rockinroyston

Not exactly a technical enquiry & I'm not about to go on antiques road show... Hopefully I'm going to be picking my 310 up next week now that the IV's done & I have my plate documents... however for some reason I need to get a insurance valuation for Footman James.. seems a bit strange as you can see what the price is on the Caterham website & I have my list of 'extras' clearly identified on the cost sheet of doom that I filled in when I bought the car. does the lotus 7 club offer a valuation service??? & who do I contact... From: Roy Morley [mailto:rockinroyston@gmail.com] Sent: 06 May 2017 09:45 To: George Dodwell <George.Dodwell@footmanjames.co.uk> Subject: Re: 00-MORD59KC01 Open PrintManager Documents Hi Mr Morley, Thanks for your email. Unfortunately I don’t have the authority to agree that, despite it being brand new we would need a valuation to guarantee the value. This cannot be done by anyone who has worked on the vehicle themselves (i.e. Caterham). Though the Lotus 7 club will surely have someone qualified to fill you form in for you. Congratulations on the IVA and please ask me any questions. Kind regards, George

Thanks, apparently it takes about 10 days which is quicker than I was expecting! but I'm not holding my breath...

Got the call I wanted & it passed the IVA! Have had a few issues with Caterham re costs & stuff tho... still in discussions... As luck would have it I was in Brighton for a meeting so on the way back popped into Caterham to pick up all the docs & meet Michaela whjo went through everything with me. All off in the post this morning! So my car was looking a bit dismembered & was sitting in the rear car park looking a bit sad. Unfortunately the 310 up grade hasn't happened yet due to a busy bank holiday weekend so I couldn't get to hear it running which was 'disappointing' as its been with them since the 20th March... It would appear my smoke issue was because I over filled it with oil... what a numpty... & hadn't let the oil drain down properly... In my defense I was told the engine 'did not have oil in it' & then changed to it 'does have oil in it' when I loosened the super tight oil filter & loads of oil dumped onto the floor... When I checked the oil after running the engine I didn't leave it for 5 minutes to drain down so it looked fine... hopefully no lasting damage done but I'm ready for the argument :-( & no idea how they blagged it through the IVA with the smoky exhaust when they did the noise test at 5000 rpm! so point to their team for that one! Once I get the car back I will post all the new engine wiring routes & pipe routes that are 'essential' but not mentioned in the manual anywhere at all or during my frequent correspondence with Derek... cost me a small fortune (2.5hrs at £75-00 per hr)... I did make a couple of errors that I'll put my hand up to as well LOL, but nothing major except for the bloody rubber grommet on the top of the headlight stay (between the headlight & the bracket), my solution of double shrink tube was not acceptable apparently.... that was an expensive mistake. I should have stripped off all the caterham annoying floppy rubber tube stuff & just started it from scratch & done it with proper shrink tube, then the grommet would have fitted (maybe...). another 2.5hrs at £75-00 per hr to rectify.... apparently... Anyway... I've moved on & will post photo's to assist fellow blunderers get it right first time...

Hi Ivan My mounts arrived (aero) & they look great! even better than I thought they would. Just need my car back from PBCIVA world so I can fit them :-(

Good work! I'm still waiting for Caterham South to do the PBC, they've had it since 27th March... just want to know I haven't cocked up basically.... they will be doing the 310 up grade too & have confirmed this will be before the IVA on the 20th April so at least that will save some time... I have a very empty garage at the moment :-(

I've just completed my build & I enjoyed it a lot, I'm not a mechanical expert but not completely clueless either... However without the amazing bloggs everywhere & the patience of Derek it would have been an un necessary headache in a few area's. You ignore the build guide at your peril however it wrong foots you all the time. I also made the mistake of following the first part of the pictorial guide & ended up pretty much having to take it all apart again as a crucial fact (winding on the upper track rod ends equally) was omitted. Mine has now gone for the PBC & IVA but I'm fully expecting to find out I left off a crucial washer & everything needs to be taken apart... I'm quite diligent & can follow instructions so I shouldn't have to be worried about stuff like that... & don't get me started on the pedal box cover... one of my rivnuts came loose & trying to get the box off (with the bolt stuck in) was an unnecessary challenge! this must happen a lot so why they use this method of attachment is beyond me... The cost of getting the car built by Caterham isn't massive but I wanted to do it myself, I'm guessing most self builders take that view & that its not a cost saving reason. So I'm not sure then paying someone to build it 'with you' is that viable (unless the owner gives up & just wants it finished...).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caterham-7-Live-axle-rear-POWERFLEX-FRONT-ANTI-ROLL-BAR-BUSHES-19mm-PF8-905-19-/161561325655?hash=item259dce3057:m:mTku-DKFjZ4wCHHjX1ANVSg may be of interest

