New Build

[Newta]

As I am about to embark on my first ever build, it has been suggested by a fellow member that I post a topic headed,

'' I you did it all again, what would you do differently''

 

In other words, do you have any build tips for a novice, they would be much appreciated, (sensible answers only chaps !!!!!)

 

The car is a standard 1.6 K series Caterham, with no specials at this stage, just leather seats, and FIA roll bar, I intend mainly doing road milleage circa 3,000 a year, with a couple of track days.

 

Any pointers will hopefully go to ease my nerves, at this pre kick off stage.

 

Thanks in advance

 

JN

[Ken Sailor]

No answers yet from all of us over opinionated BlatChaters.

Let me start if off with a suggested list of searches for things you could consider:

 

Armourfend - I think I spelled that right. A material that covers the fiberglass to protect it.

 

Protecting the wings from 'stone stars' caused by stones thrown from the tires into the underside of the wings.

 

Nylon bolts to hold the wings on so that they break away without damaging the alum side panels in case of an accident. One of the posts mentions that someone has put together a kit with all the appropiate bits.

 

Heatshield attached to the foot wells to solve the 'hot foot' - melting shoe sole problem.

 

Recent posts on brake bleeding. Two man job or you need to buy something to allow you to do it by yourself. If you want to go the SoloBleed route it's easier to do it up front.

 

I don't know what the current build manuals reccomend for the Sevens fluid intake (not the petrol) but there are posts about which oil to use, which anti-freeze and which brake fluid.

 

Rust proofing you've already asked about. Yes, do it.

 

Anybody else out there?

 

Ken Sailor

[Grubbster]

Make sure you have a good, clear, light space to work in - it will make life easier. Plus you get points from Malcolm the delivery man if you have a nicely decorated garage! A lot of people paint the walls white, paint the floor to seal it, and fit extra lights - well worth the effort.

 

Not sure how much I would do differently, I wish I had used BigHead fasteners on the front wings (instead of drilling and bolting). I wish I had checked bolts fitted (and threads were clear) before trying to fit them in - particularly the rear diff .

 

Another thing - if you are planning a part of the build for the following weekend - make sure you check the bits are there so Caterham have time to send you the shortages, otherwise you will get disappointed 'cos the build stops.

 

There are many build sites and photo galleries to look at and endless help from BC. Don't be afraid to ask for help there will always be someone about.

 

I have many photo's of my build, plus a list of all the bits I had to buy (tools, fluids etc), just drop me a mail if you want them.

 

Roadsport build photo's here

Le Mans 2004 photo's here

 

[Dobuy]

Powder coat the engine bay and cockpit alloy panels, fit Freestyle dampers from the start instead of the CC bilsteins.

THe build is the best fun you will have in years, I would love to do one a year.

 

Duratec Se7en, built in Dubai, pics here! Keep it sunny side up and out of the kitty litter.

[shn7]

Double check that you have the correct bolt. It's easy to end up using one that's longer than it should be only to find that the longer one was needed somewhere else. Oh and use the excuse to buy a Dremel or similar. Lots of uses for fiddly things and great fun.

 

Don't rush and enjoy yourself. The feeling of satisfaction the first time you drive it will stay with you for a long time. 😬 😬 😬

 

Steve.

[Sheds Moderator]

Invest in a couple of selection boxes of UNF and metric fasteners. These cost around a tenner each from motor factors and make maintenance much easier. It means that the days of scratching round jamjars are over. Just get the box down and choose exactly the fitting you need. This is essential with old cars where you can waste hours trying to get rusty fasteners undone where a mechanic would have cut it off, thrown it away and replaced it in half the time.

 

You may also wish to buy a small torque wrench for the fittings under 20lbft. There's no need to go mad buying Britool, Facom, or Snapon, a decent one will be under £20.

 

I find it saves time to have spanners etc hanging on a toolboard. It doesn't take long to build and means that you can see all the regularly used tools at a glance. You have a nicer time if you know where to find the tool you need.

[paulyb]

Not sure I'd agree with powder coating the engine bay. There have been a number of people with heat / warping problems possibly related to this - do a search for the threads.

