moosetestbestanden

This is from an old press release I received from a vendor when I was researching the Duratec: "The engines employ a sophisticated casting process developed for Formula One racing by England's renowned Cosworth. The cold box process uses robots to assemble 13 sand molds into a single core that takes 54 seconds to construct. A robot flips the box 180 degrees to ensure the molten aluminum fills every nook and cranny of the mold. To avoid the relatively clumsy robots grabbing too tightly and damaging the hot and fragile molds, Mazda attached balloons at the ends of robot arms that inflate to create just the right grip. Mazda engineers also improved Cosworth's process, including switching to lighter sand for the molds to reduce the box's weight from 965 to 341 pounds. This engine retains it's Cosworth influence with it's skirted block design having the centerline of the crankshaft being above the bottom lip of the block. The crankshaft main caps are "tied" together similar to a ladder style frame work for strength. The twin overhead cams are chain driven." There's some more interesting (?) info here. SBD have a very good article here. You have to click on the 'Fast Ford' link under the red Ford Duratec heading. It's clear that the engine was designed from day one to accomodate a number of different tasks. It also seem clear that to get big racing hp out of the motor some pretty serious money has to be spent. But, uh, since when isn't that the case w/ any engine? ------- Chris I Blat, therefore I Am

Especially if one is nearby. Prices aren't (too) bad, and they are actually willing to sell their product here. Very refreshing, particolarmente per noi, gli stranieri. There's supposed to be a shiny new big horsepower Cossy 2.3 at The Streets next weekend. If so, I reckon the rest of us will be spending a good deal of time looking at an ever-shrinking south end of a north-bound horse, most of the time. In a manner of speaking. Dubuy, why don't you bid for some trips (you fly for Emirates, don't you?) this way in future, when something's on. The track's good, the climate's similar, the beer's worse (to be sure, but we have ways around that), and the women... well, at least there's some reason to live here. ------- Chris I Blat, therefore I Am

Photo 121_2111 shows a very clean failure of the rear arm, while the front appears to be torqued as a result of the subsequent moving of Everything, as Magnus suggests. Note in the photo that a major portion of the break appears to be right by the weld. The weakening of the metal from the heat comes to mind. Once a tear starts... Man, you guys were really lucky that the failure happened in that residential area rather than on the freeway. ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

Ammo, Would you know how the Emerald varies from the MBE? ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

I'm 6'4, 14 stone. Std. car, Tillets, Std. FIA bar. No problems. Getting in and set has become codified in memory now, and the Tillets are surprisingly comfortable. I just get in and get going. It's the best automotive thing I've ever done, and I've had a few. Go for it. Get the Std. car, the SV isn't necessary if you're not, uh, Americanesque

The std. CC radiator in the car likely limits what I'd be able to do in the near term. That is, it looks to be a major plumbing job w/ my current configuration so I'm not sure this one passes my upgradeitis cost / benefit ratio. When the new boingy parts arrive I guess I'll have to find another location for the overflow bubble, for now. Sounds like the right way to go eventually though, come wild motor build time. Thanks! Mike: Great looking car! Is that the Raceco silencer? ------- Chris M5 = 1/7 Edited by - moosetestbestanden on 31 Jan 2005 18:23:43

Richard I saw in your photos where you've got what appears to be the Raceline water rail installed in your car. A couple of questions: Your radiator is different than mine i.e. your top fitting is on the right hand side of the car. Who made that? Where did you locate your overflow? Is it at the rear by the heater? Advantages of the water rail + thermostat? I'm Freestyling at the front soon I hope, so I'm thinking maybe I should water rail as well while I'm at it. Duratec runners opinions gratefully received.

Consider Araldite 2015. It's used specifically for bonding metals to CF in the aircraft industry and also for bicycles (!). There are a number of formulas available. This UK supplier may have some: here It's tough as nails and pretty easy to use. Sets up hard as concrete in about 6 hrs. I have waaay too much so if you'd like a little Xmas present just send a private message w/ your address to moosetestbestanden on: http://www.californiacaterhamclub.com Happy holidays! Edited by - moosetestbestanden on 12 Dec 2004 17:50:53

A fella over here has blown several, in a 7. Does it downshifting, as you might imagine. Seems the man never gets out of the throttle (duh). W/ the RPM just north of 11,000 it goes BLAMMO, Ammo. Manga un po di pasta per me, e beve un bicchiere di vino anche, per cortesia. Mi manca Italia molto. Sono geloso. Edited by - moosetestbestanden on 2 Oct 2004 02:00:02

2L Duratec making 220 - 250 should keep you busy. Mine's at about a buck ninety and it's heaps o fun. Upgradeitis has hit already but I can't buy the medicine I need until next winter. A 2.0 ought to do, unless you really want gobs of grunt, in which case pop for the 2.3. It's about 3" taller... My experience w/ VTEC - bi-polar: nuttin... nuttin... nuttin... nuttin... BLAAAAA rev-limiter... change... nuttin... repeat. The Duratec's the one on the way. ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

