Caterham Academy 2012 - Build

The Set-up Day

2012-03-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today I went to the "Academy Set-up Day", a new addition to the Academy calendar held down at the Caterham Dartford factory, which is geared towards helping us get a better understanding of basic car set-up. It has been established this year following feedback from previous groups and a desire to help us keep costs down by showing participants that they don't need to go to race teams and spend a fortune getting their cars set-up. It was an excellent morning.

We started at 10am, as usual, with a cup of tea and a good chat with new and old faces alike, before being separated into our groups. My group started by going to the "skunk works", which was really a small building a couple of doors down from the factory where we got to have a close look at the new Caterham SP300R. This was a really exciting opportunity and the car really was a very impressive looking bit of kit, sold to us as what we would all be driving in 5 years’ time if we followed the Caterham motorsport ladder all the way up. At the best part of £70k (excluding VAT) that may be wishful thinking, but one can always dream.

After this we went back to the factory to be shown the production line, which was quaint and fascinating at the same time. The thing that amazed me most of all was the number of different car specifications that the guys building the cars have to deal with. There were a lot of left hand drive cars on the line when we were there and there were all number of strange exhaust systems, mirror mounting points, lighting set-ups etc. It really is like stepping back in time with about 30 cars on trolleys and not a robot in sight. Just how you would imagine and want it, albeit more sophisticated than the garage I built mine in!

After this we were taken over to a car in one of the service bays where the guys talked us through tyre pressures, camber, castor, toe in/out, anti-roll bars, corner weights and ride heights. The aim was to try and explain how each of these settings affects the car and the rough parameters that we should be looking to work within, before finding our own preferences. I had a reasonable understanding of these parameters before going in, but it was a really useful refresher and as always the guys patiently answered all of our questions, no matter how silly.

We finished around 1pm, but before leaving I popped into the parts office to pick up some race spec brake pads, a thicker front anti-roll bar and some nylon wing bolts so that I now have all I need to finish preparing my car next weekend. After that I have booked the car into Caterham to have a flat floor set-up done, which they are offering to us at £50 and is a real no-brain decision as far as I am concerned. I am also looking to get a bag seat made up at the same time as I am just too tall to fit the tillet seats properly. It is fine on the road, but with a helmet on my head is too close to the top of the rollcage. It will be yet more money, but Caterham really are doing all they can to help take as much of the sting out of the tail as possible. Today was another excellent example of that.

The ARDS Day

2012-02-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Association of Racing Drivers Schools (ARDS) day for the Group 1 Academy gang…..the day where we were all going to be tested to see if we were ready to be given a racing license. I didn’t really know what to expect as we hadn’t been told a great deal about the day, or the test, and there wasn’t a great deal of information available on the Internet that I could find. We had been sent the MSA Blue book (which is not an easy, or indeed required read) and associated MSA DVD to revise from, but I couldn’t find any sample papers to prepare myself with, so felt quite uncertain about what the day would hold. I needn’t have been worried.

The day itself started very early, with me leaving just after 5am from Hertford to try to get to Castle Combe for 8am (a journey of 130 miles). I didn’t want to be late, so left myself plenty of time! I also decided that with the melting of the final few patches of snow it would be appropriate to try and put a few more miles on the Caterham, so wrapped up warm, dropped the hood, plugged in my i-pod and set off. I love driving at night with the roof down, but it was really rather cold and I was glad of a cup coffee and a few minutes of last minute revision when I got down to the circuit. Two of the other guys had decided to bring their Caterhams down as well, one coming down from somewhere well and truly up north (a 6 hour drive away), so I didn’t feel like the only other mad man there.

Once at the circuit it was nice to catch up with some old faces and introduced myself to some new ones at the same time. Everyone is very friendly and we were all quickly exchanging war stories of our build experiences and first track days (for those that have done them) whilst Jenny and Simon from Caterham tried to get our attention to start the day. They did a brief introduction before splitting us up into 4 groups for the day. My group started by watching the MSA DVD, before heading out onto the track with an instructor who showed us the circuit at 60 – 70% race pace in a Fiesta ST. I had never been to Castle Combe before, but it is very fast and flowing track that was easy enough to learn. It would be fun in a Caterham Academy car, but probably quite eye opening on a quick bike or in a single seater.

Whilst the first of our group went off for his track test I went off to pee in a pot and see the doctor. With eyes tested, blood pressure taken and some intimate question asked, it was back to the car for my turn on the track. I did eight laps - five with the instructor instructing, then three with him observing in silence. He was looking for a good understanding of the racing line, smoothness, consistency and good forward vision and all-round awareness. Basically they want you to drive at 60 – 70% race pace, but in a controlled and safe style, such that they would be happy to be on a circuit with you. Speed is not important! I passed the track test just fine, with positive comments on all aspects of my style, but a note of warning about changing down the gears too early and carrying a touch too much speed into some of the corners. I did however have to stop myself from really going for it when I was overtaken on the pit straight and remind myself that it wasn’t a race….not just yet anyway.

