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    Looking for help my 660 Supersprint engine light is on, been for a little drive car seems to run ok ? Any advice would be appreciated, based near Salisbury

    thanks in advance Lee  

  1. Ho ho ho! It’s time for Gogs’ pre-Christmas meet and Santa has decided it will be at the Tal-y-Cafyn on Tuesday, December 5. We’ve been before, but to remind you, it’s on A470 Llanrwst Road, and it’s very pleasant. In fact, it was recently voted Gastropub of the Year – traditional Christmas pudding served with brandy custard is on the menu for £7. Be there from around 7.30pm until the snow gets so deep it’s time to stay for the night!

  2. admin_JM
    Latest Entry

    By admin_JM,

    Today we launched a new set of website help pages which can be found in Support -> Website Help.

    Much of the content was inspired by the https://USA7s.net site (with their permission). I'd like to give a huge thanks to Cobar for the content and permission to use it.  

    In addition to USA7s content we also added screenshots specific to this site as well as a few more help articles.

    This is just the start of this help system and we hope there will be lots of comments and suggestions for updates and new items. If you see something that's wrong then please leave a comment in the article. If you have a suggestion for new help items then please let one of the admin's know through the Staff page.

    A couple of good articles to get started with are:

    John

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    I guarantee you have never seen a Seven like this before - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iuKQ-eTX6I

     

  3. BDR Facet pump identification

    This picture shows my old Facet pump and one I have had in stock for many years (ten of fifteen?). Question is, is what is the spec of the newer one? Indeed of the old one as a matter of interest. I am inclined to think it doesn't matter what the pressure is given it goes through a regulator where I can see my desired fuel pressure.Sound right? I gave up trying to disconnect the old pumo black wire (the 12v feed) so cut it and fitted a spade to match the newer pump so it makes no oddes which I refit. I removed it because yesterday when replacing the petrol hoses by hands became stained with a sort of black dye when petrol came out of what I now know is the inletchamber, so I figured must need a clean out but in fact practically nothing  in there except some small balck particles, so I am supposing the black dye was these particles slowly degarding. Now cleaned with an airliine. Is the tank full of black particles? Getting the wooden boot floor out is a project in itself I have yet to consider. The fuel filler is vertical in the boot and prevent removal of the floor; except by the looks of it if I remove the 50mm (?) filler hose. Petrol at the carburretors end looks clean.No black dye when I get that on my hands.I will dismantle the old regulator and see if that is full of anything unleasant. The old one looks bad because it was a rodent home for a few years.

    That code on the newer one is e11*72/245*95/54*0536*01 and on a foot of the newer one 480 532E 

    I gather from google they Facet use the same codes today, BUT they have dropped the trailing letter "E". I THINK the difference is these older ones run and stop when pressure is "up" whereas the new ones run permanently all the time.

    image.png.f3ff470ea94fdbecc6e34498ff41a671.png

     

    https://www.fuelpumpsonline.co.uk/facet-red-top-fuel-pump---competition-480532-rtw506-14-p.asp

    With thanks to oldandrewe - newer one is good to replace the old.

    The above from here: https://www.caterhamlotus7.club/forums/topic/274188-bdr-facet-pump-identification-solved-facet-480-532e /

     

    Now the work starts.. 

     

     

  4. We’ve been rained off more times than most and we’re about to be battered by Storm Agnes, but there’s a late Indian summer booked for Tuesday October 3 when we go back to our roots for our next meet at The Glasfryn, Raikes Lane, Sychdyn, Mold, CH7 6LR. If the weather holds, there could be a clutch of 7s in the car park, but who knows! See you there from 7.30pm onwards.

