Shaun_E

I wouldn't recommend putting the hood bag on top of the boot bag - visibility will be severely restricted. When the boot bag is on I put the hood bag the other side of the roll bar (i.e. the cockpit side) but you can only really do that if you don't have the seats all the way back. Yellow SL #32

I would recommend going the powder coat route but if you want to paint them yourself then Halfords sell everything you need. Clean the old paint off with a drill/wirebrush or sand to a good finish. If there is significant rust then you'll need to treat with Cure-rust or similar. You need to sand again to get a decent finish. Now spray with Halfords zinc primer - a couple of coats does the job. For a really good finish allow 24 hours and then lightly sand with fine (1200 grit) sandpaper. Finally a couple of coats of Halfords satin black paint - the satin black is a very good match to rest of the powder coated bits on a Seven. Yellow SL #32

Jan - When tyres come out of the mould they have the remains of the release agent on them. This can make them a bit slippy for the first 100 miles or so. Your 150 mile drive should get rid of the release agent and if it doesn't a couple of laps of the circuit should finish the job. Just take it easy for the first few laps until you are happy with the grip from the tyres. Yellow SL #32

John - yes they only do 13" and 14". I'll be quiet now 😳. Yellow SL #32

Paul D Jones who posts on here has made them - see his web page here. Yellow SL #32 Edited by - Shaun_E on 26 Apr 2005 08:31:38

Can't comment on the Toyos but why don't you try Yokohama A021R? These are excellent in the wet but will sacrifice very little dry grip (on the road) over the A032R. They are a nice sticky tyre but you should get a few thousand road miles out of them. I wouldn't recommend dry trackdays on A021Rs as they go off quickly. As far as rotating tyres goes, probably a good idea if done regularly but swapping worn our rears on to the front is not going to be a great move. Probably best to replace the rears. Yellow SL #32

I think many people have used these. Yellow SL #32

Don't suppose £10k is far off the mark for this state of tune. Hellier are selling a 240bhp 1900K for £12k and a 210bhp version for £8k so 230bhp is somewhere in between. Of course comparing it with larger capacity engines (e.g Duratec!) is bound to be unfavourable. Yellow SL #32

I had issues 1) and 3) after my rebuild and it turned out to be a faulty headlight dip switch. The fog light will only come on when there is dip beam so it is the deam beam that needs fixing. You can test by swapping the connections on pins 1 & 3 of the dip switch - this will give you dip beam but no main beam and the fog light should now work. I had a problem with my indicators too and that turned out to be the flasher unit not properly seated in the fuse box - press it in tightly and it may cure the problem. Yellow SL #32 Edited by - Shaun_E on 25 Apr 2005 11:10:08

Mark - have you got the road front ARB or the race version which has a stiffer range? When I spoke to Len the other day they didn't have the softer version in stock so I'd have to start with the race one. Is your rear ARB a Freestyle item or the original CAterham one? I have the original Caterham one. Yellow SL #32

Dave - thanks. Will go ahead then (if Gary ever returns my call ). Yellow SL #32

Mike - thanks. Dave - point taken. I don't really need to know what the absolute values of the Freestyle setup are but would like some re-assurance that they are in the same range as others are suggesting and that they will be suitable for a driver such as myself. I've been following numerous threads on suspension setup and understand the consensus is around the figures you suggest. I doubt very much whether I can drive the car to the last 5% hence my questions. My current springs and dampers almost certainly need replacing so I just want to make sure that any replacement I choose is an improvement with the potential to make adjustments as I (hopefully) become a better driver. Yellow SL #32

