Monday 24 March 2014

And then it was gone

Having completed the car (as much as was possible given the shortages) yesterday, the car now needs the Post Build Check (PBC), Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) and registration.  My agreement with Caterham was that I must send the car back for the PBC, as this was the third R500 Duratec home build, out of the 175 made to date.   I have a track day booked in France for early May, and I worked back the timings to make sure I (or should I say Caterham) had enough time to get the car PBC'd, IVA'd and registered in time... I'd booked the collection of the car a couple of weeks ago, so completing yesterday was my deadline.

Ian from Caterham arrived around 11am with his empty van, ready to take away my creation!  He lowered the ramps, my dad and I pushed the car out of the garage, onto the road and then it was loaded.
Ian preparing the car for loading into the Caterham van.
Ian preparing the car for loading into the Caterham van.
The car on the ramps going into the van.
The car on the ramps going into the van.
Another angle of the car going into the van.
Another angle of the car going into the van.
Once loaded, Ian strapped the rear wheels up, lowered the rear roller and as I had some left over parts we loaded these through the side of the van.
R500 in collection van ready for taking away!!!
R500 in collection van ready for taking away!!!
Ian driving off with my car onboard.
Ian driving off with my car onboard.
So next stage is the PBC - and I've got a lot of points I need to raise with them.  This is certainly not through my lack of ability, quite the opposite, these sort of things are all about the detail and for me to be completely happy everything has to be 100% perfect.  Some may say I'm being picky / fussy / whatever, but when you've spent a decent wedge of cash on a car like this you want it to be right.

Some of the things that are on PBC list for Caterham to do include:

  • Fit fuel pump (out of stock since early Jan) and hoses etc
  • Boot floor and chassis member to be replaced as they have mistakenly drilled the holes through to accommodate the diff struts that aren't required.
  • The passenger side lowered floor needs more silicone applying as you can see through to the road from inside the car.
  • Fuse cover and 12v power needs fitting (they are out of stock of these)
  • Complete radiator and heater plumbing (coolant bottle was out of stock so I couldn't complete)
  • Replace at least one wheel as it is scratched
  • Supply hub caps for wheels (out of stock)
  • Supply and fit 620R seats (out of stock) - these have been a big thorn in my side, what with them being delivered with the car (with a different customers name and order number on the packaging), and then to be told I'd received 'pre production prototypes' which they needed back immediately, and in actual fact were collected within 6 hours of my kit being delivered.  I wonder how quickly they would've picked them up if they were for a 'real customer'
  • Replace mis coloured 620R harnesses (currently out of stock)
  • The paint is incredibly soft, as though it hasn't had a lacquer / clear coat applied and this will be checked by the paint shop
I could go on and on here, but as you can see the general theme is components out of stock.  It's not like they make one or two of these cars a month and I really can't see the benefit in running their supply chain in such a (not) just in time method.  Surely they'd get better prices if they ordered more parts in bulk, and would have the added benefit of keeping customers like me supplied with parts and happy.  I'd certainly be writing in a different manner had everything been in stock, finished the car and started it in my garage before it got collected... Anyway... on the garage point, this is what's left of my Caterham R500 build project - absolutely nothing apart from memories, pictures and this blog!
Caterham R500 finished and collected - garage now empty.
Caterham R500 finished and collected - garage now empty.
Right now onto the PBC document - wish me luck, this could be a long one....  I will report back with PBC remedial works, what they (Caterham) will do and what they seem will be fit to charge me for... I don't know why, but I have a feeling this won't be as straight forward as I hope.

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..!

Build Day Twenty Seven - Front Cycle Wings and Indicators

With the collection due tomorrow I was in two minds about bonding the cycle wings myself, or taking the easy option and letting the factory do it next week in the PBC.  I'm glad to say I decided to do it myself using bighead cable tyrap fasteners and their (bigheads own) FS adhesive.

I struggled a little to get comprehensive information about fitting the cycle wings using the bighead fasteners, so  I took quite a lot of pictures, and have detailed what processes I went through so others may get some assistance if they are looking to do the same.

Firstly I fitted the IVA trim round the cycle wings, using little dots of super glue on the inside to hold the trim in place.  Then I tie wrapped the bighead fasteners in place using two on the upper and lower cycle wing mounts.  I used the 32mm square stainless steel cable tyrap which has the 16mm x 15mm inside width as these fitted pretty well around the cycle wing tubes.

Bighead Cable Tyraps fitted to cycle wings using cable ties.
Bighead Cable Tyraps fitted to cycle wings using cable ties.