  5. Agenda

    • Introductions by new attendees
    • What’s new in the EV world
    • Thoughts on Caterham’s plans for EV
    • Seven Conversions
    • AOB

     

    Attendees

    • John (JM)
    • Mac
    • Tom
    • John
    • Adam
    • Rob
    • Paul

     

    Intro’s By New Attendees

    • Adam
      • 20 years ago was given a driving experience day that including a seven
      • Took ten years to then buy a sigma which he then wrote off
      • Insurance then paid for a new car and he went for a Duratec
      • Track focused
      • Has a Nissan Leaf where he does VTG
      • Electricity Provider is Ovo
      • Uses car battery and solar to favourably export to grid
    • Rob
      • Bought Seven 10 years ago
      • Recently rejoined club and re-invigorated with car

    Notes

    • Caterham’s Seven EV Announcement
    • JM has article in June LF about the press day in Swindon
    • JM said the neat thing about the announcement is the battery. Though not going to be cheap to mass produce
    • Discussion about how EV’s should be cheaper than ICE cars to construct and maintain
    • Discussion about heat in an EV and how batteries need to be at optimum temperature. Just a few percent inefficiencies can lead to a few kilowatts of heat being produced and needs to be managed to keep batteries cool in summer (and under high load) and warm in the winter (when car first started). John Kelly, Weber University just did a good video on the “heat pump” in a Tesla where lots of different systems are moving heat around the car:
    • Reviewed all the press photos sent by Caterham
      • Not all press pictures got released, so we went through them all
      • Batteries are novel because fluid passed between cells inside battery modules
      • 80L/min coolant flow
      • Double cooling that’s theoretically needed
      • Battery pack shape dictated by steering column
      • Youtube video explaining how power (BHP) and torque (lb-ft) cross at 5252rpm
      • Discussed whether Caterham would use regen. And how the rate of change of torque going from motoring to generating needs to be considered.
      • View that lots of regen on track might not be desirable
      • But driving a car with no regen (i.e. no engine breaking) would also be odd
      • Long discussion about how battery cells are oriented inside the battery module and how there are Aluminium sandwich plates top, middle and bottom of the battery pack that provides cooling channels to feed coolant around the individual battery cells
    • Plan is to run the Seven EV up the hill at Goodwood. But they would need to build two cars in around 2 months, so lots of work to be done before Goodwood
    • Quick discussion about the Nyobolt fast charging concept car:
    • Caterham’s press shots can be found here (I’ll maintain this link for a few weeks):
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    Has anyone experienced a shattered plenum ? when starting the car there was an almighty bang then smoke from under the bonnet. Removed the bonnet to find the plenum was split along its seam , also damaged the bonnet 

     

     

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    Hello all. I've done a track day this week and decided to top up the oil when I got home as it seemed a little low. 
    I did a bit at a time, warming up the engine in between, but I think I overdid the last dosage and went over the maximum marker. 
    I took it for a whizz around the block (nothing too strenuous) and couldn't see any smoke or hear any weird noises. Oil pressure seemed to hover around 6 bar at higher revs. 
     

    Should I get some oil drained or should I be okay? Thanks.

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    Anyone planning to go?

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    Foxy
    Latest Entry

    Anyone any idea what's happened to Krossstitch? It appears they are no longer trading, I hope not,  as they've produced some fantastic steering wheel recovering work. Can anyone recommend an alternative?

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    Could anyone tell me about the clonking noise on my 420 r 2000 miles just purchased from rear of car when pulling away and slowing down it sounds like lsd thanks

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    Hi All

    how do i secure my headrest, Standard seats, will like to go on a track day but the headrest just slide out and i know that they will need to be fixed down somehow.

    Thanks

    Robert

     

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    Can anybody help? This is my first blog as a new member. I have a year 2000 Caterham Academy Sprint with 1.6 8v Vauxhall engine and 5 speed gearbox (I think this is a Ford box). It was originally built for the Caterham Academy track series but is now a road going car. I am about to change the clutch, does anybody know what type and where to get one pre me splitting the unit? Chris at Redline doesn't do clutch kits. Caterham have told me it would have had an AP Racing clutch which are no longer available but Helix do have a kit but they and I have no idea which one it would be!

