MartynB

I found out from Matt at Stratton that my compressor is the old R134a ND8 part, so the third party US part should work fine. Hopefully it's still on the shelf.

Hi Steve Thanks for the input. In the meantime I'd also found Denso's article about ND oil 8 and ND oil 12, which lays out the compatibility matrix if you will. ND 12 can support either refrigerant, but R1234 will cause ND oil 8 to polymerise and gum up. Seems to me what I put in my original post was wrong and the "old" A132E6349S part is actually Denso part 447260-1019 and is filled with ND oil 8, so is restricted to R134a It's unclear what Denso part number the "new" A132E6563H part is.

Hi All, I have a very niche query about the A/C compressors used on the V6 cars. There are two part numbers, each using a different oil for lubrication: A132E6349S uses PAG46 oil (not sure of the Denso part number) A132E6563H uses ND12 oil (This is the Denso part 447260-1019) The question is, if I need to replace the second part, can I use the first, given that the system will need a full flush and rebuild prior to recommissioning? The dryer will be replaced as a matter of course and I suspect the condenser will also need replacing, due to fall out from the compressor failure. The transfer pipes running through the sill will be replaced, given these leaking caused my problem in the first place, so it should be easy to ensure that there is no residual ND12 in the system if I can indeed drop in a PAG46 lubed part. Any informed opinions?

Hi all, since my Race Technology DL1 logger in the Caterham has become senile, I'm looking to switch over to AIM plus I'll probably also finally buy the MX2E so I can use RS3 for both cars. However I'm not going to pull the trigger until I've had a good play around with RS3 to make sure all the mad stuff I like to do in RT Analysis I can mostly still do in that. I binned the idea of switching to Racelogic when I had a play with Circuit Tools and realised it was shockingly basic. AIM make the Race Studio 3 software available which is great, but don't have any sample data to use with it, so I was wondering if anyone has any data files they would be happy for me to load up and try it out with. Synced video from a SmartyCam would be a bonus, but not at all necessary. Cheers

A quick question, since I've started to talk myself back into switching to the MX2E from the stock instruments in my Sport 350. How are people finding the soft touch paintwork on the (later?) dashes? Has it gone at all tacky over time? I know some formulations of soft touch paint can do this, but I'm hoping we're past that issue on these binnacles. Cheers

Loving watching the transformation George. I'm intrigued to see how it all comes together once it's "done" (yeah, done, right 🤣) I could help wince for Ken's lungs, grinding the GFRP with no PPF. Mmm, glass particulates... Nice LED rears on the 170.

I may have posted this before, but this was my solution. The connector is actually attached to a thin black elastic string that is just enough to pull it away from the paintwork if I forget...

Hi David. When I did it I made those fillet ramps to avoid hitting the rear valance. Unless you have very low angle ramps, like RaceRamps, you'll need the same. From there it's just a load of bolts of various sizes. I'm afraid I can't remember which I needed to remove. I seem to remember that some are just holding parts of the diffuser together rather than it to the car. Good luck Martyn

