skmelrose

Many thanks to all who have replied, this is a great organisation. I am still waiting on the insurance company, surprise, surprise but,knowing unofficially that it will be written off, I dither between going for the rebuild if I can buy the wreck or starting over. LHD caterhams are rarer than hen's teeth here and the insurance industry is getting difficult on RHD. I am still interested to know if there are companies or individuals who would undertake the rebuild if I shipped the remains over in a crate. My doctor did find a small bruise fading on my back and my write hand little finger knuckle was sore for a couple of days, no surprise as the wheel was bent around my hand but, truly, no ill effects. I am getting lots of suggestions from my family, especially daughters that its time for lawn bowling or shuffleboard.

Hi I have had a lot of very helpful advice on this forum as I worked my way through various issues on my 1992 HPC but, sadly, it is now sitting crumpled in the pound waiting on the insurance company. I survived completely unhurt under circumstances that simply beggar belief as a Hyundai drove on top of me as I was stopped at an intersection. No one at the scene; police, ambulance, fire brigade or spectators could believe I was alive, let alone unhurt. It will be written off as getting anyone to fix it here is not really feasible but is irreplaceable as such. If I can buy the wreck from the insurer it could be crated and sent over to the UK and rebuilt with a new Arch chassis. I have no idea how to go about this or who to consider and I have been told by a variety of experts here to simply move on as the price would be crazy. The car was sat on and has the left front suspension twisted/pushed in and the steering column pushed back but the engine, gearbox, back axle, wheels etc all look OK. I would attach pictures but am unsure if that is possible. Any advice would be welcome.

Hi Having successfully removed and rebuilt the carbs on my 1992 HPC Vauxhall Red Top, I am now trying to sort out the battery. The car came with a lead acid unit intended for a lawn tractor with a rating of 350 cold cranking amps. There is no mention of capacity so when I look at Li-Ion options it is impossible to choose a size. The exiting battery is positioned under the carbs and is a total pig to get in and out so I am looking for a smaller unit. Antigravity suggested a unit that is 30 amp/hr and 800 CCA but it is the same size as the existing one. Demon-tweeks list Varleys ranging from 13 -20 Ah and 156-230 CCA as possible choices. In the end, I am looking for rating advice as I will have to source here in Canada. On a separate topic, I have discovered that the car has a LSD which is exciting but can anyone tell me what sort came with HPCs and what oil to use? As usual it is going down to -23C windchill tonight with the usual mix of snow, ice, gales and general winter pestilence but, one day, the snow will go, the roads will loose their frost heaves and the garage door will open again. As always, any advice will be much appreciated.

Vauxhall red top

Hi As the snow starts to fall and the temperature drops, I am starting on my winter projects. The first one is to remove the carbs and give them a proper clean will all new gaskets, seals and springs. The car sat for 20 years prior to being put back on the road and I have been 'enjoying' various excitements with sticking, flooding and leaking. There is almost no clearance under the carbs and I am struggling to remove the 8 x 1/2" nuts, especially on the front carb. We have been grinding down spanners but the one at the front has defeated me so far. Does anyone have handy hints or recommendations short of removing the engine? The car has been all I could have hoped for, the lifelong dream lived up to my expectations so now I am working on the detail. On a different subject, did the HPCs come with LSD. Caterham recently and very kindly sent me a copy of the original PO and it is not mentioned there. The brochures and promo stuff and quoted the LSD. Many thanks

I am due to have the carbs looked at tomorrow. It will be an adjustment rather than the required rebild. Does anyone have experience on either of FI systems offered by QED and SBD. I have access to a rolling road staffed with happy subaru geeks who do not really know what a carburetor is. They are keen to have a go but........

I did not take a picture of the before candle lights but will try and sort out an after. The bulbs are a straight drop in replacement. Simon

Bit of both I suspect. I love all the noise, popping and banging, especially when it all comes together and the car tries to leave me behind. I suspect that the carbs just need some real TLC and a properly sorted throttle linkage. It is a little messy as its LHD so a very long cable. The cause of much of the discussion is that the Caterham is replacing our old Westfalia van that spent more time on the recovery truck than actually driving so SWMBO is deeply suspicious of any signs of having to call, in our case, CAA.