    Has anybody had any experience of this situation? Thanks

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    jch1130
    Latest Entry

    Hi folks, I've read mixed reviews on the benefit of fitting Watts linkages to Caterhams. 
    My 3 yr old (12000 mile) 620S SV has always been 'nervous' on fast B roads especially when 'not on it hard'. 
    I fitted the Watts link from Caterham and am astounded how much the car has calmed down. It's almost relaxing to drive now, the death grip on the steering wheel has now gone.

    I did however re manufacture the 'bell crank stainless steel bushes' supplied with the kit, they were way too loose on the bolt also didn't support the axle webs well enough - that may account for some negative comments on becoming noisy.
     

  6. For those who do not look at the forum *whistle*

    Area Germany invites you to a small Black Forest/Vosges round trip with a visit from Fredy Kumschick.

    Link to calendar

    Link to booking

    The start is on 17 August in Rhinehessen.
    Ends on Aug 21 with the possibility to extend  till Aug 23th in Auggen in Bresigau.

    best 7-regards
    Andreas
    AR-Germany

  7. Can anyone recommend somewhere to get my tracking/camber checked in the Coventry/North Warwickshire area?

    thanks.

     

  8. Hi all 

    where can I purchase rear brake pads from  apart from Caterham and what make  callipers are used ?

     

     

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    no1paz
    Latest Entry

    Hi There

     

    I'm looking for Avon CR500 205/55 R13 tyres and really struggling. Does any one know if they have been discontinued? what a suitable replacement might be or have any for sale? Cheers and Regards.

     

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    Greetings again from the USA,

    The Lerck fuel tank in my Series 2 Super 7 restoration project is in great condition and has a 1/2"-26 tpi BSB (British Standard Brass) fuel line fitting but without the mating parts to properly connect a fuel line to it.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

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    This is really just a personal diary so I can look back at all the interesting things I did with and too my Caterham but please read if you want to...

    After a lifetime of quick, pretty conventional sports cars, from Ferrari 308s (one of which I raced back in the 80s) to 911s (one which I supercharged) and a Skyline GTR (breathed on by Andy Middlehust and which was very quick indeed) I decided I'd been disqualified enough times for speeding (6) to have a change of heart and try a car that I'd always admired from afar. So I phoned my local showroom, Williams Caterham in Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, to see if they'd let me take a 7 out to see how I'd get on with it. I'd been to Williams before when the local Porsche Club had a meeting there, so it was nice to return to their brilliant location. They're pretty close to the A46 between Bath and Stroud which used to be a fantastic run before the proliferation of twats in Toyota Yaris' and Nissan Micras which seem to gum up the roads in these parts these days. They only had a few sevens in stock at the time as their main income comes from their Morgan sales but I was able to sit in both an S3 and SV version to see the difference in the space available. The S3 I tried didn't come across well as it had a carbon bucket seat which was a pretty tight fit eventhough I'm only five seven and am not known for my big hips. The SV felt great but I think that was probably due to the lovely non-bucket leather seats. They kindly let me take out their 2016 model which was either a 270 or 310S though I can't remember which. As I drove out of their grounds a line by Rutger Hauer from the movie 'Blade Runner' came to mind, and to paraphrase: "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain...... Time to die". You see I'd got into my mind that with the way I drive combined with what on the surface looks like a pretty quick yet very flimsy car it would be a sure fire recipe for a well earned early grave. So I'd got all my affairs in order before I kissed my wife goodbye an hour before.