After the track test we watched the second part of the MSA DVD, before sitting the written test. The DVD really does give you all of the answers to the test, so this really was very simple. It consisted of approximately eight statements/situations, for which you had to write the colour of the flag that would be used and whether it would be stationary or waved. There were then approximately 20 multiple choice questions asking you what you would do in certain race day and racing situations. These really were common sense, so if you know your flags and have common sense then you really should pass this part of the test first time.

After lunch my group went off to the skid pan, where we spent an hour thrashing some very tired old BMW 3 series around an oily and very slippery circuit. This didn’t form any part of the test and was a great excuse to behave like a hooligan, spinning around like a fool with no danger to either car or self. After the skid pan it was back to the race centre for a talk with the Caterham guys on preparing the car for scruitineering. This was really useful and highlighted that we all still have a bit of work to do to get our cars ready for the first sprint. I think another day in the garage is required, especially as my car has been re-called for potentially faulty rear brake callipers that I also need to swap over. At this point we found out that everyone had passed their test, which was fantastic news and a demonstration of the fact that they really are looking for people to pass rather than fail. As ever the guys from Caterham did a fantastic job in preparing us all and generating an environment that was friendly, relaxed and where we could take another gentle step towards our first race with confidence.

After a long day at the circuit it was great to get back into the Caterham for the drive home knowing that I was one step closer to becoming a fully-fledged racing driver. The drive itself was long and cold, so I got home very tired, but also very pleased, with a Caterham well run in and in desperate need of a good bath. It was a very good day and certainly beat being at work!

Short blat to collect the christmas tree

2011-12-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

Short blat to collect the christmas tree:

It was a beautiful day today and I hadn't been in the car for a couple of weeks, so I used it as an excuse to go out and get our christmas tree. We have two saloon cars, neither of which have folding rear seats, so the Caterham was a surprisingly practical alternative. I managed to combine this with a short blat around some of the local lanes, but gave up after half an hour because my hands were getting pretty cold. On the way home with the tree sticking out of the top of the car I got some pretty funny looks, but who cares....tis the season to be jolly, and I felt jolly today!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Collecting the Car

2011-11-27T02:43:00.000-08:00

Collecting the Car:

This morning my long suffering wife took me down to Caterham Dartford to collect my car following it`s post build check and IVA. To say the location is less than glamorous is an understatement, especially on a Saturday morning where the place looks deserted. I got to meet the chap who had been working on my car, who said it was a good build, which was nice to hear. I suspect they say that to everyone who comes to collect their new-build after it's post build check, but it put a smile on my face none the less.

There was another owner there collecting his R500 after a service, so we had a bit of a chat. It turns out he has had endless problems with the car miss-firing, so is actually looking to get shot of it, which was a real shame. Still, I couldn't have been more excited to get in and drive mine away, even if it did take me a good 10 - 15 minutes to get in and buckled up (they may be quick cars, but you certainly don’t make a quick getaway). The drive back home was rather dull, round the M25 and up the A10, but driving a Caterham is such an event it makes even the most boring drive into a mini-adventure.

Initial impressions of the car are very good. It has strong acceleration up to 80mph, after which it tails off noticeably like all lower powered Caterhams with a windscreen in place. The engine sounds fine, with a nice exhaust roar and some lovely pops and bangs on the overrun, which give it some real character despite the humble origins. The most impressive aspect, as always, is the immediate response from the steering, throttle and brakes, which make you feel absolutely connected to the car. Even the ride is ok and certainly better than my last 7, but I haven't really pushed the handling too far as yet to see if this will cause compromises elsewhere.

Later on in the day I took the car for a proper blat along some of the narrower country roads around home and it came alive......there really is nothing like driving a Caterham on a pleasant evening with the roof down, the engine singing and the smells of the country filling your nose. It has been 5 years since I last owned one, but all the fantastic memories came flooding back in an instant....most fondly the easily controlled oversteer out of each and every roundabout! Goodness only knows how much fun the racing is going to be J

Caterham Academy 2012 - Academy Seminar & IVA

2011-11-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went up to Caterham Midlands for a seminar on the Academy with my fellow 2012 Academics. It was a fantastic day and a great opportunity to meet many of the guys that I will be racing with throughout 2012.....they are a diverse, but great group, united by a shared passion. It was fascinating to compare build stories with those that are building their cars and share our fears as well as excitement for the year ahead. If truth be told I think we were also starting to eye each other up and work out who our main competition was going to be :-)

The Caterham team did a fantastic job of giving us an idea of what to expect from the year and answering all of our questions, no matter how silly (do we have to bring our own brolly girls? being the best). The highlight for me was having a couple of the guys from the 2011 Academy come and talk us through their experiences. What was absolutely clear was that it had been a great experience for them and that they had formed some fantastic friendships along the way. It was really apparent that they had caught the racing bug badly and were looking forward to their 2012 season.

