build diary

July 1, 2004:
Happy Canada Day!
Last night was spent making brackets and cutting things up a little. I'm going to modify the water pump inlet to give me maximum room for the exhaust system so that got cut in half. Fittings for the fan brackets and radiator brackets were also put together. The fan I'm using is a Permacool 12" "high performance" fan. It's not as strong as the Spal fans that we use on our super Miatas, but it should do the trick nicely in conjunction with the massive radiator. I can set the trigger temperature of the fan to anything I'd like so it can come on quite early.

While looking for photos of roller barrel throttles I came across this build diary - a seven-day Caterham R300 build. It's a fun read - and check out the complexity of that header! I have my work cut out for me. There are lots of good detail shots of how Caterham puts various bits together. The diff is a nice little piece that's not mounted in any exotic way, but all mount points are ahead of the driveshafts and perhaps that's the key - check out day 2 for a good picture.
entry 397

The new throttle cable bracket.
You know, it doesn't look a whole lot different!
entry 398
The new bracket in place.
I could have flipped the existing one, but it would have sat quite high and probably interfered with the hood.
entry 399
To give more clearance for the exhaust, one of the water fittings will be tweaked.
entry 400
Bracket locations for the radiator.
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My fan will be a "pusher", sitting in front of the radiator.
Since the motor was golden in colour, I decided to make it a little more subtle.
entry 402

July 2, 2004:
Whoops, no argon for the welder.
So instead I spent a bit of time fitting the throttle cable bracket, drilling one of the side body panels and measuring a piece of aluminum to fit under the front of the nose. This last piece will both stiffen the nose and aid cooling.
entry 403

July 4, 2004:
It moves!
Yes, after a fair bit of work the Seven went out for an inagural cruise. No fireworks either.

First, the radiator had to be modifed to take a fan and to be fit to the frame. The end caps were a challenge to weld but Brian managed to get everything together. The water pump inlet was also rewelded in a new configuration. Then it was back to my garage where the radiator was installed, the reinforcing plate was installed under the nose and the car was prepared for an intial drive.

We lowered the Seven to the ground and weighed it. Much to my excitement, it came in at well under 1200 lbs. My estimate for a complete wet weight is around 1200 exactly. Not bad at all - I was anticipating 1400. The car also has a slight rear weight bias. I did a little happy dance.

Next came a rough alignment. Lacking any other numbers, I decided to use my typical Miata numbers only with less caster. The front came into line easily enough but the rear gave us some trouble. Due to the geometry of the rear, the upper arms are basically not adjustable at all. The lower ones are awkward to reach. We decided to leave the right rear wheel with 0 camber just so we could drive the car. The original control arm from the left side can be flipped upside down and used on the right - tellingly, the holes in the bracket are further inboard than the replacement one that was shipped to me. There's our camber.

With the wheels all bolted on, it was time to fire everything up. The ignition relay crapped out almost immediately and the battery was not equal to the task. So we threw an extra battery from the Land Rover in and hooked up some jumper cables. The charge light never went out so something's not right there. But it was driveable.

I had no oxygen sensor, no exhaust system and the timing wasn't set. The engine was not happy and had a hard time even idling. Some educated guessing on fuel setup helped, but it's still not quite right. It's obvious that one of my radiator modifications isn't quite sealing as well. The fan didn't want to start up properly either. All par for the course for a first drive really. What was it like to drive? The steering is nicely weighted and much lighter than I expected. The brakes take a good firm push. And the one time I managed to clear the engine and make a part-throttle run into second, I felt as if I'd hit light speed. This little beastie is going to be very, VERY fast. I felt comfortable with the controls (what ones there where) immediately.
entry 404

The mounting points for the fan.
entry 405
The modified water fitting compared to stock.
entry 406
With the modification to the water line, a stock rubber hose can be used (or a gaudy red one in the same shape).
Very convenient.
entry 407
A plate that I mounted under the nose.
It'll stiffen the front end and help cooling at the expense of about 1.5 lb of weight.
entry 408
The stock exhaust manifold.
I'll simply modify this for my exhaust.
entry 409
With a borrowed steering wheel from the Miata, the Seven is ready for a test drive! It's getting the initial weighing here.
entry 410
No radiator or body panels, but here are the results from the scales.
Less than I'd expected!
entry 411
Before driving, a rough alignment.
This is not a quick job as the suspension needs to be disassembled. In the rear this is difficult. The front was much easier.
entry 412
Out of the garage! The battery was tired so we had to jump the Seven with Brian's S-10.
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Miata meets the Seven!
entry 414
I expected the Seven to look smaller, but it's big for this type of car.
entry 415
No, we didn't bother aligning the steering wheel.
entry 416
Not a big car.
Brian checks out a leaking coolant line.
entry 417
The Land Rover and the Seven.
Somehow I don't think it's going to be difficult to decide which one to take for a given trip.
entry 418
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