AK/CO Duratec Seven Breaks Cover

[Alaskossie]

I faced reality in early July 2009 that the major mechanical fitment of my 2007 Seven S3 would never get done at my present pace (I started assembly in June 2007, still had the engine/trans and major electrical to figure out and install in July 2009). The car was in Colorado, i was in Alaska, and my 14 round-trips to work on the car over 2 1/2 years (141 days total) just weren't getting it done. (Little did I know in July of 2009 what major obstacle -- an incorrect wiring harness -- still lay before me).

So I trailered the Seven to Thomas Vintage Motors in Boulder, CO, where ace Seven mechanic and ex-pat Brit (and former Caterham engineer) Nathan Down works in restoring and fettling such local vintage racers as a Lola T-70 and Alfa T33/2.

Nathan is both an imaginative problem-solver and a perfectionist, with an encyclopedic knowledge of Caterham Sevens (he designed the SV model). My car is now in the carpeted garage at his home, where he can pop out to fiddle with it on days when he doesn't go in to Thomas in Boulder. (He has thus been able to satisfy much of my upgrade-itis, even before the car turns a wheel under its own power!).

Last week we rolled her out on Nathan's snowy driveway (no driving under those conditions, unfortunately), and fired up the 250 hp Cosworth Duratec 2.3 to check the sound level (it's not quiet!). There are still a few bits to finish (rear wing guards, exhaust location and mounts, etc.), but next time I'm down to Colorado to actually drive the car (weather permitting, of course).

Attached are some snaps.

[yellowss7]

Awesome, Tom. Is that a standard chassis?

Tom

[Alaskossie]

Tom,

Thanks for your note -- you should know that you were an inspiration for me when I met you and saw your car on the 2005 Sevens Tour at Vail, Colorado!

Yes, mine is one of the last of the Arch Motors S3 chassis; purchased before anyone at CC had put a Duratec into an S3 lhd chassis. So CC helpfully installed a Zetec wiring harness; Nathan had to pull more than 50 feet of additional wire into the harness to get the current Duratec functions to work with the Zetec harness.

I believe that all of the S3 lhd chassis now coming out of CC are the new metric chassis, with a completely different pedal box, remote brake and clutch reservoirs, etc., among other changes. I definitely wanted the Arch chassis, because Arch is the original maker, from 1957.

[Alaskossie]

Tom,

In my haste, I think I got the wrong "yellow Seven." I confused your handle with the yellow Seven of Tom Jones (California) who I should know is "pierats" on USA7s.

Sorry to you both for the confusion....

[DeanG]

Nice. Please some more detail pictures. I especially want to see how the airbox looks stylistically (that is with the bonnet in place).

[slomove]

Congratulations!!

You almost made it to the PNW 2007 tour :toetap05:

Car looks great! Is that Alaskan camouflage paint? :jester:

Gert

[slngsht]

congrats on nearing the end of this long journey

[Boxologist]

Congratulations!!

You almost made it to the PNW 2007 tour :toetap05:
...
Gert


:svengo::smilielol5:

let upgraditis continue. i'd like to see the new caterham graphics, teh double stripe and side side w/ name in black on the silver. i think that would make it really sharp. and waiting for it should keep it siting still tll 2011:deadhorse:
congrats on seeing it nearly finished. sucks as old man winter has now crossed the continent.

[Alaskossie]

DeanG,

Here are some more photos of the CC carbon fiber airbox. I'm not sure how it fits "stylistically" (or even if such a word can be used in conjunction with a Seven).

The standard, long dome-shaped foam Pipercross air filter that came with the Cosworth Duratec was an air-restrictive press-fit inside the airbox, so we substituted individual foam socks over the inlet trumpets.

Cutting the hole in the bonnet is an exercise in 3-dimensional jeopardy, like cutting the side skin for the exhaust primaries. Nathan has done it more than a few times, but this may have been his first with this airbox. He said it was his most difficult and time-consuming. (Note the copper-wire jig he solders up to position the opening in the right place on the bonnet).

[solder_guy]

Car looks great! Is that Alaskan camouflage paint? :jester:

:D Car looking ready for a winter drive!

Rob

[11Budlite]

Congrats, that's going to be one awesome ride! :cheers:

[Kitcat]

WoW!!!

It will be a beast on the track. Looks like you have really put a lot of thot (and buckets of $ and time) into making it your dream Se7en.

Now I am getting antsy for it to be done and it's not even my car:).

Mike

[Hank]

That car is absolutely gorgeous! Carbon fiber = drool.

[S1Steve]

Great job with your Seven . I like the fenders, it looks like carbon ??
And the Duratec looks perfect with all that carbon, makes my Zetec look like a lawn mower engine. Great luck with it, Enjoy, Steve

[DeanG]

Thanks for the pictures. A very good fit. It looks good. You are dealing with a brave man, I get very nervous when I have to cut into the 7.

