theDreamer Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Well, not “my ride” as of yet. Lots of paperwork, ownership transfer and shipping across country and across the border yet to be done but… I will be one of you in about a months’ time. Don’t tell anyone but, I went way over my limit to get that Cadbury purple HPC. I sure hope it’s as good as purported to be 'cause I spent all my budget and most of my contingency funds. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin David Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 It's better. Hard to describe, but the press never really gets it right. My only mistake was waiting. Congratulations! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdude Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 1 hour ago, theDreamer said: Well, not “my ride” as of yet. Lots of paperwork, ownership transfer and shipping across country and across the border yet to be done but… I will be one of you in about a months’ time. Don’t tell anyone but, I went way over my limit to get that Cadbury purple HPC. I sure hope it’s as good as purported to be 'cause I spent all my budget and most of my contingency funds. Welcome to it!! Don't worry about the overspend, it will go away the second you goose it in a corner. It's going to make noises when you drive it, they're normal. As long as engine pulls strong, bearings feel good and it stops, drive it until you've got a good idea of what you want to do. Get as many miles as possible and welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 @theDreamer Congratulations! Bureaucracy to get the car and transfer ownership can be annoying. But its winter so by the time you finish it will be Spring and ready for you to drive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordway Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Congrats on the HPC purchase! You're going to love it! I hope you enjoy talking to strangers because this thing is going to draw LOTS of attention. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordway Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 By the way, to add to the BaT discussion about wheels... My 2004 SV has the exact same 15" wheels. I've put ~2500 backroad miles on them in the 2 yrs I've had the car. I have no complaints at all. My plan is to enjoy it as-is until it's time for new tires (tires were brand new when I received it). At that point, I'll probably switch to 13". If the handling and feel is even better than the joy I already get on the 15"s, then that's great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 could we have link to the listing? So can drool vicariously. not wierd or anything 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDreamer Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 3 minutes ago, IamScotticus said: could we have link to the listing? So can drool vicariously. not wierd or anything https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-caterham-super-7-5/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 ummm... I didn't expect this. I really didn't expect such a great Caterham. That is one well loved car. You even got a Mirrors for Sevens mirror, the thinnest panoramic mirror made exclusively for 7s. You won't find those for sale anywhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDreamer Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 Well, it’s almost over. The car was picked up in Utah last Monday 18th. It cleared customs and entered Canada Thursday 21st but then, didn’t reach the shop that is doing the safety inspection until this morning Tuesday 26th. Seven weeks since I won the auction.(And no, the symbolic nature of these synchronistic events, that being waiting seven weeks to get my Super Seven in my seventieth year is not lost on me.) I’m hoping they can get everything done by Thursday so I can get the ownership and plates switched before the long weekend. If not then I have another week to wait. So far the car is better than expected in terms of condition, bonus extras and work performed by the seller after the sale at no charge. The transport company on the other hand, not so much. I already knew that engines with Webbers don’t like to start in the cold. My new car is no exception. Here are a few photos from today’s delivery and a couple of very short videos. It makes me laugh when guys show “cold start” videos and it fires right up. Ah NOPE! It don’t happen like that. Even letting it warm up a bit it still doesn’t want to run. https://youtu.be/4h3pjEwmDKk https://youtu.be/n1X559_VvOc 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin David Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 beautiful. I like the look of the angel wings, classic-style grille, and the road tyres. If it makes you feel any better my new Duratec doesn't love starting below about 40F, either. Yours sure sounds great once running! Hopefully you'll get to break it in once spring hits... