Saturday 23 January 2016

Carbon Interior Install - Day Five - The Install

I'll start off this post by summarising the last few days of this install:-
  • Day one was prep work and getting out the curved side panels
  • On day two I managed to get out the rear bulkhead and the panel in the drivers section
  • And on the third day I got the final (passenger side) panel out!
  • Day four was an 'easy' day with just a weigh in...
It's now the fifth day of this project, and I've finally reached the best bit - the refitting... So on we go... Firstly, I went round with a torch inspecting all two hundred and thirty seven rivet holes, to see if there were any rivet remainders was left in the holes - using a combination of a 3.5mm metal drill and this thin punch I bought from halfrauds I meticulously ensured that every hole was free of any previous rivets. 
Tapping and drilling out rivet remainders
Tapping and drilling out rivet remainders
With all the rivets drilled out, and any remainders punched through - you'd think this would mean the interior was ready to refit, but - what you've actually done is put hundreds of noise producing rivet heads that'll slosh around in your chassis tubes... This didn't even cross my mind, but I guess it'd be soooo irritating listening to those pinging around your chassis all the time - but good ol' Simon Lambert suggested that to stop these vibrating around would be to put some waxoil / dinitrol into the tubes which would then collect the heads, stopping the rattling!  So plenty of dinitrol 3125 went into the lower parts of each tube.
Dinitrol 3125 being sprayed into chassis tubes to collect rivet heads / pins
Dinitrol 3125 being sprayed into chassis tubes to collect rivet heads / pins
There were some comments raised on the lotus 7 forum, suggesting that whilst I had the interior skin off, it'd be worth removing the crash protection panels and protecting the grot traps with some waxoil... Using a flat head screwdriver and a very small amount of force the crash panels were loosened from their silicone adhesive and were free - revealing the lower chassis tube and the associated 'grot'.
Crash Protection Panels were easy to remove
Crash Protection Panels were easy to remove
I've had the R500 for nearly two years now, and having covered a few thousand miles there was a little bit of dust and rubbish (grot) between the inside of the body skin and the chassis tubes - it was more evident on the passenger side though.  I cleaned out the grot as best I could with some compressed air, and a flat head screwdriver.  With the grot out (sounds odd!) I ran a thin bead of Dinitrol 3125 along the 'traps' for some anti corrosion protection - as can be seen in the picture below.
Dinitrol 3125 used to protect the grot traps and metal from corroding
Dinitrol 3125 used to protect the grot traps and metal from corroding
After applying the Dinitrol to the grot traps, the next logical step was to put the crash protection panels back.  I removed the existing silicone from the panels and the chassis tubes, and using some black silicone reapplied a thin bead for the crash panels to adhere to.  
Applying bead of black silicone to secure crash protection panels
Applying bead of black silicone to secure crash protection panels
I refitted the crash protection panels, but the silicone didn't really hold them in place all that well - I guess as the silicone was pretty slow drying stuff - the crash panels just didn't stick immediately.  So I thought the best thing to do was to 'trial fit' the first carbon interior panel.

The carbon interior panels look lovely, but don't be fooled by their two sided colours - it's definitely the matte side that should be visible, not the shiny side you may think at first... 

With a bit of wiggling, bending and twisting (the carbon - not me) the first 'interior' panel was in.  It was a little tricky getting it behind this panel (picture below) as you need to prise out the alloy panel for the carbon to slot in behind 
First interior panel trial fitted to drivers side
First interior panel trial fitted to drivers side
Here's a wider angle of the first panel trial fitted.
A wider angle shot of the first carbon interior panel
A wider angle shot of the first carbon interior panel
Having trial fitted the first interior panel on the drivers side, I thought it'd be a good idea to now trial fit the rear bulkhead.  Before I go on any further - I'd suggest you don't do this... The rear bulkhead has to be fitted first otherwise you'll scratch the hell out of your side panels wrestling with the bulkhead trying to get it in.  So... Remove the interior panel, and ensure the crash protection panels are secured in place whilst the silicone goes off with a bit of masking tape or similar.