We had presentations from Book a Track on track days and tuition, REIS on Insurance, PRG on trailers and Demon Tweaks on race wear. These were all really useful, but also highlighted how much money there is still to spend getting ready for next year. I hadn't even considered things like Hans devices for my helmet, but it became clear that it is something that I should really consider. However if I do go for a Hans device I also need to get my seatbelt mounts modified at the chassis manufacturer, for yet more expenditure in time and cost. At least I now know what I need to do between now and the first sprint in March and that I need to prioritise the key decisions. First off.....what colour race suit do I go for (as Simon said on Saturday, if you aren't winning, you need to be looking good!).

Today I got an e-mail from Caterham saying that my car had failed its IVA on a seatbelt issue. Being confused and slightly concerned as to exactly what the problem was, I phoned Kate at Caterham Dartford and she told me that the seatbelt buckle was faulty (a manufacturing issue) and that it needed to be replaced under warranty. Later that day I got a call to say that they had fixed it and put it in for a re-test, which it had passed. I have to say I am really glad I decided to get Caterham to put the car through for me, as it saved me the time and cost of taking time out for two tests as well as getting the faulty part fixed, which would likely have taken me several weeks in elapsed time and a couple of days out of work....it really was money well spent!

I am obviously delighted and am now itching to pick the car up and get driving as soon as possible. Caterham are also doing the registration for me and if the DVLA are on top form there is a chance I might be able to pick her up on Saturday. I really do hope so as I started this journey over a year ago when my wife and little girls came down to Caterham with me to put the deposit down on the car as a birthday present (the photos below are of that day and are where I got the idea for the colour scheme for my car). The waiting has been painful at times, but as they say....good things come to those that wait....and I have done enough waiting :-)

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Post Build Check Update & Time Lapse Video)

2011-11-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

Post Build Check Update & Time Lapse Video:
I heard back from Caterham today on my post build check, which went well, but highlighted a few issues that needed sorting. The comforting thing was that almost all of them were items that I had pointed out to them as being required because I had run out of time, but there was one of concern, which was a cracked A-frame. Caterham claim this was due to the diff not being properly spaced, but I am adamant that it was +/-2mm as per the instructions, so will have a chat with them about it. The rest are related to tidying up the engine bay wiring and replacing a couple of washers that were the wrong size, so not too bad a result for someone that has never done something like this before and did it largely un-aided in two weeks. I am pleased.

The car is booked in for its IVA test on the 22nd, which Caterham will do for me. Having thought long and hard about it I decided that the lack of time and lack of brownie points with the family made this the sensible option. They will also register the car for me, so it will be ready for collection from the 29th November onwards. To say I can't wait to collect her and go for that first drive is a massive understatement!

In the mean time I thought I would put up a link to the time lapse video of the build, which seems to show me displaying copious amounts of builders bum......enjoy :-) It is certainly a nice memory of the whole build process and I really enjoyed watching it back last night.

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 16)

2011-10-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

Day 16:

Yesterday was my last day working on the car before Caterham pick her up on Monday to complete the post build inspection and put her through the IVA. I had originally planned to do all of this myself, but have well and truly run out of brownie points....my wife has been fantastic about the whole process and very supportive, but I work very long hours and don't really see my kids during the week, so being away from them at weekends is just too unfair on everyone.

My brother was over for the weekend, so came to give me a hand. I got him working through the IVA checklist whilst I finished up a number of the jobs I knew I still had to complete. I spent most of that time trying to get the plug out of the diff so I could top it up with oil, which was a bit of a pain, but eventually managed with an improvised tool consisting of a cut down 14mm bolt and some mole-grips (there just wasn’t enough room between the diff and de-Dion tube to get my 14mm socket in). I then wired up the front lights, got the IVA mirrors fitted, put the rear view mirror in and finally fitted the fuel filler cover. All jobs relatively easily and quickly completed. Meanwhile my brother put IVA covers on all of the suspension components, exhaust and all around the cycle wings.....it looks rubbish and I can't believe that it will really make any difference in an accident, but needs must and I want the car to go through the IVA first time, so on it went. How long it remains on the car I just can't say!

After 5 hours in the garage, we dropped the car down onto her wheels, started her up and drove her outside onto the drive, which was a fantastic feeling and gave me a real sense of achievement. I let her run up to temperature, checked that the fan cut in and that I had no leaks. Everything seemed fine, but there are a couple of small things that are not quite right yet. The oil pressure gauge isn't reading (despite plenty of oil) and the tacho occasionally flickers, which suggests that one of my earths isn't quite right or that a fuse is playing up, but these are small things.

I then drove her to the end of the close and back again......well just because I wanted the satisfaction, before driving her back into the garage and getting the paperwork ready for Caterham. I have left them a list of a few things that I want/need checking/completing. I know that I could do these final few jobs myself in less than a day and am a bit annoyed that I didn't have the time to do them, but my family time is so precious that discretion dictated I leave them to Caterham next week.

