700newtons

You have got me paranoid now. However, the 'how it's made' video you posted has it at an angle. I get some more opinions...

After a few days enforced break (a-choo), I'm back on the build. I corrected my earth wiring which meant undoing one of the engine mount bolts which inconsiderately slid out of alignment once the bolt was out (and required a whole lot of leverage to get it back). I think that the correct chassis earth connection is just to the left of the battery. I connected the front brake pipes, track rod ends and set up the anti roll bar. next job: I'll set about making the engine connections. However, I don't want to get too far with this. I want easy access to the gear box to fill it with oil (which hasn't arrived yet).

Hello Peter, I didn't ask for a 12v socket. I can't really help with this one. If you would like a photo of the dash or something, let me know. Simon

Thanks for the ideas. For starters, I think I'll try to fashion a slimline wrench from a short length of 3/8” square steel from eBay and a spanner. Simon

Peter enjoy the day it comes (and please blog!) When the car comes they give you a card with Derek's contact details. Cheers, Simon

I have relatively easy access to the drain plug and filler plug of my 160. However, the level plug is awkward to access in the transmission tunnel (it is 3/8” square hole, but I can't squeeze a wrench in). The handbook says the capacity should be 1.2L I'm going to measure the volume of oil carefully and just fill it. Any wisdom gratefully received....

It might depend on who you speak to at Adrian Flux. I rang up twice and the second quote (with Trinity Lane as insurer rather than Equity Red star) was cheaper and more gave much better flexibility with the build. (£250 for 3000 miles) but you might do better with Peter's separate build insurance and then insure for road use.

Peter, That is interesting to know (but obviously to late for me). just a few days to go for you then.... Simon

Not feeling 100% today (cold) so had a day off. However, I figured out how to do the tricky gearbox mounting nut up. (It was right up against the rubber and I couldn't get a spanner in to hold it while I torqued it up to 20Nm). Today I just wedged a screwdriver in between the rubber and the nut and got it to 20Nm - I'll take that. Also have have realised my Earth connections are not quite right. I think that the long lead goes to the top nut on he starter motor. The shorter lead circles back to an obvious Earth point on the chassis, by the battery. (I previously connected the long Earth lead to the engine mount brackets. However, this is going to come too close to he exhaust pipe.)

We lowered the engine in today. See a short time lapse film here (sorry about the door blocking the view - you weren't expecting BBC production values were you?)I was a bit concerned that the gearbox made contact with the heat proof insulation on the driver's footwell, and it doesn't seem straight as it goes into the transmission tunnel. However, the bolts for the engine mounts slot in (after a bit of leverage) and an email from Caterham confirmed that this is correct. We had a good engine hoist - it made it fairly straightforward. I hung it using two climbing slings; one from the engine lifting ring and another with a 'larks foot' around the opposite engine mount bracket and then carefully threaded through the engine to avoid damage. The 160 instructions specify one long and one stubby bolt for the LH and RH engine mounts. I think that this must be for older models - both brackets need 2.5 inch bolts. After getting the engine in, I made more progress front suspension and got the uprights in (my missing bolts came in the post this morning). I used a trolley jack to compress the suspension and slot the top wishbone bolts in (with the engine acting as a counterweight) One problem I had today is dealing with fiddly bolts on the gearbox mount. I'm having trouble getting spanner to hold the top nut as I torque it from below. I'll try again tomorrow. I'll also finish the front suspension and start doing the engine connections. (edit 22/12/2014. NB I think that the August 2014 instructions for the gearbox mount bolts maybe wrong. It might be better to use the 20mm bolts rather than the 25mm M8 bolts. The longer bolts look as if they protrude too much and they are also required for the handbrake assembly. I also found that an M8 washer under the bolt head helped a great deal, it elevated the bolt head so that I could hold it with a spanner while using the torque wrench underneath.)

Thanks, I emailed Caterham, and they confirm what you said. I'll tighten the bolts. I am a bit worried about vibration coming through the footwell. However, the heat proofing is fairly thick. Hopefully this will have a damping effect. Simon

hello folks, I just lowered the engine into my 160 body today. I notice that the gearbox is resting against the heatproof insulation on the drivers footwell and that, although I can get all the bolts into the engine and gearbox mountings, the shaft of the gearbox is not exactly straight. Is this the case with other Caterhams? Any wisdom gratefully received.... SIMON

Hi Ned, The car came with heat protection around the footwells in place (and quite tidy looking too). However, after just lowering the engine in this morning I am a bit concerned that the gearbox is right up against it. I have sent an email to Caterham to ask. Simon

