Pleasure / Pain

Got a filter for 50% off on ebay, New. Been waiting months.
Just need to make own backplate from some 2mm alloy.

The bonus of clearing all these ideas first, it fits with 15mm to the new bulkhead.
Did this last weekend, finished off my electric box.
Which now fits onto 3 pedestals, as during the monsoon rains on route to Nurburgring there was water everywhere. These leaks should be sorted now anyway, but it makes sense! Its an old lunchbox painted white :)
Started doing Matt's door to match the other, just waiting for some parts I need to collect on Friday and materials, ready for a good binge on it next week. Be some decent movement then, bit held up on the door as lots of small items are missing. Done various small jobs. Its difficult at this stage, planning and thinking is important, as with my car. Its not good to just wade into stuff as you waste time, money and backtracking I find really painful. I have the majority of the stuff in my mind now. Also its not standard, so its unravelling someone elses work. Things will rapidly come together once a balance point is reached. Once the suspension is on, the engine is fitted and some small jobs relating to the dry sump pump are done. It'll be into the interesting bit, that involves no parts that don't work fit and making everything myself, hooray!

More issues with products to sort over the next month, snore. Solution forthcoming sometime in the near future. I may add, not a cheap solution either...Try adding on £150 to something.

Have some nice parts to shift soon to make a few pennies to pump back into my car.

Finalised front-end plan.

Caterham Hub and Upright setup, custom made spherical bearing carriers for lower wishbone, made to satisfactory specification. Due to my use of spherical shock bearings it will be bolted to both the shock and trunnion bolt locations pinched between side spacers on the shock end and solid on the trunnion bolt end, so removable and also it won't flap about or rely on friction for location etc.

Either Wilwood Midilite Calipers and 254mm Vented Disk setup or Caterham AP racing brake kit (better ~ more £££). Something that will stop it from a 145mph to zero without moaning a few times in a row. Something that can work all-day long on track with total dependability WITHOUT the need for stupidly heavy duty pads. Decent pads, maybe carbo metallics, I like to see a disk worked not buffed and pads lasting a while.

Basically the ultimate rig possible. Saving nearly 50% of the GT6 rigs unsprung weight, exactly as used on the Caterham CSR 260.

Hardmounting the Anti-roll bar to maximise its effect, hopefully allowing use of a thinner roll bar to save weight. Was actually hoping to ditch it all together (with new end setup), so will leave this simple mod till later. I have this feeling the roll bar from my favourite car maybe useable, cheap too. Caterham.co.uk

A similar top-wishbone setup to what GT6Mike EFI is making (unless he fancies making me a pair!) making light work of the camber adjustment.

Using 7075 forged anodised alloy wheel nuts to save 60% of the mass.

67mm M12 x 1.5pitch Ford wheel studs.

New steering arms for the uprights, don't want any old fatigued stuff or anything marginal...It has no place on my car.

Hubs filled with top grade grease probably REDLINE CV-2 SYNTHETIC GREASE. Castrol LM and BNS are for blokes who need to get with it!

I always said the K would be the perfect engine, keeps it light, revy (7200 stock redline), its in tune with the cars routes as a sportcar as the K engine is very lively and makes a wicked noise, its 87kilos, there is a reason Lotus/Caterham use it and not other models. It'll have a great balance, super agile and reliable handling. This is my ultimate Spitfire. Once the rear-end is sorted I intend no more mods. I am really happy with the package and work done and have no real concerns over any of it, just as I am in no rush to finish it. I have objectives but none of them are set in stone. To be honest I think next year will be just enjoying the car, rather than violating it. I have put so much work ( circa 1000hrs) into the thing over the last 14months I just want to enjoy it and not break it. 2009 will be the year of its full potential being exploited.

Without wishing to sound arrogant I know I can drive this thing to maximum potential and beyond, not what most think is fast, but proper fast, therefor it has to be proven first.

The car has been such a labour of love these things have to worked to gently, had I built a rough and ready race-car I wouldn't care less, but this car is truely unique to me. I wish to enjoy it for a long time. When a car is capable of doing 60 in 5 or under and should pull 145 without any issues its best to bed into things...it demands some respect. However that usually goes out the window :)

So I intend to just enjoy it this year rather than breaking it or violating it too much, cause I do built to rag, anyone that went in my last one will know I do rag my cars, not just talk about it or think I am ragging it :) I'll be glad to just get it working and have a break from it.

I don't intend to put it on the road till EVERYTHING is done bar the rear-end.

Put some miles on it and cruise about for a bit...how things used to be :)

Still hoping for Mallory in April...Or atleast to go for a day out...Fingers crossed!