[Greg350]

Looks like your man is doing a fine job.
Just one thing, and I know this is a very personal field but...
when I looked at the fist pics I thought the car was still in bare ally / primer, I see now it is bright silver which is nice but a little bland IMHO, do you intend to stripe it up or graphic it at all. I know often less is more but in this case I think more would be better.
Good Luck with the rest of the build.

[Alaskossie]

The body color is 2004 Audi light silver metallic. I chose it because it was closest to the early, traditional unpainted ali on the first Sevens.

I had the CC 15-inch wheels repainted an Audi grey color -- in my opinion, the stock CC wheels in dark graphite color are way too dark, and the wheel gets lost in the tire. If I had it to do over, I might have chosen an even lighter silver/grey for the wheels.

The front and rear wings are carbon fiber. The nose is also carbon fiber, but I had it painted body color, as I don't care for the Sevens that have a nose that is not colored the same as the rest of the body -- they don't look "of a piece," but instead like some beaters that you see with a replacement fender or door off a similar car but with another color......... just my opinion.

I'm considering body stripes, but haven't followed up on that yet.

[Mondo]

very nice!
nothing wrong with silver and black

[Greg350]

Is this the SV model?
I notice that these are normally single tone to reduce the bulk, like fatties not wearing stripes I guess.

[Alaskossie]

No, this is the narrower original Series 3 model.

[jturrell]

That Cosworth motor is awesome. What do you do about the ECU when you buy a Cosworth engine? Do they provide you with the correct "tune" for a seven, or do you have to have it tuned yourself? Did they provide the dry-sump tank, or is there some sort of "kit" they provide with all of the seven ancilliaries?

Awesome car.

[Alaskossie]

Jturrell,

Cosworth USA supplies the correct ECU; the supplied wiring harness was a problem, since I got the one for the Cosworth "crate" motor and not the one specific to the Caterham, but that was resolved. My ECU is mounted inside the passenger footwell, on a hinged, drop-down panel (thus keeping it off the scuttle, and perhaps better protected).

The engine was run on the Cosworth dyno before shipping. I bought the dry-sump version of the engine from Cosworth; the pump is integral with the oil pan, so there are no external oil lines, except to and from the dry sump tank.

The dry sump tank is a Brise tank (UK) which i had built with the inlet and outlet ports and the breather ports, and a bottom drain plug, located and sized where I wanted them. it also has an oil temp. sensor in the tank, and a 110v pre-heat coil in the tank. i got the pre-heat coil and the tank cap from Peterson Fluid Systems (USA) and sent them to Brise to have them install these items on their tank.

The use of the Brise "kidney" tank in front of the engine obviates the need to shorten the passenger footwell to locate a conventional round dry sump tank; it also removes the d/s tank from the heat of the exhaust headers. Caterham uses a similar tank (of their own manufacture) on the new R500 Series 3 cars

[Spaz]

WOW!

The car looks awesome!

[KiwiBirkin]

Alaskossie your car is looking great I love the carbon/silver combo it just looks fantastic on your car im sure its going to turn a few heads when you start driving it on the road.

[DeanG]

Is that a real carbon fiber valve cover?

[drew...]

What size are the headlights (7.5 or 5.75) and where did you source the carbon fiber buckets?
Car looks awesome inside and out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alaskossie]

DeanG and drew,

I got the carbon fiber 5.75-inch headlamp buckets from Fluke in UK. (I have heard the argument that the "traditional" Seven should have 7.5-inch headlamps. What is forgotten is that the original 1957 Seven S1 had two Lucas lamps of approximately 5 inches diameter, one being a fog-lamp and the other a long-range beam; they were switched on and off alternately, for low beam and high beam!).

I also got a pair of c/f turn-signal covers from Fluke, which Nathan is modifying to fit my small Hella full-time-on halogen running lights that will mount where the turn signals usually mount. My turn signals are LED motorcycle signal lights, and mount off the body/frame where the nose cone joins (not yet installed, in the photos).

My sill protectors in the "doorways" are in the silver "alutex" c/f material from Fluke. The c/f rear light blocks are from Carbon-Bits in UK (made by the late "RiF", "Richard in France," Richard Lee, who passed away suddenly on December 14, 2009 -- RIP)

The Duratec cam cover is genuine carbon fiber from Reverie in UK. I persuaded Simon Farren of Reverie to make a c/f Duratec cam cover that would be specifically designed for the coil-on-plug design of the Cosworth ignition, and I got the first (and perhaps only, to date) example for that application. I also ordered this cam cover in a low-profile design, and with no oil filler hole and cap since I have a dry sump.

I had the cam cover clear-coated, and added the silver "Ford Cosworth" badge that I found on eBay UK (these are fairly scarce, I've learned).

