build question - engine install

[myothercarsa2cv]

So as it turns out, MarchHare does indeed have the wrong footwell!

 

Is it an SV one? My footwell, from the top, goes diagonally straight down to the floor, whereas Marks goes vertically down for a bit, then diagonally back, if you see what I mean... Width is the same, but this means it's got about an inch less clearance on the bellhousing. Bummer. 🙆🏻

 

Thanks for the half hood Mark , you are my hero! Was a very pleasant journey, despite the rain! Oh and yes there was mega tailbacks on the bridge because of the tolls. *mad*

 

John

_________________________

 

Bugsy: '82 2cv6 (Gearbox imploded )

Talloulah: '08 1.6K Classic (Tarnishing nicely ☹️)

[MarchHare2008]

Big, Big thanks John for taking the trouble to drive 30 miles round the M25 in torrential freezing rain (and with no heater!) just to help me diagnose the problem.

 

It was the only way that I could be sure what the problem was but Caterham now accept that the footwell needs modification and will collect the car, remove the engine, fix the chassis and put it all back together again. I just need to finish the rear suspension so I have a rolling chassis in order to enable them to transport it more easily.

 

To do that I need the drive shafts. None available for the last three weeks, apparently. Whatever happened to "just in time" manufacturing processes? Maybe, in the spirit of Colin Chapman, I could knock some up with an old broom handle and some duck tape........

 

 

[CJS]

I've been waiting for replacement bushes for three weeks now.

 

Reminds me of the 'good old days' before I was married...

[Gridgway]

Is the engine just wedged in then? It's good for Caterham to be taking it out and fixing the problem, but will it not get damaged being transported there?

 

Has anyone come across an actual chassis problem like this before? Never seen one mentioned!

 

Graham

[BBL]

I had a similar bell housing-to-left-hand-side footwell interference in my car, but mine is a S3 with a Duratec, as well as left hand drive, so not exactly apples-to-apples. I took a 15 tooth per inch flat bastard file to the bell housing, and now it fits. Took me a good long while though!

 

---

Sean

[MarchHare2008]

The bell housing is just touching the footwell. Transporting the car might well result in a bit of damage but it would be to the footwell not the bell housing as the leading edge of the footwell is just formed from (soft) aluminium panels (there are no chassis tubes on this edge). As this will be cut out it doesn't really matter if it gets a bit dented. I will try to post up some pictures of the footwell from the inside as this shows most clearly the design. Essentially the builder has added a circa 10 cm vertical plate at the front top of the footwell before angling back to the base. On John's metric chassis car the footwell just goes diagonally back from top edge to base. The net effect is to bring the inner leading edge forward by 3 or 4 cm (trying to stick with a metric theme here!).

 

I don't know for sure whether this is a cock-up or if they have recently modified the chassis as it is quite possible that there would be no issue for sigma or durtech engines. Anyway fair play for caterham for agreeing to pick the car up, modify and return.

 

Now, where are those bloody driveshafts.........?

 

 

 

Edited by - MarchHare on 2 Dec 2008 11:47:59

[Alaskossie]

The configuration of your passenger footbox sounds like the configuration of a lhd driver's side footbox on an Arch Motors-derived S3 (the footbox on which the fabricated steel pedal box is mounted). The lhd driver's footbox has a horizontal panel, through which the steering shaft passes in a grommet.

 

Perhaps that is why BBL (and presumably me, when I reach that point in my build), will have interference problems with the 2.3 Durtatec bell housing and the driver's footbox.

 

Alaskossie

[MarchHare2008]

That makes a lot of sense and answers another question I had because there are three round holes in this vertical section, over which an additional plate has been rivetted. Presumably these holes are where the pedal cables would exit the footwell. Does this mean that not only is the CDX a parts bin special with respect to the Rover engine but I have even got a converted surplus LHD chassis? I did notice that there is a channel in the scuttle to accommodate the steering column on the left hand side but I assumed this was just a standard feature on the metric chassis so any chassis could go to any market.

 

The strange thing is that the construction of the pedal box on the right hand side is different and doesn't have the vertical plate.

 

One further thought; the pedal box/footwell constructiuon is possibly not directly linked to the chassis build. I don't think the footwell is built around chasis tubes but rather is just constructed by rivetting aluminium sheets together. I suppose responsibility for this might be quite separate from the chassis.

 

Edited by - MarchHare on 3 Dec 2008 22:36:32

[Grubbster]

What was the outcome of all this - did it get properly sorted?

 

Edit - well I know it was because you are now on the road - what I meant was how was it resolved, what was actually wrong?

 

Solent Se7ens Web!

 

Edited by - Grubbster on 19 Feb 2009 09:22:48