Angus

In my opinion the 6-point plug in is the way to go, unless you have to have the race version to meet competition regs. For road / track-day use the plug-in is fine. The main benefit of a 6-point over a 4-point is that it holds you very firmly in the seat and stops you gradually slipping down in the seat on a long journey. It is surprisingly comfortable. Whilst theoretically you are less prone to injury because of the greater spacing of the race version, in practise this is academic - most of the load is taken by the hip belts if properly adjusted, and in a full-frontal your upper body goes foward pivotting around the hip-belts rather than submarining underneath. Also the plug-in is much quicker to use in everday use - a benefit not to be underestimated. Angus

Doh ! Just realised you said this afternoon ! I was passing early morning So hello to the blue Seven I did wave to on the old Newbury bypass Sunday morning about 8:15 Angus [Edited for spelling ] Edited by - Angus on 23 Feb 2009 20:05:15

Hi Rob If u mean the by-pass (old A34) heading north probably me - I waved - on my way over to Coombe for a few laps 😬. Were you with that big convoy of TVR's / Elises etc just ahead of you ? Angus

OAP, Do you have mail from me ? I used the link in your post. It is supposed to route via blat chat, and is hidden from me ? It it set up correctly. I will try again. Angus

Dave B Sorry you do not have the lugs. I think any local metal working shop should be able to fabricate something, but it might be quite tricky given the proximity of painted (I assume) aluminium to get a good clean and neat finish. OAP YHM. Is the turned-down bolt you mention a genuine Caterham part ? In which case the wheel carrier to which it mates is also a Caterham part and has a female threaded boss, which is a different system to that in Windys linky, which is a male thread. Interesting - perhaps CC changed the design at some point ? I couldnt find a carrier (or the bolts) on CC website. Angus

Windy Rik Thanks for the pic which I assume is of the end of the carrier ? 🤔 I assume the boss is not actually threaded ? and that it is 'nutted' rather than 'bolted' from the inside ? OAP Good idea for accessing the inside - and do you mean bolt or nut ? Your system sounds very interesting - could you post some pics please ? Angus

Ric Well well well .... how right you are ! I have just carefully checked and sure enough the bosses are there ! I had never noticed them before. The ali skin hides them from view from behind, and the tank is only about 5 mm away in front - really very little clearance. How does the fixing work ? Are the bosses threaded or do you have to work a nut in behind ? There is very little space. Presumably one has to relieve the skin around the boss as well. Fortunately hidden by the number plate which one would presumaby attach with Velcro. Angus Edited by - Angus on 17 Jan 2009 20:37:51

Rik - I think the turned boss you refer to in the metric chassis is only present on the SV. Can anyone confirm that ? Shame, because it is a neat solution. Angus

Some other things not mentioned before that I have that you may like to consider: 1) Six-point harnesses. Hold you much more securely (= comfortably) in the seat No need for the competition 4-point, they work just as well with the road harness. Also you dont have to use it if you dont want to - just stow under seat cushion (leather seats) 2) Battery cut-out switch. While not needed for track-days, it provides extra piece of mind, and will help prevent the battery draining (from the immobiliser) if left unused for a time, and additional security (although note that the immobiser doesnt of course function) 3) Boot carpet. Makes the boot more useable 4) Boot vertical carpet. Protects the sides of the boot area from dents in the skin caused by stuff sliding around inside 5) Tonneau. Quick and easy way of covering the car, easy to take with you (unlike hood) 6) De-Cat pipe. Whilst strictly for race cars only, improves the appearance of the exhaust system no end. Do not swap it over until after SVA of course ! Note that 7-inch silencer is standard (or was 12 months ago when I specced my car) 7) 12v outlet. Goes under the dash on passenger side and can connect direct to the battery to power phone charger, map light etc. Also useful for plugging in a trickle charger Angus

Two tips from me for the coil cover: 1) The bollts do work loose, however I prefer to use shakeproof washers under the bolt head, rather than loctite - a bit more reuseable. I have not had any problems with them working loose. I also have a fibre washer under the cover (this was already supplied with the engine) 2) The fit isnt particularly good. I had a tremendously noisy vibration from the cover at certain revs which I traced to the left hand edge of the cover touching the fuel rail support brackets. I cut clearance notches so the cover no longer contacted the rail, and added some rubber SVA strip (as used on the front wings). Added bonus that the cover sat lower by a few mm - all helping to increase the limited under-bonnet clearances. Angus

The advice from Caterham on this when I completed my R400D build earlier this year was that 95 was OK but the occasional fill up with 98 was good.

