supersportsp Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 First, I want to thank JohnCH for being my constant peer pressure provider, potential car finder, and all around resource for all things Se7en the last year and a half. Thanks John! I owe you one for certain. After over 18 months of research, digging, waffling, classifieds stalking, test drives, negotiations and fretting, I finally bought a Caterham. 1997 deDion 5-speed 5k miles Raceline Zetec said to be putting out 185 hp It has been for sale for quite some time and I have been talking the owner about three months now. It will be loaded on the truck tomorrow afternoon for the long journey from MD to Seattle. Hopefully arriving soon enough for some dry weather before the rains set in. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/tgodbout/IMG_6486.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/tgodbout/IMG_6489.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/tgodbout/IMG_6498.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/tgodbout/IMG_6523.jpg Looking forward to making it my own and driving the piss out of it. New wheels/tires, cycle fenders and composite seats are first on the list. To be followed shortly by a beefier roll bar and other goodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7evin Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Congrads , What a great looking car.... Cheers 7evin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Glad to see you decided against that porky Elise, and bought something reasonably light ;-) I’m looking forward to seeing the beast in person and going for a blat after it arrives. BTW good choice on the color - red cars are the fastest -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Great color combination. Congrats on the new Se7en. Skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiBirkin Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Nice car i love it as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 (edited) Some would say that the '97 Caterham was the highpoint for that brand:). Looks like you have the original Michelin "pileup" tires. If your car handles poorly, that's why. They were so-so when new, after 12 years of hardening they may be dangerous. Mine were: sudden, near disastrous break away, without warning. Yes, they still have lots of tread left and as long as driven in moderation they will be fine, just don't explore the limits. Cycle fenders? If lift at speed is your concern, try it first. I have had zero lift in my clammed Cat, tho lack of power/speed could be a partial explanation. I have had it up to 108 mph w/o lift tho. I just added a Caterham carbon fiber seat. So I added saftey, subtracted comfort. And I ditched the passenger seat since no one wld ride w/me anyways. Check the radiator hoses for cracks, age (12 years) is as much an issue as mileage. Check the engine mounts, they seem to be good for about 5K miles. Check the engine mount bolts, mine came loose after just a few thousand miles. Mite be worth swapping out the battery too, they seem to fail when you are miles from help. Mirrorsforsevens.com sells a mirror system that fits at the top of your windscreen. Mite be worth exploring as your side view mirrors are attached to your side screens and will be in the boot anytime you run w/o your "doors". I have one. Most of the others here who use them swear by them. Car looks terrific and I'd love to have that engine. Happy motoring! Mike Edited August 11, 2009 by Kitcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Whoops/double post, sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southwind25 Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 since the sale is final... whose car was this? I don't recall seeing it around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxologist Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 First, I want to thank JohnCH for being my constant peer pressure provider, potential car finder, and all around resource for all things Se7en the last year and a half. Thanks John! I owe you one for certain. After over 18 months of research, digging, waffling, classifieds stalking, test drives, negotiations and fretting, I finally bought a Caterham. 1997 deDion 5-speed 5k miles Raceline Zetec said to be putting out 185 hp It has been for sale for quite some time and I have been talking the owner about three months now. It will be loaded on the truck tomorrow afternoon for the long journey from MD to Seattle. Hopefully arriving soon enough for some dry weather before the rains set in. ... Looking forward to making it my own and driving the piss out of it. New wheels/tires, cycle fenders and composite seats are first on the list. To be followed shortly by a beefier roll bar and other goodies. Glad John was able to help you. Get the car and drive it before looking for Upgraditis cures. those tyres are definitely at the end of their life time find some nice twisty roads and drive the piss out of them to wear the tyres out. get a good baseline of how the car heaves with the dead tyres. then try it again w/ real tyres. the bad behavior u didn't expect or like will change. try the seats out. head rests are available for the s-type seats. if u have plans to plenty of track events then definitely get the FIA roll bar and a seat ready for a 6point harness. otherwise, what u have can last u quite a while and be comfortable. if ur looking for track tyres and wheels get a new