Then the cycle wing got rested on the cycle wing mounts, and I measured from the top cycle wing stay to the front of the wing to a measurement of 80mm.  I think it's ok if it's between 75mm and 85mm so I decided to go in the middle of that range.
80mm measurement from top wing stay tube to front of cycle wing.
80mm measurement from top wing stay tube to front of cycle wing.
Then I masked the wing and the cycle wing stay and marked the location to make it a little easier when it came to bonding them in place.
Cycle wing stay and wing masked and marked.
Cycle wing stay and wing masked and marked.
Once the wing location was marked I removed the wing and using a 60 grit sandpaper roughed up the inside surface of the wing and the upper surface of the fasteners so that the FS adhesive would get a key to adhere to.  I also use a little bit of methylated spirits to wipe away any dust and residue on both surfaces.
Inside of carbon cycle wing keyed using 60 grit sand paper.
Inside of carbon cycle wing keyed using 60 grit sand paper.
Then using the Bighead Big Bond FS adhesive, (used sparingly according to the instructions) apply to the top of the fasteners.
Bighead Big Bond FS adhesive with mixing and application tube.
Bighead Big Bond FS adhesive with mixing and application tube.
Bighead big Bond FS Adhesive applied to fasteners.
Bighead big Bond FS Adhesive applied to fasteners.
I actually used a more bit adhesive around the edges of the fasteners after I took the picture above.  Then I placed the cycle wings onto the fasteners.  Once they were in place I double checked all the measurements and alignment with the front wheel and waited for the adhesive to cure.  The adhesive took around 15 minutes to cure, but I left it for an hour to ensure it had properly hardened.  A good tip would be to put some masking tape on the cycle wing stays so that any adhesive that leaks onto the tubes doesn't bond the whole lot together - which I found out when I was trying to remove the wing after the adhesive had hardened.  It really is strong very once it's hardened.
Caterham Carbon Cycle Wings on Bighead Fasteners.
Caterham Carbon Cycle Wings on Bighead Fasteners.
Next step was to remove the wings and mark out the holes for the indicator wiring and bolts to go through. They were pre-marked by Caterham, but I doubled checked their markings against how the indicators would line up using pictures on the internet, and it didn't seem they were marked out properly.  So I marked my own drilling points and made drilled the holes, opening up the middle hole with a Dremel.
Three holes required to fit indicator to cycle wing.
Three holes required to fit indicator to cycle wing. 
Then I threaded the wires through and bolted the indicator into position.
Inside view of indicator bolted into position.
Inside view of indicator bolted into position.
Rather than earthing the indicator to the cycle wing stay by rubbing off some of the powder coat and bolting it into place; it seemed to be a better solution (to me) to extend the earth through the wing stay and earthing on the inside of the chassis.  So I extended the earth a couple of days ago and then today soldered the black and green cables together, heat shrinked them and pushed the wires into the cycle wing stay.

Then I located the fasteners onto the wing stay and tie wrapped them into place.  My reservations about using the bighead method was lateral movement wing due to the  cable tied fasteners, but once they were in place and cable tied using a wide cable tie, they really are fitted tightly.

I was initially happy with the aggressive angle of the indicator (see image below), but later decided a flatter angle looked better, so I just slightly opened up the mounting holes and adjusted the indicator accordingly.
I was initially happy with the aggressive angle of the indicator, but later decided a flatter angle looked better
I was initially happy with the aggressive angle of the indicator, but later decided a flatter angle looked better.

Saturday 22 March 2014

Build Day Twenty Six - Exhaust

Unlike the title of the blog suggests, it was more like a build hour today... There aren't many more jobs that I can finish before it gets collected on monday.  So I fitted the catalytic converter and the exhaust.

First job was to screw in the lambda probe into the cat.
Inserting lambda probe to catalytic converter.
Inserting lambda probe to catalytic converter.
The cat was then fitted to the exhaust manifold outlets, then rested in place as per the instructions, and the exhaust manifold bolts were torqued to 34nm on the engine block.

Next job - getting the springs compressed over the mounts to secure the catalytic converter.  After fiddling around trying to get the springs over with various pliers, long screwdrivers and so on, the best solution I could think of was to compress the spring using tie wraps.  Worked a treat, the tie wraps held the springs in a compressed state and then it was easy to get the springs onto their hooks.

Caterham cat springs compressed using tie wraps.
Caterham cat springs compressed using tie wraps.
Catalytic Converter securing springs fitted.
Catalytic Converter securing springs fitted.
Then onto the catalytic converter protector.  A simple job of opening up some oversized jubilee clips, threading them through the mounts on the inside of the protector, and then securing them in place.
Catalytic Converter protector in place.
Catalytic Converter protector in place.
Finally a quick fit of the exhaust bracket and then the exhaust was on.
Exhaust fitted to Caterham R500.
Exhaust fitted to Caterham R500.
That's it for now, like I said above tomorrow will be a day of finishing off any odd jobs that I can, and then it'll be collected by Caterham on Monday for the Post Build Check, IVA and registration.

Friday 21 March 2014

Build Day Twenty Five - Decals, Stone Chip Protection Film and Odd Jobs

Today was all about the new decals and the Stone Chip Protection Film.  The guys arrived about 8:30 this morning and got straight down to business.

