Before lifting a spanner on a new build

[BadBob]

Hi,

 

The time has come. After months of dreaming, lurking (here), tyre kicking and a test drive or two my Sigma 150 kit arrives next week *thumbup*

 

I'm hoping to 'do it right' over the winter and be on the road next year, which seems feasible. In my mind I see myself keeping and enjoying the car for many years, and as it will only be in this many component parts once in its life I wondered:

 

What work do Blat-Chaters advise on my new car before I turn to page one of the build manual?

 

I've read the FAQ and lurked here for a while and so far have a list:

Polish all the bodywork before beginning assembly. No protective wax on it out of the factory.

Rust proof very carefully – aluminium+steel corrosion cells are a risk for Sevens. People advise Waxoyl, Hammerite, POR15 and even Duralac. But which to use where and what are the most important/difficult areas?

Consider using heavy duty double sided carpet fitting tape for interior carpets.

Fit a catch tank on the diff breather, and extend the breather tubing.

Paint the inside of the wings with stoneguard.

Loosen the filler plug on the gearbox before you fit it, and fill the box with oil (leaving the blanking plug in to prevent spills.

Drill out the rivnuts in the side panels where the rear wings attach, and replace them with rubber rawl-nuts to avoid corrosion.

Bond the front wings rather than bolt, to avoid crazing of the fibre glass

To prevent water ingress seal all round the bulkhead, round the base of the pedal box, the join between scuttle and car side, the ends of the foot-wells.

Insure the kit while it's in transition to being a car, in case the worst happens - does anyone have any pointers to a good policy?

 

Can I take this opportunity to say 'Hello Batchat' and introduce myself? I'm an IT manager based in Leeds looking forward to a long and fulfilling relationship with a red Caterham 7 Sigma 150.

 

Rob

 

 

 

[Shaun_E]

Use masking tape to protect the paintwork around where the front suspension is to be fitted (and anywhere else there is the possibility of tool to paint contact!). Tape cardboard to the side and back panels to prevent damage during assembly.

For intital rust proofing use Waxoyl or Dinitrol. The important areas are between the inner and outer sideskins especially the "grot trap" between the footwell and the outer side skin.

If you must fit carpets then attach them with velcro so you can easily remove them when they get wet (they will!).

Personally I wouldn't bother drilling out the rivnuts for the rear wings - if you ever have to remove the wing then worry about it then.

Above all enjoy the build.

 

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

[DohNut]

Morning

 

 

If you have read the FAQ you are already well ahead of the game, the search is also useful.

Re rustproofing - Waxoyl is the preventative, POR15/Hammerite etc are used when your powdercoat has come off and you need to treat the bare metal.

Particuar attention to the bit between the sideskin and the footwell as this collects dirt/sand which then remains damp.

 

N

 

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Welcome aboard.

 

You seem to have it all wrapped up there !!

 

Good luck

 

******************

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking...

 

And racing around to come up behind you again. Seven related photos

[Frying Pan]

I'd add to the list:

 

*arrowright*Loosen the diff filler plug before fitting to car

*arrowright*Make sure the diff mount threads are clean before fitting to car

*arrowright*Be prepared for shortages - check that you have everything you need for each stage before starting. Caterham are usually very quick in sorting these out - next day delivery in most cases

*arrowright*Know when to walk out of the garage when things aren't going well

 

Before you start, take some time clearing the garage out, paint the walls white and fit new more lighting. A hand held inspection lamp is also very useful.

 

I used MSM for my build insurance. IIRC, it was about £175. A lot of money, but worth it for the peace of mind.

 

Finally, enjoy the build, and let us know how you are getting on. Get a free account on a photo sharing site as well

 

Guy

 

---

See some pictures of the build here. 12000 miles completed!

 

Edited by - 7heavensoon on 4 Oct 2007 08:59:40

[Sheds Moderator]

I think Dinitrol is better than Waxoyl and magazine tests support this. It's less sticky once dry, it's a pain going out to tinker with the car and getting black filth on your clean T shirt, having decided not to put overalls on as "I'm only going out for a quick tidy up".

 

Second the need to paint the garage walls white, and ideally get some old Heuga tiles (source - office refitters) for the floor as it makes it nicer to kneel/stand on. Failing this paint the floor light grey, it makes the dropped M5 nut easier to find!

 

Buy a fluorescent trailing lamp, they cost peanuts, illuminate the job and you can kick them around under the car without breaking them.

 

If you don't already have one, make a workbench. I bodged one up out of plywood and angle iron shelving, it's a great item. Mine has nails in the backboard so I can have all the tools in order and on view, to minimise the "where the b***y h8ll is that 13 mm spanner now?" moments. A similar item knocked up out of a few bits of ply is a nice thing too, carry it to the job and know you have all the tools to hand.