Hi Nik, No 3D printing required now that I've done the test fitting. Although you'll probably want to use some masking tape and a sharpie to get the positioning fine tuned to your car. More on that later. MAJOR CAVEAT: This is only a mod for those with good practical automotive modding skills. I've built a Caterham, I've got a masters in Engineering and I've done this kind of stuff a lot. It still took me a year to bite the bullet. I really disavow any responsibility for you messing this up. This is documented here to help out fellow practical types who no longer have a warranty to uphold. Bodger Beware! Parts used: (mobile centre links) MAGCODE 12V MAGNETIC POWERCLIP AND POWERPORT KIT 15 AMPS CTEK 56-382 COMFORT CONNECT LED M8 2x red 6.3mm insulated blade receptacle connector The powerport is the low profile flat connector that mounts to the car. It fits into a 28mm circular hole, with a small notch to key it. This lines up opposite to the cable on the powerclip. That's the "plug" that magnets onto the port. First up, attach the CTEK comfort connect to the aux battery terminals under the front cover. Make sure you remove the 15A fuse from the holder in the CTEK cable. You'll be cutting the cable to length which other wise would short it out and blow the fuse. The 28mm hole for the powerport needs to be positioned very precisely. Too low and the powerclip will foul on the slanted windscreen surround, too high and it'll foul on the front cover itself. The notch needs to be positioned so that the powerclip cable emerges through the wiper arm cutout. Also be aware that the powerport retaining nut actually compresses the creased tray wall almost flat, since the crease is included within the hole diameter. Probably the best approach is to apply masking tape to the creased wall section where the powerport will be mounted, then mark that up and use it to check clearance, by offering up the powerclip. You can hold it contact side toward the masking tape and draw around the powerclip. Bear in mind that you need a bit of wiggle room between the powerclip and the slanted windscreen surround, otherwise it won't be able to fit over the edge of the powerport. For reference, I did a drawing of the hole in relation to the top edge and the edge nearest the front cover latch lever. Unfortunately I drew it from the front of the car, so not the face on which your masking tape would be. Sorry. Anyway the centre of the hole, on mine at least, is 33mm from the top edge, 31mm from the latch mech access edge. It looks like this moulding is at least partly hand trimmed, so don't take my measurements as gospel. It occurs to me that I've no idea whatsoever if this is compatible with the other, "Cup" style of front cover. To make the hole, I first used a small centre drill to start the hole, then swapped to a step drill which I held in a socket, on a socket driver handle. I had to bend the wall downwards toward the latch to do the cutting. Access is not great. It's probably a good idea to use some card or such to protect the windscreen glass. I dare say you could use a 28mm hole saw or some other shallow cutter. Once you've got the hole marked out you could even use an Exacto followed by a Dremel to tidy up. This is the bit that took me so long to work up the balls to do. In the end I figured I could always fill the hole with a closed gromet and it would look reasonably decent. Once you have the hole, then check that the angle is correct for the powerclip cable to emerge nicely through the wiper arm cutout. The notch will want to be 180° opposite this. Look at the threaded part of the powerport and you'll see how big the key is, so how big the notch needs to be. Of course this gives you the option of making it slightly wider and hence having a bit of wiggle room. The nut should end up tight enough to keep it all nice and stable so it's down to you. The powerport comes with two "filleted" plastic washers, but you only need the one with the single notch, which goes on the nut side, not the top washer that has a notch on the top side and another key on the bottom side. Assemble through the hole, with the washer on the nut side. Tighten it up by hand until it's good and solid. I imagine if you have amazing hand strength you could over tighten it... so don't do that bend the blade contacts down a little to increase the clearance from the latch. This will help both the wire routing and fitting the blade receptacles on the blades. Now you know where the blades are you can cut the CTEK lead. REMEMBER, make sure the fuse is OUT! I found I could cut the lead to length and still have enough tail on the comfort connector to wire it into the powerclip. Crimp the blade receptacles onto the lead ends and attach to the powerport blades. Make sure you get red going to the + on the back and black to the - (see below) The powerclip is simple to wire, it has its own screw terminals. The CTEK cable fits it nicely. There is a small plastic cable clamp provided and the rubber strain relief doesn't need any trimming to fit the cable. Make sure you don't have any stray conductors when you do the screw terminal or you'll cause a short and blow the fuse, or possibly damage the CTEK if you're unlucky. I only mention this because the terminals are close together so it's worth double checking before applying power. That's pretty much it. As I say the hole is the trickiest part. A 28mm panel hole punch and die would be ideal, but I couldn't be bothered to source one for a single job. Somebody else may have one or know someone who does. I hope this is useful, but if you have any doubts at all, maybe just leave it to a pro. A proper auto engineer or custom trimmer ought to be able to do this with ease. In th eend it only took me about an hour, with a plenty of pauses to stop and check things.

Just a short post to show a mod that I've been planning for over a year, but had to work up the determination to get it done. Shortly after getting the car I fitted a CTEK Comfort Connect dongle to the battery extension terminals under the front cover, such that the socket tail ran into the wiper/washer rain gutter tray. That way I could fish out the socket and plug in a CTEK charger which hangs from the garage rafters and is always on. It works OK, but can be fiddly to fish out the connector, which sits behind the washer stalks to keep it out of the way. I always thought that a break away solution like the Apple MagSafe connector would be great, and I found a 12v, 15A solution called MagCode, by Rosenberger (stocked by Mobile Centre, who I've always had good dealings with for JW Speaker LED headlights etc.) I fitted one to the Caterham, which was using a Hella connector, and it proved ideal for easy connect/disconnect. So, onto the Exige. I designed and printed a dummy receptacle to mock up positioning in the rain gutter, and found a good site on the vertical wall of the tray, so that the cable would emerge from the wiper cutout. I tried it with the spring loaded cap they provide, but the clearance was way too tight, so I intend to try printing a low profile cap in a soft TPU plastic and giving the connector surfaces a light coating of contact grease. But now for the reveal...

Thanks Austen, That does look like a good fit. Should just be a drop in replacement for my Pioneer HU, which itself was a replacement for the Clarion to give better sound and iPhone bluetooth integration. I'll keep an eye on Halfords for more sale action, that was a storming price you got.

@Edinburgh 111s Please do post pics when you've got it sorted. I'm also interested in this unit so would love to see how well it fits. Cheers

It doesn't look impossible, but there would be a few parts needed to retrofit: https://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?MAK=1&MDL=40&TBL=11923&SMA=&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0 Hard to be certain that the bolt points are identical (they don't look it), the crash structure has changed part number for the 410 and 350 VIN 11049 onwards, so could be different pick up. see https://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?MAK=1&MDL=40&TBL=11913&SMA=&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0 I'm assuming you'd be looking to modify your existing grille, rather than replace with the new 410 etc. grille, which appears to fit from the rear with completely different mounting points... https://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?MAK=1&MDL=40&TBL=11929&SMA=&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0

Lovely Barry Is there a brace between the towers at the top?