Table laid out with Decals, Andy and Ed getting down to business.
Table laid out with Decals, Andy and Ed getting down to business.
The bonnet and nose cone were put on the car so the guys could line the up the stripes.
R500 with Bonnet and Nose cone on ready for decals and stone chip protection film.
R500 with Bonnet and Nose cone on ready for decals and stone chip protection film.
I removed the carbon stone chip protectors so that they could get film applied to them too.  The guys cleaned the paint of any residue, dust and so on with meths, and then applied the stone chip protection film.
Andy applying the stone chip protection film and ensuring there were no bubbles.
Andy applying the stone chip protection film and ensuring there were no bubbles.
You can only just make out the edge of the film - very happy with the finish.
You can only just make out the edge of the film - very happy with the finish.
Once the rear wings were done, it was onto the main triple stripe down the centre of the car... Starting with the bonnet.
Andy and Ed making sure the bonnet stripe was straight.
Andy and Ed making sure the bonnet stripe was straight.
Applying the bonnet decal.
Applying the bonnet decal. 
Bonnet decal applied.
Bonnet decal applied. 
Ed lining up the nose stripe.
Ed lining up the nose stripe.
The boot stripe went on next.
Mactac semi Fluro Orange Boot stripe applied.
Mactac semi Fluro Orange Boot stripe applied.
Then it was onto the side stickers.
Semi Fluro Orange side stripe with white caterham font.
Semi Fluro Orange side stripe with white Caterham font.
White Caterham Font.
White Caterham Font.
Next up - side stone chip protection film.  I went with the full height film which should eliminate most of the road rash from the sides of the car.  Again the finish is very good, and only the trained eye would know there was a film over the bodywork, so very happy.
Caterham R500 sides covered with Stone Chip Protection Film.
Caterham R500 sides covered with Stone Chip Protection Film.
The guys left about 2 hours later - which was quite surprising how much they got done in such a short period of time.  I had a quick tidy up, a bit of lunch and then done a few odd jobs that I'd been meaning to do.

Many owners suffer from badly stone chipped front wishbones, and after reading a post on Blatchat about continually touching them up, hammeriting them and so on, the most logical (and easiest in my opinion) solution was to cover the front of the wishbones with some black electricians tape.  Great thing about this is you can hardly see it once it's in place, and to replace it for new tape it will take seconds.
Attaching black electricians tape to Caterham aero wishbones.
Attaching black electricians tape to Caterham aero wishbones. 
Black electricians tape in place on wishbones to protect the leading edge from stone chipping.
Black electricians tape in place on wishbones to protect the leading edge from stone chipping.
After fitting the tape to the front wishbones, I moved onto the steering universal joint.  I've seen on some other blogs it had been mentioned that it was quite difficult to get the bolt through.  So I sized everything up and test fitted it before I tried the installation, and found there were no issues.  I noticed there was a recess on each of the splined ends of the steering rack and lower steering column - for the bolt to pass through, so lined up the UJ holes for this and the bolt passed through easily.  This fixing needed tightening to 11nm.
Fitting steering universal joint to Caterham R500.
Fitting steering universal joint to Caterham R500. 
I then tightened the upper and lower steering columns using the clamp plate.  The bolts were torqued to 14nm, then the grub screw was fitted followed but the retaining nut.
Upper and lower steering columns clamped together.
Upper and lower steering columns clamped together.
Popped to the dump to ditch a few bits, and popped into halfords on my way back.  The Seven on the front grille was black and didn't really stand out which I wanted it to. I'd been um'ing and ahh'ing for a few days as to what colour to go for, silver, blue, white, orange - I eventually decided on silver.  So out with the masking tape and the grille was ready for spraying.
Caterham Seven Grille masked ready for spraying.  The yellower masking tape is some tamiya masking tape had spare after using on previous remote control car bodyshells.
Caterham Seven Grille masked ready for spraying.  The yellower masking tape is some tamiya masking tape had spare after using on previous remote control car bodyshells.
I then sprayed on three light coats of silver smooth finish hammerite.
First sprayed coat of smooth finish silver hammerite on Caterham Seven Grille.
First sprayed coat of smooth finish silver hammerite on Caterham Seven Grille.
I left about an hour between the three coats (instructions recommend 15 minutes), so it was ready in the early evening if somewhat tacky.  I decided to remove the masking tape as I wanted to see what it looked like once fitted to the nose, and once again today - very happy..!
Silver Caterham Seven Grill in R500 Carbon Nose Cone.
Silver Caterham Seven Grill in R500 Carbon Nose Cone.
Tomorrow should be the fitting of the exhaust, any other odd jobs I can get round to, and most probably starting the Post Build Check essay - there's plenty for Caterham to do, and frustratingly most of which is/was out of my control.