    I quickly settled in to the car which had it's doors on and was surprised to find it wasn't as breezy as I'd imagined. However I was still glad I'd worn my baseball cap as the low winter sun would have otherwise been blinding. The sounds of course are half the experience and reminded me of a Porsche 962 which I'd been lucky enough to take round Donnington for a few laps a few years ago. You could hear every lovely mechanical bit do their thing in the engine and transmission and tracklaying that with the exhaust meant the final mix was such a beautifully orchestrated cacophony that to a petrolhead it was better than any symphony by Mozart or Mahler. After a short while I reached my beloved A46 and quickly dispatched a couple of slow moving Yaris but here's the thing - I'm obviously still alive and for a very good reason too - I just didn't feel the need to drive the way I normally do in a more conventional sports car. The problem with most cars is that you're so isolated from everything else in the world outside your own little padded cell anyone who loves driving needs to drive very quickly simply to get any buzz at all. But in a seven your smile starts as soon as you're seated and gets bigger and bigger the further you drive. The connection you have with the road and the outside world is simply unparalleled and that connection meant I felt so much safer at any speed than in a padded cell. I could place the car with absolute precision at any time and the feedback I got through the tiny wheel and my body was so encompassing I blended in with all the other mechanical bits to such an extent I felt I finally reached cyborg status. It was a momentous epiphany - why hadn't I done this before ?

    I phoned my wife and told her that she wouldn't need to open the envelope I'd left for her with my will inside. And I now had to get one of these though it wouldn't be from Williams as their stock didn't include any models at the price point I'd set. All theirs were well over thirty k at the time. So it was off to ebay, Pistonheads and Autotrader to see what was available. After reading a fair bit about the history of the car and the plethora of models available one thing was fairly apparent - a modern car is not a million miles away from the early cars in terms of overall experience. There are naturally improvements in the technology here and there but generally the experience will be pretty similar no matter which car you drive. And certainly a totally different experience to driving a modern padded cell. So I felt pretty confident that I really didn't need to spend over twenty k to get a car that would be suited to me. In fact there was an argument that if what I really needed was for me to get the ultimate in visceral experience an early car would actually be more beneficial. Pistonheads won the day and I narrowed down my search to three possibilities at GP Sevens in Sevenoaks and one at Sevens and Classics just down the road at Brands Hatch, where I'd done a racing course back in the 70s. I absolutely love Brands Hatch and rue the day when they were part of the F1 grand prix circus, swapping with Silverstone every other year. How could Bernie Ecclestone turn down Brands Hatch as a circuit for the lack of run off and facilities and yet agree to a street circuit such as Azerbaijan ? Could it be related to money Bernie ? s**t.

    I'd never been to Sevenoaks before but it was a nice day, so I dropped off my wife for her to do some shopping and then drove the extra couple of miles to GP Sevens through some lovely countryside. They had a great selection of cars, about thirty or so, spread over two buildings, one being mainly a workshop with about fifteen cars waiting for a fettle before the handover to a lucky new owner and the other a showroom with twenty or so waiting for a new owner to fall in love with them. And all were worthy of falling in love with. From almost new 620Rs at over forty and fifty k to the three models from the 90s all under twenty k that skinflints like me would be keen on. One however stood out even before I sat in her. If you've bought more than a few cars you get a feeling almost immediately regarding how a car has been treated in it's life and this one seemed like it had been treated really well. It had a relatively low mileage for a '95 car having covered only thirty thousand miles and the ali bonnet was unmarked as was the rest of the red livery, bar a few stone chips below the ali protectors on the rear wings. The interior was pretty spotless too as were the lovely leather seats which felt snug and really comfortable when I slid into the driver's side. I'm pretty lithe and don't really have issues with getting into the sevens and actually find a removable steering wheel, like this one had, more of a hindrance than a help as I use it as support for my right hand getting in. Damian, one of the guys who runs GP Sevens, has loads of experience with these cars having been a sales manager at Caterham for a number of years and because a very slight drizzle had started he wasn't keen for me to take the car out for a run. But I knew this was certainly going to be on my short list. It only had a  135bhp Ford X Flow engine with twin  Webers but a race exhaust and she sounded lovely. And the price was pretty good value too. So I left it at that and took myself down to Sevens and Classics at Brands.