In the engine bay, I've tried to consistently use black fabric-covered hoses by Fragola, and Fragola's black AN fittings. Other plumbing fittings have been powder-coated black to match. The formed aluminum radiator pipes will be powder-coated black, also.

[Kitcat]

The more detail you provide, the more impressed I am!

[Alaskossie]

Thanks all for your questions and compliments. This Seven is the culmination of a dream that I've had since July of 1961.

I think I may have gone a little overboard on the details that I have incorporated into the initial build, rather than living with the car and gradually upgrading it over time. But some of my desired upgrades are most easily done when the car is not yet assembled.

I went for lightness with the carbon fiber, then added some heaviness back in with extensive engine bay insulation, carpeting, undercoating the front and rear wings, etc. My objective was to have a "Superlight" Seven in concept, but not too stark, and with some touring amenities.

My chief wrench Nathan Down has looked a bit askance at it; but he's a tolerant guy, and has dubbed it the Seven "Executive Superlight" model.

I guess that fits it as well as any other description.

[Al Navarro]

I am in awe, Tom. Simply in awe.

I'm glad I've taken my Seven fetish in a different direction, because I'd be compelled to duplicate your efforts on a modern car. Well done, golf clap to you, sir.

[athens7]

Caterhams should come from the factory with the attention to detail your car has...of course, then none/few of us could afford one (certainly not me)! Congratulations on a superb execution :drool:.

[Alaskossie]

Al,

Thanks for your "golf clap!" I guess you could say that my Seven is the result of 48 years of pent-up fantasizing....

I almost wish I was restoring a vintage Series 2 Seven -- I would be much more constrained and careful about what I did to the car, to remain historically accurate and maintain its historic value.

The thing that drove me in the direction I took with a current Caterham Seven is that, 52 years after the Seven was first introduced by Lotus, you can still buy it in a crate and build it yourself -- and when you're done, it can still be as quick (or likely, quicker) than almost anything else on the road. What other car can claim a half-century's dominance like that?

[Alaskossie]

athens7,

Most people would view my "attention to detail" as a bit excessive, and not necessary for a fine-performing and fun car. I would have to agree.

At least I lack the patience and skill to build and modify a "chrome Seven" like the "Sugino Seven," or to build a Seven with all carbon-fiber panels, like some are doing in UK.....

[pierats]

Tom,

Well done Sir! The car looks great and your attention to detail is quite obvious. I'm happy to have had a hand in getting you started down this path and am looking forward to touring together someday!

Cheers,

Tom "Pierats" Jones

[Alaskossie]

Tom,

While my thanks to you were initially mis-directed to another Seven-er, I want to acknowledge again the encouragement and example you gave me when we met at Vail on the "How the West was Driven" UK Seven-ers' Tour in September 2005.

I m planning to drive my Seven from Colorado to Alaska in the summer of 2010, taking the "scenic route." My younger son lives in LA, so I am planning a swing through southern California on my way north. I'm assuming that such a trek has not yet been done in a Seven, so it should be interesting.

[Al Navarro]

@Tom-Since the car was at already at certain point in its rebuild when I took over the project, it won't be as historically correct as it could be...it will be more of a period-correct hot rod.

[JohnCh]

Tom, the car look great! Now I understand why it's taken so long ;)

If you're interested in company during the west coast leg of your tip this summer, then let me know. I'm sure we could put together a small tour with folks participating on various legs. Provided you don't drive that thing like Vinnie, I'm interested in the southern Oregon to BC leg.

-John

[Alaskossie]

Al,

Isn't that what the rodders today are calling a "rat rod"? I like it -- a "rat Seven...."

(a "vermin Seven.....?")

[Al Navarro]

@Tom M. - Except I'm not finishing it in primer! ;-P

[DogsBollocks]

what Tiger Woods now probably has?

[Alaskossie]

JohnCh,

Your idea sounds like a great kickoff for planning an extended westbound/northbound "moveable feast!" Perhaps, if it develops, we can move it to a separate "event" site on the USA7s site. It would be great to meet and drive with Seven owners who live along my route -- advance planning is the key.

My tentative plan is to drive from Colorado to California, visit my son and a friend in LA, also rendezvous with Pierats and Sean and Slomov and others in California if possible, then head northward into Oregon and Washington, then angle eastward into Idaho and western Montana, then head northward to Banff in Alberta.

There is a National Forest road outside Boise that I recall from years ago that I really want to drive in a Seven (mainly to see if my memory of it is accurate), and I'm tentatively planning to rendezvous with my wife at Banff, Alberta for a conference in the third week of July. After that, I would head for Dawson Creek, BC, and start up the Alaska Highway to Anchorage.

I picked up a spiral-bound Rand McNally highway map book for Colorado, and to my amazement it shows mountain roads in enough detail to indicate whether they would be curvy enough for spirited Seven driving. I plan to pick up similar maps of the other states I would be driving through, to try to hit "the best of the best" along the way.

