1995 Bone Stock S3 lands in NC

[gde31ff]

I picked up a BAT auction car today & my first impressions are really good. The car is going to live in Piedmont Triad NC. Based on my limited knowledge, the car looks quite stock. I'm really no fan of 16" wagon wheels, but I don't have any $$$ at this point, so I'll live with them (unless you want to trade your 13" minilites!!!)

 

Want to hit me with some advice?? I need a top 10 list of items you'd think about addressing first just to get the car reliable for some Blue Ridge blasts. Things you wish you didn't put off when you became an owner? 

 

Somewhat related - gentleman who arranged sale regularly imports European cars in Durham, NC. He said it's about a $3000 project these days with tarrifs & fees. He's a TVR guy himself - but he had the car I bought imported a few years ago. 

 

Appreciate the help I've already received here. Looking forward to crossing paths out in the wild someday.

 

 

 

[Austin David]

Congrats!  That's a pretty car.  Personally I'd put an aeroscreen near the front of the list, esp for day trips.

 

Smaller wheels and stuff are great but until you get to know the car you may not know the difference.  For me I'd prioritize the first trip, then work from there.

[CBuff]

I would do a full nut and bolt check. I believe there are torque specs in the files here. Or I just saw mentioned @SimonRogers built an app that outlines torque settings by car 

 

bat listing says brakes were flushed in May 2026.  But maybe check other fluids. Trans, diff, oil, coolant. Replace if suspect or unknown.  
 

i am limited in my mechanical knowledge. And carbs are down right voodoo to me. But I would think going thru the carbs would be prudent. 
 

checking all hose connections and conditions.  
 

tires seem to be date coded 2012 so you should replace those even if you keep the wagon wheels.  
 

After the above are done just  drive it.  Other items will make themselves known.  

[Austin David]

21 minutes ago, CBuff said:

just  drive it.

this

[San Augustine]

When I bought my Caterham Seven last November I found this thread to be very useful. Especially, the info concerning the brakes, coolant, and fluid systems.  @NSXguy had a lot of good information on going through a new old car. 

Edited Thursday at 01:16 AM by San Augustine

[IamScotticus]

Engine pics!

 

Soften that suspension.  Adjust the rear sway bar, if available, to softest setting and get the 1/2" front sway bar.  

https://caterhamparts.co.uk/anti-roll-bars/6793-narrow-track-front-anti-roll-bar-kit.html

or

https://caterhamparts.co.uk/anti-roll-bars/6792-front-anti-roll-bar-kit.html

 

Loosen and re-tighten all suspension points on the ground.  Replace the rear A frame bushes.

 

Cable clutch, inspect the top eyelet cable for fraying, twisting & relieve any tension.  Ensure lower cable end is secured to clutch fork so it won't dislodge.  Order a clutch cable (Escort Mk 1 or 2) to keep in the car as a spare with tools to replace and adjust tension.

 

Rust..Deal with it now. get a brush-on rust conditioning black paint.  Prep rusty front and rear tubes and under steering rack bridge with steel wool to remove flaking powder coat and dab on the paint.

Perfect, no. But rust isn't perfect either, it's damage that gets worse if left alone.  It must be addressed now.  Eastwood Rust Encapsulator is one option. Por 15 is another. If all you can do now is dab on a can of Rustoleum from Walmart, do that.  Nobody's looking under there anyways 

 

Install a battery cut-off switch to prevent battery drain and electrolysis.

 

Also, I remember much grumbling about those wheel center caps.  Don't loose the key!  You won't find another.

 

And repaint the tyre carrier black...it's part of the chassis, which is black. My apologies..

Edited Thursday at 04:04 AM by IamScotticus

[IamScotticus]

3 hours ago, CBuff said:

Other items will make themselves known.

At the worst possible moment

[Croc]

Congratulations on your purchase!

 

First things are no upgrades initially - you want to drive it and feel it as it is - then you can select upgrades based on what you think is important.  
 

Do the basics first

- a good service - replace all fluids, including brakes, diff and transmission.  Change air filter

- flush radiator and fresh coolant.  
- inspect brakes but if pads have enough life then live with brakes for now.  Make sure your brake hoses are in good shape 
- check throttle, brake and clutch linkages, cables for wear

- hoses - they usually perish unless they are high quality silicone. Check hose connections are tight.  
- check fuel hose and filter - replace as needed. 
- spanner check on all nuts and bolts. 
 