I worked on the engine bay today. Horns and washer bottle in; no problems. I also stuck cardboard all around in an attempt to reduce the chance of damage as the engine is lowered I got rather confused when putting in the rubber engine mounts. There are four bolts; 3 are 45mm long, one is 50mm - I couldn't see why. However, I think the the engine earth connection is supposed to go here. (edit 11th December - no, Earth lead cannot go here, it would rest on the exhaust and here is an obvious earth connection next to the battery. Maybe this is where the Earth Connection goes on older models.) I also rang up Dave at premier paintguard. He is going to cut plastic film protection for the rear mudguards. I going to have a go at fixing them myself (with the kit he supplies). I hope I don't regret going DIY... It took a while to get my head around the starter motor wiring. It took me a while to notice the socket (with red and white wire) from the engine block that clips into the bottom of the solenoid. I checked if the gearbox had any oil inside. I chocked the engine to level it , and then removed the side plug. I put an Allen key through the hole and rotated it to check the oil level. It seems that the level is low and will need topping up. I should get the engine in tomorrow.

I decided to make a start on the gearbox. (I can't finish the front suspension until I get a couple of 1/2" nuts). The components seem to fit well, and I had few problems. The only thing that confused me was the 4 fixings that attach the gearbox to the engine. The top two fixings are 10M X 50mm bolts, the bottom two fixings are a shaft with 10mm threads at either end and a bolt to lock it off. Derek at Caterham was helpful. I also took the time to give the area between the body and the fuel tank a good spray with Dimitrol to reduce corrosion. To get access I temporarily removed the boot floor.

I put in the front dampers today and caught up on the RHS. I also torqued up the bolts specified in the instructions. However, the top damper bolt was inaccessible for the torque wrench (and my ingenuity) so I did my best guess at 20Nm after practising with the torque wrench. After setting bolts to the correct tension I gave them a dab of tippex (to reduce OCD paranoia at the end). I wanted to put upright attachments in today. However, I think I'm missing a 1/2" nyloc nut that should be on the bottom of the upright. I'll contact Caterham tomorrow.

After a quite a bit of searching in local shops I bought some 10mm grommets for the headlight brackets. I'm in two minds whether it is worth it though. The cables are already sheathed and I don't think they would wear though. Things I have learnt today... Holts rubber and nylon lubricant is useful to help get the headlight cables threaded through the brackets (and cursed grommet) silicone sealant is unsuitable for fixing IVA trim around indicators, but locktite superglue works a treat. (I don't think I'll use it on paintwork though) fixing IVA trim around upper wishbone holes seems to be worth doing before fitting the wishbone. It looks difficult to do once the headlamp bracket and wishbone are in.Tomorrow I'll put the dampers in, hopefully. (NB advice from me maybe crap - first time I've done this)

Thanks AndrewB, your blog is quite useful by the way.

After re-reading the manual, I redid the lower front wishbone. The chamfered washers need to have the chamfered (sloping face) towards the bushes. I also gave them a bit of copper grease for good measure. My rubber deadblow hammer is surprising useful for tapping in subborn bolts and washers. I'm also finding that a box of latex gloves is useful - keeps you warm in a cold garage and stop you getting grease all over your hands.

Peter, I rang up Caterham and got an IVA pack sent through the next day. I also recently received the RH lower wishbone via courier. The steering rod ends were attached to the brakes ( doh, that was my bad). I'm now on the hunt for some 10mm grommets for the lighting brackets. Generally though, everything is neat and well labelled. As I go I'm carefully ticking off every paragraph of the manual. I have no particular tips for delivery day. Get your axle stands roughly in place and place old squares of carpet or cardboard on top. The delivery bloke is very helpful. Oh, and the wheels will be coming later, I expect. I look forward to hearing more. Simon

I was interested in this and had a look at a Roadsport that was built at my school (I'm a teacher). I notice that the roadsport has a few more unfilled cavities. Perhaps when this car was designed, corrosion was taken into account. Thanks for the note about the IVA trim. What do people use to stick the IVA in place?

Ah yes, thanks. I picked up the wrong nuts (but they happened to fit). Ok now...

Does it go nylon side in, or nylon side out? My guess is that it should be nylon side in, so that the flat end goes against the track rod end. advice welcome!

This blogging site does funny things to photos. On my PC the photos that I post are the right way up. When viewed on the iPad some appear upside down... if I take a photo on the iPad, there seems nothing I can do the change to orientation that it will appear.

I have been fiddling with the front suspension today, and this also involves fitting the lighting bracket. The instructions for the lights took a bit more time to understand but I got there in the end. Before I can progress much further I need the IVA bag. I thought the the kit should come with fluids too, I have brake fluid, but I will enquire about gear and diff oil. The types Caterham specify seem hard to get hold of.