 

I believe that even CC are now 'dissuading' people from this option

[timbo]

 

Paulyb... I recently heard that this option is under close scrutiny from all sources. I've had it done to my SV...no problems. Perhaps it is a problem particular to the std 7 wereby the black coating absorbs much more heat in the more crampt space of the std body eng bay than the SV.

 

Emerald Isle's 1st SV. R400 power currently under development.

[Rowly]

Hello Newta,

I work in Dunstable and use my car every day. If you want to see mine now and again for those rusty areas and which bits go where you're more than welcome drop me an email. Shes a Xflow though so no clues engine wise for you I'm sorry to say.

Cheers

Rowly

 

Owner of *thumbup*The Wombat

L7OC member

28,500 so far

[Joe 90]

Get it painted professionally. Bare Ali is high maintainance. Have you finalised the spec?

 

SEP field working, not spotted in 102,400 miles. Some photos on webshots, updated 10 June

[pinkprincess]

Welcome to a select contingent of Caterham owner/builders! 😬 Did mine from December /January last Winter and was registered/SVA'd to be a new car on March 1st.

 

I'd verify all of the above bits of advice, including the paint option (ali looks best but won't be shiny for very long, unless you really enjoy polishing) If you've already ordered the car then do reconsider this. As for powder coating, I chose to leave the carpet set at the Factory and had the interior 'blacked' (charged £270), using just the custom-made rubber mats. Very low maintenance to clean should it ever get wet in there (which it will).

 

Having helped on a few new builds before I had few problems but you'll need to remember to use some common sense as well as follow the guide, and try not to have the car completed before a certain time; just go with the flow and you'll enjoy it much more.

 

The only real disappointment I found on my car in particular was having to very carefully re-thread the near side lower wishbone thread and one of the lower differential mountings. Do these wrong and there's no going back......replacement chassis or diff units aren't cheap! 😳 Try trial-fitting everything, hand tight at first so you'll know whether it'll fit before committing yourself.

 

And don't be too surprised if the major, most obvious bits (engine/gearbox install, propshaft, wings etc.) run more smoothly and take less time to do than the supposed small awkward jobs (boot/tonneau covers, handbrake, De Dion mounted rear brake pipe).

 

The link in the reg. of my signature points to all the pics taken while the car was being built, plus the first 'on the road' shots.

 

Most of all, enjoy it!

 

RW04FUN

1525 miles.....running in nicely 😬

[Al Duncan]

Put the bonnet, nose cone and arches in the spare room and dont let anyone in there.

 

Echo the painted over bare alloy thoughts, we originally were going for bare untill we went to caterham and saw so many scabby alloy shells.

Unless you enjoy polishing that is 😬

 

Take your time and enjoy it.

 

 

[Frying Pan]

My kit was delivered mid-October last year, and was finished by early New Year (would have been quicker if I had not become a father three months earlier ).

 

Than had a looooong wait for SVA (tip - book it early) and then waited until March 1st to register it (picked mine up at the factory with three others).

 

Built a 1.8 X-Power 140 Roadsport, with Tilletts, R300/R400 15" wheels and a few other options (including paint). Helping hands are always welcome, and make fitting the diff easier, as well as the engine / gearbox, bleeding brakes etc. As others have said, the smaller jobs are often the most annoying - fitting the passenger Tillett was the worst one for me. Trick is to walk away before you get mad and damage something....

 

You WILL have shortages. Caterham are very good at sorting these out, so not a huge problem. Always a good idea to check you have everything you need for the next weeknd's tasks though.

 

If I was doing it again, I'd look at some heat insulation for the footwells (easy to fit before the gearbox goes in), and wouldn't bother with carpet.

 

Enjoy it - I had a great time

 

Welcome to a CD of my build photos if you want them - also look at the link below for some build stuff.

 

Guy

 

See some pictures of the build here. 4000 miles completed!

[Newta]

Just a quick thank you to all who answered my request for help and advice. I had some great tips and I am now looking forward to starting, and will try to enjoy the process !!!

 

JN

[Tony C]

I'm just down the road from you - Aston Abbotts - so don't hesitate to yell if you need any help, advice, engine hoist or a comparison car 😬

 

BRG Brooklands SV 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

[electrick]

Mentioned once already but remember to kick of the SVA as soon as possible. You don't need to worry that by sending the initial forms off you will end up with having to specify a date you might not be ready for.

