Roy Blyth

Dual drive running order:

Don't you think this is all getting a bit too serious here, for something that is meant to be fun?  There are far too many variables involved to say that the second driver has an advantage because of the tyres being warmed up by the previous runner - weather, incident delays, class size, etc...  Next you'll be having Official Tyre Temperature checks carried out at the start just because it was sunny one minute and cloudy the next.  I think you're trying to 'level up' a small bump in the road, compared to something like the extremes of engine power output in a single class.

Jon, I don't have one, but I've just ordered a new one this week from the dealer's stock due to arrive end of October.  I've had to take the spec they've already ordered, but it's close enough and with 16% off I'd be daft not to!

I need a two-month 'advent' calendar....

Good luck!    

I've had the same problem and after getting advice on here, I fitted one of these which is plugged in whenever the car is not in use.  I also check the battery fluid level every couple of months.  So far, so good...   

https://www.tayna.co.uk/battery-chargers/ctek/xs-0-8/

Caterham do say, repeatedly, in their IVA guidance that you should take plenty of photos during the build, as evidence that it was built by an amateur.  Pictures should include the 'builder' him/herself as well.  A selection of the photos has to be provided at some point during the IVA application, but I can't remember when?

Obviously you can't provide photos now, but I got the impression at the time we built ours that they would consider other evidence. I would have a chat with Caterham and see if they have any suggestions.

The RX queue structure under RAM Variables - Receive and Transmit Queues doesn't look right to me....?

My father-in-law saw this in a local book shop recently and bought it for me, but I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd already got a copy!  I'm offering it to the highest bidder over the £15 it cost him, with all the proceeds going to the Club charity.  It's in virtually new condition and even has my name in the acknowledgements!    

Lotus Seven - A Collector's Guide

Jeremy Coulter

ISBN 0-947981-71-3

As above, 1980 Sprint.

#2

Call me childish if you like, but when I read "Do you really want to go that stiff?" followed by "Firstly try going up one hole at a time" I absolutely cracked up!    

Headlight glare in the mirror?  I had that once, at night in my S4, so I put my foot down to get away from it...   

Then it turned into a flashing blue light....  

Fuel consumption...?  In a Seven...?  Are you all mad?!  

#4 and #5  -  I'm with you   

I recently bought a new Banner and it arrived with both holes plugged, one red and one white.  Instructions were taped across it instructing you to immediately remove the red plug, but nothing about fitting a vent tube as described above.    

Caterham IVA'd ours a couple of years ago and said that they leave the hood, sidescreens and mats off the car when presented.  Might be different now though?

You mean something like this...?  

https://www.pandamed.co.uk/product/tuning-fork-with-base/

I mentioned to my sprinting 21 year-old son Chris that entries for Curborough were now open for the May event.  He questioned whether it would actually go ahead, what with the virus situation.  He immediately followed it up with "well I'll be alright as all the rest of the competitors will have been vaccinated by then!".    

A bit harsh, but then I have thought before that the average age of competitors is getting higher...  

We had a similar situation with our new kit a couple of years ago, fitting an FIA bar to a Supersport.  We put the top bolts in as loose as possible and used brute force to push and pull the diagonal to get an old bolt into one of the rears first, then more brute force to get all the bolts in.    

... or that fast...?   

Years ago I tried different fuels in my 1980 crossflow and found that it generally ran better with V Power, so that's what I've stuck to.  It's still a leaded head and the only mapping available is Ordnance Survey....  

Re: #11

Hi Piers, yes it definitely would have been one of my many trips to Le Mans, staying in the company of Ms Condon.  Brings back many memories, including drag races in Sevens up the drive to see who could stop nearest the steps in front of the chateau - on gravel!  

Definitely no cooling issues though...  

Alan, your radiator/fan setup is in the same position as mine.  The fan is not automatic, there's a switch on the dash for that.  Overheating is never really an issue (other than in the cockpit!   ) and if the engine does get a bit too warm in traffic, then a few dribbles on the road is the result    Non of this unnecessary weight with expansion tanks!

Your picture did bring back memories though of a French agricultural garage doing some delicate welding to the broken top stay on the radiator, in the middle of nowhere, on a Saturday afternoon!  Job done, payment refused and on our way again touring rural France.  His work is still pretty solid today!

Then there was the blown headlight on a Le Mans trip...

... and the failed generator/regulator on another Le Mans trip...

I could write a book  

"... a slab of foam off the market"

That's exactly what we did some years ago for my Good Wife to sprint our bench-seated short cockpit Seven.  Covered with some black vinyl from the same market and she promptly won the prize for Fastest Lady!    

Oxted Trimming also supplied a thin seat base which transformed the driving position.

Alan, I had the same issue on my 1980 car and took it to Bruce many years ago.  He fitted a square section rail, a touch of paint and all done while-u-wait on a Saturday morning!  I spent the time waiting by looking around the workshop, admiring all the various beautiful things under construction.   

My 1980 car only has a windscreen mirror, but I do have to take the doors off and put one on it similar to the picture above, for the MoT.  Driving without the doors for any great distance is a distinct no-no!   

An internet search suggests coolant:

If your leak is green, yellow or pink

Coolant: This comes in many fluorescent colors, and can leak from many places throughout your cooling system. Coolant has a sweet odor and a slimy texture.

Is the washer bottle in the back, maybe with antifreeze/screen wash added?

Richard, you will always want more...?    You can have just as much fun and enjoyment in a low spec Seven as you can in a high spec one.  

Not much help I know  

Graham, I have a crossflow and I've never seen the gauge drop to zero, even when sprinting