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So that means that Magnus will not be running what was likely to be his last track event weekend of Oct. 10 & 11 w/ NASA, also at Buttonwillow.
The odds in Vegas are 7 to 2 that the Caterham goes on sale in the 1st quarter of next year. They go down to 3 to 2 for a 2nd quarter sale, 3 for 2 for the 3rd and you have to lay 5 to win 1 in the 4th.:D
Then there will be an announcement of a new forum, www.californiaminivanclub.com, w/ the Events heading filled w/ threads about, well, you know. Mopho will be the initiator of the worlds longest Internet forum thread, having sold both the Elan (finally) and the Caterham to purchase an entirely unreliable (Chrysler, natch) mini van from back east. The thread will describe all the trials and tribulations of driving - in between long waits for parts, diagnostics etc. - the plastic-woodie-sided Diaper Viper cross country (baby in tow) & then trying to license it in Ca.:D
Chris
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A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted
The odds in Vegas are 7 to 2 that the Caterham goes on sale in the 1st quarter of next year. They go down to 3 to 2 for a 2nd quarter sale, 3 for 2 for the 3rd and you have to lay 5 to win 1 in the 4th.:D
Sell? My son Brian, now 3-1/2, recently crossed the 15 kg (33 lb.) minimum weight recommendation for my Volvo booster cushion/backrest that I found on Craig's List for twenty five bucks. Looks kinda funky, but great marks from the IIHS, and it's Swedish! Oh yeah, it also fits a Tillet beautifully. :)
My almost 5 year old son rides in the seven becasue his car seat is very narrow. Its a Sunshine Kids Radiance, 5-point belts, steel frame. I use the sidescreens when he's on board. I'm jealous, because he has 5 point belt, while I just have a 3-point shoulder belt! My car is a 1990 DeDion with adjustable seats.
I have been vindicated from the evil smears of the childless moose.
The only action I will take on my Caterham, with regards to my coming child, is to install a full cage so that I don't have to eat the entire bumper of the mustang that decides to take me out on track.
Tom: I don't know. There are several options available, but I haven't started the nitty-gritty planning of it yet. Suggestions are welcome.
/Magnus F.
I want the full Caged cage that the UK race cars use but it is not NASA / SCCA legal. And I haven't prived one yet. There's a fabricator in SD who I want to check out - I don't remember their name but they've been around quite a while. They run adds in Grassroots Motorsports.
MM had a major trial getting his NASA-type cage done from some flake in the Bay area. Woody had some made for the race team & Pierre - don't know if that was the same guy. The cage is pretty heavy.
Chris
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A day you don't go a hundred is a day wasted
I too would go for the full race superlight cage (perhaps in the tall version for myself). This cage has the round hoops at the top and bolts to the outside of the car. http://www.7-indulgence.com/id172.html This means you can't use your sidecurtains and hood, but where you live, that should not be a concern.
I rode in a couple of cars with the roadsport cage, which does allow you to use the weather gear and it is a tight fit, depending on your height. See the pic of Dusty and I: http://pierats.com/gallery/jj09/2009_05_11_059
FWIW, a cage adds considerable stiffness to the car. This car (Simon Bell's) also has a roadsport cage but his has the round hoops. They make it easier to get in/out of and there is less danger of you hitting your head: http://pierats.com/gallery/jj09/2009_05_11_148
The person who built Pierre's cage is Roger Hamlin (sp?). He has a shop at Infineon and does very nice work. Michael had (as Moose said) a flake (I don't know who this was, but I'm sure Michael will be happy to point you away from them), building his cage and ended up having Larry at MSI complete it. Woody went end over end with one of Rogers cages and walked away just fine. The benefit of Rogers cage is that you don't have anything in your view. This is also the downside as there is nothing preventing a deer (or Moose! - no, not our Moose!) from jumping in your lap.
Do you know why it is not legal? If it is due to material dimensions or alloys, we can probably ask cage if they can do a special edition for us.
/Magnus F.
There are at least two issues that I'm aware of. 1st is that the tube wall thickness of the UK cage is too thin. Secondly, not enough side impact protection. This is why Jon's (and MM's and Pierre's et. al.) bow way out at the sides. I believe the idea is to make for a safer enclosure in the event that a great big car runs into the little car.
My guess is that the US cage would be significantly heavier than the std UK version, which is why I resist it. I'll as Jon who made his.
Note that this is only a restriction if you intend to participate w/ your car in NASA (and SCCA I think) racing events. A UK cage would be permissible for TT.
Magnus: pm me your phone number please. I've lost it. And call Stokes at 310 344 2494. He has a question about Laminova (spelling?), a Sveeedish oil cooler maker.
I run a Laminova cooler (actually heat exchanger) for some 4 years now (due to the silly front fan position it is difficult to install a normal oil cooler).
But that thing works like advertised. The oil temperature on a hot track day went from "pegged hard against the 125C gage end" (which means probably 130 or 140 C) down to 115 to 120 degrees C.
It is compact and the plumbing is clean. A little more expensive than an air/oil cooler but an added benefit is the quicker oil heating when starting up.
I bought the 180mm model from Mocal but I suppose an engine like Jon's will need the longer 330mm version to keep temperature in check. Obviously the radiator must be able to dissipate the additional heat load.
This is a sandwich-type that fits between the Raceline oil filter mount and the filter itself. Small, light, low, and easy to plumb - just a coolant line in, and another out. Only downside is that they are really hard to find.
It ended up being rotated about 120آ° CCW from what is shown in the photo. This photo is from an early trial fit. It is no longer clearly visible once wiring and plumbing are done.
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