build diary

September 29, 2004:
I called up the State Patrol office today to make an appointment for a VIN inspection.
It seems that they consider a windshield and wipers to be required on a "roadworthy" vehicle in Colorado. I checked with Rocky Mountain Sports Cars (the Denver Caterham dealer) a few months ago and they told me that registering a Caterham Superlight is not a problem, so I didn't anticipate this. So I called RMSC again and talked to them for more details. They register the Superlights either with a deflector or Brookland screens (neither with wipers) and it's just never been a question. So I'll be digging into the Colorado vehicle code to see exactly what it says. Unfortunately the LexisNexis link I had for it has gone away so it's time to dig out a hard copy.

I have to give credit to everyone I talked to. The state troopers were extremely pleasant and helpful and have offered to let me drop by and dig through their "blue book" to determine exactly what is needed. Nathan at RMSC was also willing to spend time answering my questions even though he knew that it had nothing to do with a Catherham. He even asked me to follow up with him so he learns more about it!
entry 625

October 3, 2004:
It's hard to type.
I just came in from a long drive in the little beastie and I'm a little overstimulated. Yes, I have a set of plates for the weekend (honestly, this is legal!) and I've been doing little but driving for the past two days. On the road, the Seven is all full of little zings, rattles and vibrations. They're particularly bad right at 3500 rpm on a light throttle, which is actually pretty common in the city. A sharp impact on the suspension is fairly crashy. Give the car its head, however, and it just comes alive. The engine note hardens, the vibration goes away as the revs soar, the suspension goes all fluid and it's just gear after gear after gear. When playing on the back roads - and we have some fantastic back roads here - it's amazing how much speed the Seven will carry through a corner without even trying. There's always more acceleration. At the moment, I'm quite happy with the amount of power the car has as it's all very accessible. On a Miata with this power/weight ratio I'm always more aware of driving a bit of a missle while the Seven seems to be a better balance of power and chassis.

So it should be fairly obvious that the engine is in good health. It needs to be tuned as we were trying to compensate for the low fuel pressure before and it runs quite rich up top. It also has some bad pinging if I load it up below 2500 rpm or so. There were also a few small problems. Crimp connections. I suspect my crimping tool is not as good as the one I've used at work as there are a number of intermittent connections. It's just a matter of hunting them all down and finding them. I think there's only one left by this point. The screws on a main wiring terminal had also loosened up causing a bit of intermittent running.

How about the results of my research? The Colorado state code is pretty clear - all vehicles must have a windshield made of an approved shatterproof material and it needs wipers that can be controlled by the driver. There's one exception: cars on collector plates. If I can register the Seven as a replica of a 1963 Lotus, that might do the trick. I'll call the DMV tomorrow and see if that will be possible. All my driving around this weekend did point out that a windshield wouldn't be all bad anyhow, so I might go ahead and make one. I have an idea for a legal wiper system that would be removeable (well, not legal at that point of course) or perhaps I can adapt one from an old Land Rover. An interesting note from this weekend - after arriving at a local restaurant (a little sideways), a fellow came up to me all excited and asking about my car. This isn't unusual, but the fact that he had his own little homebuilt Seven with a V8 was. He wanted to know how I could register it without a windshield as he wanted to do the same. We talked a bit about collector's vehicles. He thought mine was a Caterham - I'm taking that as a compliment!

I sure have a lot to say today. Those following Heikki's build have seen the new diff mounts from CMC. Hmm. I think they've avoided the actual source of the problem. The diff is trying to go nose-up quite enthusiastically and it's rotating around these two bushings. The nose is what needs to be tied down. Steve has told me they have a PPF substitute but I haven't seen anything about it yet. This solution will definitely reinforce those bushings better but it's still a rubber bushing and is designed to flex. Stiffening the bushing (as I did) would help, as would shaving down the top of the metal sleeve through the bushing so that the differential is mounted solidly to metal. Sure, more NVH but that's unavoidable in a Seven anyhow. 14mm bolts are a requirement instead of the 1/2" that I believe have been used - that's an easy mistake to make because the holes in the end of the factory mount are smaller than the hole through the bushing and the stud is designed to match. It seems that my setup is more effective than some of the others as it's surviving quite well despite the fact that my engine is making about 40 hp more than most 1.6s.
entry 626

