My new (old) seven

[Kitcat]

A mere 45 years after deciding I needed a 7, I have finally taken the plunge! Last night I bought the '97 Caterham listed in the for-sale section here and drove it 1/2 way home today (380 miles, 360 tomorrow). I finally realized that if I waited much longer, I would be too old to get in & out of it.

 

Impressions: tho the pictures of the car make it look lovely, they don't do it justice. It has a purpled hued paint that is wonderfully set off by the red "lipstick" on the nose cone. Lots of shiny chrome too.

 

Room-it's a bit tight, but no more so than the commercial airliner on which I flew to get the car. And, there was no fat guy in the 7, hogging what little extra space there was. I brought a lumbar cushion and it really made the stock Caterham seat (no rake) comfortable.

 

Heat-jeez, that little sucker makes the heat. It was like I was sitting IN the engine bay, not next to it. I drove with the side curtains in place. The only way it was tolerable was to shove my elbow out the bottom 1/2 and bleed off heat & let in cool air. Wearing chinos (seller's suggestion) was very helpful-no leg burns and they seemed to shield me from some of the heat.

 

Noise-jeez, that little sucker makes the noise too. I used ear plugs and they were very helpful. The engine & exhaust make wonderful music, and running it up though the gears to redline was very enjoyable. Speaking of which, anyone know what the redline is in a stock 1700 cc Kent Crossflow??? I used 5500 to be safe.

 

Top speed?. about 105-110, slight downhill, in 5th. Maybe faster in 4th, but since I didnt know what redline was, I didnt want to push it.

 

The hollywood factor: its hard to fade into the background in a 7. Tons of compliments, small crowds every stop, etc.

 

Issues: one scary moment, soon after I hit the interstate (where I cruised all day at 70-75 and got 27 mpg). The engine died out: I slowed hit the flashers(Actually turned on the windshield wipers since I forgot what button did what) and then realized I had bumped the igntion off with my knee and turned it back on.

 

How about that boulevard ride? The car is so bouncy it was hard to put the Coke bottle in my mouth. But in a 7, as you know: you are immersed in the driving experience: the sky, the green hills, the clouds, the smelly dead deer next to the road, the incredibly responsive steering, light short gear shift throws. And for those who said that driving it back was insanity, I have 1 word: wimps:). What's the point of having a 7 if you are just going to tow it around???

 

Roll bar question. Is the non-FIA roll-over bar purely cosmetic, or does it add a measure of safety? It seems to attach to the car with just a few bolts and the whole enterprise looks pretty fragile.

 

Only serious issue. Lots of oil streaking out the side of the engine (apparently evacuating out of the carburator cut-out in the bonnet). The fender was doused as was the rear wheel arch. The car only has been driven 14,000 miles in 11 years, and most of that early on, so I assume some seals have dried out. Who knows? I didn't have time to troubleshoot. Lost maybe 1/3 of a cup of oil. Added some miricle gunk that is supposed to stop leaks, we'll see when I get home.

 

Overall impression: what a blast, I should have done this 20 years ago!

[BusaLoco]

Greetings and Congratulations fellow old dude with a habit. :ack: :banghead: :hurray:

[slngsht]

KitKat, congradulations!

 

I wonder if this is the first car sold from the for-sale section.

 

I'm glad you decided to drive her back. It will be a memorable experience. Good luck.

[Boxologist]

...How about that boulevard ride? The car is so bouncy it was hard to put the Coke bottle in my mouth. But in a 7, as you know: you are immersed in the driving experience: the sky, the green hills, the clouds, the smelly dead deer next to the road, the incredibly responsive steering, light short gear shift throws. And for those who said that driving it back was insanity, I have 1 word: wimps:). What's the point of having a 7 if you are just going to tow it around???

 

Roll bar question. Is the non-FIA roll-over bar purely cosmetic, or does it add a measure of safety? It seems to attach to the car with just a few bolts and the whole enterprise looks pretty fragile.

...

