Handwheels

I've got a 42mm one available here in Essex, plus a 1/2" to 3/4" adaptor. Sent details to Shaun for the club equipment list Richard

It was free delivery on the one I ordered, which didn't have the "A" suffix. In reality sure the £11.24 for a little piece of plastic includes the 'free postage' !

The T piece I've just ordered is https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115121342570 This is slightly different from the link Jonathan put in his message. Think I've ordered the right one (GATES T CONNECTOR - 19MM - 7315-00935)

"If there's a plastic T piece suggest you replace with a brass one..." Chris covered this in his build bible https://caterham420detailedbuildblog.co.uk/2019/12/19/engine-plumbing-part-1/ (sure he'll be along soon...) I tried to get the 250C rated replacement that he suggested when I did my build last summer, but unfortunately I couldn't track one down. It's on my winter list to try and find one, or something very similar. I'm not confident with the CC supplied one that is only rated to 110C UPDATE - just been on ebay and someone is selling the high spec Gates T Piece. Wish they had been selling them last June!! Just ordered one as yet another Caterham stocking-filler. Sure my wife will be pleased. Richard

Hi, If it's still available then I'll snap it up :) I'll drop you a PM. Cheers, Richard

That was us having a Suffolk weekend break away from home in Chelmsford. Had a night with friends in Bildeston & I mistakenly thought it would be dry so decided to take a long-cut via Aldeburgh. At least it dried up for drive back to Essex on Sunday Shame we got spotted with the full hood on!! Richard

Chris - no worries. I wouldn't sell it if I were you!! Been looking on the Classic Additions website; curious if you got the standard soft indoor cover or the more expensive super soft stretchy one? Trying to manage my upgaditus spend so wondering if the extra cost of the stretchy one is worth it.

Chris, Wondered if you've still got your cover & are still looking to sell it? - PM sent Richard

Can I have the boot bag please :) I'll PM you shortly

I built my 420R this summer in a garage attached to my house and got laid up insurance through A-Plan. It also provided cover for when I took it on a trailer down to Gatwick for its PBC and also when I drove it to/from the IVA test. Once the dvla eventually registered I then updated it with A-Plan to their normal policy.. As I recall the laid up insurance only covered parts that were fitted to the car - i.e. the car became more valuable as the build progressed. However, I was comfortable with this because I kept parts (except the engine!) in my house until I needed them. I'd recommend calling the various Caterham friendly insurance companies, incl A-Plan, that always get a positive mention on blatchat. I also invested in a fire extinguisher - just in case!! Richard

That must have been me :) That's amazing - Seven finally got registered at approximately 12:54 yesterday & got spotted within 5 hours of the DVLA letting us free!! On way from Chelmsford to Stansted Mountfitchit to pick up my fellow builder (Handwheels Jnr), before heading back to Club Night at Galleywood. Had worse days.

Graham - don't think they are exactly the same floor tiles as the ones on the BigDug website (but I could be wrong). I decided to settle on the DuraTiles for a few reasons, including the various positive reviews I read. There seems to be a national shortage of tiles at the moment but Duramat gave me confidence that they will actually be able to supply me within my short deadline as they manufacture their tiles themselves. Also good to give a local Essex company a bit of business - & save on delivery by picking them up! I finally managed to get a high resolution image for the 'entrance' tile - fingers crossed it all works out well Richard

Kingsley - I came across this pic of your impressive looking floor in an old thread, which gave me the idea of getting a Seven tile printed. Thanks for sowing the seed...

Obvious really ☹️. Although I did look as a non-signed 'guest' and it didn't appear as new/updated. I just need to be more confident in my posting skills!

This is what I'm after - think it would look good on a black tile... By the way does anyone know why original message has only appeared on the Tech Talk part of the forum and not the New/Updated not? Richard

I've ordered a black DuraTile floor for the garage I'm building, and have discovered that they can print individual tiles, either in black & white or colour. I would like the current "Caterham Made in Great Britain" nose cone badge - ideally in colour rather than pure black and white - printed on a tile at the garage entrance . Just in case I forget what I'm building! Wondered if anyone has access to a high resolution image or could point me to where I can find one. Thanks, Richard

Hi - I was in exactly the same position as you late last year, although I had the chance to hire a 310r for a weekend plus test a 360 and a 420r. I loved the 310 but once I'd driven the 420 I was seduced by the extra torque and even more brutal acceleration. I got lots of useful feedback to my post asking for advice - google "newbie help needed" and you should find it. I eventually settled on a 420r S3 with lowered floors and both the full screen and aero screen. Slowly ticking off the days left until early May when the big build starts. Lovely dilemma to have

John - no need for any 'self promotion' as I've watched you build your Seven in 30 minutes more than once already! I also used your Fish and Chips run video to help explain and justify why we needed to join the Seven gang. I've printed off the Ikea manual (and the old style one) and now plan to go through go through the build blogs and add the non-cc hints and tips. Already noticed that the Ikea manual is very 'light' in places so I'll be spending a lot of time looking at your, Chris's and the Caterham Cave blogs to fill in the gaps/caverns. Cheers Richard

I'm looking forward to when we are allowed to meet up at Gt Baddow, and eventually joining my first Essex blat in my completed Seven is definitely one of my major targets. Sure you'll be hearing lots from May onwards!

