murph7355

They're VVCs in the 111s I believe. Nice cars but they understeer too much. C7 AJM

The one I have is *definitely* one of the user programmable units...I'll drop you a mail... C7 AJM

I couldn't see the relevance either. Probably the cheapest '7 xxx' plate they could find. All though I suppose there could be a tenuous link with the fact that the 7 is a 2-seater? C7 AJM

Richard - it really depends how much extra poke you want, and how much of the work you'll be able to do yourself. Dave Andrews site is THE best resource for K series tuning available so an absolute must see site if you're considering upgrades. Also tune into the mailing list on se7ens.net (you can just read the archives to cut down on mail traffic). Lots of upgraditis exhibited on there. BUT, if you have to get much of the work done for you and aren't starting with a Superlight type car then you may be better off (financially and spec wise) trading the car in against a used SLR. Then again, finding one of the exact spec, colour etc. may prove difficult. I did the upgrade thing last year so if you want more specifics, drop me a mail and I can let you have prices etc. for pretty much everything you may (or may not!) want. Plus some dos and don'ts! Graham's idea may also be sensible, but I'm not sure that the Exige engine uses the "normal" VHPD ECU or induction setup (I have some recollection that they're specific to the Exige) so it might be a bit of a headache getting it up and running in a Caterham. Sid - I've seen used Supersports kits advertised for about 500 quid in the past - not sure if they sold at this level though as there isn't always a market for them...if it's anything like mine a good holiday, promises of curtains etc. usually appeases the Finance Dept. C7 AJM

If you look on the se7ens list there's another email address for Emerald on it (they occasionally post on there). Agree with the perceived risk thing. But on the flip side there is so much knowledge on the se7ens list (etc.) about the Emerald ECU that you'd be less likely to need to call Emerald direct. Not to mention huge amounts of maps available which I would think should get most (K series at least) configurations up and running. I have found myself wishing I'd gone with the Emerald rather than MBE at times... C7 AJM

Try an oil/water heat exchanger. Mine gets up to temperature quickly enough and is stable once there... If anyone has timings to get to a certain temp' without one I'll gladly do some testing with... C7 AJM

I was due down there last week but couldn't make it and he noted he was fully tied up for the next few weeks...so I guess patience may be key at the minute. C7 AJM

Masha - perfect example of economic forces at play. You want the number enough, you'll pay the price (witness what some have paid for the likes of N1 GEL and K1 NGS). It would have been nice to have been in early enough to make some cash out of it rather than paying through the nose for the "right" plate...it would also have been nice had the govt "valued" the plates properly so that the scope for the middle man was lessened and the money could (in theory, I'm taking BIG liberties here) be put to good use. FH - the joys of being part of Europe! Personally I think a US style system (not sure if it's restricted to certain states) is easily the best way to go - i.e. you can have more or less what you want as a plate, even just words. As long as the plate is unique, what does it matter? Computers should make uniqueness easy to guarantee (though knowing the state of some of the govt's systems maybe not) and a word is *much* easier to remember than a sequence of letters and numbers. It would also remove the "snob" value of the age related plate. But there's always the Viz way. And it'd have been cheaper for me to change my name to M202XEB... C7 AJM

It does say the number's negotiable. Which I suppose means if you have to ask how much they want for it... I always wondered what the HUL bit was about on the 911 plate. Maybe all the better ones had already gone? C7 AJM

I'm sure I've seen similar things in Demon Tweeks (not that they're the cheapest place on the planet but their catalogue's nice). I'm sure I've read somewhere else that an Apollo type tank may not be as necessary on a Zetec (no doubt something to do with the way oil is picked up and distributed round the engine)? However all I would think would need changing would be the connectors at the engine end of the pipes, which shouldn't be too much of a drag. Maybe you should give James Whiting a call. I believe he's one of the gurus on Zetec installations... C7 AJM

Andy - the Caterham number was just '7DUO' I think... Still a nice no. though. C7 AJM

It's a tall(ish) tank that the oil passes through on its cycle through the engine. I think it also has baffles in it but could be wrong. The idea as I understand it is that the oil falls into said tank, the air bubbles in the oil rise to the surface and the newly free-from-air-bubbles oil goes back in the engine from the bottom of the tank. The advantages are that the oil going round the engine internals is oil and not "aero effect" oil, and that there's more oil in the system (though thinking about it I can't see why this is a big plus!). I'm sure you can buy similar generic gizmos from other "race" parts vendors but I doubt they'll work out significantly cheaper once you've finished mucking around trying to fit them. The Caterham bits themselves aren't heinously expensive. C7 AJM

