Nick Chan

Hi, A place has come up on our trip over to Le Mans leaving Portsmouth Thursday morning via Le Harve at 07.30 and coming back on Monday evening at 17.45 through Calais. We are stopping at a camp site away from Le Mans for a couple of days and then going to watch the race on Saturday with a final night back at the original site. We have a hotel booking for Saturday night for 3 double rooms and will now be using only two of them. For the trip we have paid £143.25 each for the ferries and camping for 3 nights for 1 car and 1 person. The hotel on Saturday is about £30 to include a continental breakfast (paid on the day). There is an admin charge of £30 to change the booking with P&O. This admin fee will be assumed within the trip charge of £140 if anyone is interested in taking advantage of this last minute change of plans. Can you call me ASAP on 0705 015 2863 to discuss details or even just to change the booking to use the ferry tickets to get over and not too bother with the camping element with us in which case the booking could be for 1 seven and 2 people - although I expect there would be some sort of foot passenger charge for the extra person to our original booking. Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬 Edited by - Nick Chan on 9 Jun 2003 12:18:01

This one confounds me because my speedo has some fairly wide swings but the miles on the odometer tally fairly well to the cycle computer I also use! I have set the trip on both and they can be a couple of miles of each other and yet the speedo might have spent most of the time around the 20/30 mph mark - although it might be compensated by the time at 80/90 mph - whilst still doing a "fairly constant" 70 on the motorway . I just ignore the standard speedo now... Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Fred, I am having problems sending an email to you. Could you post your email address up or send me a message on nick.chan@btopenworld.com as I have managed to mislay yours after the Googles purchase Thanks Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Fred, YHM Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

