SeattleTR Posted October 30, 2022 Share Posted October 30, 2022 Well after signing my order in March of 2021 (big thanks to Josh @ Rocky Mountain Caterham for all the communication through this process), the kit is in the US and due here in Washington in November! After lurking on the boards/blogs for some time, I'm already having nightmares about inventory, wiring headlights, gluing the front wings, and thanks to @Pokeytransmission tunnels... and I'm looking forward to every minute of it! Going with a pretty stock 420R SV, already with thoughts of future modifications: Vintage Green body and track day roll bar 15" anthracite wheels Ventilated discs Full windscreen/weather (its Washington) Battery cut off Full carpet Heater and Heated 620R carbon seats The garage is largely prepped and ready for delivery. It looks like there are quite a few in the Seattle area here, looking forward to meeting up in the summer! -Toby 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted October 30, 2022 Share Posted October 30, 2022 Sounds like a nice spec! The number of Seattle area owners is certainly growing. Counting you, I am aware of 4 new builds starting in October/November. In addition to @Pokey's great build thread, I've found the following build blogs helpful: https://caterham420detailedbuildblog.co.uk/ https://www.caterham7diaries.com/420r https://purplemeanie.co.uk/index.php/build-blog-index/ As for nightmares, there is no point. Just assume you will be missing parts, some of the parts you do have won't fit without fettling, and you will frequently ask yourself the rhetorical question "what the hell were they thinking?" It's all part of the experience Cheers, John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pokey Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 5 hours ago, SeattleTR said: Pokeytransmission tunnels Hah! I’ll tell you what I wish someone would have told me, the key to a successful build is not over thinking if your definition of success includes not driving yourself nuts. Welcome to our nut house, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdork Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 Looking forward to meeting you. Enjoy the build. Happy to help if you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted November 21, 2022 Author Share Posted November 21, 2022 Delivery Day! Didn't really have much time but certainly had to open the crates, now time for the fun to begin. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted November 27, 2022 Author Share Posted November 27, 2022 Managed to get a bit more time today in the garage, was able to tear down much of the crates and took a couple of trips to the transfer station (still need to cut down the big pieces and take them over). I'll run through an official inventory hopefully next weekend. I did notice that it looks like my transmission leaked quite a bit of fluid (soaked the box), did this happen to anyone else? Guess that moisture absorption pack didn't work Really liking the color. I still need to get the chassis off of the base wood platform, has anyone managed to do this solo? I was thinking I could use the hoist and the jack to potentially lift the chassis (not move it, just lift) or even lift the front / back enough to be able to skill saw away the base (I could use the single jack stand point in the front, will need to evaluate a safe lift point for the back). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 First, I'd use a six or eight foot 4x4 post under the currently heavy (rear) end, just forward of the shipping support near the seat back. Put the 4x4 ends on a standard concrete block versus jack stands that could easily fall over when lifting the other end. Block long dimension parallel to the chassis rails, short shipping boards inserted in the block holes so the 4x4 can't slide off. To prevent the chassis slipping on the 4x4 and also to prevent scratches, you can use ratchet straps. The straps come as a four pack from Home Depot for $20-30. A single strap could be used to secure both side rails, wrapping the ends then ratcheting in the center. Pull the strap end through the ratchet slot and taught while starting the ratcheting, keeping the strap straight and out of the gears on the sides. You can return the blocks and post afterwards. Overkill, but I don't know your level of dexterity or condition. Love the rim/tire pic. Probably half the weight too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted November 27, 2022 Author Share Posted November 27, 2022 (edited) Thanks, that’s a good idea to just bridge with the the 4x4 and the ratchet straps. I liked the rim/tire picture too - 5 in the space of 3 summer tires for that car in the background - and easily 1/2 the weight. I will also say, I've never been a huge fan of carbon fibre, but the dash looks great - sounds like some upgrades in the future! Edited November 27, 2022 by SeattleTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdork Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 @SeattleTR --- Making progress?