    Andy Noble, who runs Sevens and Classics with Tim Ward, used to be Damian's boss at Caterham so he too has loads of experience with sevens and runs an attractive set up in what feels more like a large petrolhead's garage. He features in the 2003 BBC documentary about Caterham during their troubled days in the 90s and early noughties. It's called 'Caterham - Survival of the fastest' and is definitely worth a watch. Andy has a slightly more relaxed approach to sales than Damian and so he was quite happy for me to take the '95 150bhp Super Sprint Ford X Flow out. It had full red leather everywhere, including the tunnel but one thing was immediately obvious. It had had a harder life than the one I'd seen earlier and also had double the mileage, which in itself wasn't something I was too worried about but combined with the somewhat unloved feel of the car meant I didn't warm to it like the previous one. However, I was going to take it out. The pedals on the car were quite interesting in that someone had added an extension to the accelerator and placed it perpendicularly to the main pedal which on the face of it sounds like a pretty good idea but in my case, because the brake and the accelerator were fairly close, when I pressed the brake there was a tendency to depress the accelerator too which made things slightly awkward and in one case quite embarrassing as I approached a mini roundabout. Everybody knows the pedals on a seven is an issue that has never been satisfactorily dealt with for those who like to heel and toe and I find it quite amazing that Caterham haven't designed a fix for this. I know we all have different sized feet and that the space is cramped down there but this isn't rocket science and you would have thought after all these years this is something they would have dealt with, particularly as they're quite a racing oriented marque. This is something no doubt that you simply have to get used to with Caterham and on one hand can be seen as part of English eccentricity but on another can be thought of as English bloody mindedness and unhelpful. Anyway, the car drove really well and you could feel the engine was very willing. However, I went out without a door on my side and not only did my right elbow of my leather jacket get a good soaking from the wet road surface but something happened that had not been mentioned in any of the hundred or so Caterham reviews I'd watched. Which I found odd as it hits you in the face. Or rather, gets sucked out of your face. You'd imagine that with a door removed your head would get battered by wind but at anything over 40 mph the opposite happens - I found it almost impossible to breathe as every breath was immediately sucked out from my lungs by a mysterious invisible force. I've never felt anything like it and it meant I could only do a few seconds at a time at over 40 or otherwise I'd die of asphyxiation. So weird. Andy did warn me that might happen after he realised he'd forgotten to put the door back on for me but by then, though the car drove really well, the one at GP Sevens was the one that was going to be for me. Andy was really helpful and the sort of guy you could be confident buying from but in this case I'd set my eye on another car.

    So it was back to Sevenoaks to have lunch with my wife and get the low down on the local shopping. Which was pretty good for a reasonably small place apparently. While we were having lunch the weather did get markedly better and so I thought I'd try again to get a test drive in the car I'd seen at GP Sevens. After all I'd driven 140 miles to see the car and was slightly miffed at Damian's rather intransigent attitude. When I phoned I talked to his partner in crime, Antony Paine, who assured me that a test drive would be fine now the weather had cleared. And anyway Damian was at a funeral.  GP Sevens is only a couple of miles outside of Sevenoaks so it wouldn't take long and as there was a dress my wife had seen but not tried on she was fully supportive of me going and trying the out car. Antony was an equally interesting guy as Damian and gave me list of dos and don't before he would let me near the car. And I had to assure him I would drive like his 100 year old mother. If his mother was a natural born racer I told him of course I would. This car had a totally different pedal layout compared to the one at Sevens and Classics. This time the brake was so close to the clutch pedal, the accelerator was in the next county by comparison. The previous driver obviously had very wide feet and only used the loud pedal. But the car drove brilliantly and very willingly, though it obviously had less power than the previous one, albeit in raw numbers it was just 15bhp. I'd already agreed a price with Damian and the drive confirmed my interest in the car. I was sold. And so was the car.

    About ten days later the car was ready and the day looked as though it was going to be great. So said Meteo Blue, the world's greatest weather forecasting app and sure enough the weather in Somerset looked as though it would be just that. As I neared London it started getting cloudier and quite foreboding but at least the train was on time which is probably more of a mystery than the weather. By the time I arrived in Sevenoaks things had brightened up and I was met at the station by Damian who had just returned from a trip to Belgium and France where he was buying a seven. Apparently there's quite a Caterham following in France which has something to do with an historical import/export duty rick that no longer exists. But it means there are quite a few right hand drive sevens over there in France. Though I make it seem Damian and Antony are pretty stern characters they run a great operation that is really professional and with very high standards. And at the end of the day, beautiful is as beautiful does. And GP Sevens does it very beautiful; all the cars appear proper and all the staff work with the same high level of professionalism. I wouldn't have bought a car from them if I felt otherwise and you can't say that about all car dealerships.