Before trial fitting the rear bulkhead, it's worth double checking the holes - everything seemed to line up really well, but there were a few missing holes - namely the edge ones (no need to worry about these just yet) and two for the fuel filter.
Lining up both panels to check the drilled holes are in the right places
Lining up both panels to check the drilled holes are in the right places
With the both panels lined up (picture above) and using a paint marker, I marked out the two holes required for the fuel filter, and then drilled away - quite daunting on such a large panel, but I'd triple checked everything before the drill was used.
Two marked drill holes for fuel filter
Two marked drill holes for fuel filter
With the two holes made for the fuel filter, the next logical step seemed to be to trial fit the rear bulkhead.  Of course, it fits, but there is a bit of a 'knack' to it.  Firstly the tunnel cover needs to be completely removed (which is a pain!), but the bulkhead won't go on without removing the tunnel cover.  You need to bend the panel with the edges towards you at first, then place one side of the bulkhead in (drivers side seemed easier) then with the divers side in, you need to bend the passenger side section in the middle and towards you to get the edges in (see pic below).
Carbon rear bulkhead test fitted for first time
Carbon rear bulkhead test fitted for first time
With the rear bulkhead test fitted, and yours truly happy with the holes (everything lined up really well)... The only problem seemed to be getting the edges of the bulkhead (around the rear of the tunnel) fitted underneath the metal.  Having fiddled around for ages with this, it just wouldn't go - so the best solution I could figure out in my mid-raged state was to get a hammer out and bend things!  So I whipped out the rear bulkhead and bent the metal tabs towards the tunnel - pictured below.  You'll also notice I ran a bead of black silicone along the tubes, so that there wouldn't be any chance of rattles from carbon tapping on metal - not only that, but there was silicone on the metal bulkhead when I removed it which the factory fitted, so assuming they know best I copied them!
Rear bulkhead removed, tunnel 'tabs' bent inwards and black silicone applied to tubes
Rear bulkhead removed, tunnel 'tabs' bent inwards and black silicone applied to tubes
Now it was time to refit the rear bulkhead without getting silicone everywhere - easier said than done!  But , by using the same method to get the bulkhead in when trial fitted, and having bent the tabs in from the rear of the tunnel - it all went in a treat!
Carbon rear bulkhead is in!
Carbon rear bulkhead is in!
With the rear bulkhead finally in, and knowing it was kinda slopping around on the silicone - I didn't want to make a huge mess, so quickly got some middle rivets pushed in to hold it in place, whilst I readied my new tool :-)
A few rivets holding the rear bulkhead in place whilst I readied my new tool
A few rivets holding the rear bulkhead in place whilst I readied my new tool
Having fitted a fair number of rivets during the initial build, some of you may remember I bought a rivet attachment for a cordless drill - it was pretty good, and I was going to use it again, but with limited access in the footwell I didn't think it'd be used that much... I also didn't want arms / wrists like popeye, so found this neat 14.4v handheld rivet gun on Amazon.  It was £180, but a breeze to use - so money well spent!

All you need to do is put the rivet in, press the trigger, the rivet is popped in a second with hardly any scoring to the black heads and then the inner barrel runs backwards and spits out (slowly) the rivet pin - awesome!
Sealey 14.4v Cordless Riveter made light work of all the riveting required
Sealey 14.4v Cordless Riveter made light work of all the riveting required
A few of the holes needed minor drilling (with a 4mm metal drill bit) so that everything was straight before final riveting, but fifteen minutes or so later and it was all riveted and in place.  Don't forget to tap back the tunnel 'tabs' and rivet those too.
Carbon rear bulkhead fitted, siliconed, and riveted into place
Carbon rear bulkhead fitted, siliconed, and riveted into place
Then it was onto the drivers interior panel.  Again prising the section where your feet go forward slightly the tongue of this panel just slips into place.  Don't forget to add the rubber IVA strip if you're using any - I decided to, as I like the look and also the carbon may be a little sharp on exposed arms etc.  I didn't rivet the final (practically) vertical set of rivets, as this is riveted by the 'keystone' curved panel.
Drivers panel fitted and riveted into place
Drivers panel fitted and riveted into place
I noted that there was a fair amount of silicone in-between the outer edges of bottom of the rear bulkhead, and the trailing edge of the interior panels.  The old silicone was removed whilst I was cleaning up the car prior to installing and assuming this was for weatherproofing, I again copied what was already there.
A blob of silicone used for weatherproofing between rear bulkhead and interior panel
A blob of silicone used for weatherproofing between rear bulkhead and interior panel
All that was required now was to place the right hand curved panel into place and finish off the last twenty or so rivets.
The final few rivets ready to go!
Rivets ready to go in, on leading edge of curved carbon panel
I'd like to point out that the eleven vertical rivets didn't have pre-drilled holes, so these required drilling and riveting (of course)...  And then it was finished!  ta da!  Well the first side was!
The rear bulkhead, and drivers side fitted with the new Caterham Carbon Interior panels
The rear bulkhead, and drivers side fitted with the new Caterham Carbon Interior panels
Now all I had to do was to repeat the above few steps for the other side...  A couple of hours of riveting later and I found I was short by about thirty rivets...  Just a pointer - if after reading these install posts, and you've decided to take the plunge and give it a go - ensure you've at least 250 of these rivets as getting right to the end and being short by just a handful is a bit annoying.

