murph7355

Allen Do the JW ones still have the razorblade-esque piece of metal in the middle that gives the main blade holder some degree of movement on the arm? I ask because I've just fitted a new screen (thanks Keith - looks superb!) and don't want it getting scratched as my old one did... I've bent the wipers as much as possible to make the rubber perpendicular to the glass, but it still looks like there may be metal to glass contact if the rubber wears at all. Ta C7 AJM

There is a site...click here (if it's the same company, but there surely can't be two that came from the "Ronseal school of company naming"... :) ). C7 AJM

I very nearly just ordered some foam. Then saw the price! Makes fully made seats seem like a bargain (shame I'm too healthily fed for them)! Think I may have a go with the two part stuff first. C7 AJM

I found 021Rs a massive improvement in every respect to the Pilots I was running. Part of this may have been changing the size (185/60/14 all round to 185/60/13 fr and 205/60/13 rr) but most was the rubber I believe. The only area I'm expecting them to be worse is tyre wear, but I haven't been on them long enough to comment properly yet. I'm going to try 032Rs when the 021Rs run out now I'm hearing better reports of wet weather ability, but have also heard these run out quicker than 021Rs so may not be as practical for higher mileages. 021Rs are cheaper to buy so the cost equation is firmly in their favour over 032Rs... As Pierre notes, they don't look as good as 032Rs though! C7 AJM

Nearly twice the price (as the A021Rs. At least 50% dearer than the 32Rs). Never tried them but doubt I will. Feedback I've heard from others is that they are tremendous in the wet, but not as good (certainly as ACB10s) in the dry... I've got A021Rs and these are pretty good. And I'm hearing more and more that 32Rs aren't as bad in the wet as you hear. I'll be trying these next time. Have search for 'cr500' and you'll get much more feedback... C7 AJM

I think DaveJ's got a valid point and it's worth noting. I've always understood pencil gauges to be the most accurate (of cause all of this assumes that each component is well looked after) outside of the megabucks F1 type kit. Depending on the footpump I'd be less inclined to believe this gauge. Why I'm not so sure...it just feels like this must be the case with the ones I've used! Digital gauges are largely an unknown quantity to me, though my dad bought one of the keyfob jobs from Halfords at Christmas and it exactly matched the pencil gauge readings, so these ones would seem to be fine and, more importantly, it was *much* easier to get a consistent reading without losing air from the tyre, something I've always found tricky with pencil gauges on some wheels. C7 AJM

The two links Rob gave will give all the info you need. Note that I'm pretty sure radar detectors and the like become illegal very soon (either later this year or early next). I was considering buying one but since the law's changing probably won't bother (it's not easy to hide one in a 7). I've heard the screen is only a problem if turned on. There are also smallish areas towards the edges of the screen that don't have elements in... When I was looking the Bel 990i or 980 were the ones to go for. They can be had for about 250 quid but need an accessory socket for power. The verdict isn't yet in on whether the Morpheus thing will also be illegal. I think they're trying to word the law so that it is though... C7 AJM

I normally find it gets too warm even at this time of year (now I'm sorted out with a decent jacket and hat)! With a passenger the heat stays more or less in the leg region. Without a passenger a half tonneau keeps the heat in. Strategic redirection of the warm air pays big dividends! But I'm sure you should have a 2spd heater. C7 AJM

My heater's 2-speed and that's on a '95 car, so I'd think yours should be. It's sometimes hard to tell the difference in pitch between the two speeds and is even harder at times to feel any extra throughput so it may be you have 2 speeds but aren't noticing...perhaps your switch isn't wired up right? C7 AJM

Sorry about that. I can't find them on there now either (I'm sure they can get hold of one if you called them). Ratrace supplied it for me. I've just looked through the invoices and it doesn't look like they charged me for it! But I know they have some hung up on their wall in packets so either give them a call (020 8830 5677) or I'll tell you how much they are tomorrow afternoon as I'm popping up there...they're generally no more expensive than Caterham for bits (I think Caterham supply parts to official agents at "cost" so that any mark up doesn't make them more pricey). C7 AJM