The 2 L. engine's fine, at least the one in my car. I know Minister advertises a 250 horse 2.0, gotten w/out any head shaving etc. Torque figures quoted are similar to their 2.3 as well. I went w/ a 2.0 (it was harder to get over here than the 2.3) for SCCA class purposes because the power and torque available from both engines appeared to be so similar. fwiw, I'll likely be putting a 6 speed Quaife sequential in the car next winter (such as it is in SoCal). First 5 ratios are the same as what I've got now, but w/ an overdriven 6th. That should take some buzz out on the freeway. Besides, what with the hundred oct at $5.00 / USG, I'm soooo concerned about gas mileage. ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

Ditto the thanks Richard. I'll see what I can do. I'm a long way away but I'm usually up way too early so I can make the call mid-afternoon GMT.

I noticed on your web page about your yellow Duratec 7 & the cf parts that you have a speedo sensor on the front wheel. Could you please take a moment to delineate who makes the hardware, where you sourced it and how it installs. Btw, find a photo of what I believe to be only the 2nd Duratec powered 7 on the West Coast here It's finally up and running, and strongly too. I'm really happy that I ate the time and waited - the torque of the Duratec is awesome. Thanks! ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

I've riveted the interior side panels in before attaching the rear wings. The manual states: "The rear wings are provided pre-drilled and are secured to the car using setscrew (fastener pak ZFG12, Item (1)) and plain washers (3) into rivnuts at the front of the rear wing and bolts (1), plain washers (3) through the rear of the wing and secured using plain washers (3) and nyloc nuts (2)." The sentence from the manual is unclear to me. Are the nylocs used only at the rear rivnuts or are they to be used at all rivnut locations? Having made this mistake I can't use the nylocs in the front 4 rivnuts w/out drilling out the interior panel rivets. I'd like to know if anyone out there has used another method of attaching the rear wings at the front mountings. I'm considering using a lock washer and Loctite to prevent the bolts from coming loose. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks. There. That's better. Edited by - moosetestbestanden on 7 Dec 2003 18:28:07

It's like anything else I suppose - it's a bitch until one figures it out. It took me 2 times each side to get 'em in the right way. For you self-builders out there here's a partial list of what I found to be the stinky bits on my build: 1. The manual is only an approximation of what is actually required to get the seats in the car correctly. Don't take it too literally. To wit... 2. The fixed seat needed to lean back further than the manual suggests in order to clear the petty strut - at least in my kit. That means more spacers. I went down to the local hardware store and bought some rubber washers of the same size (but slightly thinner depth wise) as the Tillets spacers and slipped em in between the Tillets units (making a plastic-rubber-plastic etc. sandwich). I only used a single thin spacer at the back of the seat for more lean angle. I ended up w/ 4 Tillets spacers & 3 rubber washers on both front mounts. 3. The holes in the floor (both sides) needed a bit of surgery in order to get the bolts thru cleanly. Ahems, all around. Thanks, Dremel. 4. I had to use more spacers on the left side of the driver's seat (I'm in the lefthand drive world) and the above-mentioned Dremel in order to get the seat located somewhat more inboards so that it would move back n forth without hitting the car body on the way back. Iow, I moved it and tilted it slightly inwards. Can't really feel the tilt once seated. 5. I decided to use nice large diameter (30mm or so) washers on the underside of the car instead of the std. issue ones. I have a non-honeycomb car and felt this would be a good idea given that I had to ovalize the holes some. 6. Getting the 4 point harness lap belt latch side thru the cutout is a pita. 7. Getting the adjusters for the 4 point harness lap belts thru the seat is a pita. I'm still wondering just how I'll get the transmission tunnel cover on as both seats are tight against the tunnel now. Can you say Carbon Fiber Cover? Btw, while I suppose the design could be a little better worked out, I am absolutely NOT complaining. I had fun messing w/ this. It's the 2nd most fun part of Caterham ownership. Moral? Test fit then test fit again and you'll probably be alright. I reckon your mounting holes are likely in the right location. ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

I suppose I'd do better if I bothered to read. Thanks Richard! ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

You get the seats and 2 different sets of 'runners'. One set consists of 2 alum. box sections about 15" long w/ cutouts on one side and welded-in threaded fixings. This set is for the fixed seat - no adjustments allowed. The other set are adjustable runners for the drivers side. You also get two bags of bolts, washers, spacers etc., one for the fixed side and one for the driver's side. The spacers evidently for: 1. Leaning the fixed seat back so that it clears the Petty strut on the FIA bar. 2. Getting the seats a little higher. I'm having a devil of a time w/ the driver's seat because if I adjust it forward I cannot adjust it backwards again; the seat upper runs into the side of the car. I've not solved it yet, mostly because I haven't had the chance. ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