October 5, 2004:
Colorado will indeed allow me to register my car as a Collector Car - in 2029.
Since I'm not quite that patient I've decided to make a windshield. I've spent some time measuring photos of Caterhams and it looks as if they lay the glass back about 64 degrees. They're also 12" tall in the center (thank you Nathan at RMSC for that information). Armed with this I'll be playing around with some cardboard and masking tape to build a mockup. This is where Ron Champion's book is fairly useful as it has some good construction tips. The shape of that ridge around the scuttle is going to affect the angle in mine, though. I'm still consdering what to do with wipers - "the book" suggests using some from an old Mini. Since I'll be driving one of those next week when I'm visiting Ottawa, I'll have a good look. That would be a good choice for a permanent installation.

Heikki pointed me to this build which uses a large radiator on a CMC frame. Some good views of the bracketry but this particular one uses a remote cap.
entry 627

October 6, 2004:
An evening of puttering around.
First, I cut a sheet of cardboard into windshield size (12" high by 35" wide), taped it onto the scuttle and started playing with angles and placement. That lip around the edge of the scuttle sure would be useful for putting on a wind deflector but it gets in the way of a windscreen. It's a little steeper than I'd like at about 70 degrees. I'd prefer about 65 - and those 5 degrees make a big difference. From looking at photos, it appears that CMC puts their windscreens in front of the lip. Hmm, I hadn't looked at those photos last night. Time to go back and re-examine.

Once I got tired of playing with my cardboard, I tried some big tires on for fit. BFG R1s (these have been kicking around for a while!) in a 205/55-14 size on 1994 Miata wheels with a +45 offset. In other words, they're wider and taller than the others I've tried but they have the same centerline. They fit brilliantly in the front. In the rear they clear, but not by a whole lot. When trying to fit the rear fenders, I had problems getting them to bolt up to the flat side of the rear panel - they wanted to sit a little further back and this caused giant gaps as the rear panel started to curve around. So I squeezed them up a little and effectively tightened the curve. I only realised last night that this is why my rear wheels don't look quite centered in the fenderwell! CMC has since extended the rear body slightly and this would solve the problem. If I want to fit truly large tires I'll have to do the same but that's not a big deal. These particular tires fit fine. They sure look mean! I have another track day in late October and I'll see if this old rubber will still stick.
entry 628

Test fitting some larger tires.
These are 205/55-14 tires on stock Miata wheels with a +45 offset. They fit but are close at the rear. When I installed my rear fenders, I had to tighten the curve a little at the rear in order to fit them to the body. CMC has since extended the rear section of the body which would allow the fenders to move a little further back. More clearance for big rubber and a more finished look.
entry 629
195/55-14 Toyo on the left, 205/55-14 BFG R1 on the right.
How long has it been since they made the R1 exactly?
entry 630
Mocking up the windshield for height and angle.
Note the reference model!
entry 631
I had neglected to put a lock nut on my tie rods.
Yes, yes, I know. There was a little bit of slop that has now been removed.
entry 632

October 7, 2004:
A few folks have reminded me that CMC sells a windscreen designed for these cars.
It's $300. Not a bad option, but I'm going to try my own instead. I want a slightly different shape than CMC uses and I don't mind putting a bit of time in. It should be surprisingly affordable - the first quote on glass (flat glass, about 35"x15") is $36. All I need to do is find some channel to run around the outside edge. I'll be visiting a few likely suppliers this afternoon. I'll also be dropping by a friend's house as he is donating the wiper setup from an MG Midget. Excellent news!

After this burst of activity, the Seven will sit quiet for a while. I'm heading back to Ottawa for a week and a half to attend a friend's wedding and visit family. I'll also be borrowing an original Mini while I'm there and I'll have a little peek at the wiper setup...
entry 633

October 8, 2004:
Last night I paid a visit to an MG Midget that is getting a few upgrades.
The owner was planning to remove the wipers so I helped him out! It's not quite a complete setup, missing the flexible rod and with one damaged "wheelbox", but it's a very good start. A bit of looking around a Series III Land Rover and/or eBay will turn up the rest of what I need quite quickly I hope. The motor is heavy!
entry 634

Several wiper pieces from an MG Midget and an MGA.
entry 635

October 19, 2004:
Back from Ottawa!
I have a track day scheduled this weekend at the Pueblo track. This is a real track so it should be a good test of both the high-speed behaviour of the car and of my nerve. My Miata with this same engine was pulling just about 100 mph at the end of the straight a few years back. I'm quite excited about this as it will give me lots of time to learn more about the car, do some tuning and grin so hard my face will hurt.

