Klasik-69

Thanks, I didn't know. Jon @ Caterham who built this motor told me 8K is fine. I wonder if he installed upgraded gears in the oil pump. I would ask him but he told me before it was so long ago he built the motor (2004) he doesn't remember what's in it. Is the oil pump gears on the front of the crank or in the crankcase driven off the cam. I've never taken apart a Zetec or Duratec, only GM and Ford small blocks, or Pontiacs.

I hope you figure it out. You're way ahead of the game compared to what I know. All I know is most people say the Pectel PCM is good but antiquated compared to new stuff out there. Also, the lack of support on a local level leaves a lot to be desired. The people at Apexspeed are very nice and cooperative but they're in California and neither you nor I am. The guy they recommended to me in Ft. Lauderdale is 150 miles away and I'm not really tickled about making that much of a trip to see someone I don't know. To tell you the truth, if my motor craps out, I'd yank it out and go with the 1.8 Miata motor with a turbo and Megasquirt PCM. If there ever was a motor that is almost explosion proof, it has to be the Miata motor. The only problem is that in stock form, its one guttless power source.

With regards to rev limiter and how much revs can you handle, Jon @ Caterham told me the engine has no issues whatsoever running to 8K and even beyond. I'm like you, I'd rather err on the side of caution. You know its less likely to blow up at 7.5K, then set the rev limiter to that point. Before I even knew what the rev limitations were, I used to shift at 7K just to be safe. The guy who owned the car originally had put a red marker line on the tach at 6800 rpm but I thought it was artificially low. Also, I suspect he never hooked up a laptop to the engine PCM since he didn't even have the Pectel cable. I've not had a chance yet to hook up since I'm a little lazy and the engine runs so strong all the way from idle to 8K. But I'm sure with a little further tuning by someone who knows what they're doing and the help of a dyno, more can be had. Being new to the R300, I'm still learning. Also, I don't know squat about PCM maps and all that goes with it. By the way, my O2 sensor is a four wire unit and there is only one located at the entry of the muffler. I couldn't find any numbers or other designation on the sensor but it could be underneath where I can't see it. Mine does not have a cat unless the muffler combines as a cat also. My engine set up was built by Jon @ CaterhamUSA in 2004 for the original buyer. It is supposed to be 202 HP but has yet to be checked on a dyno. Somebody chimed in and said the O2 sensors are all the same aside from being either 2 wire or 4 wire. I'm not sure its true. My 97 Jeep Wrangler had a new generic O2 sensor installed and the engine would not run properly until completely warmed up (8 to 10 minutes) and if you shut it down, it would repeat the same thing even if the engine was warm. The dealer told me I needed a new O2 sensor to make it run right. I was leary about this and balked at first but the dealer guaranteed it would fix it or they would put the generic back in and not charge me. Ok, put in the Chrysler's $138 O2 sensor and let's see. They were right, problem went away. So I don't know if they found a way to scam me or if there is a difference in O2 sensors. Parts houses list about 20 different Bosch O2 sensors, must be a reason or they'd only stock 2 types, 2 wire and 4 wire. But I don't really know much about this so I could be all wet.

dallasdude is correct about Apexspeed. I have a Pectel system and was missing the PCM cable. They were able to order for me. They apparently are quite knowledgeable on how the system runs, but they're in California and I'm in Florida. They did recommend someone in my state that can set up the Pectel on a dyno to max out the performance. As an aside, I looked at my notes from my Pectel disk that Jon @ Caterham USA provided the original buyer. The notes indicate that if you're running a non-catalyst VCT engine, choose either "noncat" or VCT422 options and the engine should run fine. A guy named Greg wrote the notes. I trust he works or worked at Caterham USA. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you on this. Mike

My R300 is a 2004 model as titled, and as evidenced by the invoice to the original buyer and the manufacturer's statement of origin. Based on what you guys are saying, its an imperial chassis. Most all the bolts I've encountered are inch pattern. MichaelD cage looks very simple and adequate. I already looked under the car to see how a sub frame could be attached. To access the frame square tubing in order to drill and attach bolts, quite a few panels would need to be removed. I was trying to avoid drilling out a mess of rivets. However, this may be unavoidable. I just got my aeroscreen to replace the air brake (windshield) so I got a good chance to look at the frame inside the car...........not much there to bolt onto. It sure looks like I'm going to have to make a large commitment to this project than I first envisioned.

Boxologist: Yes, I plan on doing TT with the SEDIV starting in April. I believe I'll have to run the ASP class due to engine and other factors placing me out of the more conventional classes. I don't care, I'm not running for points, just for fun. Yellowss7: I don't know if mine is metric or english. How can you tell ? I bought the car last year and wasn't involved in its ordering. It is a superlight R300 with Zetec 2.0 Looks like removing the inside skin involves drilling out the rivets on the inside panel. That being the case, all the inside shells of the rivets will be trapped inside the square tubing and plinking around..........maybe not that big a deal.