This whole process has been hugely absorbing and has given me a massive sense of satisfaction. It has been hard work and frustrating at times, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again and for now I am just looking forward to getting the car back from Caterham and starting to use her in anger. I have been without a Caterham for almost 6 years, but getting into my new baby and driving her to the end of the road and back has made me realise that has been 6 years too long....I can't wait for that first proper drive post IVA!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 15)

2011-10-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

Day 15:

Today was my last day on the car before I have to go back to work and unfortunatley I didn't quite get quite as far as was hoping to. I think I am probably 2 - 3 days off being totally finished, but loosing a day to the diff installation and spending far too long on the seats put me back a bit. I also realise that I have probably put myself under a bit too much pressure to get it done in the two weeks available, but with a young family and a busy job time is very limited. Still, I am really pleased with what I have done and know that I haven't cut any corners in anything I have done, which was important given the cost and pride involved.

I started today by securing the front passenger wing and then moving on to the drivers side, which took a couple of hours and, with the exception of the wiring for the front lights, was the last major bit of assembly that I had to do. I then spent time preparing the car for its first start up, which involved adjusting the throttle cable, filling the car with fuel, filling and bleeding the brake and clutch systems. The brakes went just fine, but the clutch was a real pain, with the bleed nipple in a horribly hard to reach. I am not happy with the result and will probably have another go at it in the next week. With the brakes done I could get the rear hubs done up to the correct 270NM and put the wheels on. I then filled the engine with oil and the cooling system with de-ionised water and anti-freeze, which highlighted a couple of unions that needed tightening further to avoid minor leaks.

It was at this point that the day became hardwork and incredibly messy. The infamous gearbox plug required me to take an angle grinder to an allen key and spend a good hour under the car trying to locate and extracate the plug. With the plug out it was time to rig up a real Heath Robbinson combination of pipes and funnels to channel gearbox oil into the gearbox. The result was that after at least another hour I was litterally covered in gearbox oil and not entirley sure how much went in the gearbox and how much went over me. It was a pig of a job and not one I want to repeat, so I will ask Caterham to check carefully that there is enough oil in the gearbox when the car goes in for its post build check. This job genuinley rivalled the diff for frustration!

At this point I dropped the car onto the floor and connected the battery, which scared the crap out of me by sparking visciously the first time I connected the positive terminal. I then decided to start the car up for the first time and after turning her over for a little while she kicked into life on 3 cylinders. I had a good dig around, checkign HT leads, connections etc and gave it another go, at which point she fired properly and settled to a nice idle. There was quite a lot of smoke from the exhaust primaries, which is various oils burning off and it was late, so I decided not to make too much noise for fear of annoying the neighbours.

It was a satisfying point to leave the build on, even if I didn't manage to get quite as far as I had hoped. I still need to do the following jobs, but they will have to wait for next weekend:
- Connect and adjust the front lights
- Fill the diff with oil
- Bleed the clutch
- Adjust the throttle and clutch stops
- Set the suspension up
- Rivet on the heater blanking plate
- Give her a quick run around the block :-)

It has been frustrating, satisfying and hard work, but the reward so far has been fantastic and my appreciation for the car and how it works has grown significantly. Above all I feel as though I have learnt a huge amount and hope it will stand me in good stead when I start racing early next year.

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 14)

2011-10-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Day 14:

Today, well yesterday (I had an old university friend come to stay yesterday evening, so went to the pub with him in the evening instead of updating my blog.....sorry for those avid followers) I got cracking with the bodywork in an attempt to make the old girl look like a real car, or as real as any Caterham ever does!

First off I started with the rear wings, which went on without too many problems. The most time consuming part of the process was cutting out the rubber strip that sits between the wing and the side skin, but it was worth taking time on this to get a decent fit. With that done it was simply a case of bolting the wings on and fitting the rear lights. Like many of the jobs you undertake when building a Caterham it feels as though you need three hands, but it was satisfying to see the end result. I don't think it would be uncharitable to say that the rear lights, well all of the lights on the car, are of rather dubious quality. So many of the parts Caterham use are beautifully finished, but then there are some that look like they have come straight off a 1970's Austin Maxi and in all honesty these probably have!

With the rear wings done I bolted the exhaust together properly and moved onto the front cycle wings, which put up rather more of a fight. I actually only managed to get the passenger side done with the time available, but was pleased with the result. With the indicator fitted to the wing it was a case of lining up and drilling the wing and the wing stays and making sure that the wing fitted properly relatively to the wheel. I phoned Caterham at this point to ask a general question and was told that if I wanted to I could just glue the wings on (I always seem to get these useful insights about an hour too late), which didn't seem quite right to me. In the end I decided to drill and bolt the front of the wing for extra security and glue the back. The most frustrating part of the whole process was trying to feed the indicator wiring through the wing stay and out of the tiny hole at the bottom. After 30 minutes trying I gave up on the day, leaving the front wing loosely fitted and went to see my mate for a beer, but not before putting the rest of the bodywork on to get a first glimpse of what she will look like when finished!

It was a good day!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 13)

2011-10-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

Day 13:

After the success and satisfaction of yesterday today had a lot to live up to and spectacularly succeeded in frustrating me. Again, it is the simple jobs that seem to take the time and today it was the seats.