It takes a few weeks from sending the first form off before you are in a position where you need to agree a date with them - and at that stage its a case of when you are ready you simply phone them up and make the appointment (usually a week or two lead time).

If you are having Caterham do a post build check you'l need to allow a couple of weeks lead time with them first as well (They usually will ask you to wait until you have an SVA date........)

I messed up and ended up waiting 5 weeks after building the car before It was SVA'd and on the road !

 

Have fun with the build and take your time. As said before Caterham are excellent at forwarding missing bits and pieces (hardly any shortages in my case)

 

James.

[bat flattery]

newta,

 

don't know if we met at the Folly last month - remember talking to someone I thought from Leighton Buzzard ?

Anyway, you have prompted me to put together a load of notes I made last year during my build. Some of this may duplicate what has gone before and it runs to 5 pages so feel free to ignore, ridicule or laugh in derision. Some of it you may find useful however.

The build was a 1.6K series Roadsport SV, kit delivered June 03. Here goes..

 

 Polish all bodywork a couple of times before bolting anything on. This will be the last time you have access to all areas without bits of suspension sticking out. (Caterham finish the paintwork with a polishing compound and mop only – no protective ‘wax’ polish is applied.) I didn’t do this but I wish I had…

 

 Again before bolting anything on, apply Waxoyl / Dinitrol - whatever your poison - I used Dinitrol 3125 ordered from Frosts. Can also be purchased from some Halfrauds in aerosol form.

Apply with a £1 hand held garden spray and paint brush to all the bits you think might benefit (very subjective this). I waited till 2 months after I had finished the build, so access to some areas was difficult and it was a lot colder when I did this job, so had to fill the garage with electric heaters to get the temperature up.

 

 Dab of paint on every nut/bolt after torque tightening – helps the memory and looks professional!

 

 I bought 2 Draper torque wrenches to cover the required torque range (except for the 250 lbf/ft on the rear drive shafts – I was lucky enough to have a work colleague who has a huge one which goes up to this figure and beyond!)

I checked the calibration at various values by gripping a bolt in the vice/work mate, slipping the torque wrench plus socket on to the bolt head and hanging weights from the torque wrench handle (weight times distance equals torque etc.). Higher torques can be checked using a length of pipe to extend the wrench handle – the weights I used were previously unemployed hand dumbbell weights, 2.5lb, 5lb and 10 lb in various combinations.

 

 For tightening rear drive shafts, I drilled 2 holes in a 5ft length of steel bar and slipped this over the wheel studs (without the wheel fitted of course) - 2 big washers and the wheel nuts held the bar on. The torque wrench then easily did the job with the steel bar end against the garage floor to stop the drive shaft going round.

 

 Don’t tighten any of the front / rear suspension bolts which go thro’ bushes until the car is on the floor with full weight on the wheels. You will only end up slackening them off again.

 

 Apply Waxoyl / Dinitrol to all bolts heads, nuts and exposed threads after torquing using paint brush. I did this again once winter had started and everything was covered in crud/muck etc.. Not all the bolts are all zinc plated and the exposed threads start to rust quite quickly.

 

 Apply Copaslip to all threads before assembly. Note that Copaslip will not wash out of your best polo shirt.

 

 Kitchen roll (or toilet roll if you’re poor) is very useful for cleaning up excess Copaslip from fingers, your best polo shirt, bolt threads etc.

 

 If you are a f@rt-@rse like me then it will take you 3 attempts to centralise the diff. using the various packing washers, but then you will feel really smug because you have got it centred within 0.5mm – much better than the +/-2 mm in the manual!

(Ditto on the A frame/DeDion assembly)

 

 The manual tells you to slide the prop shaft into the transmission tunnel before fitting the diff. There is a good reason for this, as I proved conclusively that you cannot get the prop shaft into position after the diff is fitted.

 

 Protect chassis rails from rear suspension bits by using split foam insulation for 15mm central heating pipes. Cut into 6” lengths and slid over chassis tubing, this prevented me from removing any paint from chassis whilst fitting DeDion, A frame etc.

