Sunday 23 March 2014

It's Finished - (well as much as was possible to!)

Having fitted the front wings and indicators it meant the final few things I could do to finish were to apply the bonnet badge and the plaque on the dash.  And that was the end of the build!  It was a great feeling... Very much a feeling of disbelief that I'd built a car...

Very happy indeed and I (mostly) enjoyed the process, but there are a few things that I couldn't finish due to Caterhams inability to supply parts, namely fuel pump, seats, weather gear, coolant bottles and some other bits and bobs.  The reason I say mostly enjoyed the process, is that Caterham could do a MUCH better job, and I think they should too, considering they've been doing this for 50 odd years.

Many will say it's all part of the experience, character building and so on, but I disagree, the Caterham supply operation is poor with numerous parts missing upon delivery.  The instructions are extremely vague with more photos or exploded diagrams needed to improve or simplify the enjoyment of the process (certainly for me anyway).  I could go on and on picking faults, but, I would like to say a special mention to Derek Howlett who really is the star of the show (for building advice and supplies), and I think if the entire Caterham team were as efficient and knowledgeable as he is, they'd have more satisfied customers, less money wasted on sorting out issues they'd created and I'm certain they would sell even more kits.

So I'm left with a car that's 99% finished (which is a shame for me), but looking on the bright side I'd completed a life long ambition and proved many of the doubters (myself included at some points through the build) that I could do it.

Here are the pictures of my finished Caterham R500 - a very satisfying moment indeed.  Painted in Porsche Riviera Blue 39e with Mactac Semi Fluorescent Orange and white Caterham Font triple stripe and decals.
Caterham R500 with anthracite wheels painted in Porsche Riviera Blue 39e with Mactac Semi Fluorescent Orange and white Caterham Font triple stripe and decals.
Caterham R500 with anthracite wheels painted in Porsche Riviera Blue 39e with Mactac Semi Fluorescent Orange and white Caterham Font triple stripe and decals.
The opinion dividing new badge.
The opinion dividing new badge.
Front of the car with silver sprayed seven on the radiator grille.
Front of the car with silver sprayed seven on the radiator grille. 
Drivers side view.
Drivers side view.
Drivers side, exhaust and interior shot.
Drivers side, exhaust and interior shot.
Passenger side rear wing, roll bar and interior shot.
Passenger side rear wing, roll bar and interior shot.
Overhead shot of interior with track day roll bar in foreground.
Overhead shot of interior with track day roll bar in foreground.
Dash badge... Caterham Superlight R500 number 175.
Dash badge... Caterham Superlight R500 number 175.
Steering wheel and Stack Dash.
Steering wheel and Stack Dash. 
The 620R harnesses, you'll  notice the drivers side ones are a slightly blue colour - so these will be changed.
The 620R harnesses, you'll  notice the drivers side ones are a slightly blue colour - so these will be changed.
I'm not sure what time Ian is due to collect the car, but I only work 10 minutes down the road, so will pop home when he's due and take some pics of the collection.  The post build check (PBC) will done on Tuesday I believe, with any remedial works hopefully finished next week.  After that Caterham will apply for an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) date, and provided it passes they will then register the car.  The whole process should take four to five weeks, but considering the fuel pump has been out of stock (and still is out of stock) since early January, I'm not holding my breath.

In the meantime there are a few upgrades I'm thinking of ordering, and I'll continue to blog about the PBC, IVA, registration details and naturally the collection too!

Once I have the car I'll probably be keeping the blog up to date with blat vids and pictures, experiences, mods, the occasional track day and general Caterham R500 stuff, I guess like a very long term review..!

4 comments:

  1. Well done Daniel - it looks superb. By the the time you get it back it should be perfect Caterham weather. Really hope you enjoy the driving experience. Cheers.... Richard.

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  2. Cheers Richard - very much looking forward to a blat or two! See you soon... Daniel.

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  3. Looks good now its almost complete Daniel, side stripes don't seem to high in those photos either!! Good luck with the PBC and IVA too!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Nigel - looking forward to getting it back now, and it was only collected an hour ago!

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