Thing on the top of the dash is a shift light run through the Stack. Contemplated having one of the multi light jobs but this is just as effective. Set it to come on a couple of hundred revs before the limiter cuts in and it works a treat. Nice and bright. I'm not sure what rating the switch is but can find out. I'd guess that *any* you buy for car use will be suitable for a starter application though as this is what they're used for typically. I'm pretty sure it fits into the same size hole as the warning lights. The switches on the wheel are for the Stack. The left one operates the layer change (button 3) and the right is the trip/lap reset (button 4). The switches can be bought from Stack in sets of 4 (39 quid for 4 believe it or not! Cheaper are available at VWP I think). The bracket was made up by Ratrace but it's nothing complicated, just a shaped piece of ali'. It would also be possible to install the buttons into the spokes of the wheel, but they work really well where they are. The coiled cable is attached to a mil' spec' connector under the dash so is fully removable (and theoretically very reliable). It's a pain to get on in the dark though (I imagine this'll get easier with time). The crap plastic toggles in the picture will be replaced by alternatives at some point soonish. The ones on the right had to be filed down as I kicked them off three times getting my large frame into the car with the hood up! C7 AJM

I'm not completely sure but Land Rovers rings a bell for some reason... Try searching the archives here or on the se7ens list as I'm sure that's where my recollection is from... C7 AJM

Steve - don't worry about it. The button needs a proper push and when pushed it's recessed, so not really easy to hit by accident. Of course this doesn't stop you pressing it when the engine's running, but then you can turn the key when it is too. You only do it once :) Dave - that's what the flip up caps on aircraft style switches are for and it works really well. The only disappointing thing I've found is that I've yet to see a "proper" red one. They all look a slightly dark red! Take a look here to see both installed. You can also get aircraft style switches that act as a starter with a further push upwards (off-on-"int on"). I preferred the button - more of a sense of occasion when starting it! For other switches and stuff, you might want to take a look at Vehicle Wiring Products who sell all sorts and the prices aren't bad. C7 AJM

On the one hand I agree with you (strongly) that when paying a premium for a "premium" product you should be able to expect to cap your costs in this respect... On the other hand, by being part of an "exclusive club" I think we implicitly accept that we're going to be open to situations like this from time to time. It'd be really nice if Caterham developed a recall policy etc. etc. but one way or another this would drive costs up (either by spending more on design and testing so problems don't happen or in replacing broken bits afterwards). It'd also be worth comparing the fix costs of our beloved motors against those of more mundane cars. I'm fairly certain most things mechanical on a 7 are much cheaper to fix than on, say, a Nissan (OK so I'm casually ignoring that Nissan would possibly have had a recall etc., and that I'm not comparing apples with apples). And as PC noted, I'm not sure the alternative boxes available would necessarily be any better. Production numbers and annual mileages are typically so low (anyone know how many 6spd boxes are in use? Can't be any more than 5k and I'd guess at much less) that problems don't come out of the woodwork for ages...though I would expect all new boxes to have the upgraded bits from the off and anyone who's still in warranty to be able to get it sorted out gratis. Incidentally, whilst I stand by not having had problems with mine to date, it did have the nosepiece changed recently for one with a steel insert. Allegedly the old ones weren't strong enough (the old one looked a bit worn) - cost me about 35 quid +VAT :) C7 AJM

And also make very sure that new tyres are properly scrubbed in before giving it too much...I believe the releasing agent on new ones has a pretty low coefficient of friction... My 21Rs didn't seem that grippy for the first couple of hundred miles. They're excellent now. Hope the repairs go quickly and well. C7 AJM

I've had a quick look round the web but can't find what the "ideal" operating temperature is for synthetic oils... However with my set up the temperature is pretty much stable at about 75degC, occasionally getting up a bit higher (highest I've seen so far has been 84degC). I'll keep hunting for operating temperature info, but if anyone else has it I'd be interested. I agree fully that a bigger problem in 7's may well be the oil being too cool in many circumstances, especially in this country in winter! C7 AJM

Don't forget you're only hearing from ones with problems in this thread... My car's had a 6spd box on it for about 25k miles and has neither leaked nor caused me any grief (and I don't think Mike Bees had any hassle with it previous to my ownership) aside from a couple of speedo cable angle drives breaking. And that will, of course be the kiss of death and mine will fail when I'm next out. But at least I know where I can get it fixed if it does :) Occasionally it's tricky to get into reverse (but there seems to be a knack to it as I'm usually OK) and I've buggered up a few changes recently but I think that's the new clutch/me rushing it. C7 AJM

Sorry to hear about the faux pas. Hope all was OK (apart from the car)... I had an accident repair done by Arrowstar a few years ago. Quality was good but I had a few hassles (paint matching, an abortive pick up as the car wasn't ready when they said it would be (a bugger as I had to travel from Ealing to Oxford) etc. My car's been looked after by Ratrace for the last couple of years and they recently did my engine upgrade. They're a really nice bunch of guys and more than capable of doing the job so I'd be happy recommending them. They also have access to a good paint shop. Caterham should also do a top job obviously. Any place you send it should be sending it to Arch Motors by the sounds of it to ensure the chassis' straight so that side of it should be fairly standard. Where do you live? Taking it somewhere near you would be advisable to make it easy to check on progress and collect it when ready. Good luck. C7 AJM