    Chris, one of the technicians moved the pedals for me which seems quite straightforward after you take the top of the pedal box off and you're armed with a crow bar. And of course have the knowledge and experience of what you're doing. He moved the brake much closer to the accelerator and though I can now heel and toe, or rather toe and toe by rocking my right foot, I still have to develop the right muscle memory of the exact placement of my foot when I stand on the brakes. And the difference between getting it right or getting it wrong is about two millimeters. Such is the world of a seven. Over the next few months I'll attempt to sort this out fully as being able to heel and toe naturally and easily is probably one of the most important elements of how I drive. And getting it spot on is a beautiful thing. I'd already sorted my insurance through Damian's recommended A-Plan broker which worked out very nicely at sixty quid less with the same insurance company, KGM Underwriting, that comparethemeerkats suggested. So much for meerkats. Damian had also sorted out six months tax for me which was great and given me half a tank of petrol which probably cost an arm and a leg after the Putin insanity.

    The drive back was pretty uneventful, though I did have to go through a brief down pour going underneath a black cloud. Probably put there by Putin. But by the end I was more confident at pushing along at speed and the amazing thing was I felt safer than I did in my porkers or Ferraris. And I put that down to the visceral attachment you have to the road and the outside world. I was more in tune with what I was doing and where I was going than I ever have been and for that simple fact it made the experience safer and much more enjoyable. And what's all this nonsense about having unusable side mirrors that I'd listened to on YouTube reviews ? Properly set up they were fine for me. In fact much of what I'd seen on YouTube was misinformation which is one of the issues with Caterham so generously loaning their cars out to every Tom, Dick and Harry. Most of course are really positive but I think there's a need for a good buying guide for those who don't want or aren't able to buy a new car. But I have a plan for that.

    So, I arrived home with a beaming grin which hasn't left my face and I look forward to getting to know my seven over the coming few months once this s**t English weather improves. Watch this space. And three days later, writing this, I still have the smell of the engine in my nostrils. Magic, just a shame we can't use Castrol R. Attached should be a pic of my car in the garage.

    mycatlowrez.thumb.jpg.fbc172e8135c4b51b53c0eb077602144.jpg

     

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    Recent Entries

    Hi there.

    Just moving to Spanish Costa Blanca area with the 7.

    Anybody out there for Blatting around?

    All the best, and stay safe.

    Howard

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    Finally went through all the insurance paperwork yesterday after renewing in October and emailed Adrian Flux with a list of trackdays I'm booked on this year. 

    Turns out we don't get trackday cover with them at all.

    I also find out that if you want an agreed valuation it has to be resubmitted each year with another 7 photos and a separate charge for processing the paperwork.

    Anyone got any better recommendations?

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    Nacimiento-Fergusson Road in Big Sur, California

    2013-03-15Blat3.jpg.ecf151bc39256107f5b561f936f10761.jpg

    This is descending Nacimiento-Fergusson Road coming from the town of Jolon further inland.  The road winds down to Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and a right-hand turn at PCH leads to Big Sur, California, and then on to Carmel and Monterey.  An amazing drive in a 7, but little room for error.

    Just starting out with this blog thing.  Hope I'm doing it right!?

     

    2012-10-26_NFdescent1.jpg.1874b9bda74cd18428fb35a748865f5c.jpg

    A bit further up the hill, where the Pacific Ocean first comes into view.

     

    2012-10-26_NFrollercoaster.jpg.b09edd8525e16b0c94ca74fbff086841.jpg

    And still further uphill, in a section of road I call the roller coaster because of the up/down/left/right geography of this section.  Really fun!

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