Just had a night time run home along mixed roads. I had fitted LED bulbs and am happy to report great performance. No one complained, good cutoff and dip as well as excellent range. These are fitted in my '92 7 inch lamps on my HPC. http://stores.advmonster.com/native-h4/ These guys offer great service; their torch is amazing and I have used the same bulb in my Yamaha ADV. Safe Driving

Hi Much as I am enjoying my car, it is proving pretty cranky to drive. I had the webers setup and it ran very well indeed for a while but now suffers from an occasional sticking throttle as well as poor idling and starting. I bought the full gasket set and new throttle cable and plan to strip the webers down and rebuild in the winter. It is worth noting that the car was off the road for 20 years before refurbishment and being put back on the road and the carbs were flushed but not re-gasketed. Now to the question, is it worth changing to fuel injection? Both QED and SBD offer similar setups and a weekend of adventure biking reminded me how well FI deals with all the issues: temperature, humidity, pressure, starting etc. My mechanic is very good at sorting webers but always suggests that driving pleasure requires easy starting, clean fueling and reliability. My wife agrees*smile* Coming home a couple of days ago required both left foot braking and heeling and toeing just to keep it from stalling in the traffic. It reminded me of various cars in my youth; wonderful when on song and annoying when not. Can you say highly tuned minis, Alfa Romeo etc. I would very much appreciate any suggestions or comments as I am heading to the UK in 2 weeks and could arrange to collect things then. thanks as usual

I am trying to adjust the handbrake on my 1992 HPC. I do not have an assembly guide for this era Caterham so would much appreciate a little help here. The photo above looks similar for the brake attachment but not for the anti roll bar As I work on this I noted that my rear springs are yellow while the front are blue, does the colour denote spring rate? On the plus side the car is going really very well and getting lots of attention as the only known caterham 7 on the road in Nova Scotia. Thanks as usual

Hi Everyone I just want to thank all those who have provided answers, everyone is in agreement so I am going with the consensus opinion and ordering the foam. Once I have it here, I will see if any of the local race guys have access to the foam for future replacement. The local rule here in Nova Scotia is that we need three good rains to wash the salt off the roads before venturing out. Today we have sunshine and plus temperatures (just) and both the bikers and car people are getting excited. Thanks again, this is a great resource. Simon

Hi I went through the topics and have been unable to sort out an answer to the following question: The car is a 1992 HPC that had been in storage for many years before being put back on the road. Forum members were a huge help with my previous questions so here's hoping. Do I need to buy and install a foam anti surge baffle. I have no idea what is in there at present. I am not planning on racing the car but may do a track day at some point. It is still too cold in the garage to drop the sump but there are some signs of Spring. I have all he gaskets but not the foam as SBD does not carry them. While I am under there I am looking to remove the existing lead acid battery and replace it with a lithium one that is removable in the winter without taking off the carbs. Regardless of the snow and ice, I get to go and pat the car so it is truly proving year round please. Thanks in advance

Many thanks to all who responded, it is much appreciated. I have been waiting since I was 18 to own a Lotus or Caterham and at 71 it has finally happened. I am still going through an adrenalin rush every time I go into the barn and alternate between trying to get it perfect to preserve it or drive it as it was intended, so probably a little of both. It is probably time to cut down on my motorbiking anyway. The car is a 1992 not 3, I am getting old,VX engined with webers and built by a local car dealer. He owned it until last year when he sold it to a collector/dealer who got it serviced and running again. The oil filter sits by the front of the sump and is obviously vulnerable hence my query. It has all the normal stuff and is badged as an HPC although the VIN# says that it is a kit built clubman. It is -2 but sunny outside with a predicted wind chill in the teens so it is now in the barn until the spring.

HI I have just bought a 1993 HPC. It was bought as a kit and built in Canada so is LHD. Over the winter I will be going through the car although it is in wonderful condition with less than 10k miles. On our bumpy roads here in Nova Scotia ground clearance is a major issue so I a looking at a remote oil filter and, maybe, a sump shield of some sort. Any advice as to where to buy and where to fit it would be appreciated.