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) Love that 7. Flared wings just have that classic 7 look. One of the quirky wonders of the 7. In 1960? When the first flared wings appeared on 7s, the open wheel had become a relic of the 1930s. Perhaps implemented as more of a compromise to capitulate with USA and other export regulations, regardless, the flared wings were/are an endurring touch of style that suit the 7 very well. Congratulations on a very nice 7. Edited March 27 by IamScotticus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdude Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Dude this is awesome! Happy for you... like waiting for the best Christmas gift, only to finally get it and it's better than expected. Hoping the weather clears up and you get plenty of time to drive it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDreamer Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 Car failed safety for a couple of minor items, brake lights not working and turn signals intermittent. The mechanic also found a host of niggly problems. The oil pan is leaking from the gasket, two leaks in the rad (more serious) and the car needs a new cam belt. Plus, I gave him a list of things he still has to address like, temp gauge doesn’t seem to work, there is a clicking sound we could hear when the car was just idling and the clutch pedal is ridiculously hard to operate. These are all the type of things I expected from a car that has sat more than it has been driven. But I did ask the seller about things I should be made away of. I mean it took 7 weeks to get the car so if I had a heads up I could of had parts and a game plan. Now this means the car won’t be ready until sometime next week. Yet another frustrating item, the tires the wife ordered hadn’t shown up on time. Then we learned they only shipped four instead of the five that she ordered and paid for. Two hours of waiting on the phone, sending emails and leaving voice messages got us a, “we’re sorry, we didn’t notice that you had ordered five until after the four had been sent. We will be shipping you the fifth tire shortly.” So get this, the first four are coming from Quebec but the fifth tire is here in Ontario. Guess what? Yep, the lone tire showed up on Thursday. The other four were to arrive on Good Friday. Surprise! They didn’t. The wife got notification that they would be delivered today, Saturday before noon. Well, we had to go out. When we get back there were three, YES, only three tires waiting for us. More text messages and we’re told the fourth was on another truck and would be here shortly. Well, I’m typing this at 10:45pm and no tire! How frickin’ hard is it to read and fill and ship an order for a company that is a 100% on-line business? FRAKIN' 'ELL!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 7 hours ago, theDreamer said: brake lights not working turn signals intermittent. temp gauge doesn’t seem to work a clicking sound we could hear when the car was just idling Brake lights - usual issue is the pressure switch in the pedal box. Turn signals - usually dash toggle switch contact points Temp gauge - the Caerbont/Smiths gauges are not the best but even so check the sender unit first as they are well known for failing. Clicking sound - its should be the fuel pump. Should also hear a faint whine at idle. Think about getting a spare at this stage since you probably have the original one in the car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdude Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 I rebuilt my entire engine to get rid of loud ticking tappets at idle. The noise came back yesterday. I think some noises you just need to live with for these cars. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin David Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Not the same engine, but I've found that my isotunes earbuds help a lot with clatter, while passing intake and exhaust music 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDreamer Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 6 hours ago, Croc said: Brake lights - usual issue is the pressure switch in the pedal box. Turn signals - usually dash toggle switch contact points Temp gauge - the Caerbont/Smiths gauges are not the best but even so check the sender unit first as they are well known for failing. Clicking sound - its should be the fuel pump. Should also hear a faint whine at idle. Think about getting a spare at this stage since you probably have the original one in the car. The mechanic and I talked about the brake light problem. He told me he converts most cars with a pressure switch to a simple electrical switch. He can do it so no one can see it and he’s never had a customer come back. So I’m going that route. I was thinking the dash switch as well. I’m hoping to get an update Monday afternoon. I also thought electric fuel pump as my Ducati is like that. Although it’s more of a whirring sound. So, I turned on the ignition without starting the car expecting to hear it make a few clicks. However, there was no sound until I fired it up. Replacing the fuel pump was on my list before the auction closed. After I blew my budget buying the car I’m now looking at what has to be done versus what I can do later. Hopefully things like the fuel pump fall into that second category. (Too many things already in the first.) If the clutch is operating as it should and I cannot get any more mechanical advantage to ease the pressure required then upgrading to a hydraulic system will jump up the list. I’ll try and master the Weber starting technique. Over the winter I’ll pull the carbs to see if these have all the bits for the starter circuit. (Even though many people say it’s not needed.) It may be a simple case of adding the lever and connecting a cable to operate. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 If the clutch cable is in good shape and lubricated, consider it may have an "upgraded" heavy spring installed in the pressure plate. If it takes full pedal travel to shift normally, then going hydraulic may not help. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 The other thing to keep in mind with going hydraulic is that you lose feel. I always find them to be somewhat dead feeling - very hard to feel your bite point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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