My 97 car doesn't have them fitted which I prefer. When I took the car for servicing at Millwood they did mention that they ought to be fitted and they could organise it for me.... until I mentioned that the car had only recently been MOT'd and the garage were perfectly happy with having indicators to the front and back only. Not sure on the legislation but it wasn't a problem for me! [E] HTH Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Marc Hicks was after one yesterday (see here) on the Wanted forum. Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Martyn, Thanks! Just back from 50 mile blat around Staffordshire and now blatchatting... ah, bliss! I'll call you when we are at Stoneleigh or just look out for the no. plate "A2.0 VX" Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Martyn, Can I have the hood bag, wind deflectors and wing proctectors off you? Can you bring them to Stoneleigh for me? Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Steve, I tried rad weld in mine for a small seep but it didn't work. So after a couple of attempts messing around I took it into a local radiator repair place and he welded the corner for a tenner - just where it catches the nose cone and must have worn the corner thin. All sorted and you hardly notice the repair. Took a couple of hours or so It might save you messing around and problems esp. if the queues to get in are as bad as last year... HTH Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Thanks Chris and Arnie for the information. Arnie, unfortunately, I haven't got the original belt as this snapped and is probably in the Cheshire countryside I popped into Halfords with the QBA788 reference and they supplied me with their Halfords equivalent (HB787a). According to the chap, the numbers refer to the length in mm and 1 mm is not going to make a difference. He checked his manuals and the HB787a is a suitable replacement for QBA788. The problem is now that when I come to fit the belt, I can drop the new one over the crankshaft & alternator pulleys WITHOUT slackening the alternator adjustment off at all and there's (not surprisingly!) plenty of slack still to be taken up. So the question is now, did I have the wrong belt on in the first place (the alternator is tightened about a quarter way along the adjustment bracket - from the block) or is someone at Halfords giving me a little bit of incorrect advice! As the car is stuck in the garage at the moment, I haven't managed to loosen off the alternator to take up the slack but I wondered if I have the right belt anyway? Any ideas? Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Hi, Can anyone let me know the part number for the alternator fanbelt for the 2.0 litre VX engine. I'll see if the local Halfords branch carries it otherwise its missed blatting sessions tomorrow whilst I wait for the post from Caterham.... Thanks Nick PS Big to Andy Griffiths for coming out to sort out my car with a replacement dry sump pump belt too - definitely one to carry now in the car!! Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Andy, YHM Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Fred, Got my SG1 googles (from the other thread) today and they are definitely the dogs do-dahhs. Just glad I got in in time! Sorry Simon.... Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Fred, Thanks for email. Cheque is in the post! Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Fred, YHM Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Fred, Have you got any pairs left or are they taken up now? Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Pierre, As Angus suggested, I have seen a neat arrangement on a car last year where the two helmets were positioned on top of the bootcover (presumably the boot was full and something was underneath to provide some support) and behind each headrest with a securing strap tying them to the support bars of the rollbar. I think the helmet had some cloth to stop damage to the bar/helmet but they looked securely fastened and undamaged. Use a cycle lock and this will stop anyone stealing them as well HTH Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Thanks Rob. Just had a look on ebay and searching on Caterham shows nothing more than £40! Will keep looking though Anyone else? Thanks Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Thanks Mark for the reply. I'll pass the details on to friend. I had a look at your website, how many miles has the car done now (I had a read of the Classic and Sportscar write-up)? Anymore suggestions for a cheap seven at all? Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Years ago when Caterham sold the kits without the helpful black indelible pen marks, ISTR that I had the car on a level surface and measured from the floor to the bottom of light unit per the legal regulations. As you have the rear light still on the other wing, its easy enough to measure the distance from the bottom of this unit to the ground and to replicate it on the other side. Measure the distance from the body to the inner side face of the light and using the light block itself, mark the first point to drill on the wing. This will give you a point to secure the light base which (hopefully 😳) matches the other side. Using a small spirit level to ensure the light is truly horizontal (another good reason to have the car on a level surface!) on the wing, drill the remainder of the holes, ensuring the base doesn't move and there you have it.... On fitting the wing itself, when you offer the wing up and you will be able to mark at least one hole from within the boot area onto the wing face. This will help to hold the wing on for the other holes and allow you to pivot it to make the fit correct. Even if the first hole (or any other one thinking about it!) is slightly out, using the big plate washers allows for the holes to be expanded as the washer does the work of holding the wing in place rather than the hole itself. For the holes towards the front of the wing where the captive nuts are, screw the bolts in most of the way and put a little dab of tippex or paint on the head and offer the wing up. When the bolt head comes into contact with the inner face of the wing , it will leave a mark for you to drill. HTH and I'm not teaching "grandmother to suck eggs!!" Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Neil, The place for the Sigma BC1400 I have got is in Congleton on 01260 297837 or at www.cyclestore.co.uk here and it was charged at £21.49 and included P&P ISTR so that can't be bad! Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

YW Sin, Sure the loop is out when you disconnect the red/positive as well, but as you might have found if you undo the positive first and touch the chassis, sparks fly! as the negative is still connected. Disconnecting the earth/black first means that inadvertent contact with the chassis/engine does not cause any problems because the negative terminal is ALREADY connected to the chassis via the earth strap and so any additional contact between the negative terminal and the chassis is not a problem HTH Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Hi All, Long shot this one but I have a friend who is after a seven and is considering a Westf1eld.... I am trying to persuade him to go all the way (oo-er!) and buy a Caterham but he is on a limited budget. I am trying to get him to the £7k limit. Does anyone have or know of a car around this price that I can tempt him with rather than let him go to the other side 😳 I'd appreciate any suggestions either here or by email to nick.chan@btopenworld.com Thanks Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

As the negative terminal is already connected to the chassis so any contact with the spanner to the chassis, engine etc. when disconnecting the lead has no effect at all on the battery. As Lawrence then says disconnecting the live teminal and touching any chassis, engine point is safe because the battery is effectively out of the loop (or should than read, circuit) HTH Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

Neil is that really you... have you got the car out then? With the last vestiges of winter so the seven comes out . Good one Maybe I'll catch up with you over the weekend. Cheers Nick Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