New Build

[Pokey]

Hi Greg, nice progress, I see you put in the A Frame. I hope you didn't make the same mistake I did and put it in upside down. LOL. I only noticed the difference in the guide after I put it in. Oh well, it wasn't the only time I had to pull something off and put it on again.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Oh don't think that I didn't double-check after it was installed given I had just finished one axle-end assembly only to realize I didn't silicon between the De Dion ear and the tube. So, yes, I'm well versed in doing and then doing again. I like to consider the first attempt practice.

Edited May 23, 2020 by Pokey

[Pokey]

Two days of some non-dreary weather got me thinking about turning the motor over so I deemed it time for fluids. Six quarts of motor oil into the top end and still nothing showing in the sump tank. This is my first dry sump setup and I was assuming gravity would create equilibrium between the motor and the tank, but I guess it has to be pumped there.

 

Coolant is added by filling the overflow tank, well not so much an overflow tank as a pressure-release vessel, and air released through a bolt hole in the top right of the radiator. Caterham very thoughtfully made the overflow tank opening just the right size for a mouth, so bleeding the system was easy. I’m just glad there were no witnesses.

Bleeding the brakes was equally convenient as the wheels aren’t on yet. The clutch bleed screw was a little harder to access at the top of the bell housing but not that bad. However, my helper (wife) and I spent 20 minutes at the end of the day trying to bleed the clutch with no luck. It was apparent that air was getting in but I couldn’t see any fluid leaks anywhere. That got me thinking about the leak I wouldn’t be able to see down in the bell housing where the slave cylinder lurks. And so ended the day with thoughts of pulling the motor again.

The next morning I decided we would try to bleed the clutch again but this time having my helper release the clutch pedal slowly as a diagnostic test to see if we were drawing air around the seals in the master cylinder. It was about the third time topping off the reservoir that I realized one of the three hoses exiting the reservoir did so at the side rather than the bottom, and that it did so above the min line. Funny what happens when I slow down to really see what I’m looking at.

So even though I thought I was keeping the reservoir full I was in fact allowing the fluid to draw down below the top of the outlet for the clutch. Perhaps someone smarter than I am knows why Caterham puts the clutch outlet on the side rather than the bottom, but it will take a truly gifted individual to understand why the outlet is above the min level. Oh well, my fault for not paying attention like I should have.

 

With fluids in and the inertia switch disconnected it was time to turn over the motor, well it would have been time if the battery wasn’t flat. I’m writing this the day after and have subsequently found that the battery isn’t taking a charge. I’ll look up the battery spec’s in a bit to make sure, but I’m assuming it is an AGM which means it wasn’t shipped dry so the battery is DOA. Eh, today the weather is, in fact, dreary, so I’m not in the mood to start it up anyway.

Yesterday ended with getting the front wings prepped. I put a plumb bob on the front wing stay and measured out 80 mm as stated in the build manual and marked. Comparing the two wings to make sure the marks were in the same place was puzzling until I realized that Caterham drilled the holes for the running lights on one side about a half-inch back further than the other.

 

[Vovchandr]

Yesterday ended with getting the front wings prepped. I put a plumb bob on the front wing stay and measured out 80 mm as stated in the build manual and marked. Comparing the two wings to make sure the marks were in the same place was puzzling until I realized that Caterham drilled the holes for the running lights on one side about a half-inch back further than the other.

 

 

Hand made!

 

Are you planning on gluing the wings on?

[Pokey]

Hand made!

 

Are you planning on gluing the wings on?

 

Yes, I believe their jigs are handmade

 

I'm going to epoxy the wings on. Bruce B. recommended a 3M panel epoxy, and an epoxy sounds to my ear better than the alternatives.

[I B Sevener]

Greg,

 

Looking at the photos of your car, I saw that you have the standard Banner battery. It IS shipped dry and requires two small boxes of battery acid which is available at any NAPA store plus an initial charge on a trickle charger before use. I suspect that there is nothing wrong with the battery other than that.

 

Also, I would recommend Sikkaflex to glue on the wings as it retains some flexibility even after it cures while epoxy is rigid and prone to vibration cracking. Just another opinion.

 

Your build looks great!!

Edited May 25, 2020 by I B Sevener

[Vovchandr]

Yes, I believe their jigs are handmade

 

I'm going to epoxy the wings on. Bruce B. recommended a 3M panel epoxy, and an epoxy sounds to my ear better than the alternatives.

 

Good luck. I hope you don't have the same issue of bond failure that I did. I don't believe you're using the Big heads though so you have a lot more surface area to attach to.

 

My Sikaflex is re-curing now

[Pokey]

Greg,

 

Looking at the photos of your car, I saw that you have the standard Banner battery. It IS shipped dry and requires two small boxes of battery acid which is available at any NAPA store plus an initial charge on a trickle charger before use. I suspect that there is nothing wrong with the battery other than that.

 

Also, I would recommend Sikkaflex to glue on the wings as it retains some flexibility even after it cures while epoxy is rigid and prone to vibration cracking. Just another opinion.

 

Your build looks great!!

 

Well that would explain it then! Off to pick up some acid.

[Pokey]

Good luck. I hope you don't have the same issue of bond failure that I did. I don't believe you're using the Big heads though so you have a lot more surface area to attach to.

 

My Sikaflex is re-curing now

 

No Big Heads, just fixing straight to the stay. All prepped and ready to go.

 

 

[sf4018]

Nice progress, much faster than me! Couple of thoughts...

