madmaninshed

Camber at front is approx 1.3 degrees negative, and nearer 1 degree at the rear.

I will check tomorrow.

Well I took the plunge and got an initial reading, and did a repeat test to check it. The front is 25" toe in at the moment, and although I heard that the Trackace system is only for front wheels, I couldn't see why it wouldn't work on the rear, so did the same for the rear. That came out at 35" toe in. At least the wheels aren't pointing in vastly different directions. I haven't done a squareness test yet. For general road use, is it worth adjusting from those figures please, or are they acceptable?

It looks to me as if I do have camber adjustment after all, so I will try to set it up with very slight toe in or parallel. There seem to be about 6 threads visible on the drivers side for the toe in/out adjustment, and about 12 on the passenger side. The steering wheel is slightly off straight when the car drives straight. This seems to have changed since I raised the rack, which concerns me. I have a steering wheel clamp. Should I start by taking the steering wheel off and putting it back on straight in the position the car drives straight, or should I get the steering wheel straight by turning the adjusters please? Sorry to be so thick, but I'd rather ask and learn.

Hi Rob, That's really helpful. Thank you. I will get to work. Cheers, Paul.

Hi rkeywood, Thanks for your post. Here is a picture of the front suspension setup. I think you are right. Perhaps someone can confirm. Anyone want a cheap unused camber and castor gauge? Is that 1/8" total toe in please, or 1/8" per side, and excuse ignorance, but how do you convert to degrees please? I'll get there in the end. Really appreciate the help.

Thanks Jonathan, you kindly sent those to me already. I'm so confused. The 1996 spec says front 0 deg 20" toe in, and the 1986 spec says 0 deg 25" toe out. The1991 spec that my car was set up to says between 0 deg 01" and 0 deg 15" but doesn't say if toe in or out. I have to set it somewhere. I'm guessing that for road use it probably doesn't matter, as long as it's roughly correct, and not tearing the tread off the tyres.

Hi, I have all the gear now to do my front wheel alignment. I was kindly sent the alignment spec for a 1986 de Dion Supersprint, but mine is a 1989 de Dion car. Please can anyone confirm if that will be correct? The car was last set up to a later k series spec, which is different. Many thanks, Paul.

Trackace, camber gauge and steering wheel clamp all on their way for under £150 from Amazon.fr so at least the front wheels should soon be pointing the right way, if I have the correct tracking spec?

Thanks James, that is very informative - great pictures, that make understanding easy. Having looked at Trackace videos, I feel fairly confident that I can do the front tracking, and also the camber, with a gauge. I simply don't trust most garages out here. We have a great English mechanic, but he doesn't do tracking. I have the results of the last time the tracking was done in the U.K., which I will try to upload. It was 10 years ago, but the car has only done 1000 miles since. I also have the Supersprint de Dion tracking spec from 1986. My car is 1989, which I hope is the same....however, I think the spec used, according to the result sheet was for a K series 1991 to 2011, so it looks to me as if it was probably set up completely wrong anyway Any comments on the report or whether the 1986 spec is correct for my car would be much appreciated.

Just a thought - is the rear wheel alignment adjustable on a de Dion Caterham Supersprint please?

Thank you 7 Wonders. I could buy the same camber gauge, sold as manufactured by EMVANV by Amazon.fr for only 21.99 Euros delivered, and the same alignment system for 109 Euros odd (again sold under another name) - so not a problem. 2 years ago, tracking here was 75 Euros. I believe this alignment system is just for the front wheels though, and then do I need a castor gauge, and a steering wheel clamp, or will the wife do? It would be good to do it myself. Thanks 22 Daz, that's very good to know.

I do understand what you are saying 7 Wonders. TBH I am a bit out of my depth. In the U.K., I would have gone to a recommended professional, but out here, wheel alignment is a joke. I have now found a company with a laser set-up, so I plan to go there soon. I used masking tape to indicate the precise position of the steering rack before removing it, and marks to show the top, in case it rotated in the clamps when I added the spacers. The first time, it didn't move, so when I went back and added an extra spacer, I didn't use tape. The rack rotated a fraction, causing the column to just touch against the engine. I loosened the bolts, rotated it back a tad, and all seems fine. There is a shoulder on the rack that fits snugly to the clamp on the passenger side, so I am sure the rack is positioned correctly left to right, but I am not 100% certain about the rotation. The column clears everything. Is this critical please? The car corners beautifully now over the bumps. I have to drive it for 20 mins to the tracking place, and hope there are some front tyres left when I get there.

