Vauxhall 1.6 Caterham
Discussion
Has anyone had any experience of a Seven using a Vauxhall 1.6 engine?
I've seen one I like the look of and I've been put off K-Series cars with tales of chronic overheating issues!
I know the Vauxhall engine was used for a while but you don't seem to see that many in the ads?
I'm waiting for the owner to get back yo me but it looks like it's running on carbs?
Cheers
I've seen one I like the look of and I've been put off K-Series cars with tales of chronic overheating issues!
I know the Vauxhall engine was used for a while but you don't seem to see that many in the ads?
I'm waiting for the owner to get back yo me but it looks like it's running on carbs?
Cheers
I just got rid of a 1.6vx on twin webber 40's about a month ago. (Its for sale at sevens and classics I believe)
It was a good car to start with but it needed a lot of TLC to keep it running well. The carbs I never figured how they worked.... black magic to me. So it needed adjustment to keep in shape every few months. It drank a huge amount petrol (if putting the foot down about 15mpg at best).
It wasn't the most nimble of caterhams, compared to my 1.8k now.
The engine definitely had a personality and sounded fantastic and had huge amounts of room under the bonnet so when servicing made life easy. The engine had character but I was always worried something would go wrong...
The issue I would say is power... mine after being set up I chucked it on the RR and got 95bhp, there isn't much modification you can do to the engine as anything you would want to do would have to be specially made (opposed to a C20xe where you can go to SBD) I was going to change to a C20xe but this started costing way too much, circa £10,000 with added components to allow you to use the 200ish BHP of the engine (Replace ITAL axle with English, rear brakes to drum, Fuel injected tank etc.)
So to summarise; if you are looking for a car for lazy summer evenings and a 'slow' drive and not too worried about fuel consumption then go for it, if you want to track it and ring the nuts off it then probably not the right one.
This is all my opinion so you might like it.
It was a good car to start with but it needed a lot of TLC to keep it running well. The carbs I never figured how they worked.... black magic to me. So it needed adjustment to keep in shape every few months. It drank a huge amount petrol (if putting the foot down about 15mpg at best).
It wasn't the most nimble of caterhams, compared to my 1.8k now.
The engine definitely had a personality and sounded fantastic and had huge amounts of room under the bonnet so when servicing made life easy. The engine had character but I was always worried something would go wrong...
The issue I would say is power... mine after being set up I chucked it on the RR and got 95bhp, there isn't much modification you can do to the engine as anything you would want to do would have to be specially made (opposed to a C20xe where you can go to SBD) I was going to change to a C20xe but this started costing way too much, circa £10,000 with added components to allow you to use the 200ish BHP of the engine (Replace ITAL axle with English, rear brakes to drum, Fuel injected tank etc.)
So to summarise; if you are looking for a car for lazy summer evenings and a 'slow' drive and not too worried about fuel consumption then go for it, if you want to track it and ring the nuts off it then probably not the right one.
This is all my opinion so you might like it.
Owned a 1.6 vx for the last 4.5 years.
I think the main selling point is that along with the crossflow engined cars, these are about the newest cars you can own which which have a number of key features in common with the earliest Lotus 7s; i.e. Live axle at rear, partial upper wishbone at front, carburated iron block engine in the middle etc etc. As such they have a certain 'classic' appeal while retaining the reliability of a comparatively modern engine. There is also a racing championship using this particular spec car so the car and / or any spares you chose to sell will have a market. They are very simple cars to work on, the engines are unburstable and with only 100bhp to deal with the gearbox will be too.
Because of the fairly primitive suspension you're best advised to fit slightly rubbish tyres, preferably 185/70r13 which means that what you end up with is a car not unlike the current 165 model- low power, low grip, accessible performance which'll see you having fun on 20mph roundabouts as well as long sweeping roads where you can easily access the car's limits and really learn to use it's potential. As such I have met several people who have upgraded from a 1.6 vx and still consider that car to have been the 'most fun'.
I think that a lot of people 'upgrade' prematurely with Caterhams because they get suckered into squirting down the bits between the corners and enjoying mental acceleration. With less power and grip you can corner on the limit at sub-license losing speeds. Even with only 100bhp you can expect 0-60 in between 6 and 7 seconds. I usually got more like 25mpg on the road, during a race I'd get more like 13.
I think the main drawback is that the de-dion cars are much more planted at the back end on rough surfaces
I think the main selling point is that along with the crossflow engined cars, these are about the newest cars you can own which which have a number of key features in common with the earliest Lotus 7s; i.e. Live axle at rear, partial upper wishbone at front, carburated iron block engine in the middle etc etc. As such they have a certain 'classic' appeal while retaining the reliability of a comparatively modern engine. There is also a racing championship using this particular spec car so the car and / or any spares you chose to sell will have a market. They are very simple cars to work on, the engines are unburstable and with only 100bhp to deal with the gearbox will be too.
Because of the fairly primitive suspension you're best advised to fit slightly rubbish tyres, preferably 185/70r13 which means that what you end up with is a car not unlike the current 165 model- low power, low grip, accessible performance which'll see you having fun on 20mph roundabouts as well as long sweeping roads where you can easily access the car's limits and really learn to use it's potential. As such I have met several people who have upgraded from a 1.6 vx and still consider that car to have been the 'most fun'.
I think that a lot of people 'upgrade' prematurely with Caterhams because they get suckered into squirting down the bits between the corners and enjoying mental acceleration. With less power and grip you can corner on the limit at sub-license losing speeds. Even with only 100bhp you can expect 0-60 in between 6 and 7 seconds. I usually got more like 25mpg on the road, during a race I'd get more like 13.
I think the main drawback is that the de-dion cars are much more planted at the back end on rough surfaces
The K is a peach of an engine in a Seven and in 50k miles in Ks I never had a problem with anything of note and never any overheating. Drove the Vauxhall engined car only a short distance but without being unkind to owners let's just say that the K feels on a different planet in terms of response, sound and go.
I think every engine will have problems.
The K series is more available engine for spares etc. The Vx engine I had trouble finding anything for it, I needed a starter motor, went around 8 shops and finally got one by the employee cross referencing about 5 times and told me to go to another outlet to get it about 30 miles away (this happened 1 day before I was going on a 1,000mile trip to france). Even then it needed a bit of modification ( grounding out the thread).
The K series is more available engine for spares etc. The Vx engine I had trouble finding anything for it, I needed a starter motor, went around 8 shops and finally got one by the employee cross referencing about 5 times and told me to go to another outlet to get it about 30 miles away (this happened 1 day before I was going on a 1,000mile trip to france). Even then it needed a bit of modification ( grounding out the thread).
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