Vinnie_Hki

See below: a friend is looking for a new car, contact him direct please if you have something of interest. Hi Vinnie, iam searching for a Caterham. Minimal features should be: K-Series 1600 SS and higher, 6 Speed Gearbox, LSD, less than 30k miles.....please offer everything. Cash waiting. Contact: grossesumi@yahoo.de

Hi, yes please. I am close to Chester. I will PM to discuss Cheers Vinnie

I have experience of both. The three stage pace pump fitted on the passenger side. In this installation the alternator gets switched over to the drivers side. I didn't like that much as it means you then have the steering column and the alternator fighting for wiggle room underneath the induction. This means that access to the alternator is a p.i.t.a. should anything go wrong. IMHE alternators fail or have issues more frequently than dry sump pumps. The other type, which I still have, uses the original Caterham setup which is a two stage scavenge pump from pace working in conjunction with the original (VX) oil pump. The disadvantage of this set up is that the mount for the oil pump (scavenge) is all tied up with the drivers side engine mount which has to be shimmed in to place. I guess the non-Caterham OEM kits don't have this issue. Another disadvantage is that the alternator is of course now closer to the exhaust manifold and can be awkward to work on when everything gets hot, but that is a rare issue (You can usually let it all cool down). So,IMHO, either way has it's ups and downs. On balance I like the original Caterham system with the bell tank and would fit the pump on the drivers side again. Bottom line is it really depends on your own complete installation as to what makes sense, i.e. where will the tank be fitted etc. I think pipe runs in this context are immaterial, there are many rally cars out there for example sending engine oil to coolers fitted in the rear wings (Audi Quattro) without any issues, so a few extra cm in a Caterham should be trivial. Vinnie

Just read the "not cosmetically perfect" comment above.... Would love to know what that means.... I'd say this car is in excellent condition, not just for it's age but excellent, period. Vinnie

Indeed, looking for a new home for this one. As Paul and Mav have already said, a very quick 21. The engine was refreshed recently in mileage terms, probably about five years ago now but I'd guess about 5k miles, it's just not getting the use it once got as the third car in the family which has grown to include a recent baby. It took my brother more than a year to decide it simply needed to move on such was the wrench but there is no point in it just taking up space in the garage. An R400 with a boot big enough for golf clubs and a glove box too Vinnie

Ah, I thought the R300 got some ARP's as well - I'll check with Caterham tomorrow. Manual very much appreciated vinnie at barriskell dot com. The noise was found but the mystery continues... We've found a bit of metal in number one pot. About the size of an M4 screw might be, had it been hammered, but there was nothing to suggest it was ever a screw or bolt - it's just the right size. It's also steel rather than aluminium. Where it has come from remains a mystery. The induction was all secure, the air filter etc was all in place, nothing untoward we can find in the plenum. So precisely where this bit of metal came from is eluding me. The good news is that the bores / valves / piston and so forth is all in A1 condition, no damage at all so very lucky we saved it in that respect. Of course we pulled the big end shells out to establish it wasn't them making the noise, which is why we need to bolt it back together again! 🙆🏻 Right now it's simply gaskets and bolts to put it back in one piece which is something of a relief, although I'd be happier if I could figure out how it got in there in the first place.

This is an unmolested (until now) R300 as it left the Caterham factory. Surely this bolt is a known quantity?

Can someone tell me the correct torque setting for the big end bolts on an R300 Duratec please? Vinnie

Hi All, Long story which I shan't bore you with but the upshot is I now have an R300 here, 2.0 Duratec which was apparently being driven at an airport (i.e. quickly is my guess) which when it returned to the car park / pits was left to idle. Whereupon a loud rattle suddenly began to come from the engine. I removed the plugs and had a look in the cylinders as best I could, put a magnet in there etc - nothing untoward. Then I started the engine - sure enough a loud rattle which appears to come from the front timing chain cover, although it's always hard to tell with these things. Cam cover removed and nothing looks untoward, the chain is quite tight but not stressed it seems. Any thoughts / info on the common way a tensioner fails for example or what else may be going on? The rattle sounds very similar to a loud "valve hitting the piston" rhythmic tapping. Cheers Vinnie

Posting on behalf of Chris Kent: Roadsport cage lying in Ratrace workshops right now. Fair condition with approval label attached. From an S3 imperial chassis - one of the original type with the single diagonal behind the occupants (not the X design) £150 o.n.o. Please contact Chris direct at chris.kent.uk @ gmail.com Cheers Vinnie Edited by - Vinnie_HKI on 11 Apr 2014 07:39:19

Quoting Paul White: Hi Vinnie, I'd like a pair, if I'm not too late? Noted Vinnie

Apologies for the slow reply!! Saw it when posted and thought I had replied...ooops Just waiting for numbers really, am only about halfway there right now. However I need to order some large items soon and so I may well just bite the bullet and take some stock, so I would guess I'll have the items in my hands within 14 days or so. Any more for any more? 😬 Vinnie

Quoting David Brown: Jon mentions Anthony's car. Is that the guy from Zermatt that used to post details of trips all over Europe? Been missing his postings and wondered what had happened to him. David I think you are confusing Anthony Mellor with Anthony Burgess. By coincidence, Anthony Mellor has stayed here at my house near Helsinki on one of his trips, and of course Anthony Burgess' former car lives here permanently. Vinnie

Quoting Ivaan: Hi Vinnie, Put me down for a pair. Perfect for my car. Clive Edited by - Ivaan on 13 Feb 2014 08:39:05 Noted, will be in touch (Once we have all the details in place) Vinnie

Quoting Jon Stewart: Was that Anthony's car? Yes. It's changed a bit, SLR cage rather than the hoop he had, clear aero rather than carbon, lowered floors too. But essentially yes. VInnie