Mine uses a Torx key. Are you sure it's not the same way with yours? You can get them from Halfords easy enough...take the holder in to see if you're getting the right size (a set of torx drivers can be had for not very much at all). C7 AJM

Agree. Wire from the front wheel is hardly visible. C7 AJM

I think the general consensus is that the Apollo tank helps (more oil in the system and less bubbles in the oil you have), but if you can afford it then a dry sump is the way to go. In terms of extra bits, you have the tank itself and a couple of braided hoses so not really very much. Not sure how they fit onto a Zetec as I have a K, but it can't be too hard. When I finally get myself some track days booked I'll see how the oil pressure situation goes. If it drops too much then I'll consider getting a dry sump. If not I'll leave it as is for now (it seems fine to date on the road and I make the most of the car when I'm out in it)... To have the Apollo fitted costs iro 300 quid. I think the bits for the dry sump system are iro 1500 quid alone. Then again, a blown engine will be significantly more still! C7 AJM

If you fit it to the rear wheel, wheel spin will cause all sorts of odd readings to speed and distance travelled. And if you're not getting some wheel spin you're not trying hard enough biggrin.gif. If it's a secondary speedo then no problem I suppose, but something to consider... C7 AJM

David W - be careful as you could be right! I made a similar comment on a different thread and 1 week later lunched a bearing in the box. This knackered an oil seal, dropped all the oil in the bellhousing etc., contaminated my (month old AP racing) clutch and caused untold amounts of metal to be stuck in the casing and everywhere else! Or so I was told (and I have the knackered bearing to prove part of it. Most impressive). Rebuild of the gearbox was 500 quid, so I guess it could have been a lot worse! My box had done 25k or so but was one of the earlier 6spds I think... Seems fine now but I'm going to stop making posts on reliability just in case! FWIW I still think no other gearbox should be fitted to a k-series car (until the sequential Quaife thing has proved its worth - it'd then be nice to get something like a RaceLogic system fitted then...). C7 AJM Edited by - Andy Murphy on 6 Mar 2001 11:51:43

I guess anywhere that may corrode... The chassis is going to be the big thing here so a good hosing down of this (from inside the engine bay and generally outside it) would seem like a good idea. Along with much of the suspension componentry. I think a really thorough clean of the whole lot wouldn't go amiss though (says he whose car is still caked in it from yesterday's drive!). C7 AJM

I'm pretty certain they've hooked up with Ratrace Brents Cross area, North London). I've only seen one cf headlamp shell to date and it looked pretty good. It may well be a leftover "sample" from CCC... I believe they're trying to get premises sorted out before tooling up for any production runs so everything's a bit in the air at present. I've asked Ratrace to let me know when they have some new samples in so I can take a look and see how much they're going to charge for them. C7 AJM

Phil - would sooner sell as a set but will let you know... Ed - have mailed you. Richie will mail you too... C7 AJM

All gone (I'll post again should that change :) ). Ta. C7 AJM

It's also possible that yours isn't set up as nicely as the other guy's, allowing him more confidence in planting it round corners etc. (within the limits of the road conditions of course :) ). Small changes to suspension set up can make massive differences to the way a car goes... C7 AJM

Assorted items to get shot of: - std. radiator as fitted to a K-series car. - std. set of springs as fitted to the above (1400 Supersport). - std. brake master cylinder. - luggage rack. Anybody desperate for this stuff, give me a shout! C7 AJM

Std. system. Was fitted to a 1400K Supersport. Full side exit system including manifold and exhaust protector (though one of the clip rails for this is defunct!). Cat' is believed to work perfectly but hasn't been tested for some time... Offers? C7 AJM

Glassfibre nosecone (wth std. grille), cycle wings (bonded onto stays) and rear wings (with ali' protectors). All painted Lotus Norfolk Mustard (a top shade of yellow!) and in v.good condition. Offers invited (would prefer to sell them as a set as the colour match is perfect)...I was going to keep them as spares but HID has other plans for the garage! C7 AJM