paul richards

Good guys. Callum (ex Caterham) knows his stuff. Have been recommended by a few people. 

2 hours ago, 7 wonders of the world said:

No, if the shaft was lightly greased on assembly and a little clearance left as the nyloc nut is fitted all should be well.

Not sure this is correct. In my experience the accelerator pedal is held by a bolt into a captivated nut in the chassis. There is a bush in the bracket upon which the pedal rotates. Bush enables the bolt to be fully tightened without pinching the pedal. I’d suggest dismantling and cleaning then applying a little copper grease before reassembly. 

I have the DRE shift lights and these are simply held directly on top of the scuttle with Velcro. Admittedly they are probably lighter than the Aces ones but may be worth investigating other forms of attachment. Or perhaps make a new bracket. I’m assuming it’s just a thin piece of bent bar with a couple of holes. 

Rattling layshaft. Noise disppears when clutch depressed. They all do it. Nothing to worry about. 

7 hours ago, graearea said:

 “I don't want that much metal spike around my knees in a crash. (maybe I should say "yet another" metal spike) “

In the event of a crash I doubt a piece of metal the size of a small pencil will present much of a problem  

1 hour ago, SM25T said:

Mine was M5 on 2002 car

Ian. I stand corrected. M5 is the right size. I purchased 2 x 50mm long for £6.64. 

2 hours ago, SM25T said:

Easy fix here with a hex spacer bar ... M5 male one end and M5 female the other, using the original knob.

Yes Ian. A better and cheap solution. They are called “Standoffs” if anyone is searching for them. Are you sure they are M5. From memory I think you need M4. Best to check first. 

I’ve had my Optimate connected via a socket for 20+ years with no problems and Banner batteries seem to last around 6 or 7 years. I don’t see a reason to remove it from the car or use a regular charger.

BJH360S - do you not have something you can plug in to check when it is live? If not, why not consider buying a USB adaptor. It will allow you to use the socket to charge your phone etc. HERE

Works fine if it is live when ignition is switched off.

12 hours ago, Alan Clark said:

Where is the earth to the oil pressure gauge?

 

I assume the body of the sender earth to the engine block. Sounds like feed to the gauge is going to earth somewhere. This could be in the wiring or a faulty sender.

Nick. You have mail. 

Nick. I think I may have one tucked away in my garage but it will be weekend before I can check. I’ll let you know.

I don’t think there are any problems with length. Important thing is that there is no pre load when car is on flat ground. 

Stu. Interested to see how you get on with this exercise. I think your car is similar vintage to mine and I thought about changing the rubbers but decided against. Changing O rings and hoses seemed OK but it was gaskets around the fuel pump and gauge sender that put me off as they can be a pig to seal. You’ll probably tell me they don’t need changing as they are cork but I wasn’t sure. For the relatively small amount of fuel used I’ve decided to use the more expensive E5 super fuels or when not available use THIS. 

The idea of the boot bag is to increase luggage space I.e. in addition to the boot. I doubt you’ll find it’s fully weather resistant. Certainly my SBFS Rebag isnt. The best advice is to pack things in polythene bags within the boot bag. 

I have Sabelt and they are fine although the lap belts are pull down to tighten which is not ideal as they are not easy to adjust when in the car. I have to set them and breathe in to fasten. Shoulder straps adjust really easily. However I have seen other Sabelts that are very stiff. I think it depends on which type/quality you choose.

The best belts I have come across are Schroth but they were very expensive. My advice would be to contact Simon at Meteor Motorsport and seek his advice. I’m pretty sure he does a good quality belt specifically for a Caterham. 

I think have a battery tray for a Banner if you need one. 

Oxted are the manufacturer so I would suggest they are your best bet. They’ve been very helpful with repairs of seats etc. 

On 10/11/2023 at 13:25, JAL73 said:

I didnt know you could have "easy in" zips retro fitted to a Soft Bits half hood - did you take it back to Soft Bits to do this work? If so what did they charge for this if you dont mind me asking?

Yes. Soft Bits retro fitted the zips. I can’t remember the price. Over £100 but less than £200. There’s a lot of work in it. I was concerned that zips may allow it to leak but it doesn’t. They make a good job of it. Well worth it. 

worth it. 

I have a Soft Bits half hood and had the easy in zips retro fitted. I like the Oxted version as the securing straps seem better attached at the side but not sure if they do easy in zips and Oxted weren’t available when I purchased mine originally. Positive point is less steaming up and no real down sides. As Stu says much better if you have a spare wheel to prevent rear water ingress. 

If you are talking about the main box section of the chassis it already has holes for rivets securing the aluminium bodywork. If I’m not mistaken later cars have brackets pop riveted to this for an oil catch tank. I’m sure a couple more won’t harm. However rivnuts require a bigger hole than rivets. Is it not acceptable to just use rivets?

James.  That’s not good. It’s obviously going to leak in use never mind when parked. You need a new one, but fortunately lots of people have spare ones. I’m sure a wanted ad on here would get you a replacement and at a much lower price. However I’d look to get a half hood. I’ve used nothing but a shower cap and half hood for years.

I wouldn’t have thought the alternator would suffer and I’ve certainly had no problems. However a long nose shower cap will certainly prevent water getting into the heater. I get your point about prying eyes and agree. 
I assumed you were arriving somewhere with no roof and then putting both a full hood and shower cap on. I know some put the shower cap over a half hood but if the shower cap is a good fit I haven’t found it necessary. 

4 hours ago, SLR No.77 said:

Paul, the part that Chris has linked to is definitely an A-frame for a live axle Suzuki 160, although beyond that I can't help with the question!

Stu.

Ahhh!  The only 3 pot 7 I have seen had trailing arms and a panhard rod. I didn’t realise there were already differences in them. 
As has been said the panhard rod does an adequate job. I think you’d need to be Lewis Hamilton to notice the lateral movement it gives. 

If you have a 3 cylinder 7 and talking about fitting an A frame from an early live axle 7 then I’m fairly certain the answer is no. Chassis on your 7 is completely different to a S3.