Oh well - a quick call the next day to Tony at Caterham parts, and he kindly arranged for another 50 to be sent which arrived this morning, so I set out to finish off the final few rivets and then it was done!
The new Caterham carbon interior fully fitted to my R500
The new Caterham carbon interior fully fitted to my R500
In summary, this is a fairly big job - overall it took me about three days of work (had I been working from 9-5 every day, without interruptions).  The cost is reasonable considering how much carbon fibre you get for your money, and the look is superb - it really has made the car look like a different model - I guess because it practically is a 620R interior, but with a manual box, less power :-( but a stack dash and 'button' type switch gear - I really am very happy with the project. and having decided to take it on..   Not only that there's also a 2.094kg weight saving over my previous interior, so there should be a bit of extra performance too - I just need to get to the gym to work off the two stone I put on over Xmas :-)

Tomorrow (hopefully) I'll rebuild the rest of the bits on the car, and providing it's dry get a few 'nice' pictures of the interior.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Carbon Interior Install - Day Four - The Weigh In

Thought I'd take it easy this evening and decided to get the scales out (for the 2nd time this year already!)  So on with the weigh in!

First off, and first onto the scales! Are the two curved panels - and they weighed in at 556g (for both).
The two curved panels weighed in at 556g
The two curved panels weighed in at 556g
And the two carbon versions weighed in at 442g, which is a saving of 114g!
The two carbon curved panels weighed in at 442g
The two carbon curved panels weighed in at 442g
Now onto the heavier stuff, where a greater weigh saving should be seen (at least I hope so!)  The two interior panels weighed in at 1.862kg
The two interior panels weighed in at 1.862kg
The two interior panels weighed in at 1.862kg
And the carbon versions weighed in at 1.162kg - exactly 700g lighter...
The two carbon interior panels weighed in at 1.162kg
The two carbon interior panels weighed in at 1.162kg
And the part where I thought there would be the biggest saving - the carpeted rear bulkhead.  I originally went for a carpeted interior for a number of reasons, one of which was that I wasn't too keen on the powder coated and highly riveted finish that the rear bulkhead would normally have.  So I've weighed the carpeted rear bulkhead, which weighed in at 2.310kg
The carpeted rear bulkhead weighed in at 2.310kg
The carpeted rear bulkhead weighed in at 2.310kg
To give a fair test and to compare like for like, I removed all the carpet from the bulkhead and weighed it 'bare' (well with a touch of left over adhesive!).  It weighed in at 1.538kg - so nearly 800g lighter without the carpet.
The bare bulkhead weighed in at 1.538kg
The bare bulkhead weighed in at 1.538kg
And onto the carbon rear bulkhead - this weighed in at 1.030kg, which is had a kilo lighter than the 'bare' version and 1.3kg lighter than the carpeted bulkhead.