& there it was gone... lots of cheery tales about how rare it is for an amateur build to pass the IVA test first time... great! My tracking was so 'all over the place' it didn't really want to go up the ramp LOL! Glad he had a winch... So just a waiting game now & I'm dreading the 'you appear to have..... & it will cost you XXX to rectify' e-mail from Caterham...

So that's it finished! Went around all the IVA stuff & did a few last minute jobs like screwing in the interior side panels & then washed it lol... So last post for a while! to do: Car picked up 27th March by Caterham for PBC & 310 upgrade IVA booked for 20th April :-( & then the registration process begins...(on the basis it passes the IVA) Due to me needing to actually do some 'real work' I'm leaving the doors & hood for when it gets back. Also I didn't under seal the front wings so they can see that it is bonded properly. Not done the boot carpet so they can see the earth wire. very minor stuff. The only things I need CC to do ( I hope!) 1) replace a rivnut on the pedal box cover which annoyingly became detached 2) Tracking which is miles out 3) front headlight retaining clips on one side that just don't want to play ball & head light alignment which I didn't even attempt. 4) Tune the engine so it doesn't sound like its a demented tractor which will all link in with the 310 upgarde anyway.

Well maybe not LOL but a couple of duradots to hold the front on the windscreen & this will be a lot quicker than getting the top on when randomly parked up... Update) Just got a date for my IVA & its not until 20th April which is a bit disappointing. However I couldn't have started the process much quicker as DVSA require a photo of the complete car before they will press the final green 'book it in' button. If I'd known that I would have put the wheels nose cone & bonnet on a bit earlier. That would have saved me a week or so... it only needs to look finished in a photo... my DVSA contact is...'Aaron Ace'... thats got to be a made up name! But its worth people knowing... don't wait until you finish the car to start the process... Caterham (South) need 6 weeks notice to book in for a PBC (if you are getting them to do the IVA which I am) & apparently this gets longer once the sun comes out as all the existing owners decide to get their cars booked in for a post winter service... Car is being picked up by Caterham on the 27th March so at least they have plenty of time to rectify all my faults & sort out the 310 upgrade (looking on the positive side...). Rectified a few issues. Exhaust Re did the rear mount, thanks Andrew & Jerry for pointing out! Still seems to be under more side ways tension than I would have expected. I'll get Caterham to check this out... maybe my engine isn't in straight... nervous LOL.. Air inlet. Re drilled the airbox to give me some more rear movement & also added a couple of washers on one side to tilt it a bit. Now lines up with the hole in the bonnet much better! but still not perfect. It seems to me that the rubber hose is 1/4 inch too short & to get it onto the engine properly its pulling the airbox on its mountings. Another job for Mr Caterham.. maybe my engine isn't straight... more nervous laughter...

ive heard that clicking more times than i care to remember lol

I have now got to the wing mirror stage of the build & now understand what the issue is... any chance of getting on the list for some standards (or superlight...)?

Great day today! Finished off the headlight wiring & everything worked first time! for some reason the headlight keeps popping out of its clips on one side every time I touch it. I've re inserted them about 6 times now & given up... Caterham can sort that one... Put on the nose cone, struggled to get the last clip in but got there in the end Put on the bonnet & it looks great. Did notice the air intake doesn't line up with the holes at all well so I'm going to have to re drill the holes in the airbox. Its far too far forward basically. Bit annoying! Took the car down off its lofty perch & as with everyone who does this was still surprised how low it is! looks fab tho :-) Only issue that is now apparent is that I've put the exhaust bracket on the wrong way around & the exhaust is noticeably too low... not really apparent when its miles in the air! UPDATE: its completely wrong LOL, thanks Jerry & Andrew for highlighting... on the list to rectify! Been in Manchester for meetings all day so hopefully I'll sneak an hour or two in the garage tomorrow once I've cleared my e-mails :-( Still a few minor jobs, mirrors, wipers, doors & roof (I'll do these after the IVA) & an IVA cover whip around... all easy! So called it a day & tidied the garage for a few guests we have around tonight, out with the champagne is in order! & of course the influence of youth... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tra3Zi5ZWa0