Engine Oil - they recommended to me splitting the oil fill between the engine and the tank, split isn't that important. Maybe add 1 litre to the tank just to stop it sucking in air when you first start it? The running level in the tank is quite low so it's not going to damage anything if you over fill a little.

Front Wing - +1 on the Sikaflex 521, seems like the right product for the application.

[Lucky-7]

I don't know if you saw my build thread, but I had my wings sprayed with bed liner material at a local shop. I marked the front ones where the supports would go so he masked them off there, and the rears he sprayed full length.

I figured it would help with stones flying up and star cracking the wings.

For the front wing mounting, (very messy) I used a professional grade 2 part epoxy that body shops use to bond body panels together. I got mine from a body shop customer of mine, expensive but worth it. $85.00 Came with a mini dual caulking type gun, and nozzles, so the mix is exact. Norton makes it but there are other brands. Swing by a body shop and ask.

[Pokey]

Nice progress, much faster than me! Couple of thoughts...

Engine Oil - they recommended to me splitting the oil fill between the engine and the tank, split isn't that important. Maybe add 1 litre to the tank just to stop it sucking in air when you first start it? The running level in the tank is quite low so it's not going to damage anything if you over fill a little.

Front Wing - +1 on the Sikaflex 521, seems like the right product for the application.

 

Hadn't thought about the pump pulling air from the sump tank. I added a quart to the tank before cranking to create oil pressure.

[Pokey]

I don't know if you saw my build thread, but I had my wings sprayed with bed liner material at a local shop. I marked the front ones where the supports would go so he masked them off there, and the rears he sprayed full length.

I figured it would help with stones flying up and star cracking the wings.

For the front wing mounting, (very messy) I used a professional grade 2 part epoxy that body shops use to bond body panels together. I got mine from a body shop customer of mine, expensive but worth it. $85.00 Came with a mini dual caulking type gun, and nozzles, so the mix is exact. Norton makes it but there are other brands. Swing by a body shop and ask.

 

I did see your post about the wings and the spray on liner some time ago and was toying with the idea of doing something similar as I've read about "star" cracks forming from rock hits. But then I unwrapped the wings last week and realized how insubstantial they are. I haven't put one on a scale but would guess not too much more than a pound apiece. That got me thinking about their purpose, weight, how carbon fiber would be a nice upgrade, that wings must really be a consumable on a Seven, what a pain it is to do anything with COVID around, etc. so I decided to not make a decision and just roll on. Well, what I really decided was to get the wings on and then think applying an undercoat myself.

 

Any words of wisdom regarding the application of the epoxy? I'm using a 3M version, but same thing, two-parts, a gun and a mixing nozzle. My thinking is a thin bead on each wing stay, set them down on the stay and gently tape each end to the tire - no pressure to speak of just keep things from moving. Then after a day come back and lay down a larger bead on each side of the stay and wipe smooth like I would caulking with silicone. The first step seems the trickiest - getting things to stay put. Another thought was a strap around the tire and wing but that just seems like it would be harder to do and I don't think I need to create a clamping force as the goal is not to drive all of the epoxy out of the gap.

[Pokey]

 

That, my friends, is gasoline puddling on top of the pump housing. We tried to fire the engine last night but it was apparent it wasn't getting fuel. Then someone noticed something dripping...

 

The end of the fuel line presses into the pump housing and it wasn't pressed all of the way in. Having said that, I'm not sure if it came from the factory like that or if the fuel pressure pushed it out as there is no mechanical fixing, just a press fit. I've reached out to Bruce to ask him as that just doesn't seem right to me. Maybe a circlip is missing?

[JohnCh]

Glad you found it when you did. A press fit without an additional mechanical fastener does seem a bit odd given the pressure involved, but I don't see a groove or other indication of a fastener in the white plastic housing. Do fingers from the fitting go through the slots in the white plastic? Perhaps that's enough? Interested to see the resolution.

 

-John

[Anker]

I agree, the fitting looks like it is made for a connector with tabs that lock into the holes.

[sf4018]

Make sure the line isn’t pinched off somewhere like the LSD or tranny area, or bent sharply somewhere.

[Lucky-7]

Hey Greg, it's a bloody mess. I did almost all of mine in one shot. Then added some more on the next day. I also sanded the top of the uprights to bare metal so the epoxy bonded really good to the steel. I also hit the fenders a little for the same reason. Did you do have the wires through the supports for the repeaters? I drilled the holes for the ground and attached the ground wires before gluing. And I installed the repeaters.

I feel pretty confident they won't pop off somewhere.

[Pokey]

I agree, the fitting looks like it is made for a connector with tabs that lock into the holes.

 

 

I think you win Anker, I'm missing a retaining clip. I've not found a Ford OEM part number yet, but ordered a clip from Dorman that looks to be somewhat universal. If that doesn't work then this may wind up being something I'll have to rely on Bruce to get from Caterham.

 

[Pokey]

To all you recent builders, did you use the rubber trim around the rear wing stone protectors? I'm considering not using this trim so that the stone protectors lie flat against the wing and don't dimple at the rivets. I'm also unclear as to what the purpose of this trim might be? Is this an IVA thing the Brits have to deal with?

[I B Sevener]

Greg,

 

We used the trim mostly to give it a more finished look but also because it protects the wing from the shield with a little space for deflection on impact from rocks and stuff. We, at the recommendation of Josh Robbins from Rocky Mountain Caterham, also used small stainless nuts and bolts that had hex drive to fasten the shield instead of rivets. When the inevitable replacement time comes, it will be whole lot easier...plus it looks really cool.