[shn7]

*arrowright*Leave the rear wing rivnuts in place and use plastic bolts to attached wings.

*arrowright*Have plenty of masking tape to hand and appy at least two layer to vunerable paintwork before fitting front suspension.

 

Steve.

Sussex (West) AO

Not forgetting Percy the Polar Bear

[Frying Pan]

I forgot -

 

Fit the radiator the right way up - saves headscratching as to why the lead to the fan switch doesn't reach

 

In my defence, my son was only 3 months old and I was something of a zombie at the time...

 

---

See some pictures of the build here. 12000 miles completed!

[Crudders]

Hi Rob, welcome to a great resource/community and good luck with your build.

 

Just a few points to add:

 

Rawlnuts are usually used as a repair solution once rear wings/bodywork have been damaged. A more common mod is to use nylon/polyamide M5 screws instead of the BZP steel screws supplied. Obviously they will not corrode, but they will also break in the event of an impact and you stand a good chance of your ali skin not being ripped to pieces. If you have access to a rivnut setter I would also recommend inserting rivnuts all the way round the wing - the holes 'accessible' within the boot area don't have them and the build manual instructs you to use nuts and washers.

 

I used double sided carpet tape on my original build and would advise against it - it's incredibly powerful stuff and I found it impossible to remove the carpet without damaging it. You may think you won't want to remove the carpet but the time will come sooner or later. Try a tackifier adhesive which grips but does not set.

 

Apply 'Schutzwachs' to ali exposed to the elements but not easily accessible once the car is built - under the boot floor, fuel tank, inside the tunnel etc. It's a protective non-setting clear wax that can be removed with a solvent when required. Available here (14th item down the page).

 

Things may have changed since I built my car but I found insurance for the build period was little different in price to full 'on road' insurance. A site search will reveal plenty of threads on good Caterham insurers.

 

As Guy says - know when to walk away! There will be times when you want to hurl your heaviest hammer at the car.

 

Can't think of anything else offhand. Have fun

 

Crudders

 

(Edited because I went off half cocked)

 

Edited by - Crudders on 4 Oct 2007 12:05:46

[DohNut]

I am sure Adrian Flux did my re-build insurance for £70

[h_____]

 

"If you have access to a rivnut setter I would also recommend inserting rivnuts all the way round the wing - the holes 'accessible' within the boot area don't have them and the build manual instructs you to use nuts and washers."

 

Not sure I would agree with that. The disadvanage of rivnut is they dont provide much strength, either on being pulled through or if you over tighten. A Bolt and washer enables you spread the load on both sides.

 

My use case is different (Race car and have to take wings off for transport). But I've spent too long attaching wings to the car, and always use bolts and washers over rivnuts, if I can. Accept, it is different on a road car.

 

 

[7 wonders of the world]

I used pipe lagging around all the bodywork holes as it offer more protection than masking tape - less chance of paint damage to (if you have paint!)

 

Rust proof yes

 

Rivnuts for the rrar arches are fine just use plastic bolts as the race guys do

 

Boot carpet either that or use spraytac

 

Oh and don't forget to put the propshat in the tunnel BEFORE you fit the final drive

 

Too young to be old !

[nickh7]

Enjoy it is the best advice I can give you, I didn't enjoy the drilling and bodywork stuff but fitting the suspension. gearbox engine was fab.

 

As for blanking the bulkhead check out RIF's site here to see his solution, I would also use Dinitrol.

 

As for fittings here these people do aluminium nuts and bolts and Ive used some of these for exposed fittings as they look very good and Will not rust.

 

I am not a tidy person but I found leaving half an hour at the end of the build day to tidy up saved a whole load of time the next time I went into work on the car .

 

As I said enjoy it and take you time and phone , post - e-mail people on here they will always be happy to help and when you've finished we can enjoy a blat up to north Yorks

 

Carpet tiles on the Floor good light use one of these here a head torch is great as it lights up just where you are working

 

Nick h

 

 

 

Its Yellow And Black and Makes me 😬here

 

Edited by - nickh7 on 4 Oct 2007 14:11:33

[CageyH]

Pipe lagging over chassis tubes when fitting engine and gearbox

 

Only dead fish go with the flow....!

[Graham Perry]

Don't forget you will need a large torque wrench for the rear hubs - 200 lbft, so get on with finding someone whom can lend you one

 

If you can't run to carpet tiles, 4 sheets of 8 x 4 builders quality (cheap & nasty) 6-8mm chipboard is good to work on as its warmer, cleaner, brighter and slightly softer than concrete, and when you drop small things (and you will) makes a satisfying 'thwack' so you know where it went 😬

 

 

Edited by - Graham Perry on 4 Oct 2007 20:26:45

[BadBob]

Thanks to all for the rapid and well-informed replies, I expected nothing less

 

Dinitrol seems to be favorite for rust protection, can it be thinned and sprayed for best coverage? If I can find some strong velcro that may be an option for the carpets... I've not found a 200lb torque wrench so am loooking for a hire shop, or have even (don't tell Caterham) thought of doing some maths and getting a scaffold pole and a spring balance.

