Rob J.

It’ll get there and we are determined to bring it back to life. In our situation, my FILs health played a big role. We ended up moving into his old home 18 months ago and we are still undoing the damage from a decade of neglect. It’s a shame the car and house got this bad, but with some time and effort, they’ll be great again!

Safety inspections in my county are minimal and easy to pass. With someone putting dedicated time into it, I'm sure it could be up and running in a fairly short period of time. But, until someone with more knowledge looks it over, I just don't know. I can't trust anything the previous mechanic told me so I'm essentially starting completely over. I did find another mechanic on the recommendation of a fellow Caterham owner and he may be taking the car over the winter. If that doesn't work out... I don't know what I'm going to do.

mrmustang is correct. The local mechanic that had the car essentially disappeared back in May. After getting the police involved, I was able to get the car and all of the parts back a few weeks ago. Sadly, in the 10 months that he had the car, he did almost nothing. So, it's currently sitting, waiting on the next mechanic to be available to take on a new project. At this rate, I'm just hoping it'll be roadworthy again by spring of next year.

Hey there. I do still have the car and it's still with a local mechanic who has been picking away at it in his spare time. After a thorough fuel system cleaning, the engine miraculously started and ran for about 10 minutes before completely seizing. We found a donor motor and he's swapping out the bottom end. He thinks it'll be drivable by the spring! Still a few other issues to sort out in terms of general upkeep (seat slider frozen, front brakes frozen, etc.), but it's coming along. RMC has been great finding me parts and it's getting some goodies along the way. It needed all the rotors replaced, a headlight replaced, new steer wheel, and more, but it's coming together (very, very slowly). Hopefully I'll have a significant update in March/April with the hope of actually driving it for the first time by the time the weather starts to warm up!

I’ve gotten the wheel locks off, so that’s a start. The front brakes are seized and after a few hours of messing with them, I gave up. The next step is to have someone else work on it. I just don’t have the knowledge to go any further by myself. Selling it has crossed my mind, but it’s something we want to keep in the family. It just might be a few years before it’s road-worthy again. It’s too awesome to let it go.

Sadly no. I was able to get it pretty clean and the rear wheels are finally turning, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten outside of getting some parts in from RMC. Unfortunately, it’s getting into areas where I just don’t have the knowledge to move forward on my own. It’s likely going to have to get sent somewhere for an overhaul as I just don’t have time to dedicate to learning how to take engine components apart and assess for damage. In addition to a new job, my wife and I are looking into relocating to DE, so my spare time is too limited to tinker. 😔

Wheels are on my radar once I get the car back on the road for sure. I've seen some really great options out there. I'll just have to decide how much I like these and get a feel for the ride quality once it's drivable. I've heard a lot of great things about going down to 13", so that's definitely a possibility in the future. I wouldn't mind a better ride quality in general. But then again, I've also never even ridden in one so I have no basis for comparison yet.

Yep! The trip setting was 64 miles. I couldn’t believe it. And totally agree. The tires obviously look brand new, but they were sitting on very soft ground for a long time. I’d feel better about just replacing them from the beginning and not having that worry in my head. I’ll start looking around for some replacements.

Frame looks to be in pretty good shape. No idea about the motor or trans though. I’ll figure those out later when I can get some help from someone with more experience.

Update - I was able to get a new battery to at least see if the electronics would work. Obviously I made no attempt beyond just assessing what was working. So far, only a taillight is out so that’s a pretty good. With that… I got a look at the odometer. Are you all ready? 98 miles. Looks like he bought it, drove it home, parked it, and left it.

It’s funny you mention that because I’ve also though about a mobile mechanic stopping by to help. I think you’re right though - it’s a great chance to learn a lot. After I get the brakes in good working order and the rest cleaned, I’ll turn my attention to the major parts. Ultimately, you’re right. If I don’t think it’s salvageable, there’s really no harm in taking it apart!

Update - I was able to remove the center cap locks! After letting them sit for 2 days after being sprayed with wd-40, I was able to gently wedge a flat head screwdriver in and they easily backed out. Wheels off tomorrow to see if I can assess the frozen brakes and potentially the parking brake (which isn’t working either).

This is really helpful information. I really appreciate the insight. I’m one of those that likes to do things once, especially if I’m starting from a point where replacement needs to happen. I know that Ford used a forced induction 2.0L in the modern Focus ST. Wonder if that would be a close fit! (Kidding - kind of).

Appreciate the advice. I’ve reached out to some restoration and car specialists in my area to start lining up options. In the meantime, the cleaning continues and Josh is helping me pick up parts I know it needs right off the bat.

Thank you! I just sent them a message.

Wow, thanks! I'll definitely keep that in mind as I get deeper into everything!

Unfortunately, this is way outside of my knowledge base and comfort level. Not to mention, I have zero clue how to do any of the things you've mentioned. I don't know how to assess the current condition of the ECU, do a leak down test, or pull a motor without making a mess of things. I'd be afraid of taking things apart and then not knowing how to put them back together. Although, I have a gut feeling that the engine isn't salvageable anyway so that might not even matter. If the engine isn't salvageable, I would have some decisions to make. I'm not sure that I'd want to replace it with the same motor if I have go down that road despite it being the cheapest option. Given the motors currently used by Caterham, I'd much rather upgrade to something more modern and powerful. I'm sure 175hp does very well in such a small car and admittedly, I've never ridden in one. But, when my daily vehicle has 750hp, it's kind of in the back of my mind to upgrade. Nevertheless, I think that's a decision to make later on when I get to the bridge. For now, I'm just cleaning away and trying to find that darn center cap key!

Not yet, but that's probably the next step. Nobody seems to have one. It's weird because it looks like a standard lock, so I thought it would be an easy find.

That’s a good idea if I can’t find the key. And yea, it looks pretty bad.

The center cap locks look like a 5 point, rounded star. It’s really hard to tell from this pic because they’re so rusted.

Serious question for those who have done this before. As I think over the fact that this car has been sitting outside for a very long time, I'm wondering if it's just worth replacing the motor altogether. The reason I ask is because every fluid reservoir is bone dry (not a huge deal), but I just opened the oil cap and looking inside I'm seeing a lot of rust. I'd imagine this is just the result of water getting in there after being subjected to the elements. I'd really appreciate your thoughts. Pictures below.

Those are great ideas. I have a few emails out to try to find a key and if not, I’ll have to make an attempt. I’m sure I’ll have to drill it out. I did spray them to start loosening up the rust to start.

I will! I just started a thread over on the build page!

Since I don’t have a center cap key, I’m focusing on simply cleaning everything. I’ve started getting the seats out so I can focus on the easy things first that don’t take a lot of “know how.”