700newtons

I recently suffered from the, all to common, radiator leak. Low and behold, when I removed the old radiator, it was not flush with the mountings. The mounting bolts had been putting it under stress. For the new radiator I was advised to add a spacing washer in front of one of the bobbins to correct this, which I did. I'm hoping that this is the last new radiator for a while. Simon

I thought i'd report back about my progress with the Varley Li5 (from post 53). So far so good - it has not let me down yet, and this includes a weekend sprinting in Angelsey and touring on Wightblat. Cranking in the current warm weather is strong. However, it was noticeably weaker on cold mornings in the early spring (but still did the job ok). My car has an isolator switch which I use whenever I leave the car. Simon

Sorry to hear this too. Great to meet you and all the best with your new plans. Simon

Yes, i'd like a garage space please! Looking forward to it Simon

I have the same issue. I plan to leave my old system in place. If its an issue then I'll remove the extinguisher and stickers in the paddock. However, being asked to remove a safety feature is unlikely (I hope). Simon

Well I have gone for it and fitted at Varley Li5 lithium battery (1.1kg). I bought it along with a dedicated cage from Demon Tweaks (using the club 10% discount). I started the car for the first time this evening and it managed to do its job ok - although I think the cold and it’s partial initial state of charge means I didn't get the full beans. My understanding is that the car alternator is fixed at a steady low voltage this is fine for Lithium. Chargers for lead acid have some parts of their cycles which are serve a useful function in maintaining that type of battery. However, they temporarily exceed the voltage that is acceptable for Lithium batteries. The Halfords charger that I have bought skips these cycles when used for charging Lithium cells. I'll report if there any problems further down the line. Another thing… Jump starting a lithium battery looks like it needs to do done with care. It has a low internal resistance and if connected to a spinning alternator a rather large current could pour into it causing damage. One website I looked at suggested connecting the dead battery to a donor lead acid battery with the engine off. The negative lead is then pulsed on the negative terminal of the dead lithium battery to nurse it back to life for a minute or two before making a connection. *** I’m not suggesting that this is correct *** However, I’d be interested about the thoughts of others.

Nice one - well done for sorting that. Simon

reply to #3 How do you go about getting a radiator repaired? Any recommendations. I have noticed a dreaded pink blotch after the Anglesey track-day. I only shelled out for a new radiator last year. Simon

Note that there is a club discount for PPG (and other paint protection firms too). https://www.lotus7.club/membership/special-offers-members/premier-paint-guard Simon

Thank you. I guess that this is the Low Flying one...

It certainly was. Thanks for all the hard work from the team to make that happen.

The Seven Nation Army?

I tape mine with the hard racing style padding, and then cable tie soft padding from Demon Tweaks around that. This nicely swivels out of the way as I get in or out. Probably a long way from perfect, but better then nothing. I find driving with a helmet on the road badly restricts my vision and ability to see clearly at T junctions. Having also had a Seven without a cage, I notice that the whole getting in an out thing takes more time than you imagine!

Perhaps worth testing that the problem is definitely not a dodgy Earth connection. What is the black wire attached to?

I should add, thanks for the useful advice from various members on this forum...

Reply to #395 Hello James, I went for 45/45 on my Tracsport and I have covered about 200 miles with it so far. All seems very smooth. It would be interesting to know what the 30/30 feels like, but I'm not going to shell out for another!

And sometimes you need to hold the security tab up to the key barrel to make it register.

Hello Arthur, I had a problem like this with my 160; it caught me out on a parade lap of Goodwood. When you turn the key to the first click, listen for the fuel pump. If you can't hear it buzz then the problem might be that the fuel pump relay is on the blink. A replacement can be found on eBay. hope that this helps Simon

Hello Alan, I built a Suzuki 160 and had it for three years. I then swapped to an Academy Ford sigma in 2018. I loved the 160 - really light and precise. Smooth running reliable engine, and between 30-60mph the turbo really made it shift. A real pleasure to throw around A roads. It is a great touring car with a range of about 300miles. We took it around Scotland, Ireland and to France. My wife and I still rather miss it. I swapped to the sigma because the 160 is not really in the same league for trackdays and hillclimbs. The sigma feels heavier and more planted. The biggest difference I noticed was grip (especially in the wet). But driving the 160 with less grip kind of made it more fun. The Sigma's range is more like 220miles, but it has more power. The suzuki 160 has limited options for upgrades. I asked Caterham about the possibility of a limited slip diff (like the sprint version) but this is not on offer at the time. There are lots of possibility with Caterham's Ford engined cars. The Suzuki car tax is much cheaper, but the insurance is about the same. Maintenance costs would be similar. I'm no expert but I expect the Suzuki engine would be pretty reliable. The only problems I had were due to my occasional ineptitude rather than the kit. I hope that this helps, Simon

Welcome to the club Simon

Don't worry - not your fault. I understand if you have a slow connection, and you press 'post' again while waiting for something to happen, then multiple posts appear. I know it is being thought about... Simon

Hello Arthur, Welcome to the club. The there were a few of us that got quite enthusiastic building the 160 when it first came out. I can send you an pdf version if you like (just send me a private message with your email address). I suspect that JK has already sorted it out for you though. Regards Simon

All signed up and looking forward to it Simon

Sometimes there are problems with lights due to poor Earth connections. Simon

Yes, a useful design! Are you telling me that I'm going to have trouble putting it back? I kept a record of where the shim washers go. In retrospect another reason for leaving the cage behind is that there is less fiddling with the handbrake cable fixings - this caused me some hassle.