Hi Jonathan, They are brand new, but only Toyo Proxes CF2's at 40 Euros on offer.

A very big thank you for all your input. I raised the rack by just under 8mm, using shims made from ally I had, and the result is quite simply amazing. I had this same problem with several previous cars, and particularly with a 2007 car we took to France. I find it hard to believe that Caterham never informed people of this (obviously well known) problem. My current car has been bouncing around for 34 years, with steering that was inferior to our ride on mower. This is the best modification I have ever done on any Caterham, and it was free. Presumably I now need to have the tracking adjusted. Is this very urgent please, or can I drive the car for a while as it is? Once again, thanks.

Thank you Ian, I have a lot of reading to do, but is the aim to get the tie rods perfectly horizontal please?

I hope that's the angle Jonathan.

II hope

Yes please Jonathan. The car is a 1989 de Dion Supersprint with Roger King 1800 plus package and adjustable dampers all round.

Wow!! Thanks guys, that's really helpful. I think it is bump steer. I can make up shims, and gradually raise the steering box, but am completely out of my depth with alignment etc, and nobody seems to trust local "experts". After new suspension arms were fitted to our daily driver, I took it to Angouleme for new tyres and tracking, but afterwards, the steering wheel was not even straight, and the car veers slightly across the road when pointed straight - just what you want!! Is it just the camber that will need adjusting once the rack is raised please? I found a vehicle alignment report from 10 years ago, done in Wales. TBH I don't understand it at all, and it says Caterham K series 1991- 2011, which is the wrong model..... Although 10 years ago, the car has only done 1000 miles since, as the last owner didn't use it, and I have been restoring it. The report shows specifications, initial readings, and final readings, but some of the final readings are further outside the specification figures than the initial ones. The car is for recreational road use only, so it just needs to be safe and enjoyable to drive fairly fast.

Hi, I have a de Dion Supersprint with gaz adjustable dampers. Our roads over here in France have virtually no traffic (except at lunchtime), but they are often very bumpy. I am experiencing a lot of uncomfortable kick back on the steering wheel. Tyres are 14" at 19 PSI. There seems to be very little slack in the steering, and the wheels start turning instantly the steering wheel is moved. The front wheel bearings have a very slight bit of play, and need tightening just a tad, but I can't spot anything obvious. I think that the car has always been the same, but it has previously been driven on smoother roads. Are there any things to check please, or is there a way of improving the steering, such as a steering damper of some type? Thanks for any advice. Cheers, Paul.

Thank you Rob,that's really informative. I would have got it all wrong. The oil cooler is in front of the radiator, as the car is an '89. The performance, and flexibility of the engine is amazing. I was very surprised. We can't easily register modern Caterhams over here in France, so it has to be over 30 years old, and registered as a car of collection, unless you are very wealthy. After Brexit, importing is also now very expensive, so this is likely to be my last one, and it is one of my favourites.

Hi, It's rubber glove time! I'm about to do an engine oil change, and have not done so before on a crossflow with oil cooler. I can measure the amount of oil that comes out, but was it correct in the first place? For old oil removal, is there a different procedure with a cooler please, or is it just a case of removing the sump plug, and waiting a while, then changing the filter please? Does anyone know the correct capacity with cooler, and are the dipsticks usually accurate? Thanks for any help.

Hi Jonathan, Please excuse sketch. It is the first time I have used this software, and I have no idea how to draw curves. The brackets would bolt under the chassis member at the front, and under the seat mount lugs at the back. Then the new seat bolts would go through both floor and brackets. Perhaps a continuous bar might be better as in Drumster's post.

Thank you all for your advice. The channels do seem to be the correct way to do it. However, if I carefully position a seat fully back in the cockpit, and with the adjusters slid forward, I could make a flat steel bracket about 74mm hole centre to hole centre for each front seat bolt. These brackets would be bolted to the original chassis mounts, and would lie flat under the floor to where the new wider positioned seat bolts will protrude through the aluminium floor. Similar longer flat brackets could be used from the new rear seat bolts to the original rear chassis seat mounting points. Using HT bolts etc, would that be strong enough, as it can be done by drilling only 4 holes per seat, and without delay or the cost of carriage and importing parts through the French customs?