 

 When engine was being installed I set the length of the slings front/rear so that the engine/gearbox was horizontal front to back (viewed from side) but I didn’t notice it was slightly rolled over when looking from front. This roll angle prevented the gearbox from entering the transmission tunnel and I had to pull out (!!) and start again. I ended up with sling lengths of 6” front, 16” rear which meant that the engine/gearbox was not rolled when viewed from front but front of engine was higher than gearbox by quite a lot. This actually helped as this was the natural angle to insert the assembly and it just slid to place like a good ‘n.

 

 Check the manual’s listing of torque figures for every different diameter bolt – don’t try to tighten the bellhousing/sump bolts up to the same torque as the bellhousing/engine bolts – it’s toooo high.

 

 The big washers on the suspension have chamfers on one side of them. After fitting the suspension, I spent a happy 2 hours turning the washers round again so that the chamfer side was against the rubber suspension bushes (as stated clearly in the manual!). I forgot this immediately after reading it and installed them with chamfer facing wrong way but looking ‘pretty’.

 

 Double check the bellhousing to gearbox bolts are torque tightened. After you have installed the engine/gearbox into the car is not a good time to start to wonder whether you did actually tighten these 4 bolts properly.

 

 Diff and gearbox can be more easily filled using small plastic funnel (swiped from SWMBO cookery drawer) and a length of clear section tubing (found it in the garage). You can tell when the gearbox and diff. is full because the oil runs out all over the floor

 

 Paint garage floor – oil spillages are more easily cleaned up.

 

 When filling gearbox be aware that some oil is left in following manufacturer’s assembly so you won’t get the full book amount in the box. This won’t stop you trying though with the resulting oil spill as above.

 

 When filling gearbox, don’t lift the plastic filler funnel too high to see what's going on in the tube – this pulls the funnel out of the clear tubing, so that the oil in the funnel runs all over the ECU on the scuttle and the tube drops to the floor starting another spillage – this causes brain overload as you don’t know which oil puddle to mop up first.

 

 Always have lots of waste rags available for mopping up oil spillages

 

 Where a part is threaded to accept a bolt, have a trial run with bolt and part on the bench or the floor before final assembly. If the fit is tight and bolt thread looks ok, then obtain a tap of correct profile and carefully clean out thread in component. I needed to do this on the differential bottom mounting bolt threads. (I reckon I would have stripped the threads or sheared the mounting bolts if I hadn’t done this on the diff.)

I also found it necessary to run a tap up the lower shock absorber mounting threads on the DeDion tube.

 

 I found that the top steering bush can be more easily fitted if top steering column section is first pushed down thro’ dash tube into engine compartment and onto lower column section as far as it will go. The top bush popped into place easily without the top column trying to ‘guide’ it (using rubber lubricant of course!!) under finger pressure and top column section can be pushed back up from inside engine compartment into bush.

 

 Front suspension top ball joints spin as soon as nut nyloc bit hits thread. Use a short length of tube (I used an 11mm off cut of Ø20 steel tube that I had bought from B & Q) or stack of washers slipped over thread under nut which can then be tightened sufficiently firmly to pull taper joint together. Nut can then be slackened, pipe/washers removed and nut replaced and tightened properly.

 

 For brakes I used a Gunson Ezibleed (spelling?), but I didn’t use more than 10 psi in spare tyre to provide ‘power pressure’, and after getting brake fluid over everything at first attempt, I didn’t fill the (Gunson) intermediate reservoir with fluid. Left it dry and just kept my eye on the level in the master cylinder and made sure it didn’t fall below minimum.

I found DIY bleeding straight forward using this method (plus tapping rear calipers with mallet as recommended in manual, chanting ancient incantations and only carrying out the bleeding during a full moon) and once the pads had bedded in I had a nice hard brake pedal.

 

 Top tip – if you ever need to get excess fluid out of the brake master cylinder, not that I put too much in of course – excess fluid can be easily sucked out of master cylinder using a chicken basting syringe, plastic tubey type thing with rubber bulb on the end type thingy. (99p from Wilko)

 

 Bonnet is fitted with loose sticky backed foam strips under the sides for TRANSPORT PURPOSES only. Don’t immediately peel off the backing and stick the foam down – it takes ages to scrape off with your thumb nail.