Have been following the Nitron thread and have a few questions: Does anyone know roughly what spring rates Freestyle use in their "Road/Trackday" spring and damper kit. I was planning on having that fitted to my Superlight along with an adjustable front anti-roll bar. I already have the overslung adjustable rear ARB - what setting should I run that on? My current setup is Bilstein dampers with the standard progressive rear springs, standard SL fronts (AFAIK and whatever they are!) and a green (18mm) ARB (probably way too stiff!). What sort of changes to the handling should I expect from the Freestyle kit? Would a Nitron set up be noticeably better (certainly more expensive)? I drive a lot on road and do 4-5 track days a year. The car is a 1997 model and the springs/dampers have seen better days. I'm not an experienced track driver (drive in beginner or intermediate group depending on whether I have visited the circuit before) so don't really know where to start on getting a car set up for me. At the moment I probably wouldn't get the benefit of the "perfect" setup but would like to start down the road of adjusting the car's setup to learn how the changes feel. I think my car is predominantly understeering at the moment especially on track. To complete the info, my car is 1.6K SS and running 185/60R13 Yoko A048R. Shaun Yellow SL #32 Edited by - Shaun_E on 21 Apr 2005 11:07:38

It's as if the splines have worn so that the wheel is not a tight fit on the column. I hadn't thought about the actual QR mechanism itself - will look into that. Let me know what the factory say. Yellow SL #32

During my MOT yesterday, we spotted that there was a small amount of play in the steering - not enought to fail but a noticeable amount. Checking each point along the column, the play turns out to be between the steering wheel itself and the splined column. Is there anything I can do about this other that buy a new one? Should I try just replacing the upper column first? Yellow SL #32

Rik - have you got the modified submarine pipe? This has a "dent" in it to help clear the pump. You also need to swivel the J-pipe from the thermostat so that it sits much higher. Yellow SL #32

Thanks guys - will cover the holes in the cap and get another bit of tube to run underneath the car. Yellow SL #32

Just got my K series car back on the road with newly fitted dry sump. The catch tank is mounted in front of the engine roughly where the Apollo tank was. My problem is that I get a pretty grim smell in the cockpit. The tank has a hose running from the top of the conning tower to a hole in the side of the tank and there are several holes drilled in the cap of the tank. I am using the standard Caterham plastic tank. Should I block the holes in the cap and run another hose from the tank to underneath the car? Yellow SL #32

Yes but it's a pain. You have to jack the rear of the car up quite high and drop one end of the fuel tank down as low as possible and then pull it through the top. If you want more detail then just say. Oh and getting the boot floor out without scratching the paint it next to impossible Yellow SL #32 Edited by - Shaun_E on 19 Apr 2005 15:50:36

Stu - unfortunately the popper is very near the edge of the tonneau already - might just be doable but I doubt it. Myles - think I'll just put a rivet in then - and trust me I'll be extra careful this time 😳 Yellow SL #32

As I had to fit the studs to the body work, I used the hood to line up where to put them. Have just tried to fit the boot tonneau and one of the studs is too low for the tonneau to reach ☹️. I now have a dilemma - do I a) Ignore it - leave the stud where it is and accept that the hood fits and the tonneau doesn't or b) Reposition the stud so that the tonneau fits (hood will still fit OK) If I go for b) then how do I disguise the rivet hole in the side? Should I just put a rivet in the hole and paint it with touch up paint - easy to do but not a nice finish - or should I try filling from behind and painting. The bodywork and paint is brand new and I'm more than a little annoyed with myself for cocking this up. Yellow SL #32

Andy - the instructions above are for K series wet sump only AFAIK. I don't know what the procedure is for a crossflow (dry sump or otherwise). Instructions for K series dry sump are to run car, stop engine and then measure the level in the dry sump tank. I am sure someone else can give you the recommended method for crossflow dry sump. Yellow SL #32

If the oil is hot and therefore less viscous it probably drains back into the sump more quickly. I have always checked the oil when the engine is hot (and running). Yellow SL #32

Nigel - yes my Dad's 1960 mini had a floor operated dip switch but my 1965 model had a toggle switch on the dash. Thanks for the tip - I'll look up some autoelectricians. Yellow SL #32

Looks like my dip switch has died. Will order one from Caterham but does anyone know of another source? Would like to try and pick one up today if possible. My local Halfords didn't have one nor did any of the motor factors in Slough that were open yesterday. Is there another car that uses this switch? Very old mini's maybe? Yellow SL #32