Jobs to do on the new car

[Meldrew]

Well, I spoke to the nice lady at Caterham last week to find out that the new Meldrewmobile is coming as early as January (like, two months earlier)! Not even I could find it in me to complain at this news.

 

I have a couple of questions for you experienced Sevenistas, however. What jobs need to be done on the new car once it comes to its new home? I noted a lot of talk about Waxoyl among the self-builders (this one is factory-built as I have sub-chimp tool skills). I assume I can paint/spray this on to the car's chassis as it arrives. Is it to be recommended?

 

What other life-lengthening protective/preventative stuff would you recommend. I 'm working on the assumption that a Seven is for life, not just for Christmas, and I want it to last. The car will live in a dry garage (once I can persuade Mrs M to turf out all the unnecessary garden furniture, kids' toys, lawnmowers etc) and I hope to drive it as often as possible.

 

Thanks,

 

John

[Julian Thompson]

I think the general advice if you intend to use the car in the wet and / or the winter is to waxoyl everything underneath.

 

I use mine only on nice days but have still elected to waxoyl a few bits and have wiped a waxoyled rag over the whole underside. I still regularly check the powder coating everywhere though, because stone chips will allow the metal to rust; causing the powdercoat to bubble off.

 

You will hear a lot of things about powdercoating having asked a question like this. I (and this is strictly my personal opinion) disagree with a lot of what is said, instead prefering to believe that everything stays in good order if it is looked after properly. Obviously an ordinary car has underseal to protect it; the little 7 is very bare and so it comes as no surprise that it will be knackered if you only ever clean the top of the car!

[Paul Bowden]

I agree with Julian, but I think it is the case that the power coating is much, much better now than it was a few years back. I have only had my car 6 months but I have done 4000 miles in that time and it has got very wet a number of times. I Wayoiled the whole underside not worrying to much where it went and it is as good as the day it arrived from Caterham. I wipe an oily rag over the suspention parts after it has been out and again there is not a mark on them . I had Armafend applied to both side panels, and in my opinion that was well worth the money..about £250

[Paul Bowden]

Double Post *confused*

 

Edited by - paul bowden on 18 Nov 2002 16:05:04

[Nick Woods]

I agree with Waxoyl and Armourfend although Armourfending it will cost you £250-300. Make sure the Waxoyl is thin and hot and spray it into every little crevice you can.

 

A lot of people put some sort of rubber coating under the wings to stop stonechips causing cracks in the gel coat - threads here and here

 

You might want to fit some mudflaps for the winter as well although opinions are divided about this - make sure they are removable though.

 

Nick

P8MRA - The green one with red wings.

Which is now bent ☹️ 🙆🏻 ☹️ 🙆🏻 ☹️ 🙆🏻 ☹️ 🙆🏻 ☹️ but is being fixed

[Mr Locust]

I don't know how expensive new rear wings are, but the circa £250 - £300 recently quoted by Cat mids to Armourfend rear wings doesn't half go a long way towards a damned fine respray if not wing replacement. 😬

[Mr Locust]

Does anyone know where you can get Dinitrol from these days?

 

Rubberlife or similar seems a good idea though.

[scooby dooby doo]

The costs are *something like*

GRP wing 50

paint 70

armourfend 70 (although cat midlands suggest 130 each)

steel spat 15

carbon spat 35

carbon wing 320

(all plus VAT).

 

so you can pay for a painted, armourfended, carbon spated rear wing which comes to...

50+70+35 = 155 or 215 at ca midlands quote...

or get a carbon one for 100 quid more

 

However - the GRP wings will suffer from ston damge internally - ie they go soft as the resin gets cracked from the underside and only the glass fibres hold it together. A finger in the air estimate to become really noticable is is about 20k.

 

Carbon wings seem to be immune to all damge, and are of course lighter (perhaps 1k once the paint, spat and armourfend and a bit of poetic licence are included).

 

You can coat the underside of thewing with rubbery stuff but thats more weight.

 

HOOPY 500 kg R706KGU

[Meldrew]

Thank you for all that...looks like I'm off to H*lf*rds to get some Waxoyl.

 

Pardon my continued ignorance, but what is Armorfend?

[Paul Bowden]

Armourfend? Have a look here

 

here

 

I don't know where you are but I had my Armourfend applied at Sudbury. I can not recommend highly enough. I know £250 sounds alot, but since having my car done (only down either side panel) I have not had a stone chip. 4000 miles CF rear wings, unpainted is another recommendation. If like me you want the car staying as good as new, you will need a respray evey year with painted wings IMHO

[Nick Woods]

I've just had a quote from Armourfend to do the rear wings around the stoneguards, along the bottom of the bodywork sills on both sides, under the door openings on both sides, on the bonnet where the doors rub and the top and bottom of the nosecone, all for £287 providing the car is taken to them and you are an L7C member (10% off materials prices).

 

This makes Caterhams quote very expensive imho.

 

 

 

 

 

Nick

P8MRA - The green one with red wings.

Which is now bent ☹️ 🙆🏻 ☹️ 🙆🏻 ☹️ 🙆🏻 ☹️ 🙆🏻 ☹️ but is being fixed