To get ready for the track, I have a bit of work to do. Let's see, check the fuel filter, do a little engine tuning, swap over to race rubber, change a few electrical connectors and generally check over the car.

For those who miss the chaos and quick updates of the early summer, there are several other builds that are interesting to watch. I've mentioned Heikki's build in the past. Steve Carter has a website about his Toyotus, a CMC "Classic" build. Hmm, those shipping photos look familiar. Dennis Palatov runs DPcars.net which not only includes the story of building and driving a Hyabusa Westfield in the Past section, but also building his own highly ambitious car from scratch. Judging by the amount of email that's coming my way, my own particular build has caught people's attention.
entry 636

A suggestion from "Gasoline Fumes" on the GRM forum on how I can transport the Seven!
entry 637

October 21, 2004:
I spent a bit of time last night prepping the car for the track.
The race tires are very, very close to the rear fenders. Close enough that I thought it prudent to shave a bit off the passenger's side. My modified fender stay is pretty close in the front as well but those parts don't move relative to each other. A quick blast around the block told me two things - the car's a bit unhappy when cold and there's still a bad crimp in the wiring. These may be related but I don't think so as the car did smooth out as it warmed. It turns out that a number of the crimp connectors I used have a problem. Oh yay. I have some spares with me and I'll fix this one before I go. Otherwise, the car's looking good. The track is about 5-6 hours from here so I'll have a lot of spare parts with me just in case! I don't think I'll be taking any video but I will get some good photos of the car in action. Then it's time to continue with hunting down wipers and making a windshield.
entry 638

October 24, 2004:
Track day at Pueblo!
Long...
I almost didn't go to the track day. Between a borrowed trailer, a borrowed tow vehicle, mismatched trailer wiring, no trailer ramps, a winter storm in the mountains and just overall confusion, I was starting to get the feeling I wasn't really supposed to go. When the Seven died in the middle of the street as I tried to load it on to the trailer, I was close to just calling the whole thing off. Once I discovered that the only problem with the car was an empty gas tank, things started to come together very quickly. To protect the car in the snow (yes, snow) I wrapped the seats in plastic and just hoped for the best. There was some slow going through Monarch Pass with blowing snow and some slippery pavement but I made it. Having a lightweight car on a lightweight trailer certainly helped - the Grand Cherokee I was using for a tow vehicle didn't even notice the load. A big thanks to my girlfriend Janel for trusting me with her "little princess"! Even the goofy outside temperature indicator was helpful as I tried to determine if the road was wet or just icy.

I usually drive to the track instead of trailering unless I'm crewing for the Flyin' Miata race team. Since I was towing this time, my crew instincts kicked in. The back of the Jeep was full of spare tires, brake fluid, alignment tools, electrical parts, fuel line clamps, an air tank, lots of oil, jackstands, a race jack, tools, more tools - and there was 10 gallons of extra gas on the trailer. Did I need all of this? No, but a few other people did as I helped out with various problems over the day.

What about the Seven? I'm getting there, be patient. This track day was at Pueblo Motorsports Park and run by the Peak to Peak Miata club. It's very informal, with no cornerworkers and no run groups. We had perhaps 12 cars in attendance. It's a perfect setup for shaking down a new car, as with only a few cars on the track at any given time, you have lots of room to go quickly or slowly. Everyone is very smart about their driving - unlike the carnage I witnessed at Laguna Seca a few weeks ago, almost everyone stayed on the track. The worst casualty was a new Mazdaspeed Miata that slid off sideways and popped a couple of tires off the wheels. In all, an excellent group to share a track with. I was the only person who wasn't in a Miata.

Okay, the Seven. After cleaning the poor dirty thing off a bit, I went went to reaquaint myself with the track. It's not a world-class track but it is entertaining enough and has a couple of spots that do demand a certain level of confidence. Checking the tires on the first return to the pits, it was obvious that I wasn't using the inside of the front tires. I popped off the upper control arms and put in a bit more negative camber. That seemed to help, planting the front end better in the fast sweepers and accentuating the car's turn-in. The overall balance seemed excellent so I started to bring up the pace.