Had a few hours in the garage & put the front wings on. Tried a new method of lining up & it seemed to work.... 1) Ground the paint off the wing stays where the bonding was going 2) Drilled a hole for the earth near the top of the stay underneath 3) With my electric glue gun temporarily glued on a cable tie in the centre of the wing stay & marked a distance of 80mm from the wing stay with a piece of masking tape 4) applied glue to the wing stay, Plexus MA300. This is is what I bought with the bigheads (when I was going to use these) but apparently Caterhams test Centre don't like cable ties on the wings & now they just bond them on. 5) put the wing on & lined the front up with the masking tape. The wings lined up with the wing stays pretty much so the only distance that seemed to be an issue was the 80mm. 6) squirted some more glue around the wing staywing & wiped it with a gloved finger so it didn't look such a mess.. & Job done! it was pretty easy at the end of the day so i'd been worrying unnecessarily... Fitted the side repeaters with shrink wrap on the wires & another layer of maplins spiral wrap for good measure. The most difficult task was getting the rubber grommet in the hole where the wire comes out.. pain in the butt! Had an e-mail from VOSA & they want a picture of the completed car to continue the process so nose conebonnetwing mirrors will go on tomorrow for a glamor shot! & then I can complete the wiring for the headlights.

Well after the engine start success I wandered around in the garage in a bit of a dream for a few hrs & didn't manage to achieve much. Got most of the rear lights working Brakes, indicators, side lights, number plate fog light... & completely forgot to check the reversing light... on the list for tomorrow. Update: Reversing light... tick! Took all the engine mount bolts out & put in the missing washers... Finished off the scuttle trim which has been half hanging off for a while... Started on the front wings & using my new stepped drill made short work of enlarging the hole in the wing... should have bought one of these earlier, what a great tool! thanks Jerry! threaded a wire through the wing stay with a view to using this to pull the main one through, looks straight forward enough anyway. Special treat & put on all the wheels! only temporarily but I needed a boost! it did make me realise how low the car is going to go... you get used to it being at the working height... haven't lowered it yet as I still have to bleed the brakes againspray a bit more dinatrol & repaint the inside of the wings with the black gooey underseal. So tomorrow I may glue (sorry I mean... 'bond') the wings on! doesn't look as bad as I feared now that I have all the bits together. Had a quick look at the IVA check list & I seem to have done 75% of it already so that's good! but I do seem to have run out of IVA strip to do the fuse box... my only e-mail of the day to Derek (& also checking which way round the indicators go...I think its fat end to the front as this is the way the pre drilled holes would seem to dictate)

Relieved is the word! I don't think it will be passing any emissions tests quite yet!

It started fine! Plenty of oil pressure on turn over & when running Electric fan kicked in & I didn't need to top up the water at all so it looks like I filled it OK. Cant get it to tick over very well (at all) & its running pretty rich by the smell of it, I assume this is a post build check thing? I suspect I have some leaks around the exhaust collector but difficult to tell in the garage with all the racketWD40copper grease burning off things... I assume this will settle down as it runs? certainly sounds loud in a small garage! Only thing that doesn't seem to be working is the fuel gauge. I have heard if you don't fill the tank up to full it doesn't set itself? unfortunately my new jerry can & spout was leaking like a sieve so I was struggling a bit on my own. I'll have another go when I have an assistant... Very happy! (& relieved...) For the you tubers ​& this seems so long ago! up date: Filled the tank & the gauge now works! just need to sort out the wingslights & wiring... UPDATE: WASHER WATCH After the washer set back with the rear radius arm I've been on a bit of a 'washer watch' & while 'tinkering' just spotted I didnt put any washers under the heads of the engine mounting point bolts... damn... on the list of jobs for today... glad I spotted this anyway! easy to rectify (as long as the bolts slip out OK...)