P the P, Sorry to confuse you - Ithought R400D was accepted shorthand for a Duratec - as opposed to R400K. Timbo, That was exactly my problem - tried to use one of the rivnuts mounting the ECU on top of th passenger footwell as the earth. No good, hence moving it direct to the battery. One day I will get round to moving it somewhere else - I hate more that one wire on each battery terminal. Angus

I had a similar problem with my R400D. Turned out to be a bad earth - the single black wire that is terminated in a brass eyelet close to the ECU. I routed it straight to the battery negative terminal, and engine started OK. Angus

Hi Doug Yes, that was probably me, en route to Abingdon. Avoiding the motorways, as always. Angus R400DUO

I am interested in attending if there are still spaces. Particularly interested in improving R400D cockpit cooling without reducing engine (or oil) cooling. Thanks Angus

The repeaters were used (amongst others) on some old minis. I think the old Austin Rover part number is AAU3296. Googling that reference throws up a few suppliers. Angus

The fitting of the 6-point crutch strap with lowered floor is described in the build manual, section 9, Interior Trim, para 36 - 39. The manual is downloadable from CC website, here. However, I note from your pics that your lowered floor appears different with that raised box section, so CC instructions may not be the complete answer, but may be of some help. Angus

Try here Angus

Mav and others Great idea to have a technical reference library on the site. Can I suggest that an excellent resource would be the library of 'Caterham Engineering Technical Notices', if CC were to allow the Club access. I was sent several of these to help during my build and they are excellent, explaining particular technical points in detail with photos and measurements. Would need the agreement / consent of Caterham of course. Just a thought. Angus

Graham I believe Cheesemans (who make CC OEM exhausts) no longer do private jobs. Woodfell I have been recommended Gartrac in Chiddingfold here as excellent fabricators for this sort of thing. Used regularly by several local (to Guildford) Sevens. I have not used them myself (yet), although I do have a raceco silencer waiting to fit. If you do use them, please post here with how you got on. Angus

I believe the reason Fancyplates can operate mail order without needing to see the V5 is because they are based in Northern Ireland, where this particular piece of Government red tape (er regulation) doesnt apply. Angus

Neil, I didnt explain myself very well - I had already bought the Raceco can before I discovered it's not a straight swap. Ammo explained that he only makes one size of silencer nowadays and I would need to get the mods to the de-cat pipe and mounting bracketry done by an exhaust specialist - the can itself could not be changed. As you say, apparently the exhausts vary, but if Caterham are able to standardise their parts it shouldnt be too difficult to make an aftermarket replacement that is a straight swap. Ammo has kindly offered to refund me, but I would still like to have the Raceco can on my car - it is a lovely piece of kit, and I could dispense with the exhaust guard. So I am now looking for an exhaust fabricator in the Guildford area. Angus

Agree with Neil, no silicone needed. However be careful with the Raceco silencer. It is not a straight swap for the standard Caterham item. It is too long, and the mounting is not the same. When I ordered my kit I swapped the silencer for the de-Cat pipe ( I was told they were the same price) as I wanted to fit the Race-Co one, again as it looks nice and I was concerned about noise. So I found out the hard way it wouldnt fit without modification, and I had to buy a silencer from Caterham to get the car on the road - grrr. I still hope one day to fit the raceco, but the decat pipe will have to be shortened by about 2 inches and rebent, and a special mounting made up. Both jobs are beyond me and will need a specialist exhaust fabricator. Angus

Dick I have just fitted same to mine - took about 1/2 hour. Same lambda sensor. I was concerned that I would have to loosen the manifold bolts and risk a stripped thread in the head, but I didnt have to - there was sufficient flex at the ends of the header pipes to fit the collector. A small weight saving, dont know about power increase (still running in). I think it looks so much nicer without the cat. Good luck Angus

I have just been through the crotch strap mounting palaver as part of my build. There is some guidance in the build manual but it is not the full story. I was fitting the standard CC supplied straps, to a non-lowered floor. 1) Use the mounting points behind the seats, not those at the sides, which are for the lap belts. 2) The mounting points are a channel shaped section, and you need a spacer (the height of the channel sides) to sit between the channel and the belt. The spacers for mounting the rear brake calipers are ideal - available from CC. Alternatively lots of washers will also work. 3) Drill through the floor, and relieve the edges of the seat mounting plate if needed to provide clearance for a bolt head and washer. 4) Use M10 x 40mm bolts. Alternatively cut down the CC-supplied bolts in the kit. 5) Pass the bolts up from under the car. Flat washer next to bolt head, then through the floor, then spacer, next top-hat section washer (supplied in kit), then crinkle washer, then belt (angled downwards), then flat washer and finally nyloc nut. 6) Tighten up but ensure belt mounting is free to rotate and doesnt foul the channel section. 7) Route the webbing below the seat back and on top of the seat cushion. You can adjust the position the buckles to be either behind the seat or on top, depending on your preferred seat position 8) Note that if you have adjustable seats the mounting arrangement prevents the seats from going fully rearwards as the bottom of the seat back fouls the bolts and/or belt bracket. The lowered floor arrangement is different but is described more fully in the build manual. Hope that helps Angus