paul_w

Rob got back via WhatsApp really quickly - he doesn't have the clutch cable but good to know he's nearby (and how to contact him) for future reference. 2x clutch cables and a throttle cable coming from Caterham, and Alternator belt, plugs, rad weld, spare HT lead, and fuses and bulbs all acquired or on their way. Going to be a busy few evenings, but fingers crossed it's going to be ready

Thanks Anthony - I've messaged him as if I can get one today it will be better than trusting the couriers...

Just called the number, but I see that's the same as the Potter's Bar one. Maybe they have a new number but I can't find it anywhere if so!

Thanks Jonathan - RatRace are listed as 'permanently closed' on Google, and that number is invalid - shame, cause as you say, they are really pretty close by. I couldn't get through to Redline, but spoke to Caterham and they said it's the same as a live axle car as it's before the enclosed pedal box, so have ordered two and a throttle cable from them. It's going to be cutting it pretty fine as I can't go down to pick them up - hopefully they'll get here tomorrow...

Thanks Anthony, I'll add them to the contacts. Spent Sunday going through the car. The misfiring turned out to be a loose no1 plug lead, and the hot running seems to just have been due to the the system not being properly filled after new hoses were fitted. Plus the idle was way too rich so the plugs were fouling. Had a run out to Goodwood yesterday and it was night and day better - temps good, much smoother running - but didn't quite make it home so had to leave the car at a friend's place - sitting in traffic on the M25 I felt the clutch bite point suddenly drop, so guessing at a fraying cable I did as few gear changes as possible and arrived at my mate's in Golders Green with only a couple of strands still connected so decided to leave it there rather than risk getting stranded on the North Circular. The pivot at the pedal end was seized so it was bending the cable with each use, and the cable looks really old - I checked back at the paperwork from the restoration in 2016 and there is no sign of a new cable, so guessing it was re-used. I had been trying to get hold of Chris to order one as a spare to take anyway, but it's got a bit more urgent now!

That sounds right, and as Mike says the marks on the back of the sprocket/top of cam cover are for doing the ignition timing - they are TDC, and 10 and 20 degrees BTDC. Are you going to change the belt before you run it? The Cosworth belts are quite thin compared to modern production car belts and so any age related weakness could prove expensive!

Thanks all, some good tips and I've got a week to collect spares. Drove the car back from the specialist today (North Wales to London, through some quite spectacular thunderstorms) and it was misfiring quite badly and also running hot - not totally boiling over, but consistently 100-110 on the gauge so just nudging into the red. Made it back home, but the Eurotunnel is booked for first thing Saturday morning, so I'm going to have some busy evenings this week working out if there's anything fundamental wrong that means making other plans, or if it's just tweaks that are needed. The specialist changed any suspect-looking cooling hoses, but having read your other thread Anthony I'll check the system over carefully. I think maybe the misfire is an air leak around the carbs, but hopefully I'll work that out tomorrow. Tom, there is very limited space for wine, so I have come up with a clever plan in previous years - I've found that rather than carrying it in the car, I am able to store a great deal of it in my own body during the course of the holiday...

This was pre-booster pack days in the 90s, or at least before the ones you could fit easily in a 7 - I've got one of the new-fangled type that are super useful and do phones etc.

Thanks all - the point is that is not really a "well-serviced car"! it had a comprehensive restoration in 2016, was used sparingly for a couple of years, and then parked up until going to the specialist for recommissioning. I was really clear that since it had been sitting it would need going through and testing but they sat on it for 10 days before touching it meaning there's not a lot of time left to surface any issues. Thankfully today the specialist has started working on the car and say it will be ready for collection on Saturday - I'll then drive it as much as I can in the coming week and hope that if something breaks it does it nearer to home than once in France... (It's a long and slightly painful story as to how I've ended up having to recommission the car for the holiday with such a short timeline, but suffice to say I didn't plan it like this!) I've had classics of all kinds for decades and have come home on breakdown truck a few times (though never from France) and I don't think on any of the occasions I could have avoided it by carrying a spare. But a few likely suspect items, or things I could fix easily and carry on my way are probably worth the investment. The car doesn't have a great track record with France - my father's only trip over there started badly when the newly-fitted battery failed as he tried to drive off the outboard ferry, and unable to get another that fitted had to jump start the car all the way round France. Then as he was waiting to turn right at a junction a woman drove into the back of him. He never went back.