Lotus Ennui perhaps? 🤣

Scott is always worth a listen. Such a clear explainer. From my watching I'd say the Atom has quite a different set of behaviours though (consistent with my observations of Atoms IRL). I think George and others covered off what's happening for Wilson nicely and it reminds my of Andy Walsh's "The Wall" exercise, where you arrive at an imaginary 90 degree corner and turn in without braking. The base habit is usually to turn in further and more sharply than the tyre can support, requesting more slip angle than it can give, which pushes you into understeer. About a second later, depending upon the car and the tyre, enough speed is scrubbed off by that understeer for the fronts to bite, which causes often sharp oversteer, without even going near the brake pedal or lifting off in the corner. Ahh, found one (not mine) Andy gets you to hold the wheel as lightly as possible to feel where the natural grip is, before the tyre is overwhelmed and the self aligning force drops away. Hope that's of some help On the drag down the straight, vs the Audi, I agree with Alastair the 350 isn't head and shoulders above a range of other performance cars these days in that scenario. I can't help thinking that at speed you are building quite a bit of drag from open windows. Just a thought.

I think I might be able to offer some info here. I have one of these lifts https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-7630-mobile-scissor-lift/ I got it when we started building our Caterham. In a single width garage it made access to the car much easier than static axle stands. As an aside, I actually built a single timber frame to support the chassis rails and cinched everything down to that for stability. Now for working on the Caterham I just use the standard puck style lift pads. It's worth knowing there are two basic styles of car scissor lift. Ones like mine that although they have flat decks that end up between the wheels are not really there for lifting most vehicles. Lifting is done with swing-out, sliding arms, which have lifting pads that in turn slide upon the arms. This gives you a large amount of adjustability, very similar to a 2 post lift, but unfortunately obstruct access to the centre of the floor. Less of a problem with an Elise/Exige, but the Caterham likes to keep its gearbox around there Please note that the form factor is narrow enough that the decks actually fit completely inside the track of the car, so that the tyres do not drive over the decks at all. This does prove a problem with low ground clearance cars. The height of the mechanism when fully flat is 15cm, the Exige splitter is about 12cm. Same story with the Caterham sump. So what I've done is laid two rows of concrete blocks, flat to the floor, to form a shallow "pit" for the lift. I then made a pair of shallow angle ramps to drive up and onto the blocks... The second style of scissor lift is very much designed to lift from the decks, using sliding pads on top of the decks. These are pretty much useless for either a Seven or a Lotus, unless you were extremely lucky on the precise dimensions of the decks. These lifts, as you can tell from the flap down ramps, are so wide that the car drives over the decks. These are fine for normal cars though, with jackable steel sills.

Looking awesome Imran! I just watched the scoops video on YT, noticed the driver's door is sitting low, hence marring the otherwise very nice shut alignment of the scoop. Ooh! Did I just see new stocks being added to the store?

Cheers. Foam tape now added. Noise gone. Full disclosure, I got Stratton to do it yesterday. I'd gone over to get the A/C sorted. I haven't been using it much at all and the seals had dried out enough to lose much of the gas. Note to self: use the A/C.

Ah, Interesting. That does seem to be where the noise is coming from, but I think we all know that these noises can be really deceptive. So am I understanding right that you removed the soft-top "Latch Plates" and installed the tape between those and the painted side of the roll hoop cover bodywork? In that case I guess there was no need to remove the trim under the roll hoop, right? Thanks

I know this is a common one, so I imagine plenty of you have had this and fixed it. I'm assuming the clam is rubbing against the roll hoop itself. Am I best removing just the trim from the underside of the hoop? Is the rubbing surface likely to be the front of the hoop against the vertical face or more over the top of the hoop? Cheers Martyn

Hey Gary How did you get on with your search? I'm based in Cambridge near the Science Park, with the Flame Red 350 Sport if that helps.

Yeah, I have one of these https://www.raceglaze.co.uk/car-care-exterior/rinsing-water-filters/car-wash-water-filter-14-litre-tall/ Not crazy cheap, but refillable with the resin beads. If you found a cheaper source, excellent work.

Nice. I like the screw reinforcement. Is that nylon or PETG? Pretty sure PLA or ABS will have trouble with petrol vapour.

If you don't mind buying a spare cap into the deal, this might be an option... http://www.hangar111.com/shop/lotus-exige-s2-s-replacement-parts/640-official-lotus-genuine-fuel-filler-cap.html I'd offer to print you a new part in nylon, but I doubt it would be strong enough to last.