[glenntwincam]

we drove many incredible mountain roads while attending LOG 27 . you have to be careful because CDOT doesn't spend a lot of money on armco or do as the locals " drive fast -pass on curves" . sounds like a great trip !!

[Alaskossie]

I grew up in Colorado, so know many of the mountain roads well (but not from the driver's seat of a Seven). During the 2005 "How the West was Driven" UK Sevens Tour, bsimon and I drove the entire ascent of Red Mountain Pass in the passing lane, simply flying past all the dawdlers and strugglers! No slowing for the corners in his Seven..... quite thrilling.

[thegoat]

Very nice. I like the silver with the carbon accents.

[slomove]

........My tentative plan is to drive from Colorado to California, visit my son and a friend in LA, also rendezvous with Pierats and Sean and Slomov and others in California if possible, then head northward into Oregon and Washington.........

Hello Tom, that sounds like a plan. To be more precise a fabulous plan. I am envious.

If you can, make sure to have a day or two available for the local mountains here in LA. Not the Rockies (although 7000 ft isn't too bad) but just fabulous roads: small and curvy and no traffic.

[ayseven]

You have a beaut of a car there. However, I would strongly suggest not thinking about driving through BC to Alaska in such a vehicle. Admittedly it's been a few years since I've done it, but a large part of the trip used to be unpaved, with lots of unforgiving trucks, rocks etc, which would do wonders to your CF parts in about 5 seconds.

[southwind25]

Gorgeous 7...

[7veloce]

Tom,

I met you at Skip's BBQ. Jeff B. and you talked about your long 7 project. Now, it is almost done and looks great! I m so happy for you. Please do a test drive up to Fort Collins to meet with Howard and I (both of us have 7) before you take a long trip to CA. We will love to see your 7 and take a drive with you.

[Alaskossie]

7veloce,

Let's plan on it! I intend to come down for some shorter shakedown drives in northern Colorado, as soon as the car can hit the road under its own power, and my schedule permits -- like in February or March. You, Howard, bsimon, Derek, Jeff, and scannon are all in the plans.

How are you enjoying your own Seven?

Let's all stay in touch!

[Alaskossie]

ayseven,

The Alaska Highway is all asphalt now -- I last drove it in 1998 in a low-clearance Escort Cosworth, and had no problems. There will be sections under repair or reconstruction, of course, but I hope to find out where in advance, and perhaps drive these sections at night when the traffic is lighter -- no motorhomes, etc.

I first drove the Alcan in 1967, and it was 1200 miles of dirt road from Dawson Creek, BC to the Alaska border (though I was able to get my '67 Volvo up to 90 mph in a few places!).

The paving of the entire Alaska Hwy. has admittedly taken a bit of the adventure out of the trip, but I'm sure there is enough left to make it interesting.

[7veloce]

Tom,

I drove my 7 often till late November. It is fun and fast, but not as fast as Skip's 7 with 300 hp. Let me know when you ready.

[supersportsp]

I am in for the PNW part of the tour, perhaps the Idaho and MT portions as well. I spoke with JohnCH about it already. Love the car.

[Alaskossie]

Supersportsp,

That's great! We're looking at the last week in July, and early August, as a tentative period to work around. Please contact JohnCH to get into an e-mail loop for more detailed plans as they develop.

Wen we get something worked out trentatively, we can post it in the Events section of USA7s.

[lancylad]

What a beautifull machine, a culmination of dreams, now you get to drive the dream. When you do your run thru the Banff area I would love to tag along for a while, get to see your pride and joy,( in the flesh,so to speak). We are just south of Calgary so a trip to the Banff area would be awesome. I will watch for updates on your plans. Our Westfield will be arriving sometime next week, so I should have her fettled and ready for mountain runs well before your event takes place.

[scannon]

The car is now sitting in my shop. I picked it up from Nathan this morning and trailered it here. Zero miles showing on the odometer. Tom is flying in this afternoon and the first drive of the car will happen this evening to tomorrow.

The car is simply gorgeous. Nathan's workmanship and attention to detail is exceptional. This is a very special Seven.

[lancylad]

Looking foward to seeing it..

[scannon]

Here's a picture of Tom's and my Sevens side by side in the shop. Not the best of pictures as it was bright outside and dark in the shop. I'll post more pictures tomorrow after the Gathering is over.

[lancylad]

:drool::drool::drool::drool:

[scannon]

More pictures of Tom's car and of the Gathering of Colorado Sevens are at http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?p=40127#post40127

[thegoat]

That car is the finest seven I have ever seen - it has the fit and finish of a manufactured car.

[lancylad]

Loved looking thru all the pics, thanks guys. Really helps while I am waiting for mine to arrive. What a great sight, all those se7ens together..