Nigel B

This is a heart warming thread. People talk about The Power of Blatchat being a thing of the past, but here it is in rude health! I hope you get it sorted Mark.

Another vote for Autoglym tar remover, used in conjunction with a rag & a hair dryer in my case. It worked well, with no damage to the paint.

I couldn't agree more. I guess straight line performance isn't completely meaningless, but ultimately it's the whole package that makes a Caterham so compelling.

Thumbing through the Chris Rees book, 'The Magnificent 7', the answer would appear to be... 5.8 seconds if it's a Roadsport, 5.3 if it's a Supersport or 4.9 if it's a VVC, although there's no mention of the gearbox or if the cars tested are S3 or SV models. I think the real world answer is 'They're all flippin' quick!'.

I believe Bilstein have a place in Leicester that rebuilds dampers. https://www.bilstein.com/uk/en/blog/welcome-technical-centre-uk/ Here, I think. I've never had it done myself, but it's often mentioned when the subject is discussed.

I was looking at Drexler differentials the other day. Would this be suitable? Is it the 168 diff that Caterham use? I might be wrong...

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll add that to the jobs list!

I have a 2017 420R with 8000 miles on the clock. It does have a ‘chattering whine’ when I lift off the throttle and there is a bit of a whine on a constant, level throttle opening, that wasn’t there when I picked up the car last year, (at 5000 miles) so I think the diff is becoming noisier with the additional miles I’m covering. That said, at present it has, to my ear an ‘interesting, motorsport-ish’ sort of sound. But it may well become annoying with further miles, especially considering it has become noisier over the miles I’ve covered. It has a titan diff, but I have no idea if it has carbon or sintered plates. Caterham’s 420R demonstrator at Crawley was a fair bit noisier though, with a low speed 'clunking' that my car doesn't have. I hope that helps & I hope you get it sorted. Nigel.

I had a friend who built a k series R300. It was the first 7 I'd been in that had beeping indicators & I remember thinking at the time 'Oh my god, that would drive me crackers!'. Now I have a 7 with the same annoying beeping! I think I might give the gaffer tape option a try!

Cheers! It sounds like it's doing the trick. I've added 'change diff oil!' to my jobs list...

Well that's encouraging. I was starting to worry about my Titan diff! My car has covered 4000ish miles & the diff seems pretty quiet, bar a bit of whine on the over run. What oil do you use?

I particularly like the aluminium light mounts. The standard ones are very heavy!

That looks great! It's the little touches that make all the difference. I think it's that sort of attention to detail that makes some sevens stand out.

They look absolutely gorgeous! I've always been a fan of four spoke Revolutions on Caterhams & they suit the colour scheme of your car perfectly. Such a classic design!

I fitted a decat pipe to my 2017 420R last year. It’s noticeably louder now. At tickover it’s as if you’ve turned the bass control up a couple of notches, definitely a bit ‘beefier’ sounding. There’s also an increased ‘raspiness’ from about 2500rpm. I’m interested to see where this thread goes, as I’ve been toying with the idea of an upgrade to ITBs too. My previous 7 was on twin webers & I do miss the drama of the induction snarl!

I must confess, that had occurred to me too!

They certainly have become heavier over the years. I traded in my 8 valve Vauxhall engined live axle car for a 420R last year. I’ve always pushed the car out of the garage, before closing the garage door & heading out for a blat. I was a bit taken aback by how much more effort was required to roll the 420R out onto the drive!

Interesting discussion! This is an upgrade I’ve been contemplating for my 420R. Mainly because I miss the sound of the weber carbs on my previous Caterham! It's possibly a numpty question, but do ITBs adversely affect emissions? I had to have my webers adjusted at MOT time, which was always a bit of a pain. I’m assuming ITBs are sophisticated enough not to require MOT fettling?

Driving back from Skye to Plockton this evening, I was surprised to see a red 7 parked in a driveway just to the a North of Kyle.

I went through the same process with my 1.8 VX a couple of years ago, though my approach was rather more haphazard! I had owned the car for 16 years & had no idea there was foam in the sump that needed to be regularly changed! I was very relieved to find the foam in a similar condition to yours, black & slightly compressed, but in tact.

According to my owner’s handbook (not that I have a 620, the handbook covers all the models!), all the Duratec engines have a capacity of 1999cc including the 620.

I’ve owned a 2002 1.8VX from new & only discovered I needed to regularly change the sump foam last year! I removed the sump with some trepidation, but the 16 year old foam was still in one piece. My car is regularly rolling roaded & the engine seems to be in fine fettle after 45,000 miles. That said, I suspect an element of luck is involved, as the quality of the foam is variable. I’ll be changing mine regularly in the future.

I bought a set from Magnecor last year. My car is Vauxhall, rather than K series engined. They supplied me with a Cavalier set, with a longer coil lead (supplied at no extra cost!). The 1.4 K series is listed in their online catalogue, so I’d imagine they’d be able to modify a set to match your requirements. I found them a pleasure to deal with. Nigel.

I've had an Ital axled 7 for 15 years & I've had various half shaft related breakages during that time. A couple of years ago I fitted Rakeway's axle upgrade kit & I haven't had any further problems. Both the half shafts & the bearings are much heavier duty than the standard items. Not the cheapest option, but the only solution that works, in my experience. Nigel.

Hi Paul, Congratulations on your purchase, it sounds like you're enjoying it! I've owned my 2002 1800 VX 8v supersprint from new and absolutely love it. I think the engine suits the car very well and I love the sound of those sucking webers! I have the handbook in front of me and it lists the figures as: 120bhp at 6250rpm, 122lbsft at 4750rpm and maximum rpm 6800. I hope that helps. I'm not sure how many were produced but in his book 'The Magnificent 7' Chris Rees states that as of November 2001 'approximately 10' had been built. Anyway, enjoy the car. The blatting season proper is almost upon us! Nigel.