I started the day by fitting the transmission tunnel cover and the gear knob, which were both satisfying and straightforward jobs to complete. I then set about the drivers seat and got thoroughly confused by the alignment of the holes in the floor, which didn't marry up with those of the seat runners on the drivers seat. After a couple of hours of putting the seat in, taking it out and putting it back in again I decided to phone the ever patient Sean at Caterham. It turns out the that holes in the floorpan for the seats had been drilled incorrectly in my car and that I needed to drill out new holes for the front mounting points of the runners. With this done I then spent another hour or so trying to locate and pass through the bolts that hold the seat runners to the floor. I can only liken it to trying to play a game of Jenga, blindfolded with your hand shoved through a letter box! I managed to get all of the bolts located and passed through, but so far have only managed to do the front two up. I can’t work out how I hold the rear two still whilst tightening the locknuts from below.

I then moved onto the passenger seat which put up a similar fight. I eventually worked out that the combination of lowered floors and tillet seats meant that the rear most mounting bracket for the harness was causing it to foul the seat and not allowing it to locate properly. With the harness moved to the front mounting point the seat went in without too many issues. At this point I should have called it quits, but a friend popped around with a brake bleed kit and decided that we should prime the brakes. It was at this point we discovered that there is an issue with the front brake unions where they leave the engine bay and head to the callipers. Basically the female union on both sides is bottoming out before it seals properly. I treble checked the instructions, but it looks as though the combination of washers and locknuts is too thick to allow the male and female unions to come together properly. Another call to Caterham tomorrow should hopefully provide the answers I need.

Tomorrow is going to be focused on getting the wings on and the rear lights attached. After that I am into final checks and hopefully start-up. The end is starting to feel near, which is both a great relief and quite sad. I just hope the last few days go OK and don't flag up too many issues!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 12)

2011-10-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Day 12:

Today didn't start off too well, but actually ended up being very satisfying. My first job was to attach the prop shaft to the diff, but at this point I realised to my horror that the two bottom bolts holding the diff in were fouling the prop-shaft and needed to come out......yep, the diff had to come out for the 3rd time! I really could have kicked myself at this point. It was another pig of a job, but was done in an hour or so and enabled me to finally move onto other jobs.

With the diff back in I attached the prop-shaft, got de-dion tube in, fitted the rear dampers, connected the rear radius arms and fitted the A-frame within a couple of hours. It amazes me how you can spend four hours fitting a boot cover and get the whole of the rear suspension and braking system done in a similar amount of time. I finished up by fitting the drive-shafts, hub mounts, hubs, disks and callipers before calling it a day. It was a really satisfying afternoon and one of those days where you make really good progress with seemingly very little effort.

This now means that the front and the back of the car are pretty much complete and that the remaining major jobs are fitting the seats, sorting out the lighting and fitting the front and rear wings. With those jobs done it will then be into the final checks and hopefully the first start-up.

I am now celebrating a good day with a very large glass of red wine and a satisfying feeling in my stomach which may or may not be alcohol related. I am really looking forward to pushing onto the final stretch and getting the car down onto the wheels and starting her up!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 11)

2011-10-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

Day 11:

I was waiting for my new handbrake cable to arrive from Caterham this morning, so got on with some of the other interior jobs whilst waiting for the postman to turn up in rural Hertfordshire.

I started with the boot cover, which looked like a 30 minute job, but took me all morning in the end. I took my time to make sure I got everything was lined up properly and that I didn't miss-drill any of the holes required for the harness fixings or the poppers around the side and back of the boot. Measuring, drilling, fixing, re-measuring etc. took plenty of time, but was well worth the effort, with a nice tight fitting achieved. It also required me to un-do the roll cage to enable the outermost harness fixings to be secured, so I was going over old ground for some of the morning.

I then moved onto the harnesses, which went on without too much of a fight, although it took me a while to work out how to get the crutch straps attached. The postman arrived just after lunch, but I decided to crack on with the interior and get the seats fitted. This didn't go quite according to plan, with the passenger seat putting up quite a fight. I got the rails attached to the base OK, but managed to cross-thread one of the bolts into the rail when trying to fit the seat into the car. To cut a long story short I had to cut the bolt out and will have to order some new fixing rails.....not great.

It was at this point I decided to get the new handbrake cable in and the diff bolted up into position. After all of the faffing around over the last few days this actually took me less than an hour, so was a good note to end on. This means I can crack on with the rear suspension whilst I order some new mounting brackets for the passenger Tillet seat, so although pissed off with myself at making a mess of it, it doesn't stop me from making progress with the build. Here is hoping that the rear suspension goes together without too many issues.

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 10)

2011-10-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

Day 10:

I phoned Caterham first thing this morning to get advice on the handbrake situation and was advised that it would be a safe bet to change it just in case. I think it is the right thing to do given the hassle involved in changing it now vs changing it once all of the rear end is in. Given Caterham can send me a new one to arrive tomorrow morning it seemed like a good excuse to carry on doing other things, so today I continued working on the interior and weather gear.