(Although you may end up putting some bits of it back to stop the bonnet fretting and rattling…..)

 

 If you have a 4 point harness, don’t tighten the bolts to the full specified torque – this will crush the assembly (which has a stepped ‘top hat’ spacer part) and the straps will not pivot. I was advised by Caterham to try a maximum of 35 lbft, (they supplied replacement ‘top hat’ spacers) but when reassembling I tightened up using a spanner until everything was just nipped up and still pivoting.

 

 I found Caterham techhelp and parts people were brilliant at sorting out my problems and queries. I used e-mail when I got to work in the morning and usually had a reply within a couple of hours. Missing parts were usually in next mornings post. Brilliant service from very helpful people.

 

 Make sure brake pads are well bedded before SVA test. Mine failed on front brake balance test which turned out to be a simple lack of pad bedding-in, but meant a further return trip to Derby and a re-test fee.

 

 Book SVA well in advance – I waited till I had engine in and running before applying for test date – sent letter off around beginning August 03, first available date at Derby was October 8th, 03.

 

 Ask Caterham for advise on best place to take car for SVA – this can remove a lot of worry.

 

 Remember to replace wooden panel in boot before you take car for a test run – this will prevent loose tools etc from dropping out of the car as you bounce down the potholed road which runs along to your garage from the main road.

 

 I used heavy duty double sided carpet fitting tape for interior carpets. So far this has worked fine and was easy to apply – I guess much easier than fooling around with impact adhesive – and it allows the carpet to be pulled away and refitted without problem. The only bit which won’t stay down is the little strip of vinyl trim which raps around the top of the panel behind the seats.

 

 Think before you drive on the road before the SVA. You will not be road legal. I was going to drive my car to Caterham for the post build check but I lost my bottle and trailered it there.

I asked DVLA/vehicle inspection section about this and legally you are

“only allowed to drive the car to and from the SVA test and also to and from a pre-booked appointment to have relevant repair work done if the vehicle fails the test, subject to insurance cover and compliance with the appropriate Regulations. Any other journeys must be undertaken by transporter”.

For driving to and from the SVA test you get insurance on the chassis number.

 

If you need to borrow any of the bits mentioned let me know. Enjoy 😬

 

Peter

 

Red Roadsport SV

FP53FHB

[Frying Pan]

Peter

 

An excellent post, with some great points. I found a lot of these out the hard way, so this info would be very useful for a new builder. Never thought of coating the bolt heads / threads in Dinitrol after torquing - good idea

 

I'd also add - buy a box of latex gloves to keep Copaslip and other gunk off your skin.

 

Perhaps this is the making of a Low Flying article?

 

Guy

 

See some pictures of the build here. 4000 miles completed!

[bat flattery]

Thanks for your comments Guy.

I was in 2 minds whether to post or not as when I re-read what I wrote I thought it a bit long winded.

Perhaps I should tidy things up a bit and think about sending something off to Low Flying.

 

As you say, there are 2 ways to find these things out - one of them is the hard way

 

Peter

 

Red Roadsport SV

FP53FHB

[DaveHorridge]

 

I finished my build earlier this year and can remember the following being either not explained or incorrectly explained in the build manual.

 

1-The front wishbone bushes would not fit between the chassis lugs, use a nut and bolt to jack the lugs apart.

2-Use a sash clamp to pull the wisbones together at the upright end so that the nuts can be tightened without spinning the studs.

3-The steering column may not pass through the centre of the lower peddal box grommet. Slot the hole in the aluminium up to 5mm with a dremmel to allow the grommet to centralise.

4-Do not use copperslip on the blue propshaft flange screws.

5-The dedion tube brake pipe 'T' is fitted with the fixing boss offset 'away' from the centre of the tube.

6-Jack under the rear hub carrier to take up all play in the screw holes before tightening the dedion ears and hub carrier. Otherwise the ear can move on hitting a rut etc.

7-Horn brackets must be bent through 90 degrees to mount as shown in manual.

8-Fit speed sender to gearbox before installing engine unit in car (but take care when lowering into place).

9-The radiator fan legs should not be pushed fully into engagement or the fan will hit the anti-roll bar.The fan should lie against the radiator.Secure legs with sealer.

10-The heater is a pig to fit, allow more time and force than you expect.

11-Do not fit the exhaust manifold to the still suspended engine as suggested, but offer it through its hole in the side skin before you lower the engine.

12-The rear wings must either be fitted before the suspension radius arm or the hole in the wing flange slotted out to fit.

13-A breather tube must be fitted to the battery and run down beneath the car.

 

Mad about S77ENS

[bongomania]

I have already rolled all the above comments into a single document for possible use in Low Flying and future use by any prospective buiders out there.

 

Does anyone else have a build diary or tips they want to share?

 

Seven-Ecstasy.co.uk

How's My Driving?

Call 1800-BITE-ME

[Tony C]

1. Use copper grease on ALL electrical connections - including earth connections at chassis. If they're factory installed, remove 'em and slather it on.

2. Put plastic SVA covers on starter solenoid electrical connections and electrical connection nut on rear of alternator.

3. Extend differential breather to underside rear of chassis or into catch tank (small plastic bottle).

4. Paint all exposed suspension parts after assembly with waxoyl - can be considered to look messy, but a lot less messy than RUST. Even the front suspension uprights - don't get it on the disks though.

5. Assemble rear flexible brake line at chassis the same as front flexible lines - not how it says in the build manual.

6. Attach boot cover and poppers and four point shoulder harness bolts before roll bar. This means leaving the rear dampers off, but it's on axle stands, so no worries.

7. Make sure long differential bolt goes through hole in differential before trying to fit differential in place AND check threaded holes in diff with the bolts while it's still on the bench.

8. Threaded bolt holes in the chassis can be cleared by smearing bolt in copper grease and AFTER "starting" bolt by hand, wind in half a turn and back out half a turn, and so on - if you don't have a tap.

9. Be careful masking bodywork to prevent "dings" while building - masking tape can be difficult to remove if left in place too long. I used bits of cardboard box (you'll have PLENTY). Cut to fit and positioned, rather than taped in place.

10. A strop passed through the centre gap of the inlet manifold gives just the right amount of tilt to the engine/gearbox assembly for insertion - get a proper lifting strop and shackle (Machine Mart) rather than mess with rope or whatever.

11. Buy a decent trolley jack that will lift the car to the highest extension of your axle stands.

12. If you buy an engine hoist it can be used to lift the car - or used to position the differential if you're on your own (through the boot floor)

13. Remove the wooden boot floor and the honeycomb panel over the tank for improved access - for assembly and waxoyl treatment of bodywork behind the tank.

14. Before assembling anything I masked off the area of bodywork where it passes and is attached beneath the chassis rails and sprayed it and the rivet heads with stone chip underseal.

15. If I had to do it over, I'd only fit the tunnel carpet - leave the others in the box - they WILL get wet.

16. Slather all bolts with copper grease EXCEPT the ones you put Loctite thread locker on.

17. Install Chris W's starter relay mod. during the build.

18. Cut the top 1 to 2 inches off the wiper blades so they will not impinge on the screen frame.

19. Paint the inside of the headlight bowls with copper grease and the attachment/swivel device.

20. Spray matt black paint on the radiator to make it disappear from view - improves heat transfer too.

 

BRG Brooklands SV 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

 

Edited by - Tony C on 2 Sep 2004 00:41:22

 

Edited by - Tony C on 2 Sep 2004 01:16:46

[bat flattery]

Full marks for pulling all the replies together, bongomania

 

Loads of really useful stuff posted. Looks like your final article should make a very useful 'FAQ' response as well as being of interest for LF.

 

Good Luck

 

Peter

 

Red Roadsport SV

FP53FHB

[Tony C]

As an adjunct - listed here is the contents of my toolbox, plus some other bits and pieces that may be worth adding to the list bongomania 😬

 

I'm sure it'll be added to by other enthusiasts - "Just going into the tool shop Dear."

 

For those builders starting from scratch. There's no recommendation here - it's just what I use.