The day didnt start well... I'd been wondering about the torque on the rear bolt that attaches the radius arm to the Dion tube. Sent a picture to Derek & he confirmed it was 81nm (which is not really what the manual suggests) but he also pointed out I needed two chamfered washers, one each side... I scurried to the manual & this is not even mentioned... Derek agreed to a photo spot the ball on my set up to make sure nothing else has slipped the net. Soon discovered that I'd also left off 4 washers from the Dion tube on one side A silly mistake which I quickly rectified. I then got the thumbs up from Derek that my install seemed correct... In the meantime had an e-mail from Jerry Brown asking if I'd noticed the earth connection to the fuel tank... eeeerrr no...quick check & there it was jammed down inside the chassis. Had to take the floor out again so I could connect... couple hours of work & I was back to where I thought i'd got to yesterday.... So apart from re visiting stuff: Exhaust: Silencer now on & very nice it looks to! Lamda sensor: all connected up. Used a couple of cable tie pop riveted anchors & my new Maplin cable protector Battery: Put the battery back in. Briefly connected it up just to see if there would be a massive spark & all my fuses explode but the only thing happened was a whirring noise from the back. I can only assume this is the fuel pump but I was surprised it started up without the ignition being on... e-mail to Derek Garage: Tidied up my work area...Picked up the accumulation of litter & snipped cable ties in the garage, it was descending into chaos & I couldn't find stuff... So another day has successfully passed without me starting the engine! but I really have run out of tasks that I can claim need to be done... so tomorrows the day... once Derek has confirmed the whirring noise is normal, just need to get some petrol...

Been on my list for a while but needed to tick it off... took 3hrs & a bit of faf! 1) Disconnected the seat belts... & fitted the hood sticks 2) Put a slit in the cover & removed the bar 3) drilled out holes in the top edge of the cover to line up with existing holes & loosely put back all the bolts 4) 2 at a time put in the duradot connectors. This involved taking off the bolts each time... a very dull process! I also put the wrong backing bit on a couple of them & had to drill them off, luckily I seem to have a few spare... 5) Put back the metal bar into its sleeve (having first re drilled the holes) so the seat belt bolts could go through it... This job was made doubly dull as I didn't have a metal drill bit that was big enough & had to dremmel out each hole... I knew I wasn't going to enjoy this job... maybe I approached it with a poor attitude! but job done & it looks fine. So now need to do the 'carpets' in the boot & put on the filler protector. Over the weekend I had a few test pilots sitting in the car & it dawned on me that I should have put the big red belt connector on the centre console side not the side nearest to my delicate body skin... So another job for the list... hopefully it wont involve having to take the seats out... Update: it did involve taking the seats out as I couldnt get the torque wrench onto the bolts.... but job done & bodywork saved! So another day another 'not starting the car' achieved! but Amazon delivered a big Jerry can today so I can waste a another day buying some petrol & doing a few essential random time consuming jobs....

Actually got some work done on the car on a weekend & put on the rear wings. No major issues but a small amount of damage :-( In my head I decided to put the wing protectors on before I fitted the wing. Abandoned this idea as juggling a floppy painted wing & non co-operative rubber trim was a pain to say the least! So on wing (one) I fitted the wing firmly & then half fitted the wing protector. Then removed the wing & completed the rivets next to the body work. I removed the radius arms & had to dremmel out the hole a bit so it all fitted ok. The second to rear bolt on the wing is a super pig to get on & how anyone with fat fingers can do this beyond me! I did it in the end but did loose a few washers that fell between the chassis & the skin never to be seen again... On the second wing I went for the same approach but when I lightly tightened up one of the bolts I heard a crack & yes I'd cracked the wing... On inspection it seemed like someone has skimped on the fibre glass as it was super thin along the edge.. not happy. I repaired with a layer of plastic Araldite & then re drilled the hole. A very small crackstar is visible but its right on the rubber trim so I think I'll just have to get over it... Decided I didn't want to take the wing off again so did the wing protectors with the wing in situ. This was actually really easy & I just held a piece of cardboard between the drill & the bodywork. Very easy with no issues, I'd do it this way if I ever had to do it again. Loosely fitted the rear lights. In my mind I am a rubber grommet missing but I'm guessing its meant to go in the bodywork hole & the fitting hole on the fibre glass wing doesn't need one... e-mailed Derek for clarification. UPDATE: Derek has confirmed the rubber grommet goes in the body skin. The fibre glass hole doesn't need one.. I have a few sitting around in the shed so I may fit one anyway. Looks like it will get the full blast from the road so why not... Got number one son to paint under seal inside of the wings to assist with stone flick 'staring' situations.. he loved that LOL.

