Catch Can Questions

[Mark w]

I haven’t looked at this thread for a while but referring to the picture on post no 38 I had a similar issue when I replaced my 620 radiator after the mounting arrangement for that changed .

i elongated the fixing holes in the rad so I could move it sideways enough for the hose to clear the chassis mounting point . You also need to cut one side of the rubber bobbin a bit to reduce the circumference at the hose point . 

Its a bit of a fiddle but it does work .

[Mark w]

I’ve now read the rest of the thread and see your past that obstacle ! 

On the subject of the nose cone does it clash on both sides or just one ? Top or bottom ?

i was wondering if the side fixing rails on the rad had been welded on slightly out of tolerance . If so easing the fixing slots and repositioning the radiator might give a solution . ( you can remove and replace the captive nuts on the rad by carefully bending the plate away from the core . Yes I know that sounds brutal but it does work ..

[John Vine]

In fact I can’t find that one at all; what’s the thread title? 

I googled "pistonheads 420R" and came up with this:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=101&t=1700308

(I didn't notice at first but it's dated Oct 2017.)

JV

[CtrMint]

Guys,

Its Sunday afternoon and I should be working on the car, but I'm not due the details in the thread, but I am still wondering what to do.  

Obviously I have some irons in the fire already including emailing McDonald, selling up, but I'm wondering if a 3rd option might be to seek support from an independent specialist?  I'm not paying 90GBP/hr to sort issues, however if an independent could help, say supply lights made up etc I might have chance to move beyond the negativity and finish.

Is this unrealistic?  Any recommendations?

Sorry slightly off topic I know.

 

[Mark w]

I am sure you could get some help that way .

Maybe a member could offer to do it for a beer if you paid the carriage ? 

Theres plenty of people in the club who have the experience of building several cars and / or know what they’ve done to improve niggles along the way .

I sort of know how you feel about the radiator issue . The rad on my 620R sprung a leak and the replacement wasn’t an easy fix as whilst superficially the same all the fixing details had changed . I went through the rigmarole of having to cut down bobbins ( and I even drove 150 miles round trip to change the rad when I thought it was a duff one and I needed it fitted for a track day in 48 hours time . - Caterham had 5 in stock and we opened all the boxes to find they were all the same ) it hasn’t put me off the car though . Over the 22 years I’ve owned Caterham’s I’ve got used to the hassle , discomfort , sometime unreliable nature because I don’t get the same “ fix” from any other car I’ve had ( and that includes Porsche GT3) 

Stick with it , the 420 will be great when you’ve got over these initial hurdles . 

 

ps can you post a link to the supplier of the smaller bobbin please .

 

[Mark w]

PS 

Ive never had to empty the catch tank on my 620 in 11,000 miles so it wouldn’t worry me if the cap was slightly inaccessible . 

[ScottR400D]

Referring to CtrMint’s last post, what’s the problem with the lights? 

If it’s just how to do it, no decent info in the manual etc, check out Dan French’s original blog. He has a good explanation of doing the lighting, and once you’ve done some of it you’ll find it all goes pretty easily. 

One thing about persevering with build yourself is that at the end you have a really good understanding of the car. 

[John Vine]

Maybe a member could offer to do it for a beer if you paid the carriage ? 

How many members are there on the IOM?  I know of one, Derek Batty, who posts on BC, but he can't be the only one, surely?

I suggest you BM Derek and ask if he knows of others.  I'm sure someone would be willing to help you.  You could even post on BC asking for IOM members, or ask Sam Pearce to forward your request to any she knows about.

(Now, if it was TT or MGP time, that would be different!)

JV

 

[CtrMint]

PM me your address, I'll send you a spare in the post.  I had to buy 4 (min order size) and only needed one so you are more than welcome to one.  If you buy one you'll end up with 4 too.

Alternatively the company is Polymax, www.polymax.co.uk

Item, B2015M820-1.5
Description  Cyl. Mount (M/F) 20x15mm M8x20 50 ShA
Item Price £2.57

[Mark w]

[CtrMint]

The situation with the lights......

I built the lights early on following a blog post, which included passing the indicator light up into the headlight bowl etc.  The job was a pig and a half, but I did it.  I picked them up the other day to finish and mount to the car, mainly because it was an outstanding item I needed to finish and I'd left them off so they didn't get damaged.  

