The adventure begins....building my 420R

[DemoDan]

How Seattle-ish are you? I drive by there all the time! I'd enjoy comparing notes with a Caterham build. These pretend cars are a blast, you can have a spin in mine!

[KnifeySpoony]

FYI I'm pretty sure the rear hub nuts are 42mm, not 41mm. I bought a 41 but then later had to get a 42. this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SOSEHY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

This socket is beefy but just fits into the hole in wheel, which means you can torque it with the tire on the ground which eliminates having to rig up a bar or something to hold the hub stationary. Although if your handbrake is installed then that's a non-issue I think. Keep in mind you'll probably need a 1/2 to 3/4 in socket adapter.

 

 

[mdork]

Thanks - the 41mm socket(s) arrived today and indeed don't fit. Silly me to believe the manual. 42mm socket arrives Thurs. Good tip on torquing - thanks!

 

All part of the adventure.

 

@DemoDan I'm very close to Seattle. Send me a message and we can sort something out

[yogi]

Great to see things moving forward! I too ended up with a 41mm and 42mm socket 🤦‍♂️. Let me know if you and Dan sort something out, I'm just over in West Seattle.

[mdork]

She’s looking more like a car…hoping to get plumbing mostly complete this weekend.

 

 

[Pokey]

Nice!  What happened to your intake?

 

[mdork]

15 minutes ago, Pokey said:

Nice!  What happened to your intake?

 

Removed it during engine install and left it off to have more access. Will add it back along with the airbox once I make some progress on plumbing. Having the plenum removed does make me wonder if going straight to roller-barrel throttle bodies is a good idea but then I think about cutting my bonnet open and I decide I'll just enjoy it how it is for a while

Edited September 2, 2021 by mdork
typos

[KnifeySpoony]

I pondered the same and ended up doing the roller barrel during initial build. The bonnet cut was not a big deal with a sheet metal nibbler. The bigger issue is getting the proper ECU tune from Caterham. Also, the kit they sell has incorrect injectors. My car is running great now, but my tach still reads improperly, and Caterham apparently don't know how to fix it...

 

The roller barrels do sound insane, though.

[mdork]

Yes a good friend has them on his car (pictured to the left) and the sound is intoxicating. Keeping them happy at low idle seems to be a different challenge. Will probably do it down the road so long as it won't make the car harder to live with as I'd like to drive it often.

[KnifeySpoony]

FWIW my car idles fine. Drivability is fine although the throttle is touchy and can cause "kangarooing" (I believe this is the correct 7 term) at light throttle over bumps. 

[mdork]

Good day today. Rear hubs torqued, dry sump tank in, along with the oh so pretty headers and exhaust. Ran into a bit of a snag with the steering rack as it’s just touching the alternator. Clears the pulley (barely). Not really much to adjust. Anyone else have this problem?

 

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by mdork
I’m a dork

[wemtd]

Can you rotate the steering rack to change the steering column angle?

[coffee break]

FWIW Loosen the mounting hardware of the rack and see if it can be slid sideways away from the motor. In the same thought, loosen the motor mounts and see if a similar shifting can be done.

 

Good luck.

[Pokey]

I've got roughly a centimeter clearance to the pulley and the alternator.  I'm with wemtd, rotate the rack forward.  The column, joint and shaft should form a straight line.

 

Exhaust looks great!  They will look even better with a little heat patina 

 

Have you plumbed the sump yet?  I found it a head-scratching ordeal trying to figure out how best to route the hoses.

[KnifeySpoony]

Hmmmmm... my alternator is on the RIGHT side of the engine. Maybe the Left hand side mount is for RHD cars?

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by KnifeySpoony

[mdork]

Steering rack rotated a bit solved the clearance issue. Now the rack seems to be binding. Seems such a simple job but I’m easily stumped. Will have another try later. 
 

@Pokey Haven’t done any plumbing yet. Have some good reference diagrams but if I get stuck I’ll let you know

[KnifeySpoony]

So I guess I'm the only one with a right-side mounted alternator? Maybe this is down to the powertrain supplier, and not Caterham per se.

[yellowss7]

I have a right hand mounted alternator on my 2.3 L Duratec in an SV. 

[coffee break]

Is there a u-joint on the steering shaft that allows the rack to be rotated? If so, the u-joint may be binding.

Could the rack be shimmed up to space the shaft upwards without adding too much bump steer?

[mdork]

47 minutes ago, coffee break said:

Is there a u-joint on the steering shaft that allows the rack to be rotated? If so, the u-joint may be binding.

Could the rack be shimmed up to space the shaft upwards without adding too much bump steer?

Yes there is a u-joint - could be the culprit as things worked great till the steering clamp was tightened. Not sure and out of energy for the day. Will try to resolve this week.