The carbon bulkhead weighed in at 1.030kg
So the combined weight savings by fitting the carbon interior are:-
  • Based on a replacement interior for a car with bare alloy panels (no carpets) the total weight saving is 1.322kg - so a 68p 'cost per gramme' saving!
  • Based on a car with a carpeted bulkhead, the total weight saving is 2.094kg - which works out to 43p 'cost per gramme' saving... or an even bigger saving if you didn't buy the carpets in the first place!
And finally... The two 'knee panels' came out, and I can't see me refitting them - so that'll be another 'free' 324g saved.

The two knee panels weighed in at 324g
The two knee panels weighed in at 324g
Not only that I've had a good look at the wiper assembly and this seems pretty easy to remove too - and has a 'rumoured' weight of 7kg!  The only problem is the removal will leave three holes in the scuttle - so a new scuttle will have to be ordered, painted, stickered up and refitted.

All in all the total savings from this removal / refit are nearly 2.5kg (including the knee panels) - which should give approx 5bhp / tonne performance improvement.

Next on the agenda is to add all this 'lightness' back to the car.  I'm really looking forward to fitting everything back together and seeing what it all looks like - I'm sure there'll be a few irritants on the way, but looking on the positive side I'm half way there!

Tuesday 19 January 2016

Carbon Interior Install - Day Three - The Final Panel

Having drilled out the best part of two hundred rivets it was time to start day three's progress and get the final panel removed.  

I'd got myself into a bit of a 'depressed state' at the end of day two's panel removal, as it was really fiddly inside the drivers footwell, and I really didn't fancy going through that pain again.  If you are attempting this refit and get to the stage of 'why the f*** did I start this?' the best advice I can give is look at those lovely carbon panels you have, and consider every next rivet as an individual task and be grateful that with every 'pop' you're one step closer to finishing! 
The garage at the start of day three - stuff everywhere and no end in sight!
The garage at the start of day three - stuff everywhere and no end in sight!
I did push myself a little bit last night, and removed the 'easy' rivets on the passenger side as you can see in the picture below... Onto the hard ones! 
Passenger side interior panel half removed
Passenger side interior panel half removed
I don't know if it's because I'm right handed making access to this footwell more 'natural', and although it was still a challenge to get them out, the final few rivets came out a bit easier than those on the drivers side.  I'd suggest removing the rivets from the drivers side first if I attempted this again, to get the hard stuff out of the way first!  Removing the interior panels requires a little bit of a wiggle and some basic 'panel manipulation' aka bending, but they come out relatively easily.
Passenger side interior panel removed!
Passenger side interior panel removed!
Two hundred and thirty seven rivets later (yes I counted them!) and both panels are finally removed - I was very happy that I'd got them out... I even went in and got Charlotte to take a picture of me having been brought to my knees (literally) by getting these two out!
I was literally brought to my knees getting these two panels out!
I was literally brought to my knees getting these two panels out!
And here's the pic of both interior panels finally removed - the dark brown stuff on the panels is Dinitrol 2135 that I used when building the car... I'll be using a touch more of this to protect the metal from corrosion before I get cracking with the refit. 
Both interior panels removed - yippee!
Both interior panels removed - yippee!
So that's the removal done!  It was a mission, but you can probably tell from the picture above, it was a good sense of achievement to have got this far.  Next up, the panel 'weigh in' and then the re-install.

Monday 18 January 2016

Carbon Interior Install - Day Two - Panel Removal

With a bit of a thick head in the morning, I decided it best to grab a coffee and bacon sarnie before I got to work.  So around lunch time I managed to pluck up the courage and get stuck in to removing the remaining three panels - or at least I thought I could manage that!
 