set, the prisoner wheels will still be good for blats. as for cycle fenders, try out the clamshells. if ur afraid of lift, and u can feel it, consider cutting an opening in the wings the way Norm Beaver has done. U'd have to look for pictures back in '07 to see his car. Its a good solution. The color combination is too unique and to quick to bring a smile to start leaving marks on the body just yet. give it another year or 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersportsp Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 Some would say that the '97 Caterham was the highpoint for that brand:). Looks like you have the original Michelin "pileup" tires. If your car handles poorly, that's why. They were so-so when new, after 12 years of hardening they may be dangerous. Mine were: sudden, near disastrous break away, without warning. Yes, they still have lots of tread left and as long as driven in moderation they will be fine, just don't explore the limits. Cycle fenders? If lift at speed is your concern, try it first. I have had zero lift in my clammed Cat, tho lack of power/speed could be a partial explanation. I have had it up to 108 mph w/o lift tho. I just added a Caterham carbon fiber seat. So I added saftey, subtracted comfort. And I ditched the passenger seat since no one wld ride w/me anyways. Check the radiator hoses for cracks, age (12 years) is as much an issue as mileage. Check the engine mounts, they seem to be good for about 5K miles. Check the engine mount bolts, mine came loose after just a few thousand miles. Mite be worth swapping out the battery too, they seem to fail when you are miles from help. Mirrorsforsevens.com sells a mirror system that fits at the top of your windscreen. Mite be worth exploring as your side view mirrors are attached to your side screens and will be in the boot anytime you run w/o your "doors". I have one. Most of the others here who use them swear by them. Car looks terrific and I'd love to have that engine. Happy motoring! Mike Great advice. I plan on going through the car thoroughly before I push it at all. I would like to change all the fluids out and tighten anything up or that has worn out ASAP from arrival. The seats are being replaced primarily due to my size. With the standard Cat seats, I have nearly zero wheel/thigh clearance. A lower profile seat creates valuable (and safer) room for me here. I am not a fan of the wheels from a cosmetic perspective nor am I a fan of those tires from any perspective. I like the clamshells on an original car, but I bought this car as a track toy so lift is a concern. I also like the look of the cycle fenders better, especially when paired with other more modern attributes. Got an email from the previous owner this AM. Car is on the truck and headed this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Lovely looking car! Congratulations. Here is to a long summer and dry weather for you. since the sale is final... whose car was this? I don't recall seeing it around here. It has come up on the board in the past http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3408&highlight=raceline&page=2 It was definitely identified as being in MD on the ebay ad. Just in your backyard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersportsp Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 It has come up on the board in the past http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3408&highlight=raceline&page=2 It was definitely identified as being in MD on the ebay ad. Just in your backyard. That is my car. It was in Chevy Chase, MD. The guy had been trying to sell it since January. I am 99% positive he is not a member here as he never posted it for sale here. The only places I saw it were Craigslist, eBay and LotusTalk.com. Looks like he tried to trade it for someone's 996 at some point. He wanted something more practical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 (edited) SSP: Pull the "hub caps" from the Prisoner wheels and see if that improves the cosmetics of the wheels. I took my "hub caps" off long ago so I could more easily check lugnut torque at the track and ended up preferring the look and never put them back on. A safety upgrade to consider wld be replacing the stock roll-over bar w/the FIA bar. When I asked Caterham USA abt the protection offered by the stock bar, they laughed. The FIA bar is much stouter, weighs abt 20 lbs more, as I recall (aprox 28 lbs vs 8 lbs). Bolts in to the same place as stock. I had no trouble getting the rear boot to fit around the thicker bar. Do a search for replacing clams. Among other things, when you replace them it leaves a series of empty rivet holes along the body where the clam attached. Mike Edited August 12, 2009 by Kitcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7veloce Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Great looking 7. If you like to sell those seats and wheels, please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGTorque Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 why do 7's keep leaving the east coast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder_guy Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Those inserts in the top of the seats cover up the receiver for headrests .. that you can get from Caterham @ http://www.rmsci.com Those seats are pretty comfortable .. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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