Red SLR Posted August 11, 2002 Share Posted August 11, 2002 My new car is due to arrive in the next few weeks, I have cleared space for it - floor will be painted this week and have assembled plenty of tools. Is there anything people would recommend to do before I go mad with the spanners? Had a good suggestion the other night to tape up all the bodywork with masking tape so no dinks happen etc, also to put old sheets on the scuttle. Any other ideas to save me time / money / blood etc etc. Thanks Simon. X777CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wag Posted August 11, 2002 Share Posted August 11, 2002 Put some of the cardboard which comes with the kit on the floor, you will spend a long time lying on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Posted August 11, 2002 Share Posted August 11, 2002 ask for the build manual now so you can ask about the bits you don't understand . or the bits that don't make sense. fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridgway Posted August 11, 2002 Share Posted August 11, 2002 only put masking tape on a newly painted kit for the duration of the work in any given area. New paint is still green and you can pull it off as masking tape 'sets' if left. Stick it to your clothing before using to get rid of some of the stickiness! Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted August 11, 2002 Share Posted August 11, 2002 My God, there are just so many things, but you'd not understand half of them until you've actually got the damn bits in front of you and you're having the problem! All I can say is use this forum and we'll all try to help; everyone pitched in to solve my queries and I'm sure we'll all do our best! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 Make sure that you can get a torque wrench that goes up high enough to tighten the rear hub nuts as they require quite high foot pounds and I was delayed by a week building my kit trying to lay my hands on one, as my standard wrench wasn't strong enough. Assumes of course that you are building a DD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 You can use a 2 ft breaker bar for the hubs. Just apply 100 lbs at the end when the bar is horizontal. Gotta be more accurate than any torque wrench. A friend gave me his old carpet which I laid in the garage upside down (hessian side up) which was a great aid when lying on my back under the car, sitting on the ground trying to work out how the dry sump bits go together... etc... Second the idea about taping up all the bodywork... and the one about making the tape less sticky. Try to put all the boxes somewhere in the house, not in the garage and only bring them into the garage when they're needed. Leaves you with more space and you're less likely to drop something on them. This is particularly important for bonnet, nose, wings, seats, wheels, anything else that's powder coated or aluminium panelled, or the hood/tonneau/sidescreens. Worcs L7 club joint AO.//Membership No. 4379//Azure Blue SLR No. 0077//Se7ens List Tours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red SLR Posted August 12, 2002 Author Share Posted August 12, 2002 Thanks for all the ideas - Luckily my garage is about 25m by 25m so I have plenty of space - the main problem at the moment is the floor - quite dusty but will be sorting this with the paint this week. X777CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lagartija Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 Light coloured floor paint (grey?), so you can spot the dropped nut/washer easily. My choice of brick-red was a pain.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Ranson Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 Luckily my garage is about 25m by 25m That would be a 'hangar'... Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DohNut Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 I would offer to come round and lend a hand but I am agraphobic and I fear your garage is far too spacious, I will have to remain in my 8foot wide bijou garagette. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red SLR Posted August 12, 2002 Author Share Posted August 12, 2002 It is quite big - its big enough that we can fit in my car, girlfriends car, her sisters car and their parents car, then a shipping container that we keep the Caterham in thats about 10mx3m. The idea is we will only park 1 or 2 cars in there while I build the Caterham. Lighting is an issue as we have quite a few strip lights and its still quite dull. X777CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelspeed Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 Make some trestles up (good practice for the mig welder). About 2 foot high is ideal. Get the chassis put on them when delivered and build most of it at that height. That way anything underneath is a thousand times easier and working anyhwere else on the car means you're standing upright and not always squatting down. Lot's more comfortable. Only drop it onto the floor when it's engine time. I built my trestles while I was restless and bored, about a month before the chassis was delivered, just after painting the floor!, just where you are now. I have also used them each winter for the annual rebuild. They are strong enough to sit in the car with (for those embarassing brumm brummm, just trying the pedals and steering dear moments....). Much more secure than a set of axle stands at full lift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike V Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 When I was building mine I got a couple of flood lights from B&Q. They have a clamp fitted to then so that you can move them about. I then just stuck a few battons of woods at various strategic places around the garage so that I could move them about to where they were needed. Very bright! Great for working with the garage door closed when it p'ing down or at 2 in the morning trying to attach the