The next logical panel to remove was the rear bulkhead.  Some sixty odd rivets later I noticed there were three rivets tucked away in the corners near the wheel arches, and with no way of getting a drill in there, I made my new 'rivet removal' contraption.  This consisted of a flat head metal handled screw driver which had a pretty sharp head on it and a metal hammer.  I just lightly tapped off the rivet heads which was pretty easy with my lovely new tool!
Tapping off the three edge rivets of the rear bulkhead using my 'bespoke rivet removal tool'
Tapping off the three edge rivets of the rear bulkhead using my 'bespoke rivet removal tool'
After the rivets were removed, I moved the tunnel cover, only to see there were another three underneath that which also needed removal, but these were easy to drill out.
Three more rivets under tunnel cover
Three more rivets under tunnel cover
With all the rivets from the rear bulkhead now removed, it was time to get the bulkhead out - easier said than done - at first...  It appears that Caterham used some silicone to bond the bulkhead panel (along with a fair few rivets) and perhaps to provide a bit of waterproofing too.  It seemed most logical to start at the bottom and gently using the claw of a claw hammer prised the bottom part of the bulkhead away from the lowered floors.
Gently prising the underside of the rear bulkhead away with a claw hammer worked well
Gently prising the underside of the rear bulkhead away with a claw hammer worked well
Next was to get the top section out - and as the bulkhead is wider than the edges of the car some bending was required.  It was a bit of a fiddle, but both of the top edges of the bulkhead needed to be bent to get them out from the metal part around where the top of the rear suspension is bolted in.  After prising this out, it looked something like this:-
Top of bulkhead edges needed bending to free it from underneath the roll bar
Top of bulkhead edges needed bending to free it from underneath the roll bar
Now onto more 'panel bending'... With both bottom and top edges freed (see above pics) the panel needs to be slightly bent in the middle to allow room to get it out of the car - don't bend it so much that you put a crease in it, but just a little effort and a bit of a wiggle and it'll be free!
Rear bulkhead panel removed, revealing the structure of most of the rear of the car
Rear bulkhead panel removed, revealing the structure of most of the rear of the car
So with three out of five panels removed, it was onto the final two, both of which I'd been dreading!  Picture below shows me looking like I'm having a good time, but this was very fiddly due to the lack of space and I was not enjoying this part of the experience whatsoever.
I'm having fun, I'm having fun - yeah keep telling yourself that Daniel!
I'm having fun, I'm having fun - yeah keep telling yourself that Daniel!
To be fair drilling out the first section before the crease (in the outer panel) was pretty easy, it's just when the space becomes limited is when things start to get tricky!  It didn't take me long to find there was a severe lack of space and light in the drivers foot well, so after having my torch roll around whilst I'm trying to drill our rivets practically in the dark whilst squashed into the tiny foot well, I found another use for the accelerator!
A new use for the accelerator!
A new use for the accelerator!
With light at a premium, and drilling access also at a premium - I found these four pesky rivets, along with the vertical ones towards the end of the tunnel the hardest work.  I had to tap the top off these using the screwdriver method mentioned above, then try and drill then out and then tap out the final pin through too - all whilst cramped in ridiculously contorted positions.

Having wrestled around for long enough I had a brain-wave which I wish I thought of earlier - remove the pedal box cover for some 'added light', and would you know it, yes this worked .  Picture below is to show the light coming through from pedal box, but the panel is also removed at this stage.

Removing the pedal box cover 'adds light'
Removing the pedal box cover 'adds light'
And the fourth panel is out!  Thank god!  Only one more to remove!

The fourth interior panel is out - only one more to go!
The fourth interior panel is out - only one more to go!
With the fourth panel out - I considered pushing myself and getting the final panel out, but I just couldn't face it, so decided it was time to calm down, and finish off for the day.  More 'fun' tomorrow.

Sunday 17 January 2016

Carbon Interior Install - Day One - Prep

Before I finalised my R500 order, I was offered a test drive of the 620R at Donnington Park by Doug Parker, the sales rep I was dealing with throughout my purchase.  Laying eyes on the 620R in the metal for the first time, a couple of things caught my eye.  One being the beautiful carbon seats, and also the carbon interior panels.

Those of you who have followed the build will know the story about and the lengths I had to go to get the 620R seats, but after a 'fair battle' I got them... Which I'm very glad to have pushed so hard for as they are very comfortable and look, how can I say?  Well, they look the nuts!  

I'm at a stage with the R500 where I'm really trying to shave weight off it, without removing anything unwanted that may take away from the overall look - I guess you could say I'm aiming to keep the form before the function.

