter fitting Cycle wings made noticeable aero difference, adding 14kgs downforce. But this had odd effect on lift at the rear wheels.. Gain some.. lose more :-) 'Aero' a arms made no measurable difference, as did added onto the nose affectations. Open passenger compartment is a big problem... no news there tho. Again from memory.. trying to add 'Aero' to a Seven is an oxymoron, mostly ineffective.

Interesting bit of Tesla sales Spin here: Very oddly 3 years AFTER the fact. http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/news-extra/article/135376/page-93/top-gear-sued-over-rigged-test.html

Want Foolish? Check out the "Tesla" a Lotus Exige (?) electric 'conversion' with.. get this .. count 'em ! 8600+ Double AA Lithium cells. True, this stuff is too dumb to make up. Imagine being the poor shmuck that has to go looking for a bad cell? Or the minimum wage workie that has to load them in, in the first place? Absolutely astounding what your $150k will buy.

Dunno.. I vote for the 'original' lotus Seven handbrake setup, located under the scuttle. It remains as the Best solution IMO. Easy to reach, easy to pull hard on. Kept the obstructions away from ones' arm/elbow on the tunnel when shifting too :-) Not so dumb a location at all, if one lived for any time with the car one adapted to it nicely. I certainly don't remember it as any sort of negative at all. It's just not fashionable. Don't readily discount the possibility that the people who invented the car actually knew what they were doing ?

Why not use one of the current generation Glass Mat batteries as found in most .. Any.. current motorcycle?

Interesting looking, but noticing the Shark Cage erector set and the wide open tub/passenger compartment...pretty well discredits any real life 'Aero' pretensions, I would think. Susp pickup cross brace idea was occaisionaly seen 30 years ago. Make a difference? Unlikely IMO.

From a quick google search: I own both types. I use either with no regard or concern for problems. Where I work (and I'm a statistical quality engineer) we use beam-type torque measurement tools (certified by outside accredited agencies) to calibrate our other instruments. Beam type is far simpler, and therefore less likely to be suspect to error. However, the quality of "click" type has come so far that the question of accuracy is really a non-issue now. Choose based upon your percieved balance of use, convenience, and cost. Either one will be fine.

Video here.. Not nearly as dramatic/photogenic as the Porsche one.. but less than a minute 'slower' (12.30) on a 500cc class Quad yet. More 'balls' than $ required.

Perhaps Blatchat? if you ask for the RAL (paint) code.

Sparkly car, seemingly fair priced. My colleague recently bought an original owner, 100% 'unmolested' '69(?) S3 for $27k Am wondering about the S2 bit though, having owned one of those for about a dozen years. I remember a few details. Not much "S2" on that car, is there ? Likely the Clamshells are semi recent replacements, while the rear fenders are clearly not oem, for an S2. Lotus Clamshells have the indents for the hood catches. Caterham ones do not. Not a big deal, but Cat clamshells do 'Lift' at speed, noticeably more than the Lotus ones did/do. Seats ? No 'seats' in an S2, nor that dash /instrument setup. Does present well though Surely someone will give it a good home. Likely not for the anorak 'collector' though.

Here: meet the man who has designed the handling of some of the finest cars of this Century. http://www.lorisbicocchi.com/ IF only Caterham had the werewithall to hire him

Yess ..Sorry, I was being sarcastic. But It shouldn't really be an issue, should it? I carry full collision insurance on my cars which at best are worth 1/2 to a 1/3rd of that KTM purchase price. Only a fool would not carry appropriate insurance, unlikely, given the means required to pay the machine's purchase price So no worries whatsoever re 'repair' costs beyond a $2/300 deductible and the ensuing aggro. Strangely enough, Ins may prove affordable. A colleague has a late model Ferrari and to our astonishment the ins premium is slightly less than that for his daily driver Accord. Driver history, age, frequency of use have a direct $$ effect:-)

Likely they were mediocre quality, but in truth it Was in the mid 70's and the wife did run our / this S2 to national runner up in solo. So it wasn't that poorly prepped or crap :-) Just claiming, that in my experiences, a lot of 'stuff' can be more hype than reality. Caveat emptor is a timeless concept.. apparently.

Welll... IF in a serious Accident in either a Caterham an Atom or an Xbow I seriously doubt the Heirs would worry overly about 'repairs'.

Curiously there was lengthy article in the Dec 2009 issue of Top Gear Magazine. Seems two Top Gear editors drove an Xbow from London to northern Italy on a multi day 'road trip' (excuse) to deliver an 'award' to the the man responsible for it's exceptional handling. Seemingly they found it a better than expected car to spend several days in.. so much so they took an even more circuitous route home. Clearly they Really liked it's performance and even it's 'comfort' pretenses. Plus it didn't even once toss a road rock on their testicles .. as had the Atom.

I've used sphericals in my Lotus S2.. years go. Track use reasons. Frustratingly these became noisy/rattly. surprisingly quickly.. Perhaps they weren't expensive enough? Dunno? only thing certain was it was annoying. Once fitted out my old Saab with superflex bushes. After a few years living with them, I've been methodically pulling them out in favour of the simple oem rubber bits..achieving a better ride and surprisingly no apparent change in handling/response. An expensive mistake, at least on this car.

Oooo K.. Look here: https://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=144_148&products_id=3988 45 gbp's @ $1.6 = $72 Plus Shipping :-) Also Either 48 gpb's for the old Anglia stlye upper link. Or 52 GBPs for the Upper A Arm Note these do come with Bushes installed and the arms have the ball joint included/fitted So whats that? $310 + shipping for a factory fresh Caterham front A Arm setup I clearly was off the prices .. some :-) Old notes? new improved for 2011 Cat pricings ?.. as a guess.