Last time I was here, I had a good time playing with Dave. I had a bit more power but he was quicker through the tight sections. Over the past couple of years, he's put a lot of work into his Miata including some 235-series Hoosier tires and an engine transplant. He took me out for a ride and it became immediately apparant that I was just goofing around on the track. He was far more committed and much faster. So I went back out and turned up the heat a little. Dave came out at the same time and we were an almost perfect match in lap times. I still couldn't match his commitment through turns 2 and 3 but I did find myself running up on him on the front straight. That surprised me because of the car's aerodynamics. We had a good time chasing each other around and there was a turbo Miata that was also quite quick.

I'm not sure just how fast I was going on the front straight, but I did see 5300 rpm in 5th at one point. That's about 103 mph according to my calculations based on tire size. It was fast enough that my helmet was starting to generate some real lift and I was being beaten pretty hard. I'd always thought that aerodynamic helmets were a bit of an affectation but I've changed my mind! I also ended up duct-taping the hood shut to stop the lifting at these speeds. I need some louvres in the hood.

The rest of the day was spent just playing. The car proved hugely entertaining and very quick, flattering my driving to no end. Coming out of turn 7, I had the option of hitting a line on the inside that would pull me around like the Carousel at the 'Ring or going a bit wider and just painting a pair of big black stripes on the pavement as I accelerated. The latter was obviously the fun choice. Turns 5, 6a and 6b fwere much faster than they appeared thanks to a nice compression and a smooth line. I'm still a chicken about hard braking but that's not the car's fault. The Seven ran cool and without complaint. The exhaust is not all that subtle at full throttle and after spending the entire day at 6000+ rpm, I was regretting my lack of earplugs. It's a perfect race car sound with a little crackle when I blip the throttle at idle. I was thinking about quick-ratio steering racks that are so popular amongst the Caterham/Westfield community. I'm not sure why - there's certainly no room for flailing elbows in a Seven cockpit but I like the ratio of my own. Good thing that's what I own then!

It wasn't a perfect day, though. On my last session, I noticed the clutch pedal was starting to feel a little odd. At the end of the straight on the same lap, nothing. No clutch. I managed to match revs well enough to throw it into third (while entering turn 1 at a high rate of speed) and limped back into the pits with a terribly slipping clutch. I could just maintain speed. By the time I got to the pits, the clutch pedal was moving freely. A peek under the car showed a puddle of clutch fluid below the slave cylinder. My theory is that I had too much clutch pedal travel and was moving the master cylinder too far (something I'd been meaning to change). The high pressure on the system every time I changed gears eventually blew the slave cylinder seals. I hope so - that's an easy fix. I was ready to leave anyhow so we just pushed the car onto the trailer and it's sitting in the garage now.

I'm a little sore but really glad I made the effort to go. It was a great day. There's just one problem: I jumped into my Miata this morning to move it and the brakes felt so soft, the steering numb and the clutch too light...
entry 639

The far less entertaining reality.
A borrowed snowmobile trailer and a borrowed Jeep. Note the plastic wrap in an attempt to keep the seats dry in the snow!
entry 640
Although the Seven uses Miata mechanicals, it doesn't wear a Miata car cover very well.
entry 641
Yuk.
While the seats stayed dry through the snow, the rest of the car was covered in road goo. The roll bar, the steering wheel, the scuttle and the transmission tunnel were all covered. How did this car get so dirty so soon?
entry 642
They don't call it "racer tape" for nothing! This was a successful attempt to keep the hood from bulging at speed.
entry 643
Out on the track.
entry 644
Alignment changes in the "pits".
entry 645
Some of the other participants.
Stock Miatas, turbocharged Miatas, supercharged Miatas - everyone very consistent to drive around and a pleasure to share a track with.
entry 646
It's difficult to tell, but this is hard braking.
Not much dive.
entry 647
Dave proves to yet another passenger that they drive like a wuss.
Like he did with me. In exchange, we made fun of his lowrider slicks.
entry 648
After my ride with Dave, I went faster.
Thanks to Geremy Kornreich for taking this and other shots of the car in motion!
entry 649
The front straight.
Does it look like a drag strip? It is. Geremy took this photo with his arms in the air - your sightline is usually a little lower.
entry 650
Yours truly, grinning like a madman under the helmet.
entry 651
Hard at play.
entry 652
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