Anyway, having had to humiliate myself for the last couple of years in an R500D without carbon interior panels, I discussed this with Simon Lambert and asked 'nicely' if I could purchase the interior panels and fit them myself.  He asked some questions, and very kindly said I could be one of the first (if not the first) customer to purchase the interior panel set, as this is something Caterham will be offering as an upgrade on their parts site - cost is £900, mind you.

I think the 'standard' cars these panels appear in are the 620R and now the soon to be delivered, Superlight Twenty kits... So in a nod to potential customers, and owners alike here is my diary about stripping out the interior panels and fitting these beauties:-
Caterham carbon interior panels, first picture after unpacking
Caterham carbon interior panels, first picture after unpacking
So on with the show - he comes the 'juicy' stuff...

Carbon Interior Install - Day One - Prep
Starting at the rear of the car I removed the upper four point harness sections and the newly fitted boot cover.
Upper harnesses and boot cover removed
Upper harnesses and boot cover removed
With interior space a premium in the Seven, and getting out of one when half way in the footwell being a touch 'tricky' I decided it best to remove the exhaust, to avoid accidentally stepping on it whilst climbing out, and to give a little better access.
Exhaust and Cat removed
Exhaust and Cat removed
Next out of the car was the seats - real easy to remove.  From the underside of the car there should be four bolts for the drivers side (if you have moving runners) and four cap heads for the passenger side (with fixed runners). The seats just lift out with a bit of a wiggle, keeping note to ensure the lap straps of the four point harness are being eased though at the same time.  With the seats out, the next part to remove was the lap straps from both sides.
Both seats and lap straps removed
Both seats and lap straps removed
The next obvious part to remove / loosen was the tunnel cover.  Starting off with removing the gear-knob which is nice and easy, just undo the grub screw and turn the gear-knob anti-clockwise and off it comes.
Removing the gear-knob is very easy
Removing the gear-knob is very easy
As I've got a heater in my car, the heater vents restrict the movement of the tunnel cover.  There are two bolts either side, welded to a strip of metal holding the heater vents in place, so this needs to be removed.
Heater vents partly secure tunnel cover in place
Heater vents partly secure tunnel cover in place
To remove the heater vents, you need to loosen these two nuts either side of the heater unit under the bonnet, then push the bolts through and the metal strip with the bolts attached will be loosened on the inside of the vehicle making it easy to remove.
Removing these two nuts (both sides of the heater) will allow you to remove the heater vent panel
Removing these two nuts (both sides of the heater) will allow you to remove the heater vent panel
Having not full adhered the bottom of the carpet behind the drivers seat, seemed to be a bit of useful 'foresight' as this fuel filter? needed loosening - which was dead easy, but you needed to remove the offside rear wheel to get decent access, however it was just a couple of bolts and washers and it was free.
Fuel filter needed loosening off it's mount
Fuel filter needed loosening off it's mount
Now time to remove the carpeted section.  With a bit of gentle pulling, it came free surprisingly easy from the rear bulkhead.
Removing carpet from rear bulkhead was straight forward
Removing carpet from rear bulkhead was straight forward
With the carpet removed you can see where adhesive was and wasn't sprayed! 
Carpet removed from rear bulkhead shows where adhesive was used
Carpet removed from rear bulkhead shows where adhesive was used
With all the prep work done, it's time to get onto the panel removal.  It appears that the panels with the rounded section are like a keystone holding the sides and the rear bulkhead together, so it made sense to remove these first.

I used a 4mm (metal) drill bit and got to work with the drilling.  Some time later and about thirty five rivets removed, the panel is free - and I was left wondering holy fcuk what have I got myself into here?!?
Rivets drilled out of first panel and removed
Rivets drilled out of first panel and removed
 Now onto the 2nd curved panel, probably an hour, and some more swearing later - it was also free.
Rivets drilled out of second curved panel and also removed
Rivets drilled out of second curved panel and also removed
Having burnt through a couple of drill bits, drilled out probably seventy rivets and removed the two easiest panels I was pretty tired and decided to call it a day.  At the end of the first day, the garage looked like this!
The garage at the end of day one!
The garage at the end of day one!
So with the garage looking like a bomb had gone off, and much less progress made then anticipated - there was only one thing for it!  Yup, close the garage, get drunk and whinge about a project you are beginning to think will beat you.