Overall impression: what a blast, I should have done this 20 years ago!

 

oh carp, he's hooked!:hurray: the std bar is fine. and will save u. the FIA bar is homologated for higher resistant loads, and covers taller individuals.

[slomove]

Only serious issue. Lots of oil streaking out the side of the engine (apparently evacuating out of the carburator cut-out in the bonnet). The fender was doused as was the rear wheel arch. The car only has been driven 14,000 miles in 11 years, and most of that early on, so I assume some seals have dried out. Who knows? I didn't have time to troubleshoot. Lost maybe 1/3 of a cup of oil. Added some miricle gunk that is supposed to stop leaks, we'll see when I get home.

 

Congratulations! I still remember my first drive.....

 

Anyway, the "oil out of carbs" syndrome is usually related to a combination of:

 

- crankcase vent hooked up to the intake filter box

- possible overfilling the sump

- driving at high revs

 

A cure may be just:

 

- venting the crankcase into a catch can (or blanking off the crankcase PCV valve hole an vent out of the cam cover)

- reduce oil level if too high

- drive at legal speed on the freeway

 

Gert

[locost7018]

Oil leaks? It's British. If it ain't leaking, you're out of oil. My xflow 1300cc leaks all the time although not in the carb area (Single barrel downdraft). Be sure to check the valve cover and pan bolts occasionally. They will back out. My red line is 5800 on a stock engine. Congrats on the purchase. You'll find out the more you drive it the easier it is to get in and out because it makes you feel younger, Russ

[JohnCh]

Congratulations! The crossflow is a great little motor, but they do have a tendency to mark their territory I see from the ad that Chris T built the car. You might want to check with him to see if the engine really is stock. It’s pretty rare for someone to increase the capacity to 1700cc and not also change the cam. It wouldn’t surprise me if you have a Kent 234 in there. As for redline, 6000rpm is the norm, but a lot of people (including me) run them to 6500rpm on a regular basis provided there is still urge to go beyond 6000rpm.

 

-John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[powderbrake]

Oil leaks? It's British. If it ain't leaking, you're out of oil.

 

I blew a gulp of coffeeout of my nose when I read that LOL :lol:

 

I suggest a bravery award for Kitcat. Buying a car like a seven and driving it 700+miles home is BRAVE. :hurray:

 

All of your experiences, like the ride, trying to drink while driving, hitting the ignition switch are classic, and you will surely remember them fondly as part of being a Se7en owner.

[stevet]

Big congrats Kitcat :hurray:

 

I think you can rev to 6500, but I used to top out at 6000 with my crossflow just to be on the safe side.

 

The oil might be the little breather pipe, or the collector that someone already pointed out.

 

You can now look forward to years of setting off car alarms :jester:

[WestTexasS2K]

Kitkat congrats on finally jumping in with both feet. The rough ride and cramped quarters, stiffiling heat all seem to go away when you find a nice shaded twisty road or a track. Interstate driving can become very boring in a seven. You should be getting a load of thumbs up by fellow motorist and a few snap shots of you cruising down the road. Every gas stop will take 15 min longer than normal with people coming up to ask what it is and 100 other questions. Sit back and enjoy the rest of the drive. Hopefully it wont rain.

[Kitcat]

Just finished the second leg. I have made a LOT of new friends. Talk about an ice breaker: people see the car and lose all inhibitions, they want to know all about the car.

 

Rain-hey I discovered that's part of the fun: open your mouth wide, just like when you were a little kid and running around in the rain because you didn't have the sense to come in. I decided it needed windshield wipers on the inside of the windshield too:).

 

I appreciate all the info I have gotten from all of you over the last 9 months. Your input and answers gave me the push I needed to take the plunge. Thanks to Al too for putting me in touch with the seller, who was a delightful person.

 

Now, on to the oil issue. It is definitely more than a leak, it seems to shoot way out onto the passenger side clam shell, covering about 1/2 of it. I will start by exploring some of the theories mentioned above.