Why change them? Its a great question to ask before such a move (and I am asking it) but in general terms that horse has long bolted with this car... The radiator is half the height and the engine twice the power so cooling is a bit more of an issue that it was - putting aside the change in traffic conditions. (I'm in SE London). Cooling issues are another story entirely, but being able to turn on an electric fan and a water pump is a fairly common wish with prewar cars. As a special weight is an obsession and development is very much part of the fun.
My godson lives somewhere where he can go for a bike ride all morning and not see a soul. Not the same issues. He's no need for indicators or hazards and the only reason he's going to stop is for a chat.
The other question that gets asked all the time is "why not buy a Caterham and be done with it", and the answer to that is I built the thing (in what feels like a previous life) so there's a strong tie there, I like the narrow tyres and vibration and the way it rides and the cable brakes and the LACK of performance, for all I'm doing my best to improve it, as an academic and engineering exercise as much as to get me to work ten mins earlier. There's a saying that in mid life you want to buy the cars of your youth, I'm in the position where I still own one of them for all its been off the road 18 years and I'm not as supple or competition minded as I once was...
Another option - a genuine option here - is to detune the engine, rebody, run a standard height radiator. With a mechanical pump there's only the ignition load out and about in the day. With LED bulbs I can have brake lights as bright as I like on 6v. I'm mostly driving with street lights so "seeing where I'm going" is less of an issue.
...or buy a standard car...
My godson lives somewhere where he can go for a bike ride all morning and not see a soul. Not the same issues. He's no need for indicators or hazards and the only reason he's going to stop is for a chat.
The other question that gets asked all the time is "why not buy a Caterham and be done with it", and the answer to that is I built the thing (in what feels like a previous life) so there's a strong tie there, I like the narrow tyres and vibration and the way it rides and the cable brakes and the LACK of performance, for all I'm doing my best to improve it, as an academic and engineering exercise as much as to get me to work ten mins earlier. There's a saying that in mid life you want to buy the cars of your youth, I'm in the position where I still own one of them for all its been off the road 18 years and I'm not as supple or competition minded as I once was...
Another option - a genuine option here - is to detune the engine, rebody, run a standard height radiator. With a mechanical pump there's only the ignition load out and about in the day. With LED bulbs I can have brake lights as bright as I like on 6v. I'm mostly driving with street lights so "seeing where I'm going" is less of an issue.
...or buy a standard car...