My R300 came with a rear roll bar only. If I run in SCCA regional races, I'll need to run a full roll cage. I'm at a loss as to where the front hoop attaches on the cowling/frame. Are the attachments used for the windscreen used ? I don't want to disassemble or tear up the car if I can help it. I know the side bar must run along the outside of the skin. I've seen how the top loops are attached. Not sure about the front attachment.

That is some pretty good driving, especially after the snow. I'd be in one of two places, the side of the mountain or the guard rail. I get a little sideways on dry smooth pavement, can't imagine what I'd be doing on snow covered roads. Great video

Hey guys, thanks for all the info. I apologize for the stupid questions but I really know very little about these cars and how they get to be what they are. I sure do enjoy driving the little bugger. I've already gotten a ton of help from this forum and its members. Skip clued me in the use of wheel adapters so I could use my Miata wheels. Many others have helped me with gearing and how to get more speed, and other ways of doing things I hadn't thought of. If I could find a snoopy type of leather helmet, coupled with a good set of motorcycle goggles, I think it would protect me enough to keep me from going blind and having any further brain damage.

Taking interest in this since I'll be taking off the full windshield and puting on the aeroscreen in short order. I was wondering what I'd wear to protect my eyes/head. I was thinking goggles for the eyes, worried that sun glasses may not be enough if a rock or something like that were to fly up. Then I thought about the rest of my head, not that there's much inside to damage, but it could render me even more useless. Wearing my helmet may be a bit over the top. How many people are at the Caterham shop ? Being in Florida, I only talk to Jon, and if he's out, the phone just rings and rings, so I thought it was a one-man shop. While I'm asking a bunch of stupid questions, do these cars come assembled body wise (I know the buyer drops in the powertrain) or does the buyer have to assemble the components to the chassis as well ? I bought mine from a previous owner so I bypassed this phase.

Jon @ Caterham USA finally received the fiberglass aeroscreen and is shipping it to me. Thanks guys for your input. Happy motoring !

The Japanese cars typically use either the british thread or JIS which is Japanese Industrial Swivel. JIC (Joint Industry Conference) threads demand a 37 degree flare. SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) dictate their flare be a 45 degree flare. I that isn't confusing enough, throw the french into the fray and lets not forget the germans. The french developed their own system that doesn't conform to much of anything (any surprise). The german system using a DIN thread pattern which is a metric pattern. I have a hydraulic parts and service business so we run into all of this and a lot more. Did I mention O-ring boss, american pipe, british paralell pipe, british tapered pipe, Kobelco and Komatsu thread patterns ? The good news is that many shops throughout the country can make a brake line using a inch system tubing system and be able to apply a metric end on one end and an american SAE or JIC end on the other. Another way of doing it like the old blacksmith days is to take one type of line and run into a coupling block which you drill out for the size of the tube you have. On the other side you drill out for the size of the other line (metric vs inch), then braze the tubes into the coupling block. For ABS, which typically uses at lead 4 lines in and 2 or more out, having one rectangular block cross drilled can make the job look neat and professional.

Please let me know. Thanks for looking.

The fiberglass aeroscreen I originally ordered from Caterham USA was $425 + freight. The CF version sells for $650 + freight but is in stock in Colorado. I didn't think the difference in weight was worth $225 difference in cost. However Jon said it was an awesome looking piece. I'm sure he's right but I'm more interested in speed and cutting down on the air brake from my full windshield. I may just forego the whole aeroscreen thing and just use the two extra windshield braces I have to mount the mirrors. I think the aeroscreen only manages to bump the really big bumble bees up to face level as they come across the bonnet. And why is it the bees, wasps and other stinging insects come into your body stinger first ? I won't even mention roadside buzzards.

I hate to ask a stupid question but how does the heater in the Seven work in Alaska ? It may not make any difference if, as you say, you'll get squashed at the first intersection. Personally, I think Sevens are better in Florida, where I am, and Hummers are better in Alaska.

Thanks for the tip. I looked on their site but couldn't find an aeroscreen. They have the CF aeros for the front wing stays and some unique stuff but no windscreens or aeroscreens. I did find some at MOG racing in Germany http://www.mog-racing.com/ and I may end up ordering from them if I absolutely have to. On their site, it shows 358 EU with the brackets and approximately 20 EU for shipping. The shipping has to be more than 20 Euros so I was apprehensive..............didn't want to end up with a 300 EU charge to my credit card for shipping added to the 358 EU for the aeroscreen. Has anyone had experience in ordering from Europe ? If so, how much is the shipping ?

WTB: I'm looking for a windscreen for my R300 superlight (not an SV). I've tried to order one from Caterham but it appears they're out of stock on the fiberglass units. The CF version is in stock but @ $650, not much of an option.