I'll be building it with assistance from one of my sons. He's recently started an apprenticeship with Ford so will be doing an additional Caterham module next year! Delivery is due sometime in May, although wonder if Brexit &/or Covid will slow things down a bit if components get held up.

Thought it was time for an update as two months later I've finally made a decision and signed on the dotted line this morning. Eventually settled on a S3 420R with lowered floors as its bonkers Jekyll & Hyde character was just too seductive, but mainly to prevent the 'what if...' question popping up in the future. Options I've decided to go for are 13" Apollo wheels (8" at rear), interchangeable windscreen/aero screen (last minute addition), battery cut-off switch, track-day roll bar, leather seats, removable Momo wheel & heater. I had already decided on the colour (vintage green with yellow stripes) about 30 years ago - so that was the one simple choice. Really appreciate all the amazing and invaluable advice I got from my original posting - ChrisC your offline comments and offers of support deserve a special thanks. Now just need to convert my carport into a garage and then build it...

ScottR400D - I'll be getting a kit so will consider the option you (strongly!) suggest. Appreciate that other feedback is go with the standard Titan, and then when it needs a rebuild after 2 years I swap it out for a SPC. Based on the 15 pages of comments in the recent Titan thread I'd be working on the assumption that the lifespan of my one (in a mainly road used Seven) would be low end of 'not very long', especially if I do go for a 420. Yet more food for thought...

7Up - I need to work out to delete your comment "My feedback for you (2 years of 420R):- I find it underpowered (in a straight line)" - if my son sees that he'll start sending me links to adverts for secondhand 620Rs again!! You mentioned wishing you had shift lights. Is that for track use, or do you miss them on the road too? This could be something for my winter 2022 upgrade list :) Cheers, Richard

If you can do a snowy Stelvio (sounds amazing) with a half hood then that's made my mind up - interesting to see how much cc reduce price by when i 'down grade' to a half hood. II can dust down my old walking/cycling Ortlieb bags to keep my stuff dry. Thanks

Thanks for all the comments - lots of food for thought. Main things & questions that jump out to me are; LSD - I hadn't really picked up on the concerns about the Titan diff of doom before. Just spent ages reading the 'BMW/Titan LSD viability' thread - very interesting & I'm now questioning my plan to include one in my spec. Sounds like I had the same experience as everyone else who has test driven a car at CC and questioned the painful clunking of the diff - "they all do that and you're sitting right on top of it". It seems like the sensible thing to do is to get an open diff and then get SPC to convert it. Not sure if I would have to wait until my CC warranty run out before doing this. Would welcome any thoughts on what it would be like driving a 420 with an open diff in the meantime - although a 420S has an open diff as standard. R or S Pack - Now beginning to think the S Pack might suit my needs better, plus a 420S would be slightly more affordable than a 420R. Also the S comes with an open diff, although I'll give CC a call to see if they would supply a 420R with an open diff & check how much they'd cut the price by. My original thinking was that if I'm finally going to get a Seven I might as well get as hardcore one as possible. 310 or 420 - Before I posted my initial post I had concluded that the choice was really between a 310 & 420, & not a 360 (due to my wet sump paranoia). Seems that this is the general consensus. ChrisC - you mentioned that you increased the ride height on your 360. How did that affect the handling? (i've been studying your excellent blog in great detail!) I know a 310 would suit me perfectly, but I am defiantly drawn to a 'bonkers' 420 & am doing lots of man-maths in my head to justify the extra expenditure. Hood options (Mandalman) - Even if I'm going to do some trips to wetter parts of the UK (i.e West Coast of Scotland), would it be sensible to ditch the full hood that no one seems to use, & get a half hood & shower cap instead? Tyres/Wheels - now I've started looking at the 420S on the CC configurator I've noticed that the standard wheels are 14" with 185/60 tyres front & rear. I don't want a car with too much grip, but surely with 210 horses I'd need to upgrade to 13" wheels with 8" on the rear? I'm surprised that 185/60 on the rear is even an option. Finally, CTRMint - I've had to stop looking at your blog because it's causing me too much painful garage-envy. Cheers, R