NedK

I remember spinning mine before assembling the engine during the build. It did spin very freely. I would have thought that 18k miles was tiny compared to the expected lifespan, even if you have been caning it around Curborough! I'd have a chat with Caterham themselves. You probably have the highest mileage 160 out there, and they could be interested in having a look (before the rest of us show up with the same problem!). N

Simon Your track walk was really helpful. Much appreciated! Esp the bit about shaving off the Molehill... All the best Ned

No glare at all, even on a dark night. The inside of the hood is black, and doesn't really bounce the light around at all. With the normal hood on, of course, the LED strip doesn't show through the window if you mount it on the standard rollover bar. I'm not sure whether there's any detectable glow from behind - probably looks rather nice if there were! Ned

Hi Mark I definitely recommend a high-level brake light, fixed to the top of the rollover bar. Very cheap and easy, and makes a real different to visibility. Loads of posts on here about how to fit etc. You'll need the small extra loom from Caterham, unless you're a dab hand with connectors and soldering irons... Ned

Ditto. Corbeau are really helpful people. One technical guy called me out of the blue the day the order was shcedule to arrive, to explain in detail how to re-rig the buckle so the 'fixed' connection was the crotch strap rather than the inboard lapstrap. Top people. Ned

One bit of prep advice: buy some cheap thin foam carpet underlay in Homebase - about 13 quid for a big roll - and cover every inch of the car bodywork with it (taped on with normal masking tape). And some cheap pipe insulation to cover every inch of chassis tubing around the car. Doesn't guarantee a scratch-free build, but certainly helps. On engine hoists, does anyone have one to lend near Twickenham? I need one for a few weeks while I do the engine/chassis/bodywork shuffle on my Elan. (Happy to donate to charity etc) All the best Ned

It could be worth investing a fiver in one of the cheap OBD2 devices which plug in to the ECU. It should read out error codes onto your phone and might give a clue as to which component is playing up. Plus, when it's running properly you can bore your friends with lots of telemetry from the car... Ned

But they only sip petrol

I found it hard to be good, as the engine really wants to take off at 4000rpm... but I stuck with it. At the first service, the oil came out as clean as it went in, so I was pretty happy! N

Me too, Simon! Hamster, the mass air flow sensor is borrowed from a Renault Clio (part no 8200373771), in case they can't find one! Ned

Hi Ben I'm delighted you found the blog helpful! Whereabouts are you based? In the spring, I'm sure we will arrange another get-together for 160 owners, and it would be good to see you there, of course. All the best Ned

Ah that's good news, I'll have a look. Hopefully yes, both. Not sure about doing things with the L7C though - I'll see how the intro to sprinting thing goes! I'm in the middle of doing up a 1969 Lotus Elan at the moment, so will hopefully be able to take that on a track later in 2016 (lots of work to do in the meantime tho!). Ned

Hi all I've been out a few times on shortish trips over the winter - when the sun is out it's hard to resist. The car is doing very well, with no issues at all. I've got a FIA rollbar on order, as I want to do more trackdays this year. I've got one at Goodwood coming up in Feb. And I've also copied Martin's excellent idea of making a phone mount using the two tonneau popper bases on the top of the scuttle - very tidy. One thing that surprises me is that there aren't more 160s out there (or at least, on here). I wonder how many have been sold in the UK. Best to all, and see you when the salt is gone! Ned

Welcome hampster, and I hope you can get the car fixed asap and get on the road. Despite the appearance, under the bonnet is very modern technology. Have you tried hooking up an ODB2 to the engine management computer? There's a small port by your right knee (possibly covered by a large circular rubber grommet). That should give a readout of any errors the ECU has spotted. Best thing, of course, is to get Caterham to fix it, and honour the fact that you bought it from them (regardless of subsequent changes). Post some pics of the car if you have a minute? Ned

I'd support the idea that there needs to be a clear distinction between the Assembly Guide (which is written, edited and owned by Caterham), and the wiki, which is the property of the L7C. One forms part of the sales contract between an owner/builder and the company. The other is a very useful source of tips and tricks. Otherwise, it's going to be very hard to figure out who's to blame when something goes wrong. We can't expect CC to pick up the pieces if somebody follows a blog or wiki article to do something not specified in the AG, and then comes unstuck. Ned

It can definitely happen. Once you've got the kit, my advice would be to make sure you've got next weekend's jobs planned by Wednesday, so that you can call Derek and he'll get you the parts by Friday... This happened several times to me. N

All sorted. thanks to Simon's code. Now it has a modest over-read, which is more acceptable. By using GPS data from my phone, combined with the car's ECU data, I can log the two speeds on the same graph, and see the variance. Luckily, I've got better things to do! Thanks to all Ned

Of course, Simon, you've reminded me! Thanks very much for the info. I will have a play and put in the new code. You're right about the badger. I was worried it would have smashed the nosecone, or even just knocked the dzus fasteners out of alignment. But luckily not. Tougher than you'd imagine, given the bloody great clonk I felt through the car! All the best Ned

Hi Peter I'm off to Ally Pally on Sunday, for the Classic and Sports Car show. I was thinking of dropping into Hyde Park to see the send-off.. The dials and GPS etc are really easy. You can get a very cheap OBD2 sensor from eBay, which plugs into the multi-connector by your right knee (behind the big rubber IVA grommet unless you've removed it!). This talks to lots of phone apps (I use one called Torque), and send the engine data straight to the phone, along with GPS data. On the Goodwood track, I put this into a PC add called RaceRender (free unless you want a fancier version), and this ties the video, the OBD2 datra, and the GPS data altogether into one. You can even add a different soundtrack, multi camera angles etc etc etc...! Took a few minutes' thought to work it all out, but it's very useful. All the best Ned

Hi Jonathan I agree on the under-read. The speedo looks like a standard Caterham one, though its scale goes up to 160 (geddit?). There are two senders, which plug into each end of the live axle, and are collected up into the very complex loom. Everything presumably is added up by the ECU, so I imagine any calibration would be done there, rathe than in the instrument itself. It was good enough to pass its IVA, but presumably they weren't caning it on the rolling road.. Ned

I'm not sure if our speedo is exactly the same as others (we have a different rear axle, and a different ECU...). But I've realised that my speedo is out of whack with GPS speed. 60 on the clock is about 63 on the GPS 70 on the clock is actually 75 on GPS 80 on the clock (on the track, don't worry) was 87 on GPSAre you finding the same? I first noticed it as my MPG via the ECU didn't match what I was finding using the speedo's odometer. There must be a way of reprogramming I guess... (Peter, FYI I use a simple cheap OBD2 transmitter, plugged in by your right knee. It connected immediatetly with my phone, and lets me log GPS and engine sensors - hence my Goodwood video telemetry! ) Ned PS had my first prang yesterday. I hit a badger on a dark backroad when it ran out from a hedge. The only damage was the front number plate, which flew over my head and into a hedge. The badger (once I'd reversed to get him out from under the nost cone) ran off, presumably with a bad headache!

Ha! If anyone can tell me how to delete an unwanted post, I'd be very grateful...

Good to hear! I built mine earlier this year with my two sons (15 & 18), and it was a great experience for us all. Ned

One thing worth checking if you combine road and track insurance: does a prang on the track affect your no claims bonus for the road? I'm assuming it would, if you're combining the two. I've gone for Moris, who were really helpful today. Ned

Good to be in touch, James. We may be a small bunch, but we're friendly, at least! WIth your 160, you've taken the combined cc to over 4 litres! Ned