diff. X77CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bowden Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 I have posted my comments on building before so appologies to those reading the same things again. I built my SL in just over two weeks, I needed no specialist tools and it was pretty straight forward. The only difficulty I had was getting the Gearbox oil in. A pressure delivery system of some kind would have been a great help. The best piece of advice given to me , was losen the filler plug in the gearbox before fiting. What I did not do was take the one from the diff. before fitting. Take my word for it, Lossen all such plugs first, even the one on the Oil /air seperator if you have one. Other than that a socket set and a rivett gun is all you need. My 7 year old sons lego is far more complicated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 Instead of tressels I have Lorry type axle stands which are extremely stable Good lighting is key as well and you can get strip lights on chains to move around, or run a couple of extra in the caterham area. I white washed the walls as well to try and get better lighting - but I did not have a hanger. Make sure you have workbench / vice as well ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red SLR Posted August 12, 2002 Author Share Posted August 12, 2002 Workbench - thats a good one - we did have one but I think my girlfriend drove into it so it got moved to another building. X777CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bafty Crastard Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 Simon Your car is due next week is it not 😬 My SLR300 is due for delivery weekending the 13th September I understand John and Paul are giving you a hand with the tricky bits, I would'nt mind comming across one week end looking for a few tips R300 NUT Edited by - Bafty Crastard on 20 Aug 2002 08:21:33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_fletcher Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 I'd recommend spending an hour at Caterham and taking lots of pictures of their cars, especially underneath and under the bonnet. I didn't and had to rely on the manual to figure out where things went. They may have improved the manual since I built mine a couple of years ago (Academy car) but there was a shortage of pictures/diagrams and some of the descriptions of where to fit parts where vague to say the least. Some were just plain wrong. Use this forum if you have any doubts...you'll get far better answers than you'll get from Caterham and you'll probably get them quicker too. I may have been unlucky but the problems I had building my car never seemed to be during office hours! Last recommendation...just because you can't find a part, don't assume you've lost it. There were quite a few bits missing from my kit, over and above the ones Caterham told me about (oh yes, you don't expect your whole kit to turn up in one go do you?) Good luck! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 Conversely, don't expect to use everything you get with the kit! Like Hofnung's bricklayer "when I had finished there were a lot of bits left over"! For instance, a fuel trap (which isn't used on my car), a spare lambda probe, loads of nylocs, washers, rivets and poppers etc. all useful for the spares box but just a tad worrying at first - makes you wonder if you've missed something that should have been bolted/riveted/poppered ...... Keep flying low Mole @ the animal with attitude (well almost!) Edited by - mole on 13 Aug 2002 09:00:02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 [Thread hijacking mode] Ah yes, Gerald Hofnung. What an excellent sketch... (paraphrased) "on the way up, I met the bucket on its way down, and sustained concussion and terrible head injuries". Totally fabulous. A bit like Bob Newman (that right?) and his UXB sketch. I'd love a transcript of the bricklayer sketch, and any others he did... and anything by Bob. Anyone know where I might find such? Would make quite an excellent alternative to drunken spoutings of Monty Python sketches. [/Thread hijacking mode] Worcs L7 club joint AO.//Membership No. 4379//Azure Blue SLR No. 0077//Se7ens List Tours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 [Thread hijacking mode] Ah yes, Gerald Hofnung. What an excellent sketch... (paraphrased) "on the way up, I met the bucket on its way down, and sustained concussion and terrible head injuries". Totally fabulous. A bit like Bob Newman (that right?) and his UXB sketch... ooh and the one about Francis Drake and tobacco. I'd love a transcript of the bricklayer sketch, and any others he did... and anything by Bob. Anyone know where I might find such? Would make quite an excellent alternative to drunken spoutings of Monty Python sketches. [/Thread hijacking mode] Worcs L7 club joint AO.//Membership No. 4379//Azure Blue SLR No. 0077//Se7ens List Tours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 I'd love to get hold of some transcripts as well - or even copies of original recordings - I used to have "The Bricklayer" on record but it got nicked in a burglary several years ago. "When the barrel hit the ground the bottom burst, spilling all the bricks. I WAS NOW HEAVIER THAN THE BARREL ....." Also quite like the sound of a "French widow in every bedroom" - how that brings back memories (perhaps I mean fantasies!). Keep flying low Mole @ the animal with attitude (well almost!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red SLR Posted August 14, 2002 Author Share Posted August 14, 2002 Bafty Crastard No problem - e-mail me off line. Simon. X777CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red SLR Posted August 15, 2002 Author Share Posted August 15, 2002 Less than 2 weeks to go now..... one thing that shocked me is the car does not come with Oils, what a jip! X777CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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