I was wondering if anyone read them LOL, ive PM'd you.

Not updated for a while as my computer crashed just as I was about to save my blog which was some what annoying! going to save as I go along next time... So this covers about 2 days of work spread over a few sessions. Rear ARB, now done, Caterham now no longer use the hex extender... put the car on the Dion tube & torqued up all the rear bolts. I was surprised how little the suspension deflected but checked with Derek & this is normal Interior, this is now all done. Only issues I had were with the sill protectors... whilst I was fiddling on the windscreen end the other end was scraping all my paint off... The sill protector is really sharp! & I decided to put some IVA trip over the end of it as it could take your finger off. I'm sure the carbon ones are fine but the steel ones are a liability... I was much more careful on the other side & used masking tape on the edges... just need to get it all off now.. haven't pop riveted all the sides yet until I've worked out where the arm rest goes in relation to the random doors & roof stuff... Also haven't carpeted the boot area yet as I decide to paint it with 'never drying hammerite' hopefully it will dry eventually! must be cold in the garage. speed sensor, used some Maplin spiral wire protector that I have just discovered! great stuff & I'll be using it elsewhere too. Hand brake, re routed the hand brake as per Dereks instructions & then secured using the 'team Ivan method' with back to back P clips. (Wasn't keen on the tie wrap method). Used 2 cut down brackets from B & Q to secure the top to the ali boot cross brace. The cables are now well away from any spinning objects & the hand brake appears to work... job done Boot floor, the ali strut was pressed against the diff which can't be good so I drilled out the rivets & raised it with 3 small nuts held in with a bolt. The floor is now in & its fine, had to trim about 2mm off the ali honeycomb bit to get it to fit. & thats about it! rather optimistically I have booked in my car to be picked up my caterham on the 27th March so the pressure is on! also started the IVA process & have my booking reference which is now being watched by Caterham... I regretted doing this almost immediately because up to this point I've been pretty chilled out re the project but for 'real work' reasons I need to get a shift on otherwise it wont be done til October... So main things on the 'to do' list: Front wings (a worry...) Front light wiring completion (been putting this off...) rear wings & rear lights boot cover & roof 'sticks' Start the engine up (a worry...) Do an IVA idiot check... Put the wheels, nose cone & bonnet on.... Bleed the brakes again....

