MikeE

Mick Attree supplied mine too R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Well I've been advise by someone who builds caterhams for a living (and so knows his stuff including several Duratec R500s) that the new R400 Duratec is a stonking car A friend of mine picks his up this week so will be interesting to do a back to back comparison with mine to see if things have moved on in the 3 years R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I've always run mine on 95ron, 4500 miles 3,500 of which on track and it's been fine. BTW I have the standard ford pistons and slightly longer duration cams than the R400 so you should be fine on 95RON too R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I think the oil cooler IS supposed to be standard..... R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Matthew I had that happen on my BHG box and it turned out that the bolts holding it together were loose and in fact one had fallen out altogether! Suggest you take the transmission tunnel top off and check these bolts, think there's 6 in total, 2 accessible from the top the other from below. R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Stuart get used to the idea, it's only a matter of time before a certain customer of yours caves into temptation 😬 R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here Edited by - MikeE on 22 May 2007 23:35:06

well having tried to get the dry sump pump off this weekend, situatated under the throttle bodies, I think access through the side panels would be a distinct advantage...just image the difficulty of trying to get to a supercharger in that positinion 😬 R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I have a S3 chassis R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Justs thought but with the latest hyper power Duratecs engine installation and maintenance would be considerably easier or you could remove the side skins around the engine. Has anyone attempted a solution? RIF how about some removable carbon side skins around the engine?? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Ok thanks that's a good starting point, question is how do you know if any of the items above need replacing? Danny how did you know your diff needed rebuilding Dave - I have nitrons which have probably done around 2,000 track miles, hopefully they're still in good condition R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Dave, I have no idea how you did it for that price but well done, sounds like a very cost effective/worthwhile upgrade. Regarding the 2.2l that's the route I'd like to go budget allowing, I'll find out within the week but a large proportion of your £6,000 budget would be eaten up by the head and induction, so I think you might want to save for a little longer R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I'll put money on Danny having the brochure and price list by the end of tomorrow! and he thinks I'm mad 😬 R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

So the 2.0l 230bhp Duratec and gearbox are now out of the car and sold, I'm waiting for the replacement 2.3l 280bhp Duratec and new Quaife box to be built. The car (a 2004 R400) has done 2.5 trackday seasons and approx 3,000 miles on track, so fairly heavy use. While it's laid up what sort of maintenance/checks/replacements should I carry out? I'll start with: - check brake pads - change brake fluid - check diff oil - grease prop shaft UJs - give the engine bay a general tidy up - fit external oil pressure warning light Anything else I should consider replacing? How about wheel bearings? Suspension bushes, spherical joints? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Dry sump pan and Pace twin scavenge pump system to fit a Duratec 2.0l or 2.3l engine. One year old and only 1,500 miles. The Cosworth internal pump system (as fitted to the CSR) is £1,000+VAT so £550 for the Pace system is a bargain! R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here Edited by - MikeE on 14 May 2007 21:58:11

😬 😬 😬 You don't need to convince me of your engines capabilities, Ammo, having spoken to Danny and others I know you've achieved everything you said you would and more so you should rightly be proud However having limited funds I have to try and reuse some of what I've got as well as make sure that the new engine has as many standard parts as possible so should the worst happen then the replacement/rebuild cost isn't huge - it's not just the engine build costs it's the rebuild/refresh costs over the next few years - the total life costs if you like, don't want it running into Nimitz class carrier territory - something I know a little about Having said all that I'm sure I'll upgrade to a 2.3l 270bhp spec in the next couple of months and then next winter I'll seccumb to temptation and slap the supercharger on there for 350bhp, should be sufficient in a 515KG series 3 chassis 😬 R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

So Ammo what cams are you using in the 2.2l? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I understand the new Quaife 5 speed box is rated to 350bhp, has an alloy case so is light and reasonable on the road, I think Caterham are going to use it in their next car? Anyway it's £2,500+VAT Anyone have any views on it as it seems a good option and relatively good value? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

So dare I ask how much is the Quaife 5 or 6 speed sequential Danny will drop you an email about Wednesday later today.... R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here Edited by - MikeE on 14 May 2007 09:18:11

Ammo, I'm a bit (totally) confused by this statement, I can see that shortening the stroke of the 2.3l will reduce rod angles and therefore increase the (safe) rev capabilities of the engine. Can't get my head around this in a 2.0l block though, you have less height in the bore (14mm less than a 2.3l?) so although the 2.2l stroke is shorter than the 2.3l surely you need shorter rods than the 2.2l used in the 2.3l block and therefore increased rod angles meaning you lose the benefit you gained with the 2.3l block? Confused When are you planning on having a 2.2l (in a 2.0l block) ready for comparison purposes? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Peter it's 90% track work The only gearboxes I've experienced are the CC 6 speed in a Superlight and my BHG 5 speed in my Duratec.... I won't something that's strong, reliable, suits the Duratecs power/torque delivery and not hugely expensive - guess I would liek to try a sequential but think it'd probably fall short on a number of the above (especially affordabiltiy ☹️ R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I'm thinking ahead here to the gearbox options for a 2.3l Duratec with 280-300bhp, what are the options, the driving experience (or short comings) and costs? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Bedford has recently got even more difficult now they've added a couple more track side microphones - I used to just short shift past the original 2 but now they have 4 it's really not worth it. I need to get an airbox sorted and I suspect an R500 would too, at Bedford anyway R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

don't know the answer (but suspect not) but I have to ask, why R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Brent, Before you part with your hard earned you might want to consider another option for a significant bhp increase at a relatively affordable price. If you're interested then I can give you the details but not on blatchat.... R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Brent, I suspect Peter has been talking to both of us about the ???bhp upgrade, sounds very tempting once I've sold my current engine And yes I think it will require wider rears 😬 I presume you have 8 inch rears with CR500s? If not I have a spare set of (R400 spec)13" wheels and CR500s if you want to try them for size. R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here Edited by - MikeE on 9 May 2007 12:12:06