Just Bought a Caterham

[Berw]

Its Ok I'm keeping the Phoenix (and the Locost) but I've just bought a Caterham 1700 Super sprint, couldn't resist it, the new cost of a racing caterhm in Malaysia is 50 K pound and 35 for a racing westfield, road registration adds around 20 k to each, but I've just bought a genuine chassie, gear box axil and engine from a 1700 super sprint for 2.5, plan is to build it inot a race car for the daughter for next year and sell the 1300 Locost.
I know a China man who has the Caterham body an set moulds, 200 pound for a 5 piece body kit, and 150 for a fiber glass seat, but we are planning to order both in carbon fiber.
Had a look a the wetfield Zeetec on Sunday, 720KG dry, makes my big heavy 450BHp Phonix look light at 670Kg,

[stylussprinter]

Wow -- what crazy prices Kelvin Caterham chassis cheap but plus your carbon body panels wont be so cheap though , or will it
Malaysia certainly has advantages regarding costs for motorsport How did your racing season do this year

[Berw]

Don't know the carbon prices yet, I'm still waiting to collect the car, and see exactly what we got, I don't know what suspension is included, paid up for already, but my race mechanic and the seller have been in Japan for the 458 challange, hope to get the car tomorow, my China man appears to charge double his fiber glass price for carbon so I'm hoping that the full 5 piece body set will be around 400 pound in carbon.

I'm thinking about a carbon front on the Phoenix.

[stylussprinter]

Don't know the carbon prices yet, I'm still waiting to collect the car, and see exactly what we got, I don't know what suspension is included, paid up for already, but my race mechanic and the seller have been in Japan for the 458 challange, hope to get the car tomorow, my China man appears to charge double his fiber glass price for carbon so I'm hoping that the full 5 piece body set will be around 400 pound in carbon.

I'm thinking about a carbon front on the Phoenix.

Thinking about carbon ------------ h'mmm , that's about as far as I could go regarding large areas like bonnet etc . Here that would be around £2000 if you could find a friendly guy with access to pre preg and vacuum/oven etc. If done by a pukka company probably double that or worse

[Berw]

Had a price for a carbon body kit for the Caterham, five part kit, nose, and 4 wings is just under 1000 pounds, and 400 pounds for a carbon race seat. Thinking of going with it.

On the sylva, I've ripped the teeth of the diff again, it lasted 40 laps say 250km, so I'm putting in a std escort axil for the next race and hoping it will hold together and then going for a stronger diff and IRS for next year. The current diff is a lotus sunbeam and can not handle the power, not putting in another one as they are expensive.

I think, bassed on my calculations, the I've won the Asia Classic Car Challang 2012, (for cars running jap engines), with two races to go, but need to see the official race results, I may need one more point to gauratee a win, that would mean running the car in qualifying for the next race weekend, one out, one qualify and one in lap, at any speed, hence the reason to use the escort axil.

[stylussprinter]

That would be really great if it comes off for you Kelvin -- good luck with that English diff
Your best bet for your power would be an ATLAS axle but not sure how you'd get one in Malaysia though
If your diff hasn't got a plate type LSD , put some Extralube ZX1 in with the best diff oil --- look it it up on google if you've not heard of it , it's about £60 a litre but you'd only need 50/100 mls or so and it can be bought in 250mls . I run it in every liquid within the engine and transmission line -- that includes the water .
Good luck
Not as cheap as you thought then on the '' carbon ''

[Berw]

I've ordered a body kit for the Caterham in Carbon, waiting on delivery.

The Sylva is going IRS, with removable rear body work to allow for adjustment, gone for a Syvia Nissan diff and uprights, with LSD and a 3.7 ratio. The Sylva borrowed the axil from the caterham for the last race and the 3.7 diff was much better than the 3.9 in the Sylva, allowed my to hold 3rd gear throught rurn 3 and 10 at sepang, the old 3.9 was hitting the rev limit in third and it disturbed the handling to change up, so my speed throught these bends was limited.

Now a question, I have a source for new old stock Sherpa van track rod ends, but I have to buy in sets, so I have several new RHT, joints, as I am building new wishbones is there any reason I can not make these to take the RHT joints?

[josephmoore]

On the subject of Nissan Silvia/200sx diffs, I used to have an s14a with the viscous LSD. Best modification I ever did was swapping out my slightly knackered stock unit for one which had a stiffer (600% if I remember rightly) viscous coupling in it. The name Bara springs to mind, but it may well have been a 'man-in-a-shed' affair...

[stylussprinter]

I've ordered a body kit for the Caterham in Carbon, waiting on delivery.

The Sylva is going IRS, with removable rear body work to allow for adjustment, gone for a Syvia Nissan diff and uprights, with LSD and a 3.7 ratio. The Sylva borrowed the axil from the caterham for the last race and the 3.7 diff was much better than the 3.9 in the Sylva, allowed my to hold 3rd gear throught rurn 3 and 10 at sepang, the old 3.9 was hitting the rev limit in third and it disturbed the handling to change up, so my speed throught these bends was limited.

Now a question, I have a source for new old stock Sherpa van track rod ends, but I have to buy in sets, so I have several new RHT, joints, as I am building new wishbones is there any reason I can not make these to take the RHT joints?

Don't really see why you've asked the question Kelvin ---- what's being used in your existing wishbones then They are the standard fit for SYLVA designed chassis
If it was me , I'd use rodends all round or at least , on the non load(not holding the shock)pivots. Then a spherical bearing for pivoting the shock mount wishbone outer . So much adjustment then available to you especially it being a development IRS and a track car.Just make up ' pins ' to connect rodend to uprights.
AND '' Happy New Year '' to you

[josephmoore]

Ah - here they are!
http://www.baramotorsports.com/differentials.htm
http://www.baramotorsports.com/viscous_couplings.htm

[Berw]

Rob, I'm asking because my car uses the Sherpa LHT track rod as the lower link, I have bought 2 sets of Sherpa track rods so I have 2 LHT joints as spare, but I also have 2 RHT, as you know I can get things made up cheap, so I want to make new lower wishbones that take the RHT joints.

I can't se any reason I can't do this, its not as if the thread is handed for the car side like say the threads on knock on wheels, but I've never heared of anyone using the RHT joint and that make me ask why.

[stylussprinter]

Rob, I'm asking because my car uses the Sherpa LHT track rod as the lower link, I have bought 2 sets of Sherpa track rods so I have 2 LHT joints as spare, but I also have 2 RHT, as you know I can get things made up cheap, so I want to make new lower wishbones that take the RHT joints.

I can't se any reason I can't do this, its not as if the thread is handed for the car side like say the threads on knock on wheels, but I've never heared of anyone using the RHT joint and that make me ask why.

Sorry Kelvin , I wasn't very clear regarding your post ---- what I mean't regarding not knowing why you asked was ------------- there's no reason whatsoever why RIGHT or indeed LEFT hand threaded Sherpa joints can't be used
It's not as if the '' upright rotates '' which potentially could either tighten or loosen either left or right pieces

[Berw]

OK thanks that's what I thought, I can only buy them in a track rod set, so I get both ends, mind I appear to have an unlimited supply at an old BL dealer in the middle of Malaysia.