Suffered a bit of a hold up.. Without going into the whys & wherefore's my front ARB had the wrong sticker on it (orange) so I used an orange bush... this bush was meant for the rear ARB & I should have used a red one.. (obviously) A few conversations with Derek which wavered dangerously toward me having to drain the cooling system & take off the front ARB... we reached a compromise... The orange ones will remain on the front & may possibly (or may not) degrade quicker than the red ones, in a few years I will know... & he will send me two orange ones for the back.. I was getting decidedly twitchy about the prospect of draining the cooling system & taking off the ARB... So back to the build... Rear suspension, all good but await the Orange bushes. Also my anti roll bar didn't come with the hexagonal extender. Derek has confirmed they no longer use this & I just need to spin the ends by 180 degrees & all will be fine, this is the way it is now done. Hand brake cable... This has been the first occasion I almost threw the teddies out of the pram as getting the end piece over the arm on the caliper looked impossible... realised that I hadn't fully loosened off the white nut (I thought I had but obviously my tugging & pulling resulted in more slack being needed). Once I did this everything was fine. I have incorrectly routed the right hand pipe through a hole in the chasis next to the rear brake pipe. In my head this is an ideal routing as its well away from the half shaft, is fully secure & gives a nice curve to the cable. Derek disagrees & I need to route it along underneath the half shaft & attach with cable ties. ho hum. I will concede to this but wont be using cable ties & be using the team ivans method with p clips. http://www.elmwoodnet.co.uk/teamivans/?p=676 Bled the brakes, tried using my brake bleeding tool which I think struggled with dealing with an empty system. Drafted in the lads & did it the old way, I now have some pedal but ran out of fluid so I need to buy some more & do it again... & again... Filled the diff, needed more than 1l as does everyone else so I have no idea why CC only send out a 1L pack, fortunately I knew this, also had to buy an allen key socket to fit the filler cap, Amazon prime is my best friend! as mentioned by others this oil does stink... not pleasant. Filled cooling system. No issues here, did it slowly & took off the top pipe to the heater & held it up high until water came out of the top heater connection. Filled the engine with oil, as per one of my previous posts I was informed that the engine was full of oil... it isn't... would never have started the engine without checking the dip stick but a tad annoying... Spent a few hours on the engine bay with a pile of cable ties, its now looking much neater but still a bit unsure re the massive plug that just hangs above the bell housing... I cant see way of improving this situation as its so cramped in there just getting a cable tie on it is a challenge & then what to tie it to.... I've sort of hit the wing projects & interior fit out quicker than I expected & need to get my head around the manual.. all the other projects attempted so far I've probably read a thousand times (not that its helped that much...). The blogs have proved invaluable it has to be said!

A bit of progress made today. Built up the disc & hub, 4 bolts (short heads) with loctite to 35 nm. This isn't in the manual (that I saw) which is why I left it off LOL. The bolts are non metric... the braking system does seem to involve a few non metric fixings... Took brake calipers off & added the spacer that I missed out. This had a knock on affect as the brake pipe now didn't align as well as it did. Got there in the end but I was verging on stripping the brass connector a few times... quite relieved when it finally engaged properly Brake pads, made a bit of a cock up here as I thought the clips went on the outside of the caliper... they don't... Not much assistance from the manual in this area tho. I was also thrown by having lots of important looking black bolts in my pack. After a few confusing e-mailsphoto's between myself & Derek it became apparent I didn't need them as my calipers were already put together when I got them with suitable (not black) bolts in situ... Rear flexible brake pipe: I'm glad I did this before doing the right hand side ears! it made access much easier. Could only put one washer under the end that goes to the chassis as with two the union wouldn't have tightened on the pipe. Had a head scratch re the locking nut on the other end & came to the conclusion it had to lock down onto the union. Again a non metric connection scenario involved here. & the nut holding on the union to the tube is non metric. Doing the drivers side was much easier! On the near side I had waited until everything was in place before I torqued up (including the disc brakehub...). This made torque wrench access quite difficult on occasions! this time I torqued up what I could BEFORE I put the disc on... Loosely fitted the speed sensor which seemed to line up with the cog. Just received a replacement hub nut from Derek for the drivers side that is 41mm (same as the near side)... so now I don't need to buy a large 41.5mm socket which I will use once... One point... I didn't want a repeat of my brake connection to the caliper issue again so I loosely bolted it in before I connected any caliper bolts at all. Obviously I had to be a bit careful when I slipped it over the disc but far easier than trying to bend pipes in situ...As mentioned before, because I'd pre set the dion tube up on the bench & not used the spacers on the caliper the brake pipe alignment was slightly out. So next on the list... rear anti roll bar, hand brake cable, re do the brake pads, take the weight on the dion tube & torque up all the rear suspension nuts & bolts. & then maybe into 'soft goods'! But probably finish the wiring in the engine bay, final plumbing connections (now I have all the clamps I need), make a first attempt at bleeding the brakes. Without me really noticing I seem to have cracked all the main engineering construction tasks & I'm onto fiddly stuff in the next day or so... I reckon I've done about 10 to 15 hrs a week (including staring at my carreading manuals & Blogsfinding parts & drinking tea) & I'm in week 4 of my build.

Thanks all just going through my bloggs & hadn't seen these replies, I thought you got an e-mail when people commented but obviously not!