ashyers Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Hello, I just purchased an '03 Caterham with a Duratec that I believe may have been built by SBD. I was curious to know if anyone has dealt with them. The engine has early SBD throttle bodies, dry sump, and possibly cams. The previous owner knew little about the engine so I'm digging around a bit to find some info. Thanks, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Thats a really early Duratec. One of the earliest I know of unless it was a replacement for a Zetec at some point in its life? I assume you found their website? http://sbdev.co.uk/SBD%20Motorsport%20Display.htm They are one of the few vendors that Caterham allow to re-map MBE ECUs - makes sense since they sell MBE. A number of people have dealt with them for remote (by internet/phone) tuning/mapping on a dyno in the US - yellowss7 was the most recent forum member that I know of. If he does not chime in on this thread then PM him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 (edited) Yes, I have dealt with Steve at SBD. My Cosworth built Duratec has a set of his cams that bumped the Hp from 280 to 310, done by the original owner. I had Steve do a dyno tune/mapping of the engine and that as Croc mentioned was done remotely with Steve taking over my computer and doing the tune without physically being present. JBH, (Jeff, just bought a new ECU for his Zetec powered Caterham and Steve again did a remote Tune. Steve was very helpful, and does carry a bunch of parts specifically for Duratec motors in Caterham applications. And Steve will definitely be able to tell you about your engine if he built it. He keeps pretty good records. Tom Edited October 31, 2018 by yellowss7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashyers Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 Mike and Tom, Thanks for the responses. I believe you're right this is an early Duratec. The car was built with the Duratec by Autocourse in S. California. From what I can tell the motor was pretty state of the art at the time, but the records are limited. Basically it's a SV with lots of bells and whistles and a hot rod motor. Hopefully I'll hear back from Steve soon, I sent SBD a note on Sunday and put in a request for some goodies today. From what I've gathered the car was remapped (detuned) a while back, so I'm hopeful the I can access the ECU. I'm looking forward to sorting out some details on the car and playing with it. I've wanted one of these for a long time! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Andy: Great car/engine spec. Nice to see you finally got your se7en (I waited 45 years...). But as a wise person once said: There are no sports cars in assisted living:). Tom: Let me know if Jeff's new ECU/tune produced any special numbers on the chassis dyno. He's already too fast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Mike M, I forget the results number, but Jeff said it feels a lot quicker. Jeff, Simon and I had a good session last week where we all played tag. Luckily I have more power and can catch them on the straights, because I can't stay with those crazies on the turns. :ack: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashyers Posted November 1, 2018 Author Share Posted November 1, 2018 I waited 35 ! My dad and I used to look for 'em in the New York Times Classifieds. I remember prices in the $7k range. I'm sorry he's not around to play with it. I'm fortunate I have support for this adventure at home. Once Hilde gets used to the clutch I may have to wait my turn to drive! Of course I need to sort insurance first... Do you guys have any suggestions on how to do business reasonably quickly with SBD? The email route isn't cutting it. Am I looking at EARLY morning phone calls? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Always phone vendors in the UK when it comes to parts supplies - no matter which vendor. The English are a fairly primitive culture so internet is a little new fangling for them. They know their engine/car parts and ale but not much else. Not sure where you are in the USA, but UK is 4 hours ahead of US Eastern time this week. So a simple example - if you call at 10am it will be 2pm and after their lunch break. After change from daylight saving time to winter time this upcoming weekend, it will stretch to 5 hours. Surely you can manage a phone call? Never try to call Friday afternoon their time - they will not come back from the pub after lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Hate to admit it, but Croc is right once again, including time of day (I usually call between 6-7am PT). Although I've never dealt with SBD, short phone calls with all the other vendors -- and there have been a lot over the years -- has always proven the most expedient approach. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashyers Posted November 1, 2018 Author Share Posted November 1, 2018 Got it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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