Crikey. Looks like I won't bother with the quiet circuits for track days then. C7 AJM

Been promising this for a while. The blow by blow account isn't finished yet but as a few people have asked I thought I'd post what I have so far... Basics of the engine are: 1800K series (11.1:1 cr) Accralite forged pistons QED steel banded liners Std. rods and crank Lightened flywheel All the above fully balanced Piper 740 cams Fully ported head (CTM did the job after my Dave Andrew's special was damaged by Securicor) with 31.5mm inlet and 29mm exhaust Paul Ivey valves (could be the other way round!) Solid followers Mike Satur uprated head gasket Piper Vernier pulleys Jenvey DTH throttle bodies with 40mm trumpets, Pipercross sock filters and throttle linkage VHPD injectors, uprated fuel pump and regulator MBE ECU and loom MBE distributorless wasted spark ignition system AP Racing clutch 4-2-1 SLR non-cat race exhaust Apollo oil/air separator Mocal oil/water heat exchanger Race aluminium radiator Samco hose kit, all sorts of Earl's fittings and buckets of sundries... Engine gave 194bhp@7750 and 140lbfts@5600 on the Emerald rolling road (as seen in January's CCC). But we still think there's more to come with a few tweaks...will be testing this theory out in the next month or two. Both plots are healthily full with a nice torque curve (if a tad low). Rev limit is hard set at 8150. Photographs can be found here...at least they can if I've done the link right. I can do higher res scans if wanted but as they are makes the images manageable (they're all less than 200k I think). I have a spreadsheet giving costs to the nth degree. I'm just looking for a repository for all the info' and will post a more complete link at some point in the near future (hopefully this weekend). If anyone has any questions (or wants the sheet before I get it on the web somewhere), please mail me or post here. C7 AJM Edited by - Andy Murphy on 8 Jan 2001 22:48:48

The exchanger unit itself was 82.55 +VAT from Ratrace. It may be slightly more usually as I did spend quite a bit with them, but I believe this is the cost. I don't think all the plumbing gear was with it though. So after adding VAT and pipes etc. you're probably not looking at much change out of 105-120. It looks like an alloy cylinder about 10" long with square sections running its length top and bottom. I guess total height is about 4" and depth 3"-4". Either end has a fitting for a hose as do the square sections top and bottom in the middle. I think the former are for water and the latter for oil if memory serves but I could have this the wrong way round! It then has Mocal written on the side in nice letters. I'll get the images I have put up somewhere tonight and will post where they are... As for how much heat they transfer, couldn't tell you as I don't have figures. Sadly I also never tested how quickly my old engine got up to speed with oil temp etc. Perhaps if anyone else with an 1800k has timings to a set temp we could do some sort of comparison? C7 AJM

I think you'll be lucky to get one to fit - what size trumpets are you using? 40mm jobs give a bit more room than 90mm (obviously), but I'm still not sure there's much (enough) to play with. I've made some child-like sketches of where one might go but gave up on the thought of taking it further as it looked like going nowhere. I'm also sure the Elise one won't fit. But giving Bernard a call may get you accurate dimensions you can start to work with. What power are you at already? I doubt it'll give anything noticable in terms of extra power. The felt underlay thing sounds good though. I might try this if I get hassle at track days when I finally get on track again (velcro it in so I can be loud on the road and quiet on track maybe...why does this sound a about f?). C7 AJM

Are you sure there's room for one without putting a hole in the bonnet? Or are you not worried about the latter? If you have to cut a hole, wouldn't the fact that the box is outside the bonnet negate any noise reduction gains? I know some of the guys with Elise conversions have made air boxes so perhaps theirs would fit with a suitable hole or some slight mods? Check out Dave Andrew's site or the se7ens list for more info. Maybe you could try some sound insulating foam around strategic areas under the bonnet. I'm sure I've heard of others doing similar with some success... C7 AJM

An alternative to a typical cooler is an oil/water heat exchanger. This gets the oil up to temperature quicker (as it feeds off the water temp rise) and keeps it "cool" (in operating band). They can also be fitted pretty much anywhere rather than blocking off rad' area. I've now scanned the images of my install so once I get a suitable repository a shot of one of these is included. They're about 85 quid +VAT...I think they're easy to fit but had mine done with the rest. Unless you're somewhere really hot I don't think trad. oil coolers are really necessary. C7 AJM

Black ones are less powerful unless they're in "crackle finish". In which case they lose nothing on red ones. Hope this helps. C7 AJM