Hi all, I'm a recent and very happy owner of a 1999 Caterham. I'm super-thrilled to have this fun car here in Southern California, and already have all the ridiculous CA DMV paperwork taken care of! That said, I got hit by idiot parallel parkers... twice. Insurance will cover some but not all of my costs. I'd love to get the input of some more experienced Seven owners as to how to proceed, if you don't mind sharing your experience. The nosecone, radiator and left rear wing took damage from hits. I've also got a few other issues to sort on the vehicle.
Link to Photos: (https://goo.gl/photos/uRRpr9uWGZAt327y8)
So, my car is now in a auto body shop that will do the work, but I need to order parts from Caterham myself and hope the shipping doesn't brutalize me too much. However, as soon as I started down the rabbit hole of figuring out what parts to order, I found a long series of decisions to make about what to order.
Nosecone (1994DD, 76904): This one is supposedly easy, I guess I can order the new one and it'll fit backwards compatible on my car just fine.
Rear Left Wing (30P201A): This one is a pain, because Caterham no longer stocks the style I have. The new ones are symmetrical with the right and don't allow for a rear exhaust to go under them.
Wing Protectors (WS04K): If I get a new L wing then the old rock guard won't fit anymore and I'll need a new rock guard. The new one is a different height, so the R wing rock guard won't match, so I need a new one of those too.
Fasteners (76012, 76013): To be safe, I guess I should order some of these.
Fuel Cap (30T066A or 73059): Since I'm ordering parts anyway, I'm tempted to replace the crappy Rover tank cap. Also, fueling in California is a pain because the fueling nozzle at gas stations doesn't fit into the tank, I have to fumble with a funnel, pull back on the nozzle's fume collet, and very slowly dribble gasoline into the tank. Not sure which (if either) of these parts would work on my car. Update Mar 6 2017: Still don't know which if either would fit, but Darren at Caterham parts said "The INJ one"
Questions:
Any advice on which radiator I should order? There are pictures of the old radiator in that shared folder, but I'm not sure which is most compatible. Update Mar 6 2017: 77316 (Ford Crossflow aluminium) was recommended by Darren at Caterham Parts and by my body shop
How hard or expensive is it to convert my car to side-exhaust? Can I just get a muffler shop to cut the pipe and bend it right after the can, or would I need to buy new exhaust components? I like the look of the side exhaust more, and think I could deal with the noise increase. Update Mar 6 2017: Not really sure if this is true, but my body shop suspects it's only about $200 and easy to do.
If I don't convert to side exhaust, how hard will my body shop find it to be to modify a new L Rear Wing and rock guard? Or, should I just have the body shop remove, fix and paint it?
The steering column is intermittently buzzing lightly against the exhaust manifold, what do you think I should do to fix that? Have a muffler shop heat it up and bend it slightly?
The battery is leaking but from what I gather it shouldn't be... what battery do you recommend that'll fit well to replace it?Update Mar 6 2017: Ordered an Odyssey 690 and hoping it fits.
What's my best way to make refueling the car with a California fuel pump less annoying, and ideally replace the Rover fueling cap?
What's your recommendation for lining the underside of front and rear wings so they don't get rock chips? Line-X is pretty heavy and expensive.
Thanks in advance for your help, I really appreciate it.
-avery