build manual

[Phil]

are they usefull and where can I get, will Caterham supply at a sensible price.thank you.

 

 

[NoLimits]

Don't bother!!!

 

Take the 7 apart and draw/write your own.

 

Caterham are just about to produce a new manual which should be suitable for most varriants. The present one most definately is not.

 

How do i know?

 

I 've just finished building and have also been in touch with others and Caterham during the process.

 

MY 51VEN

[Steve Kirk]

I tried to get one for my 1995 VX car recently but Caterham no longer sell a manual that covers it. They advised me to find someone with an old one and copy that. A copy of the latest manual costs 15 pounds from Caterham I think.

 

I think the manual is OK, I learned a few things from reading one that I didn't know before. I think it depends what you are expecting, as it is not minutely detailed on every last little operation. I've heard that some sections have key details missing.

 

Depending on what jobs you are planning to do you might also want to get Haynes manuals for the relevant parts of your car to add more detail (eg engine/gearbox/diff.

 

 

[Julian Thompson]

I have a copy of the manual circa 1991 (I bought it to look at as I couldn't afford the car then!!!) I could lend it out for photocopying to anyone if it's useful????? (probably not!)

 

The new manual (got it a few weeks before the car so I know what to expect) is much smaller and you now have to do a lot less work!

 

 

[Mark P.]

I recently bought a build manual from Caterham for rover k series engines. Not particularly useful, just a bit more detailed than a normal car owners handbook.

 

Lots of useless info like how to fold the wet weather gear !!! but there again some useful stuff as well. But definately not worth the £20 charged. If there are any particular areas you want copied, drop me a line.

[Mole]

I bought a copy of the manual before I ordered my car just to get an idea of what was involved in the build. The manual is useful to give a general idea, but don't believe all the details. I discovered all sorts of inaccuracies in the first week and very quickly became bored with ringing the Caterham technical support line only to be told that the manual was wrong/out of date.

 

I very quickly realised that Blatchat was a much better source of information ....

 

My advice would be use the manual to understand the basics of what you will need to do, but when it actually comes to the build you need to apply a lot of common-sense and copious pinches of salt!

 

As with most manuals - for the guidance of wise-men and the obedience of fools!

 

The Mole - it's better than being a rat

[John Vine]

And be especially careful of incorrect torque settings. I quickly tired of noting incorrect figures in my 1999 build manual (some of them were real howlers). I offered to provide the factory with a detailed list of all the anomalies and errors I came across during build, but they didn't show any interest. I even offered to rewrite the manual for them (I'm a tech author by profession), but that fell on stony ground too. Perhaps my rates were too high. smile.gif

 

JV