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted June 5, 2023 Author Share Posted June 5, 2023 (edited) Embarrassingly not until today - I finally broke down the crates and really set up my garage for working and today tackled the front suspension, I had a little bit of trouble finding the correct sleeves for the upper suspension but found them at the end of the day, I took some advice from one of the blogs and looked at the headlight alignment too overall a good first day and looking forward to this build process! I also noticed there was quite a gathering of Caterhams in Cle Elum yesterday! Edited June 5, 2023 by SeattleTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted June 11, 2023 Author Share Posted June 11, 2023 Ok well this was the first real full weekend out in the garage, was able to make some pretty good progress and enjoying the build. Unfortunately I'm at a loss for the brake line copper washers so going to have to figure out the specs for those and look to acquire the right ones (the manual and what I see on various blogs indicate the ones with the brake lines are too small. I got the front ARB together only to determine I need to dremel out the ball joints, looks like that's on the agenda this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted June 16, 2023 Author Share Posted June 16, 2023 Well, after doing the headlights I started to consider the LED bulbs for both the indicator pods and headlights themselves, also the CF pods. Has anyone retrofitted their headlights from Just Add Lightness? Unfortunately back in Seattle for the week so on pause but taking the following week off to dedicate to the build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 If the head light housing you have is for a 5-3/4 bulb, the led assembly is only $32. Beats $175 each. https://www.ebay.com/itm/363665792743?hash=item54ac2b9ee7:g:TEgAAOSwZm9hXX~k&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwLdayXFEh1bxKAnP6Z8%2BWdBm12xtL9rsB41D3jgHcv0wC%2FyhAiUPlQoIdfv7ZQCovSeGIgEh6ygF%2BdEt4u6ikJIUbHCoOBLUYNb467XFLQeuJnzlB0M73W5MjNniepjwaD4Pt%2BywQ%2FN8Q9BJubTpbRKRRn2qvqVoYD%2F%2BaECICMIHJbnXaY7D8%2FI7VIw4XkNZDGGYB8xeGCgUVr%2B8fA2RJGxxN1vIy%2FdANPnJXW9INo951Nn470OZo5h0cfksk21qow%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4CyzsSYYg&var=632889802795 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted June 16, 2023 Author Share Posted June 16, 2023 Amazing, thanks @MV8, much appreciated! Will be interesting to see how they look with/without the indicator pods given these newer LED have indicator potential too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 1 hour ago, SeattleTR said: Amazing, thanks @MV8, much appreciated! Will be interesting to see how they look with/without the indicator pods given these newer LED have indicator potential too. Mine are not JAL but they are the $50 replica that work just fine. I debated on using the integrated signal but I like the more traditional look and went with CF pods myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 One thing to consider is the visibility/effectiveness of the indicator at night when the headlights are on. I know modern cars with DRLs doing double duty as indicators dim the output of the DRL on that side, but not sure how that would work when the indicator is in the headlight. Dimming the headlight seems like a bad idea, but not sure you could actually see the indicator flashing when the headlight is at full power. Has anyone been there/done that who can comment? Thanks, John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 2 hours ago, JohnCh said: One thing to consider is the visibility/effectiveness of the indicator at night when the headlights are on. I know modern cars with DRLs doing double duty as indicators dim the output of the DRL on that side, but not sure how that would work when the indicator is in the headlight. Dimming the headlight seems like a bad idea, but not sure you could actually see the indicator flashing when the headlight is at full power. Has anyone been there/done that who can comment? Thanks, John Thats a very fair point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted June 16, 2023 Author Share Posted June 16, 2023 2 hours ago, JohnCh said: One thing to consider is the visibility/effectiveness of the indicator at night when the headlights are on. I know modern cars with DRLs doing double duty as indicators dim the output of the DRL on that side, but not sure how that would work when the indicator is in the headlight. Dimming the headlight seems like a bad idea, but not sure you could actually see the indicator flashing when the headlight is at full power. Has anyone been there/done that who can comment? Thanks, John This makes me lean towards just retaining the indicator pods, happy to test and report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattleTR Posted June 27, 2023 Author Share Posted June 27, 2023 Making some progress, engine is in, today spent time with the water lines, hand brake cable, prop shaft, oil tank and the radiator. Overall good progress, but I'm really fighting with getting the dry sump lines to fit, does anyone have detailed pictures of their routing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallisek Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Don't feel bad, those dry sump lines also proved to be a pain during my 420 build. I'll take some pics first thing in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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