One thing that would be useful would be an online supplier for all the lubricants and fluids (loctite, rubber lubricant etc.) as a trip to Halfords in Bradford didn't do the trick, anyone know of one?

This weekend is for clearing out the garage!

 

 

 

[Martin J]

recently completed sigma125 biuld & enjoyed it a lot!

Quite a few missing parts but found Sean at caterhams very helpful (patient I have rung him a great deal) & knowledgeable.

 

apply for the sva early, I've left it a bit late & am now having to be patient,car just completed but sva not till early november as caterham service can't fit me in for post build check & sort immobilser fault till end of this month.

 

One tip, my clutch had stuck (centre plate to the flywheel) thought initially i had a hydraulic problem but after much head scratching managed to clear it by rolling the car in 4th with the clutch down & suddenly it released, big relief!

Caterham later admitted it is quite a common occurance,

[Martin J]

recently completed sigma125 biuld & enjoyed it a lot!

Quite a few missing parts but found Sean at caterhams very helpful (patient I have rung him a great deal) & knowledgeable.

 

apply for the sva early, I've left it a bit late & am now having to be patient,car just completed but sva not till early november as caterham service can't fit me in for post build check & sort immobilser fault till end of this month.

 

One tip, my clutch had stuck (centre plate to the flywheel) thought initially i had a hydraulic problem but after much head scratching managed to clear it by rolling the car in 4th with the clutch down & suddenly it released, big relief!

Caterham later admitted it is quite a common occurance,

[Sheds Moderator]

Bob, get friendly with your local motor factor for the consumables. I got a BIG tin of penetrating oil that works as well as any penoil I've ever used before for £3. Same price for a big tin of aerosol coppergrease for brake assemblies. Try that at Halfords. These things are so big I will probably still own them when I die.

 

Scaff pole and spring balance is an excellent route for torquing up. Bathroom scales are equally good - the 200 lb ft is hardly critical to better than 10%.

 

I'm moving to Leeds in a month, if yuo need a hand with anything blatmail me. I've not seen the new ones yet so it would be interesting to have a poke round.

[exfordy]

Hmmm - there are things here I wish I had read before I started my now-finished Sigma 150 SV.

Anyway I'd add:

Make a cover plate for the forward facing hole in the bellhousing to stop muck getting in

If you don't want the ugly standard side repeaters borrow a pair of front wings from CC Dartford for the SVA and bolt those on with the SVA repeaters then bond your wings on and put your side repeaters where you want them if at all. I put mine here.

Oh, and you can fill the 5 speed 'box with oil and leave, tighten the filler plug and the plastic rear plug in place. Fit the engine and gearbox and at the last minute pull the plug and slide in the prop shaft.

[Nov-07]

If your car is going to Caterham for a post-build check, don't bother about the 200 lbs.ft torque wrench. Just do up the rear hubs as tightly as you can, then drive gingerly to Dartford (round the M25 in my case). The factory will torque everything up properly. Good luck ❗ 😬

[BadBob]

BOS - you will be most welcome down here when you get sorted in Leeds, tea and biscuits available in return for sage advice.

 

Exfordy - I followed your build diary with great interest. Would be very curious to know how you made that cover plate with a curved 90 degree angle in it, a work of craftsmanship. I suspect the answer may involve skill, experience and the right tools for the job

 

Not long to go now (assuming the final cheque made it to Caterham...)

 

 

[exfordy]

BadBob,

I pressed a piece of paper against the hole to get the rough flat shape then cut that out and offered it to the hole and trimmed it to get it right then used that as a template to mark the aluminium and check progress.

My workbench - a sheet of half inch ply on top of some old kitchen base units - extends forward of the base units a little and has a curved corner. I used that corner, a small piece of thin aluminium sheet and a hammer to fashion the cover panel.

I think you could cut a piece of wood to the required curve and grip the aluminum and the wood in a vice and hammer the aluminium onto and around the curve equally well. Then cut and file the edges to shape.

I guess I was a little surprised it turned out so well.

Good luck.

[John Vine]

I've not found a 200lb torque wrench

I approached my local ATS tyre place. As they were keen to see the car, one of their fitters came home with me with his 200+ wrench (a bonus: it operated on both LH and RH threads -- essential for the rear hubs). Some beer money for him and his manager sorted the financial side.

 

Enjoy the build. Just like playing with a giant Meccano set. 😬

 

JV