My carping about the driver's runners was premature. My father always used to tell me 'son, you only open your mouth to change feet'. So the runners are more adjustable than I thought (heavy though) but now onto the problem: I fixed the runners to the seats per the instructions, fixed the seat to the floor at the front per instructions, slid the seat forward per the instructions to fix the rear bolts. Now it's impossible to move the seat rearward. The 'wing' (if you will) of the seat extends outside the car. Thus, the seat runs smack into the body and cannot be moved any further backward. This is a left hooker (no, not a commie streetwalker) but the runners attach the same way w/ adjuster runner on the right side of the seat. Are the seats 'handed'? I don't think so because there's no apparent difference or other identifying marking that I've found. Did I get 'SV' seats, if there such a thing? Is this another 'gotcha' in the manual? Do I have to cant the seat towards the inboard side by adding beaucoup (pronounced boo - coop here out here in the weeds) spacers on the outboard fixings? If anyone out there has had this problem and found a solution any help would be gratefully accepted. ------- Chris M5 = 1/7

Mine has only 2 slots cut into the fixed portion where the end of the sprung lever engages. The slots are only about 2 inches apart as well. Perhaps we get different bits in the Cat-USA destined kits. For sure there's just not enough as I'm 6'3 and a bit but the wife's only 5'6. Course, this may not be much of an issue as the Tillets are quite tight at the base even for my 32" waist so she may, ahem, never quite fit anyway. Or rather, getting out may be a shade more difficult for her than getting in. Ahem squared. Certainly though after mounting the passenger seat it's clear that: one - there's room for the seat to move more aftward, two - it'll have to because otherwise I'll not be able to drive the car and three - I just might have a chance of putting the transmission tunnel cover on the car after moving the seats back. They really are a tight fit right-to-left in the car, to be sure. ------- Chris A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted

R.E. Tillet seats: I've just fitted the passenger side seat and find it to be too far forward. That is, it looks like the au 'runners' could be fitted further backward (40 - 50 mm) in the cockpit w/out any problem. Moving the seat backwards would seem to help the FIA strut clearance as well, which is currently not good - even w/ 3 thickies in the front mounts. The adjustable runners supplied for the driver's seat are, well, kind of pathetic. There are only 2 'adjustments' - forward not fore enough and aftward not aft enough - which won't be enough for the difference in height between myself and muh hawg (she doesn't mind the nickname - really!) and the adjuster handle doesn't clear the frame member spanning across the footwell. Not to mention the weight. So... 1. Drilling the floor - any issues there in anyone's experience? I'm not honeycombed. 2. Any decent, ready-made alternatives available for the driver's side runners? I could have a pal fab something for me, I think. ------- Chris A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted

I don't think so personally. The fix here is easy enough, so WTH. It's far too easy to be critical when one is outside the design process sez I. Likewise, it's easy to see how this sort of thing can happen when the development of a design is on-going. Evolution is a wonderful thing and I'd much rather have the BIG BRAKES than not. As an architect I know all too well how easy it is to miss something like this. As ever, I was a little too quick to get to ragging-on. So, all apologies to CC (if they're listening...). That said, a little addendum for the manual, or an on-line 'builder's update page' on their website would be a real handy addition for self-builders, doncha think? ------- Chris A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted

As to the wing stay, the long portion of the flat metal brace spanning between the 2 stay arms is facing the rear of the car - the front stay is angled at approximately 45 deg. from vertical. Backwards? I, too, searched, but evidently I didn't learn my boolean well enough at school. Whatta lump. A thousand thanks! I'm off for a bit of caliper rotating! ------- Chris A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted

I'm at the point in the build where I'm putting the uprated front brake pads in the car. However, locating the top pin is impossible as the cycle wing stay is in the way (thanks for not mentioning it in the front suspension chapter, Caterham manual). The solution seems to be either: 1. Remove the wing stay or 2. Rotate the caliper towards the rear of the car by removing the top hex bolt anchoring the caliper to the upright, slip in the pin then re-attach caliper. So the questions are: Did I put my wing stays on backwards? I'm pretty sure I didn't, so who the hell designed this? Which of the two routes above is the better one? If 1, should I go get new nylocks for the fixings? Will technique 2 work? If 2, what is the torque figure for the caliper hex bolt? What the hell does everyone do when they've got to change the pads when at the track? Also, could someone please confirm that the pin needs to be driven in so that the dark metal 'washer' is securely engaged in the caliper please? Thanks! ------- Chris A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted

Caterham included a can of spray in my (Superlight) build kit! That's all I get fellas! ------- Chris A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted

Ford's new I4 engine for the next decade, billions invested in the manufacturing facilities. Take a look here. ------- Chris A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted