Harry Flatters Posted August 30, 2001 Share Posted August 30, 2001 Could anyone out there give me a step-by-step procedure for replacing the standard rollbar with an FIA version. Many thanks - spanners hovering! Steve Mell PTM 88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashaughnessy Posted August 30, 2001 Share Posted August 30, 2001 Step 1 - Try and fit it yourself Step 2 - Retire in frustration Step 3 - Take car to Caterham specialist to get them to do it I found that I could't get the mounting bolts into the holes because the bar itself got in the way. I took it to John Noble and he had to machine some of the washers into funny shapes to get them to fit. Not very constructive, I know, but at least if you find it difficult you'll know that it's not just you. Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridgway Posted August 30, 2001 Share Posted August 30, 2001 I've done several without too much pain. You need to unbolt the old one and bolt on the new one! In addition you need to change the boot cover for the one to fit the FIA bar. The only slightly tricky part is the bolts that go up into the bar from underneath. You need to unbolt the shocks to do this. Put the rear up on axle stands (supporting the car NOT THE DD TUBE). Make sure the DD tube is hanging! You need to unbolt the shocks at the top and the bottom, drop them down and bolt the Bar from underneath. Use the half height head bolts with no washers (and loctite). Bolt up the shocks again to the right torque with loctite and away you go. BTW some people don't put the bolts in from underneath. IMHO there's no point in havong the FIA bar if it's not bolted in properly. When fitting the bar get all the bolts in done on a couple of threads before doing any up. And note when undoing the shocks MAKE SURE THE CAR IS SUPPORTED ON AXLE STANDS ON THE CHASSIS **NOT** ON THE DD TUBE. Hope that helps Graham That's about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony pashley Posted August 31, 2001 Share Posted August 31, 2001 A good warning from Graham. He is not being in the least bit OTT or patronizing in emphasising the obvious. I know of at least two instances where at the end of a long tiring day on the car, when the springs needed to come out - the car is jacked up initially by the DD tube, axle stands ready, but somehow the car never gets let down onto them. If you're really weary, you might wonder the bolts don't just slip out like they did before, but analalytical thought has knocked off for the day. The 'mechanics' of what happens next is not too hard to work out and the consequences are potentially horrific. In the cases I alluded to, one Sevener fortunately escaped injury, the other was ''lucky'' to escape with some painful and grevious wounds to the head/face/mouth - an inch either way could have demolished a jaw, a cheek, or an eye or left the victim out cold whilst bleeding fast with nobody around. As it is I have a small scar or two, a haunting memory of an evening in casualty having among other things my tongue stitched back together, and a hefty sheaf of Harley Street dental bills... and a shudder everytime I think of body piercing with a caliper/disc/hub combo - not rcommended! (Graham, does your warning come from any personal experience?) Don't mean to stop anyone working on the car - I still do - but please, please be careful. It's easy to forget what's happening and make a silly mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony pashley Posted August 31, 2001 Share Posted August 31, 2001 Oh, and there was a whole thread recently, Steve, about fitting the diagonal strut when you've done. Gawd, was I really up posting at half one in the morning? Yeah - just remembering my 'incident' still has the power to keep me awake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Flatters Posted August 31, 2001 Author Share Posted August 31, 2001 Tony, Any chance you could give me a ring on this. Any time during the day. 020 8642 0162. Thanx Steve Steve Mell PTM 88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridgway Posted August 31, 2001 Share Posted August 31, 2001 yep I wasn't trying to be patronising, sorry if it came across that way. I have done a number of silly things in my time, but fortunately not that one. I was once trying to diagnose a misfire on my vauxhall viva. I thought the mechanical petrol pump was broke. So I took it off and lifted the cam - no petrol! Hah broken. So I looked down the output pipe to see what was down there as I let go of the cam. petrol was squirted prefectly into my right eye. I did a similar thing with some battery acid once...only swift action saved my eye! Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Brother Posted August 31, 2001 Share Posted August 31, 2001 I bruised my cheek bone and gave myself a black eye trying to torque a single bolt on a Mini engine once. Oh and I also trapped my hand inside a Mini door. Took me about 15 mins to free myself...luckily no one ever found out about that one..DOH! Steve cool.gifScream...if you want to go faster!!!id=limegreen> cool.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan T Posted August 31, 2001 Share Posted August 31, 2001 cool.gif Scream...if it hurtscool.gif .....ouch Seriously these are timely and useful warnings especially to those of us new to 7's. cheers Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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