First off I got the knee protector panels located and fixed to the chassis rails under the dash, inserting and fixing the rubber trimming that goes along the top of the inner side-skins as I went. It looks like a 5 minute job, but took me a couple of hours by the time I had got all of the holes drilled and the rivets in both sides. Once the inner side-skins were done I could move onto the cage and get it fitted properly, which wasn't too much of a challenge once I had manhandled the rear locating holes into alignment with the mounting brackets in the boot. I am not sure if they do it on purpose, but everything on a Caterham seems to be 1 - 2mm out of alignment, so this took a bit of brute force and some swearing, but at least I know it isn't going to go anywhere now it is in.

With the cage on and all the bolts torqued up properly I moved onto the hood, getting the bars bolted to the mounting brackets at the front of the boot and the tensioning straps attached to the chassis rail at the back of the boot. The hood then went up so that I could line up the doors and get them mounted. This was another pretty straightforward job, but it took plenty of time to drill the holes for the mounting brackets and then line up and attach the various mounting poppers on the chassis rails (which fought a long battle with my drill-bits, blunting a number of them as we went along).

Whilst these seem like funny little jobs to be doing at this stage, there is a method to the madness, as they all need to be done before I can move onto the boot cover tomorrow, which has to go on before the belts can go in and the seats after that. I think there is probably another day of work on the interior/weather gear before it is all finished, but I may leave that for a later day and move back onto the rear suspension, assuming the new handbrake cable comes through on time. It would be great to have the car down on its wheels and started up by Thursday. Fingers crossed!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 9)

2011-10-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Day 9:
I wasn't looking forward to today’s jobs, but in the end I had quite a good day.

Firstly I fitted the expansion bottle and associated hoses, before fitting the wires to the alternator. Both jobs had been left whilst I waited for Caterham to send missing parts through and I just wanted to get them out of the way.

I then got stuck into the job I was looking forward to least, removing the diff to take the handbrake out and swap the cables around. In the end the diff came down without too many issues. I then spent a while faffing around with the cables to make sure they were orientated the right way and weren't rubbing together, as Caterham told me that if they were it was an IVA failure. Apparently the handbrake bracket is slightly canted to one side to hold the cables apart, but only if you cross them over in the right way. Having got that sorted I noticed that the rubber gaiter at one end of the cable was split, which gave me a dilemma. Do I just stick it in and hope it doesn't cause an issue come IVA, or do I err on the side of caution and get Caterham to send me a new one? Being Sunday I couldn't call them, but not wanting to take the diff out again I decided discretion was the better part of valour and I moved on to another job and will give Caterham a call tomorrow to check the best course of action.

I then got de-dion tube out and set about getting the rear brake lines attached, ready for the tube to go in when the diff is finally sorted. With that done I moved onto the roll cage, which is now loosely on the car, whilst I sort out the trim between the chassis rails and the side skins. I think seeing the cage go on gave me a real lift as it is another very noticeable step forward for relatively little effort, whereas the diff was a whole days work and you couldn't really see the difference!

Tomorrows jobs will depend on what Caterham say about the handbrake cable. If it isn't an issue then I will get that in and the diff finally fitted, before moving onto the de-dion tube etc. If I have to wait for a new cable then I will get the cage fully fitted then onto the seats and other interior bits and bats.....basically whatever I can do without the diff being in first.

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 8)

2011-10-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

Day 8:

So today was supposed to be a good day, but very rapidly turned into a very frustrating one instead....it was bound to happen at some point. Basically I spent all day trying to get the diff in, only to find out that after 6 hours work I need to take it out again due to an error in the build manual!!!!!!

I have a new BMW diff, which is supposed to be much quieter than the old Sierra diff, but proved to be a bit of a pig to fit. I got the diff onto a trolley jack and into position reasonably quickly, but the three retaining bolts that hold it into place didn't want to go in. I could get the bottom two retaining bolts in OK and the spacers between the diff and carrier in with a bit of jiggling, but the top one was an absolute pig. No matter what I seemed to do the diff and the carrier were out of alignment by about 1mm. I went round the loop of tightening, untightening, shifting, lifting, jiggling and generally shouting at the diff three or four times before phoning Caterham, whereupon I was told to encourage the top bolt in with a hammer!

Eventually after much blood and sweat I got the diff in, all of the spacers properly sorted out and the retaining bolts done up, only to look at the paperwork that had been hanging off the rear frame in the plastic bag. I had removed it that morning and not looked at it, instead following the build manual as I had been all along. In it were a set of installation instruction for the diff that were different from those in the build manual and it was at this point that I lost my sense of humour. The new instructions, for the BMW diff rather than the Sierra diff, require the handbrake cable to be installed the opposite way around and for a different set of washers to be used on the retaining bolts, neither of which seem like big things, but they do require the diff to come out again!

I am taking the day off tomorrow for a family event and will come back to it again afresh on Sunday. Hopefully the whole process will be a lot quicker next time around now I know how it all goes together, but it really is not a job I want to do again! Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 7)

2011-10-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

Day 7:

Today I started late as my little girl was doing a harvest festival performance at school and I wanted to go along and see it. I am burning brownie points with the family quite quickly at the moment, so it was a good way of earning a few back. It was also the cutest thing I have seen for a very long time and quite lovely to watch her up there performing (she is 3 so spent most of the time looking a little confused by it all), so no great hardship and a nice break from the build for the morning.