Each headlight needed the cabling passing through the bracket with the grommet.  I tried for hours, tried every trick in the box, including cutting grommets, differing size grommets, put various parts of the cabling in.  I even resorted to grinding the hole bigger with a die grinder, Nothing worked. One of the brackets looks really rough now and I still can't get a grommet in.  The bracket probably is fine, but I'm a bit of perfectionist so want it look immaculate.

This occurred after my despair with the radiator etc.  Probably wasn't the best strategy.  I need to replace the bracket, but I don't have the inclination to rebuild the light.  Thus I approached CC for ready built set, they told me to do one.  Thus I'm considering a 3rd party to pay.

The problem is I'm so disappointed with car and the service I've no energy or desire for it.  I've not updated my blog for weeks which is also a massive shame too.

https://www.caterham7diaries.com

That said, I did go to the car this afternoon.  The harnesses are now fitted, no issues.

[SM25T]

There used to be a few Caterham owners on the IOM in our days of annual club weekend visits ... 2007-13 inclusive.

[Jim 123]

With the grommet that does not fit on one side, have you got all of the wires inside the shrink wrap running parallel and not slightly twisted.  Also have you got maximum shrink or the wire wrapping. It sounds possible that there is a little excess circumference with that length of wiring that is reducing space in the mount aperture for the grommet.

[CtrMint]

Jim,

I believe I got everything straight.  I heated the wrapping up but it just went soft rather than shrink.  In the end I cut the wrapping down and applied so other heat shrink, still didn't work.

[Jim 123]

Just speculating Mark, but if the original CC supplied heat shrink went floppy, do you know  is your heat source is delivering the required heat level uniformly along the target. From memory you should be applying about 120 C to get max reduction, and the starting diameter of the replacement wrap can be a factor that has more bearing in this situation than anywhere else. The grommet will still be a pain to fit, and you probably used up your weekly quota of luck with the side that worked.

[ScottR400D]

I remember that car back in ‘17. I note it says that the rad, nose set up was ‘bespoke’ and the implication is that it was suggested by his builder, on the grounds of ‘better quality’. 

I doubt that our OP here would agree with the last point!

 

 

[ScottR400D]

From memory CC don’t supply heat shrink just a black plastic tubing that will melt if heated. 

I and others supplied our own tube and heatshrunk it. 

[CtrMint]

The trial and error I ended up doing that anyway.

[CtrMint]

Spent some time on the nose cone today, I still can’t fit it, it’s rubbing on both sides at the top, so it’s not as though it’s off center.  Can still only get one clip in,  I’ve  given up and requested the old design.

 

[ScottR400D]

The old design of what? Radiator/OC?

The nose you gave us the old design. If you are staying with the rad setup they’ve given you, you need the new nose. 

[CtrMint]

I have the old nose and the new rad/OC at present.  I've tried again today to make it work, and just can't, as per the comments here.

I've emailed CC asking for the  old rad and cooler setup, I'm currently waiting for a response.

[Geoff Brown]

I built my R400D in 2013 & I cannot believe that much has changed in regard to the light wiring installation. 

The way I did it was coating the loom with cooking oil & using 22 gauge ss wire carefully attached to the connectors to pull through. I then fitted the grommets afterwards by carefully cutting them half through & poking in the hole. When in place you could not tell that they had been cut.

Yes, the entry point into the headlight bowl can be a bit problematical but again nothing that cannot be overcome.

[Jim 123]

Are the bottom nose cone fasteners both securing OK.  How far away from position is the top fastener that will not engage.

[John Vine]

...I still can’t fit it, it’s rubbing on both sides at the top...

Hmmm...  I feel there was a certain inevitability about that!

I've emailed CC asking for the  old rad and cooler setup, I'm currently waiting for a response.

That's the simplest solution, provided you're prepared to refit the oil hoses.  But it's possible CC might offer you a race nosecone instead.  If they did, would you be interested in that?

JV

 

[ScottR400D]

A ‘certain inevitability’! Spot on!

IMO the nose you have with the ‘old’ rad set up would be the way to go. At least the top hose will fit properly (which it should given that it’s what it was designed for).