Castrol Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Hi All, If anyone has carried out the lowered floorpan conversion can I ask for their feedback as to what it is like to do. I have a 1992 1700 Supersprint with a de-dion chassis but have floor cross members that weren't in the 7 I looked at (thanks if you're reading this!) whilst at Curborough on Saturday. Can it therefore be done and keep the same pre S type adjustable seats or do I have to change to Tillets as well? Thanks, Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dent Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 I've got a lowered floor pan in on the drivers side, and I have been told it was a total pain in the 🙆🏻 to fit considering it was meant to be designed for my sort of 7. None of the holes lined up, and they had to modify teh corner where the A frame meets the chasis rail. Now its in I am certainly lower in the car. Speak to Arch as they make the thing does it hurt when you hit 40? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Why not fit tillets & sit lower in the car, rather than go to the trouble of lowering the floor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dent Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 tillets fitted, extra height FIA fitted, still struggling for clearance. Does not help being 6'5" either. The floor is a good solution. Shame it is not an easy fit. does it hurt when you hit 40? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andycox Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 But have you scraped your 🙆🏻 on the road yet Andrew 🤔 Just interested as I am thinking about this mod but do not need the pain from a well placed bump in the road ❗ Is it SUMMER yet? 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick W Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 Matt Is this conversion a Caterham offering, or from someone else? Only ask as when I talked to the factory recently they said they were finalising the details on a lowered floor plan- just wondered if they had completed it yet. Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castrol Posted May 20, 2003 Author Share Posted May 20, 2003 Thanks for your thoughts so far. Tom, Do Tillets make that much difference to seat height? If so then that could be a starting point. Nick, Certainly is a Caterham offering spoke to aftersales yesterday and they gave me a price of £200+VAT and in stock at the factory end of the month. Thanks everyone, Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dent Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 So far no meeting of bumps and lowered floor. the bell housing is still the lowest point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted May 20, 2003 Leadership Team Share Posted May 20, 2003 Tom / Castrol - I've trimmed about half the foam out of my seat - even sat on the floor without the seat base in I'm unsatisfactorily high. The tillet will offer a marginal advantage in bumb height - biggest gainer is to tilt the seat back slightly using spacers at the front. Often Tillets "appear" to be lower because of the ability to set them up slightly more tipped - thinner head-rest of course. The lowered floor has to be a benefit - I'm running with the competition honey reinforcing which makes the situation worse! Anybody got the tel.no. for Arch? Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelspeed Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 01480 459661 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted May 20, 2003 Leadership Team Share Posted May 20, 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted May 20, 2003 Leadership Team Share Posted May 20, 2003 Spoken to Arch - they say go through Caterham 🙆🏻 Spoken to Caterham .......................................................... . . . . . . . . . £200 for the floor. No, not fitted sir! . . .But it's thicker aluminium sir ❗ Aaaghhhh!!!! Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castrol Posted May 20, 2003 Author Share Posted May 20, 2003 Thanks for the number Chelspeed. Stu, I also called Arch. Spoke to a really helpful guy. "Yes" you can get one, but "No" not through us you have to go to Caterham. Spoke to Caterham and agree with you £200+vat for the parts. Have to have a serious think about this now. May give your idea a try and take some padding out of the seat and try that for starters. Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted May 21, 2003 Leadership Team Share Posted May 21, 2003 Chelspeed, I carefully opened up the cover - mine are cloth seats - then worked through the foam with a combination of hobby knives, bread knife etc. It's a sod to cut but well worth it in the end. Mines about 15mm thick now - I think originally it must have been around 40mm. I've tilted my seat back slightly using a couple of big washers under the front of the runners - you're limited by the headrests hitting the FIA bar, but every bit helps. The runners also seem to work better now. When I next have the seat out I'll look into the viabiity of having a new panel custom made to replace the floor - there really can't be that much involved. Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 As nobody else has mentioned it I thought I would. The “Lowest” seat is the two pack foam kit for about £40 plus a roll of tank tape to cover it. You can get the kit from various places including DT or CML will supply and fit for you for a fee. You can then still refit your other seat when not on the track. Tricky Academy 2003 Group 1 Race # 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelspeed Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 I'd be interested in seeing a picture of one of these lowered floorpans when they appear. I see from the regs that they're an option in the 2003 SLR racing series so I would think they should be around soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted May 21, 2003 Leadership Team Share Posted May 21, 2003 The honeycomb protection in my car adds an additional 1/2" - not a lot, but even with no seat, I sit too high A lowered floor has to be the answer. Anybody know the exact amount that the new lower floor is different to standard? Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castrol Posted May 21, 2003 Author Share Posted May 21, 2003 Stu, The floor is lower by 40mm, based upon a standard ally (single skin) floor. Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorAtle Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 What's the opinion on cutting a hole in the floor and bolting the Tillett directly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Stu, Why not just attach the honeycomb underneath the existing aluminium floor...? Naah. I don't like the sound of that either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted May 27, 2003 Leadership Team Share Posted May 27, 2003 Peter - lot of trouble to gain only 1/2" - and that's what the wife said Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 As for bum scraping.. I run two 2" high air ducts to the rear brake to cool them and these only ground with a passenger and a sizeable airbourne landing to compress the suspension a bit. So I don't think the lowered floor conversion will ever be a problem from that angle. As for the extra 0.5" then it makes no difference if the thing is already stuffed full Back to seating.. it makes the difference between banging your helmet on the front to rear strut on the cage or not, so it is important. Reclining the Tillet is important. My racing pics, 7 DIY, race prep. Updated often here Photo's of the year here Hants (North) and Berkshire Area club site here Edited by - stevefoster on 27 May 2003 20:28:32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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