andymal

Steve I have the mems of the vhpd if you want it. It maybe of no use because of different spec engine but if you think it will be of any use I'll mail it down. Regards Andy

Ian The mechanically sympathetic way is to put the rear end safely on axle stands, find something long enough to wedge the clutch pedal down, take the hand brake off and then start her in gear. Normally 2nd or 3rd is good. At this stage one of the rear wheels should be spinning. Just leave her in this state for 20 to 40 minutes (increase the revs a bit if you want to speed up the heat build up). When the engine and box get warm enough the clutch will release. It is easy to know when the clutch has released because neither rear wheel is spinning. This process is guaranteed - i've done it around 20 times on a Lotus and several 7 owners have followed the recommendation and succeeded. The beauty of it is that there is no stress of sudden jolts through the transmission. Best of luck Andy

Try GRL Motors in Woking. Although not a Caterham specialist Ian Smith looks after several 7s (including mine). From memory the number is 01483 725759. Andy

Just retested it. I moved the trailer to a flatter area (earlier was fractionally downhill) and placed a larger piece of wood on top of the scales to spread the load. Amazing, it's gone from 95kg to 70kg, so problem solved. I had thought of another potential solution - something heavy in the boot of the 7 to act as a counterbalance, just so long as i remember to remove it before going on track.

Hi I have a Brian James Clubman 950 and have just added a tyre rack and fuel box on the front of it. Prior to fitting the nose weight was 70kg but it is now 95kg. The problem is that the towbar limit is a maximum of 76kg. I thought reversing the 7 onto the trailer may solve the problem but was surprised when the nose weight then increased to 120kg. I cannot move the 7 further back on the trailer to counter balance the front weight because with the tyre rack and fuel box on the car is as far back as it can go. I'd appreciate any ideas on how to solve this. If anybody else is running this combination, what is your nose weight? Thanks Andy

I have a SLR and run 17 to 18 rear and 16 to 17 front when hot for track days. Unfortunately, we had no rain in the south last year so no experience of CR500s in wet. For normal road use i run 18 front and 19 to 20 rear.

From the picture it looks like the solenoid will be below the starter. Has anybody knocked the solenoid off yet? It must be very vulnerable if it is below.

I forgot to mention. My 7 is non-standard. It is the original superlight r but now runs on dth tbs, coilless ignition, emerald, etc. So grl are used to dealing with things that are out of the ordinary.

Hi Mike I use Ian Smith at GRL Motors in Woking. Although a back street garage he used to work with the race teams and has race prepared many cars. Their number is 01483 725759. I know of a couple of other 7s that regularly go their. Andy

Thanks guys. It is successfully fitted on the front of the drivers footwell. I realised what the potential problem was at the front on the nearside. If it overflows on a hot trackday then there would have been oil spraying onto a very hot exhaust manifold which could be very nasty! Andy

In the last 10 days I've done track days at Castle Combe and Donington on brand new CR500s. I don't know which compound they are but CC described them as the latest one. Both days were dry. The grip was good, possibly better than last years tyres, and the wear is definitely less than on the old ones.

Hi Steve It will be closer to the exhaust but should still be reasonably forward from it. I'll have another look to gauge whether there will be a heat problem. I checked the plumbing today and the existing pipework will stretch across without any problem. However, it is difficult to gain access for the drilling. I've just come across some pictures on Dave Andrew's website which show the catch tank against the bulkhead on a car without a heater. Earlier today I'd concentrated on the front end of the engine bay so I'll have another look. I suspect the heater on mine will prevent this option. Andy

I have a K series and the catch tank is immediately below and touching the air filter, between the front cross braces on the offside. If the catch tank overflows (which has been known to happen on hot track days) it results in a trashed air filter. The positioning may also be restricting some air flow to the engine. It looks like I can move the catch tank to the nearside in the same position. Access will then be slightly restricted by the radiator top hose but it will be massively better than under the air filter. Is anybody aware of any problems with moving the catch tank to the nearside? Where else has anybody managed to position it? Regards, Andy

On a six speed box how do you top up the gear oil? There appears to be no space between the transmission tunnel and the box to get any tool into plug to remove it.

Has anybody experienced the rivets on the floorpan underneath the seat giving way? All have gone down the transmission tunnel and along the rear so there are only the front and offside rivets left in place. Is there any fix other than re-rivetting? Andy

I'd never be brave enough to sit next to her driving!!!! Imagine how much the divorce would cost.

Orange SLR on A30 anywhere between Alton and Farnham could have been Mrs Malpass in mine. Almost five years of ownership and it's the second time she's driven it!!

Hugh How have ou got on? Any success yet?

This was a regular problem I had with an old Lotus. First of all make sure that the clutch actuation is working - cable or hydraulic. If it is then proceed as below: - jack up rear end and place firmly on axle stands. - chock front wheels - find a suitable length of wood or similar object to wedge the clutch pedal down, normally being braced against the seat or the steering wheel - release hand brake - put in first or second gear and start the engine - the reae wheels should now be spinning if the clutch is stuck - go off and do another job or have a cup of tea, etc - when the engine, gearbox etc fully warms through the clutch will release and the rear wheels will not be spinning. This is guaranteed to succeed and is mechanically sympathetic. The Lotus box had Maxi internals and no spares were available so anything putting undue pressure through the box was not an option. Best of luck Andy

John Did you seal the floor before painting it? I did two coats of unibond, the first very thinned and the second normal dilution. This seals any remaining fine dust and hopefully prevents moisture coming upwards. Also, check what paint you have used. Many of the garage paints on the market will not withstand water draining off a wet car or hot car tyres - they are only for car showrooms. Andy

One Yokohama A032 205/60 13 super soft available. Hardly any wear but it does have a minor flat spot. Collect from Farnham and make a contribution to NTL. Andy

I have one of the early SLR's and it has always chucked some oil out on trackdays. However, on a recent trackday (when the weather was still hot) I came in from a session and although there was still oil pressure the level was very low in the bellhousing tank. I kept pouring oil in but the level did not rise - result, end of trackday and time to trailer home. On draining the oil there was 6.5 litres, more than the 4.5-5.0 litre capacity. There is no sign of any other problems or swarf in the oil. Has anybody else experienced the oil disappearing out of the dry sump tank when it is very hot? What was the cause of the problem or the cure? A possibility is that the scavenge pump is no longer up to the job. It is the early purple pump that is on the car. Later SLR's have the gold pump which I believe has a greater flow rate. Is it possible to change to the gold pump without fitting the tall tower on the bellhousing? What else is involved in the conversion? Any other ideas appreciated.