Alaskossie

In the May '07 Lowflying, on page 27 in the bottom center photos of Series 2 Lotuses, there are two photos of a yellow nosecone with separate, detachable shiny metal numbers affixed to the grille as the car's number plate. Does anyone have a current source for these separate numbers? Thanks. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Alex, I certainly cannot speak from experience (since I have my first-ever Seven arriving in kit form at the end of this month!), but I have gone against the flow and have ordered the Classic with 6-speed CC box and 3.38 rear end with ZF l/s. I will be powering it with a 2.3 Duratec from Cosworth USA (244 hp) and it will primarily be used for fast road work, not the track. Distances are vast here in Alaska, and I wanted something that would not cause the engine to spin its little heart out on long drives. I have been told that the 3.38:1 diff was a diesel Sierra option and is very uncommon; it was pricey for me, at $1200 extra. We'll see if I've made a big mistake..... Why doesn't Caterham offer a different ratio package for their fine 6-speed, with an o/d 6th gear, suitable for the Duratec range now being installed?? Seems like an obvious solution, but perhaps not? Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Ammo, What is the largest displacement that can be reasonably got out of the Duratec block, with a 2.4-type stroker crank and new liners? Tom Meacham Alaskossie

I will be assembling a new Caterham Classic shortly. What is the current advice on the best caulking material to seal the body panel interfacewith the chassis (both on the underside and in the footwells)? Or is this not routinely done on a new build? Having access to nearly all parts of the body and chassis at build time seems to make this a do-it-now-or-forget-about-it chore. I'd like to prevent moisture from hastening reaction between chassis and ali skin, if possible. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

The detaschable wheel carrier for Sevens is discussed at: http://www.sjmmarsh.f2s.com/Caterham/WheelCarrier.html Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Sorry for the triple-post (a new record??) Something strange happened on this end. And really, I'm only looking for the answer to one question, not three... Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Does a Q-Max cutter work on carbon fiber? Anyone tried it? Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Does a Q-Max cutter work on carbon fiber? Anyone tried it? Tom Meacham

Does a Q-Max cutter work on carbon fiber? Anyone tried it? Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Generally speaking, is there any technical reason (other than possible vertical space available) that the ECU could not be mounted vertically against the bulkhead? I don't have a Caterham handy yet, so can't do the measurments myself... Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Chris, Can you gve us the basic details and specs, and hoped-for power output, of the 2.3 Durtec that Ammo is building for you? Do you anticipate any problems in importing the built engine into the US? I have been in contact with Cosworth in Torrance, California regarding building me a 250hp 2.3 Duratec, in part because I'd like to avoid any hassles with US Customs, EPA, etc. at the border. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Billy-Joe, I saved a bunch of photos of Sugino's Seven, as well as its specs, when he listed it on eBay. He was truly obsessive over this car. It's not a car, it's a piece of jewelry! Send me your e-mail and I'll send them to you. (My email is tmeacham@gci.net). I'd post the photos to the forum, except I've had no luck in successfully linking photos to a message. Tom Meacham

EFA, What shifter position do you use with the Quaife seq. gearbox in a Seven -- shifter housing rear extension, or mid-rear position? Any interference with the handbrake lever on the tunnel? Any problems getting this gearbox's shifter housing to fit in the tunnel, height-wise? The owner of the MOG carbon-fiber company in Germany posted some photos of his Quaife 6-speed sequential installed in his Seven, in which (as near a I could translate) his knuckles hit the underside of the dash when shifting. Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Susser, How do you use the Nifty Bits side mirrors with Perspex windwings? Looks like they would be mutually exclusive, because they use the same mounts. Anyone using aeroscreens is searching for mirror solutions with one arm tied behind his back.... I have driven a Seven with the "Mirrors for Sevens" 4-panel panoramic mirror, and I found it to be excellent. It is a "scaled-down for Sevens" version of the Wink 5-panel or 4-panel panoramic mirror that has been used in racing in USA for decades. I would use the panoramic mirror in conjunction with small motorcycle-type side mirrors. The panoramic mirror is in my opinion a superior substitute for any scuttle-mounted center mirror. Alaskossie

I thought the Duratec had a balance shaft? None appears in the video. Or is it only some versions of the Duratec? I do know that Cosworth offers a "balance shaft delete kit" for when the Duratec balance shaft is eliminated (presumably for weight savings -- why else would you delete it?)... Alaskossie

Somewhere I have seen offered a carbon fibre rear wing guard that not only extends down to the lower edge of the wing, but also curves around the side-edge of the wing, matching the contour of the wing. Or am I just imagining things? Alaskossie

Alan7, what headlamp brackets did you use to get the "lowered-headlamp" look on you car? Also, what turn signal lamps did you mount on the nose cone? (Apologies for hijacking the existing thread....) Alaskossie

I would certainly be interested in a pair of CF clams if they were available. I like the traditional look of clams-- and their ability to keep debris out of the cockpit is much better than the cycle wings, in my limited experience. I was looking for something more durable and lighter than the standard CC clams. alaskossie

This may be heresy, but does anyone make carbon fibre clamshell front wings for a CC Seven? alaskossie Anchorage, Alaska USA

I would be interested in contributing a fair price to NTL, as well as covering postage costs to USA, for Low Flying for the years 2003 and 2004. (I'm trying to obtain a complete run of back issues from 2001 through 2005, and have on order most of what I need. Still looking for 2002 year's issues, though).

Is chrome-plating a rollbar not allowed? What about chrome-plating the front suspension bits? Is "chrome embrittlement" a realistic hazard? Tom Meacham Alaskossie

Oops -- forgot the Caterham owner in the town of North Pole, near Fairbanks, Alaska.

Finmac, as I said I don't yet own a 7 so I can't speak from direct experience (except having lived here since 1967). But Alaska has nearly 24 hrs of daylight every day from May thru August, which offers a lot of good drive time. I just wish we had more paved roads (though the absence of the plod on the long rural roads we do have is a real benefit). There is one Caterham SV in Anchorage that I know about, and there was a Series 2 that autocrossed a lot (don't know if it's still here). Lots of grand scenery to see here, as you can imagine...

With talk of carrying spare tires, headrests in rear-end collisions, etc. I was wondering if anyone had considered carrying some sort of foam-filled spare tire, to be intended primarily for protection in a rear-end collision in a Seven? If this was a dedicated spare tire for occasional flat-tire use only, and not rotated around for road use, then issues of heat build-up, odd handling, etc. might not be significant. In 1964 I was a passenger in a head-on with a maple tree at 60 mph, in a 356 Porsche. The front-mounted spare held its air, and may have deflected the crash away from dead-center; the right tire was jammed backwards behind the wheelwell. (Notwithstanding, the cowl-mounted fuel tank cracked, and was leaking fuel onto our legs when help arrived). A lap belt prevented a fatality, but I had a number of facial fractures; the driver, also lap-belted, had a broken wrist, hip and ankle. Just an idea, for passive safety in a Seven..... (from one who is not yet a Seven owner).