This usually stops 95% of breakdowns in your initial drives. 
 

If alignment feels off then do one plus cross weight the front set up with your weight loaded up in the drivers seat.  

 

[gde31ff]

Thanks so much to all who have chimed in w/ your Hot Tips for (trying) to avoid getting stranded with the Caterham. Having a community like this makes it hard to imagine what getting this info was like back in the 1980s (despite living through it). 

[Exarkun1178]

Congratulation.  I was an earlier bidder, but not surprisingly, went out of budget quickly.  

[gde31ff]

27 minutes ago, Exarkun1178 said:

Congratulation.  I was an earlier bidder, but not surprisingly, went out of budget quickly.  

It kinda went out of my budget too!!! But here I am. If I can keep it as a running project (instead of garage queen up on jack stands) then I'll be thrilled.

[theDreamer]

@gde31ff I agree with all the above except for @IamScotticus and his insistence on painting the spare tire hoop. My car was factory painted and that included the hoop. Cars with alloy bodies have the black hoop of course. However, I think all the painted body cars I’ve seen have the hoop body colour. But that’s not important at this point.

Go over the car as suggested. I had this done by the shop that prepped my car for its safety inspection. They didn’t think the cam belt, throttle or clutch cables needed to be changed. However, it did need a pan gasket and on a Vauxhall C20xe that is not a part you can find in North America.

Note: the clutch cable is held in place by a rubber grommet. It was not checked and it disappeared about an hour into a two hour drive to a car show. Once we figured out that the clutch arm end had just fallen out we reattached it and then used two tie wraps to hold it into place. We put another 2500 miles on that make shift fix.

The great thing about getting your car for under $20k is that it leaves you room to repair/replace the important maintenance stuff that is never mentioned. You hope you won’t have to do it all but in the end you do.

The one thing I’d add is to start with shorter drives to get use to the car and learn its temperament. After each outing go over the car. One of the best ways to keep a motorcycle in top shape is to hand wash it after every ride. You physically have to touch every part to clean and dry it. You’d be surprised at how many issues I found after spirited rides over the decades. Same goes for 7’s however, you may vary the time between full washes based on your driving style and distance travelled.

We all are hoping you the best. Enjoy your Super 7 Sprint.

 

 

 

[TN_Scooter]

Just my two cents, I ordered mine in Viper Blue and the spare tire hoop came in black.

[Austin David]

Ditto.  I assume it was painted (coated?) to match the frame

[Slonie]

Congrats on the pickup! it's a good looking car. Like everyone else said, the first point is to replace those tires as ASAP (unless you can prove that they're new enough via date codes)

 

Not to belabor the tire carrier point but mine is painted the body color (chassis from 2001). I wouldn't bother repainting it!

Some people (not me) cut it off and plug it or make it removable in the case that they don't want to drive around with a spare. To each their own.

 

 

Here's a tip—

Download as many build manuals as you can, they're invaluable reference (along with both forum searches and build blogs from here and the UK). You can find them scattered around the web or probably all in the Files section of this site. Barring that, DM me with your email address and I'll send you my folder.

 

For the nut and bolt torque check, I found the modern "Ikea" manual to be very helpful as it shows where each fastener is visually — However a word of warning, some torque specs have changed and will be different on your car (I can name the differential carrier bolts as one such example, if there are others I don't know of, it's too late for me anyway).

 

Speaking of torque, check the banjo fittings for your brakes, because one of mine came loose (I had overlooked it during my nut and bolt check).

 

And have fun!

 

[Austin David]

The torque spec is in the arm of a skilled mechanic.

[gde31ff]

43 minutes ago, Austin David said:

The torque spec is in the arm of a skilled mechanic.

Well.... I'm def not calling myself skilled!! But I'm not afraid to get in there. I got it up on jack stands tonight and found about 10 rivets in the floorplans that had gone missing!! Fortunately I had the right size to pop back in there. I really appreciate the community support here! A few "naked" pics attached.

[Austin David]

I feel like you got a pretty solid deal on that ride.  Enjoy the h*ck out of it!

[IamScotticus]

On 7/23/2026 at 4:08 PM, theDreamer said:

that’s not important at this point.

No, it's not. I'm just being an azzz. 

[JohnCh]

38 minutes ago, IamScotticus said:

I'm just being an azzz. 

 

Attention @Vovchandr, a new quote to add to your signature.