I got into the garage just after lunchtime and spent a few hours finishing (most of) the wiring and getting (most) of the cooling system done. A few small jobs remain, namely working out where two remaining rogue wires from the main engine loom go, getting the expansion tank fitted when the new bracket arrives and taking the slack out of the throttle cable, but they aren't anything major. Once that is done I will focus on tidying everything up with cable ties and doing a final sweep of the engine bay to make sure it is as good as it can be.

I managed to get the springs from the exhaust primaries to the cat fitted, which were causing me issues yesterday, but this required some gentle persuasion with a hammer to be directed towards the retaining clips before they would go on. I then got the diff out and set about fixing the handbrake and cables into the transmission tunnel before the diff can go on tomorrow.

All being well tomorrow will be full steam ahead on the rear end of the car and the hope is that by the end of the weekend I will have the majority of the mechanical bits on. The hope is that next week I can focus on getting the cage and interior installed before trying to start her up and run final checks. I think the next couple of days should see me break the back of the work and have something more resembling a car than boxes of bits. Here is hoping tomorrow is a productive day!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 6)

2011-10-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

Day 6:

Having worried endlessly yesterday about the 2mm off-set on the gearbox and how I was going to get it perfectly aligned, one short call to Caterham put my mind at rest....."oh don't worry about it....they all do that". Brilliant. A final check of all the engine mounts and I could move on.

I spent the morning connecting the majority of wires and getting thoroughly confused by the starter motor wiring, which is completely different to that in the build manual as I have a master cut out switch for racing. Still, a couple of hours and a few calls to Caterham later I had the majority of it together and had managed to go back and do a couple of small jobs that I had missed the day before (washer jets, replacing one of the engine mounting bolts etc.). I am scrupulously making notes of everything that I am having to skip because of missing parts and trying to get the jobs finished no later than a couple days later, otherwise I worry that I will forget something and only find out come IVA day, which would be less than ideal!

In the afternoon I moved onto the exhaust primaries, which went in without an issue, but for the life of me I couldn't get enough compression on the springs holding the primaries to the cat, so need to have another look at them in the morning, before I can tighten the primaries up properly and get the rest of the exhaust on. I then spent an hour or so getting the steering column in and aligned properly, before tightening up the rack clamps and getting the steering hub on. In doing these jobs I found a couple of other bits missing, but Caterham have been very good at sending things through promptly, so I hope not to be held up too much.

Finally I moved onto the radiator and associated plumbing which all went together nice and logically. I decided to stop when I got to the expansion bottle and found that the mounting bracket had been welded together incorrectly, requiring another one to be sent through (hopefully here in a couple of days time), otherwise i would probably still be going at it now.......it was a good day in the garage yesterday. I am finding a momentum with the build that I am happy with and am starting to gain more confidence in what I am doing.

Tomorrow I am going to try and finish the wiring, plumbing and exhaust, which will be almost all of the front end of the car complete, before moving on to the prop, rear suspension and the dreaded diff!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 5)

2011-10-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Day 5:

The aim of today was to get the engine and gearbox in, which I managed to do....just. I spent the morning sorting out random things such as the engine mounts, horns and other things that are inacessable once the engine and gearbox are in. I then spent some time protecting the sides of the engine bay and transmittion tunnel with cardboard to protect them from any damage when lifting the engine and gearbox in.

I roped my stepfather John into helping me with the lift itself, which was a jolly good idea as it is very definatley a two person job when you do it for the first time. We took three or four attempts to get the angle of the engine and gearbox right, the axle stands in a position that wouldn't get in the way of the legs of the hoist and the garage door in a position that it wouldn't catch on the arm of the hoist! We took our time as this really isn't a job to be rushed, but by angling the car down and getting the engine and gearbox at approximatley 30 degrees we got it in.....only for me to realise that I hadn't put the gearbox mounting bracket on first! Luckily there was enough wiggle room for us to pull the engine forward, put the bracket on the gearbox and then slide it all back 6 inches.

We then put the engine mounting brackets on and set about fixing everything in position, which is where it all started to get interesting. With the gearbox positioned exactly right I torqued up all of the bolts for the engine mounts, only to find that it had pulled the gearbox 2 - 3mm off centre. We had 3 goes at getting this right, but it kept moving just away from centre, which is very annoying. I am going to have one more go tomorrow, but if it repeats itself then I will phone Caterham and see what they suggest. I don't think it will cause any issues as the prop has a CV joint in it and the gearbox is clear of all obstructions in the tunnel, but I want to satisfy myself that it will all be OK.

I then completed a final few jobs, putting the gearstick on and the reverse light switch in. I then started on some of the engine wiring before calling it a day tired but satisfied. Today was a good day, with real visible progress made and the old girl starting to look like a car rather than a collection of boxes.