I got tired of getting blasted with gravel while driving on the track. At one point, some of the rocks actually made my left forearm bleed. So I got some aluminum fenders made by an outfit in California that makes customer aluminum, steel or stainless steel fenders. I chose aluminum and had the fenders made to about a half circle, then attached them so the rear would be about 3" off the ground. I bought a couple of truck mud flaps and cut the material to the size I needed and attached them to the bottom of the fender using 3 ss 10-24x3/4" machine screws, fender washers on the inside of the flaps and small ss washers on the fender, held on with ss lock nuts. I fashioned them so they barely clear the ground when pointing straight ahead. They will rub a little on the ground when the wheel is turned in. No more gravel spitting out at me. However, this is for the track only so the looks don't mean much. When running on the street, I put the original CF wings back on and try to not drive on roads with heavy gravel. I also think the kind of tires you use may have a lot to do with how much stuff they pick up and sling. For street use I use the Toyo Proxes T1R and they don't pick up too much stuff. The Hoosier SM6 race tires pick up everything along the way.....sand, gravel, squirrels, small farm animals :banghead:

Well computers do make these beasts run better, smoother and stronger. But they are a PIA. Factory Five sells car kits for around 15K that allow a lot of old school engineering. Yes, you still have to add the power, tranny, rear end, suspension. But if you wanted to be economical, you could get by with about $6,500 if you shopped used or junk car parts. Hard to get a fun car for $15K complete. My company buys Kawasaki Mules and they're running almost $13K; no radio, windows, A/C or anything else remotely close to creature comforts. Kubota's models are $14.5K. AS far as fun kits, the Stalker may still be the best deal around and still you'll be around $28K, or the price of mid level Honda Accord. I'm looking at a Ford GT40 kit and that has my wallet going into freeze mode. Yes, our lives are way too complicated. As far as safety is concerned, Florida had a vehicle safety inspections until the Governor's mother had to wait in line for over an hour so he killed that. In NC where I have a vacation home, inspections are required but they are so superficial, I'm not sure what it would take to fail. My old Jeep with the Engine Check light on, several vacuum hoses split and the exhaust spewing out more smoke than the mosquito truck passed the inspection. I hear NJ and NY have tough inspections that include exhaust noise levels but not sure it keeps them with good brakes or good tires. It may require that. Here in Florida, we have so many transients and fruit pickers running around in uninsured death mobiles its downright scarry. Add a few thousand people text messaging, and suddenly being on a race track seems much safer. At least on the track, everyone seems to be going in the same direction !

Ok, where is the helicopter stored ? Which island ? Now I'm really intrigued by this whole setup. Its another one of those "What If ...." As Jim said, if you have to ask how much, you can't afford it. I'm with you Jim, and by the way, is that $5 for the foot long still on ?

I saw that on TV last night on some crazy RV Upgrades show. The "belly" pan lowers and slides out, really neat engineering. With the boat, how do you get the car off the boat ? Maybe this is just a photo shop picture and the garage is really for another small boat ?

No, not like this one. This one has the whole top that hinges out of the way. The one I saw was home made and all aluminum. The sides stayed fixed and the top hinged up allowing the owner to approach or exit the car with ease. The formula car was winched in and out. The owner was quite elderly and made the trailer fit his needs and his abilities. The hinged top was spring assisted. The aluminum panels were screwed/riveted to an angle iron frame, and although it looked a little crude, it served the function very well. Certainly didn't have the look of the Peter Brock trailer, but then again it didn't cost the guy $23K. Did you notice in the video that he doesn't even need to tie down the car............just load it up and the fiberglass shell will keep it inside somewhat !!!

I've seen the pictures of your turbo Miata powered 7 and I don't think you need NOS or any other aid. It looks like it'll blow the doors off anything that come along. Beautiful car, by the way. Again, I didn't mean to slight the use of oxygen. I really thought we were talking about NOS. I admire you're willingness and determination to not allow this slight inconvenience to keep you from hitting the track. In fact, more people should have your convinction. Too many make excuses to not LIVE. Hats off to you.

If this size trailer works, and apparently it works very well, why go wider ? You've got a beautiful setup and its very simple. You also avoid extra drag by having a narrower trailer and that also translates into easier backing, easier parking, etc. No, simpler is better any day of the week. I got my trailer to haul my Z06 or the GTO, and they suck up every bit of space. Then I migrated to the Miata and now the 7, and a lot of people laugh when they see them in the big trailer. I too have an electric winch in case the car craps out and I can't drive it up. I don't have batteries but instead I've run a welding cable to the truck's battery and have a connector near the hitch for powering it up. AT one of the TT events, a fellow with formula car had a wedge shaped trailer. The top would hinge up and move out of the way allowing easy entry and exit of the formula car. The hinged top didn't need any hydraulic assist or any other kind of electric power. The hinge was counter balanced with a spring to assist lift. Once up, the draw bar would lock. Very neat setup. He pulled the rig with a very small vehicle too. With mine, I feel like I'm dragging a billboard.

Sorry Skip, I didn't know it was for a medical condition. I thought it was NOS or similar. I see you live in Colorado, and if my assumptions are correct, most areas in that state are high altitude. Doesn't this make your life a little more problematic ? I have to agree, Karl's rig is impressive. First class all the way...........MB tow vehicle, sharp looking trailer, and very nice 7. The only problem with a trailer that narrow is you have to crawl over the back of the car to get in or out to load or unload, unless you winch it in and out (not a bad idea).