Roll Cage

Roll Cage on - we have a RACE CAR!

This is Josh. He has taken time out from Uni in Sheffield to come and be photographed with the car. He tightened at least one bolt during his 3hour visit today! Thanks Josh, couldn't have done it without you.

Rear diff, De Dion and Roll Cage

Well after an early start John, Brads and I make significant progress today. The rear differential was the first task and after a few attempts, we had it aligned to the 2mm tolerance for it being central to the chassis. There was not much room under the car when we were all fitting it but this was best done together!

We then tightened the Prop Shaft to the Diff, fitted the De Dion tube to the back of the car, fitted the rear brake lines, A-Frame and Drive Shafts. John then set about fitting the Roll Cage. After a few adjustments to the Roll Cage holes, we were able to secure it to the car. It was a very rewarding day and I would like to thank John again for his very hard work and time on the tools. Brads input was also critical where his experience with performance off road vehicles helped us with the differential and rear suspension.

Radiator In

Whilst at work, John came over today to complete more work on the Car. This time he started on the Radiator, where he secured it to the car and fitted most of the water pipes. However, he identified one missing part and unfortunately this will need to be sent via the Caterham Factory in Dartford. Lucky for me, Simon Lambert, who works for Caterham lives close to where I work and he kindly offered to bring this part home for me to pick up from his house at lunch time due to working from home - great service thank you. Next week we will tackling the rear suspension and differential.

Engine and Gearbox IN!

A very good and rewarding day! I felt we made excellent progress today. When sourcing an engine crane it is essential that everything goes to plan. The Engine was a very tight fit and and took a lot of head scratching from me, Brad and John. I cant imagine how difficult this would have been if we had connected the gearbox to the engine. It is essential that you have enough chain on the crane to manoeuvre the engine into place because it doesn't just drop straight in. The Steering column was also installed as the last job of the day, it is all now starting to come together but there will be a void in the blog now, due to having to concentrating on revision for an exam at work.

Thanks to Brad and John this weekend, I couldn't have done the tasks without you.

Father in Law

John, who normally only gets excited about his own Subaru Impreza STi, fine wine and red meat - looked very pleased with the lump we were about to install.

Engine Ready

Dave, one of brads friends kindly lent us an Engine Crane. This was an essential tool and it was very important that we got this done today

Gearbox in

After a lot of debating how best to install the gearbox, and a quick phone call to Caterham Midlands, we went about installing the Gearbox. After speaking to Richard Grimes of 'Sidelines' my lubricant sponsor, we put the gearbox oil in the unit before the installation.

At the right time, my brother Brad turned up to lend me and John 'the father-in-law' a hand in - which was a real help, because 6 eyes on this task was better than 4.

Front Suspension

Once we identified the correct parts, and worked out the best way to proceed, it started to take shape. i still managed to look confused in this picture, which accurately explained my day.

Day 2

Martin popped over with his wife and two children. Having restored cars in the past, he was only too pleased to help. Thank god he did, a number of the jobs today were better done by two people. He also helped me to confirm the parts in the boxes, which were not clear due to my inexperience.

Go on John

The tea had not even cooled before John starts the build !

The Unload

So having the excitement of loading the items at Dartford, we set about the task of unloading them. We arrived home at 12:30 having spent about 1hr 30 minutes at the Factory.

Thanks Brian

Brian was a good source of amusement and entertained us whilst loading up the car. He was extremely helpful.

Crate

This was the stack of boxes that we loaded. In addition there were a few items, including the gearbox and wheels which had to be leaded separately.

Proud Josh

Joshua made himself very useful. He found the car and guided Brian to the trailer where we loaded it before setting off

That will do

The father in law (John) couldn't help himself. He inspected the engine as if it was his own and wondered what he has got himself into - having agreed to help me build the car

Arrived at 10am

After setting off at 9am from Bishops Stortford, we arrived at 10am at the Caterham Factory. We waited 15 minutes for Brian, who then helped us load up the car.

Well I couldnt do it without the main Man

And picking up the car would not have been so special without my main man