Tomorrow I hope to get everything in the engine wired up, before moving onto the rear suspension and diff.....which I think will be great fun if all of the stories I have read are to be believed!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 4)

2011-10-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Day 4:

I had a bit of a late start today, but did manage to use the morning to go and pick up an engine hoist from a very kind Caterham 7 Club member not too far away, so I don't feel too guilty about the limited progress made today!

I managed to get a few hours in the garage in the afternoon and started by removing and re-assembling the front ARB, which I wasn't quite happy with. I was worried that one of the balls wasn't quite sitting correctly in the cup on the front of the upper wishbone. It was a good job I did check because it had shattered and needed replacing, which was a relativity straightforward job.

I then moved on to the bellhousing, which attached to the gearbox pretty easily. Having phoned Caterham in the morning to tell them I couldn't find the kit to mount the gearbox I realised it was in the one box I hadn't opened! Now there is a valid reason for this....it is because the box was marked starter motor! Apparently they remove the starter motor and put on the engine, then re-use the box for the bellhousing/gearbox kit. With a bit of fiddling the gearbox and bellhousing went onto the engine without any great challenge. The bolts that attach the starter to the block were the main challenge, but weren't too bad.

Finally I completed a few of the small jobs required before the engine and gearbox can be installed in the engine, such as fitting the washer bottle and connecting up the coolant hoses at the back of the engine. I still need to do the horns and a couple of other small things, but they should only take me an hour or so before I look to get the engine in.

I hope to make an early start tomorrow and get a good 10 hours in. I would really like to get the engine and gearbox into the chassis, so I can then start work on the rear suspension the following day. The thing I find really hard at the moment is knowing how well I am progressing. Having never done anything like this before it is hard to know if I am on track to complete by the end of next week or not, but it is great fun, even if it is frustrating at times. Tomorrow should be a good day and help me to see a big difference in the build process and boost confidence further, but for now I am contenting myself with getting things done properly!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 3)

2011-10-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Today was all about finishing off the steering, front suspension and brakes. I spent the first hour or so checking over the jobs I had done the day before and making sure that I had torqued all of the crucial bolts up correctly. It was a good job I did check because I found I had missed a spring washer from the top damper mount. I am not sure how crucial it is, but feel better for checking, even if it did take me 30 mins or so to take the damper off and put it back on again.

Once satisfied that everything was OK from yesterday, I went on to fit the ant-roll bar, front callipers, brake lines and then sort out the front lights and indicators. I was hoping to then get the gearbox mounted to the engine, but discovered that I don't have the CRB or mounting kit for the bellhousing, which is irritating. I will phone Caterham first thing in the morning and sort out delivery, which will also give me time to locate an engine hoist.

It feels good to have the majority of the front of the car sorted and it felt like quite a productive day, even if I did spend an hour or so searching for parts that ultimately weren’t there! Still, I am now looking forward to moving onto the engine and gearbox and may make a start on the rear suspension whilst I wait for the other parts to arrive.

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 2)

2011-10-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Day 2:

Today was my first proper day with the car and I spent the first hour or so sorting out the various boxes and trying to find out where things were. Once I had worked out what was in each of the boxes and started unpacking the steering and front suspension I had a good 4 hours on thefront of the car.

The steering rack was straightforward to fit, but I had a couple of attempts at the wishbones before I got them right...I didn't get the number of spacing washers quite right first time, but once I had worked that out they went on easily enough. The dampers went on fine, but the uprights gave me grief for an hour or so. The problem was I didn't read far enough through the manual, so was struggling to get the locknuts on the top mounts done up, eventually working out that you need to do them up and get them located with a sacrificial plain nut, then taking it off and fixing it with the locknut. That will teach me!

The manual is OK, but at times it isn't particularly clear and you end up re-reading the passage 3 or 4 times before working out what they are trying to say. It means that you are always wondering if you have got it quite right or not....there is lots of scope for getting it wrong! As a result I didn't manage to get quite as much done as I wanted to, but I have made a good start and am pleased with the result so far. It has been a very satisfying day, but my back is suffering already...being an office dweller day in day out means I have some toughening up to do! Still, there is two weeks to go!

Tomorrow should see the front suspension complete if all goes to plan!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Day 1)

2011-09-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

Day 1:

Twenty years since falling in love with one on a stand at the London Motor Show, five and a half years after I sold my old one to pay for my wedding and almost a year since putting down the deposit, my new Caterham has arrived. It really is a new one too...in fact the first and only new car I have ever owned.

I was massively excited this morning, perhaps not quite as much as I have been in the past when buying a new sports car, but close. The thing that tempers the excitement is knowing that I can't get straight in and drive it, but then there is the excitment of the build to look forward to. I have spent the last couple of months carefully reading the build manual and buying the necessary tools, so am as prepared as I can be, but am still quite nervous, having never done anything like this before!

This really is a fulfillment of two life long dreams...to build my own kit car and to go motor racing. I have to wait a week before I can start on the build and will have to wait about 6 months for the racing, but intend to soak up the experience and keep track of my thoughts along the way. No doubt there will be elation, frustration and the odd grazed knuckle, but that is all part of the journey. Lets see how this all pans out........