 

1. Mechanical fingers - I've used these SO many times to pick-up bits in out of the way places - HIGHLY recommended.

2. Inspection mirror - get a decent size mirror, one on an extending stalk (like a car radio ariel)

3. Decent flashlight

4. Set Metric Allen Keys

5. Set Imperial Allen Keys

6. 3/8 to 7/8 inch AF combination spanners (ring on one end, open ended on the other)

6mm to 17mm combination spanners (there won't be a 16mm)

7. 1/2 inch square drive "Breaker Bar"

8. 3/8 square drive ratchet

9. 12", 6" and 2" 3/8 square drive extensions

10. 3/8 to 1/2 inch adaptor

11. 1/2 inch to 3/8 inch adaptor

12. 3/8 square drive metric sockets (9mm to 19mm)

13. 3/8 square drive AF sockets (3/8 to 3/4 inch)

14. 1/2 inch square drive metric socket 22mm

15. 15mm and 19mm deep sockets 3/8 inch square drive

16. 10mm spark plug socket (I don't know why it's called 10mm, it's bigger across flats than 10mm, but it is)

17. 8mm and 10mm Allen sockets - 3/8 drive

18. 0 to 150 lb ft Draper (bendy pointer) torque wrench - 1/2 inch drive.

19. Large (12") and medium adjustable spanners

20. Leather punch (rotating head for different size holes) for fitting poppers.

21. 'G' clamp - glue the "anvil" of the popper tool to one side and the cut-down "hammer" to the other side - easy peasy.

22. Side cutters

23. Long nose pliers

24. Ordinary pliers

25. Swan-neck pliers

26. BIG rubber 'ammer

27. Ordinary 'ammer

28. Electric drill

29. Set of decent drill bits

30. Centre punch - to stop the drill bit wandering when "Starting" the drill.

31. Straight and philips screwdrivers - generous straight one can be used as a lever.

 

I have a set of 1/4 drive sockets from before, but use the smaller sizes quite a bit. If you go too small with the 3/8 drive stuff it doesn't make sense because of the bulk needed in the socket to house the drive.

 

I usually buy value-for-money tools. It's possible to go overboard. Snap-On are THE best, but cost an arm and a leg. Halfords and Draper are fine for our purposes. Whatever you have, you'll always need something else.

 

Have a look at the website of NF Auto Development/Car Builder Solutions www.nfauto.co.uk

I bought their £10 tap and die set - you should really pay £10 for one tap - they are cheap and nasty, BUT have saved expensive repair bills for me more than once. You wouldn't want to cut a thread with them, but for cleaning-up a thread you've just messed-up, they are a life saver - highly recommended.

Their twin tone electric horns are MUCH better than the standard CC things. I use one of their 6" diameter stainless steel silencers too.

 

Vehicle Wiring Products are the place to get all your wiring and connectors Tel: 0115 9305454 for a catalogue (they don't sell over the Internet)

I use pre-insulated terminals and one of their DV5 crimp tools (Page 11) [DON'T get a cheap one, they're CRAP] - makes wiring a breeze. You can buy a selection of terminals, they're dirt cheap - 6.3mm is the standard "blade" size.

For general wiring I bought a 100M reel of Ref 16. 32/0.20mm, 1mm square, 16.5 amp Thinwall cable - Page 4. This corresponds to the RED terminals. For larger wire, use the blue ones. Give the wire a GOOD pull after you've crimped it to make sure you did it right (Don't forget the copper grease on the wire before crimping). The crimper has a ratchet which won't let go until you've squeezed it tight enough.

If you want to wire-up a start switch or something that takes more current, use Ref 25 wire, but just get a couple of metres a whichever colour suits the installation.

 

BRG Brooklands SV 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

 

Edited by - Tony C on 2 Sep 2004 21:09:57

[bongomania]

Something else that might be helpful for new builds - which jobs require more than one person?

 

For a starter:

 

putting chassis on the axle stands to start with (does deliver guy help?

bleeding brakes

raising rear diff into position

installing engine

adjusting suspension to get correct rake : driver should be in car during measurements....

 

Any others you can think of?

 

Seven-Ecstasy.co.uk

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