Cheers - I will try Redline and see if they can do the cables and belts - the cars isn't nearby so I can't just look at it to match the numbers. Plugs are a good call as well, BDR is likely to be more finnicky than the Sigma on that front I guess, and probably harder to get. I do have European recovery, and as you say you can't take a spare everything with you, but things like the cables and belts would be a very frustrating end to a holiday if they failed.

Hi - I'm hopefully* heading off to France in my father's HPC BDR on the 2nd. We go every year and do a couple of thousand miles but for the last few years it's been in my Sigma car and all I've taken is a spare throttle cable and some odds and sods like fuses and hood poppers. But the HPC has been off the road for a few years, and is a much older car, so wanted to get some advice on suggested spares that might stop me getting stranded. I'm thinking clutch cable, alternator belt, rotor arm and cap maybe? Plus the usual tools and cable ties, but would appreciate any pointers on anything specific for older cars and BDRs in particular if anyone has any tips. Cheers, Paul *If the nameless specialist who has had the car for 10 ten days already to get it ready for the trip, and told me today that they hadn't started working on it yet, actually finishes the agreed work in time.

Thanks Chris, good to hear - it sounds like they are a good bet and worth the extra over the Rain experts or the Avon academy spec,which seem to be the only other options now the 021R isn't road legal.

Yes, another thread on tyres Looking for some 185/70r13s and expecting to get RainExperts, but spotted that Yokohama have reissued the A008 in that size among others - the only threads I can find are all 20 years old, so I wondered if anyone had tried the new version? Bit more expensive but there's very few performance tyres in 185/70r13 these days.

Brilliant, thanks all - I did see that on the Caterham site Chris but wasn't sure if it was what I needed. The car was ordered in '86 (after Dad and I went to the Motor Show) and registered in '87 so an early De Dion with drums. They work fine, though probably a bit heavier than discs - if the De Dion tube part numbers stayed the same across that change I'll assume it's not an issue. I'll try Redline and/or Arch and see if they can supply one

Hoping for some pretty niche/detailed knowledge and advice on De Dion tubes please! I am recommissioning my father's 1987 BDR HPC which he has had since new. It was restored in 2016 after a rear suspension mount pulled out of the rotten rear chassis rail. The car had been used in all weathers and had once been hit up the back by an errant French lady motorist so it wasn't too much of a surprise that the chassis was rusty, although the powder coating had been hiding it very well. It had a full chassis restoration and re-skin by Arch, then paint, rebuild and restoration at Kenrick Motors in Llangollen, who did an excellent job. Sadly, Dad has been ill for a few years and can no longer drive, and he has given me the car as thanks for all the time caring for him. I have just sold my Sigma car to raise funds to get the HPC back on the road. So, the De Dion tube conundrum... It's the original, and I'm worried that if the chassis had rotted from the inside out, there is a good chance the De Dion tube is rusty too. It's the original drum braked type, and if I've understood this post correctly, then they aren't particularly strong anyway. The other thing is that I really liked the progressive springs on my Sigma car, given that they worked well both for when we pile up the car with luggage and drive across France, and for blats on my own, so I'm wondering if it is possible to fit the later shocks and progressive springs to an early De Dion car (and ideally keep the drum brakes, as they work fine and I don't really want the extra expense of changing out the rear brakes). Post 11 in this thread suggests that the wider triangular section on the later tubes (post '94) will foul an earlier chassis. So does anyone know: - if there is a stronger version that will fit a pre 94 car with the lower damper mounts to take the longer dampers and progressive springs? - if the tubes are interchangeable between drum and disc? - if suitable shocks for the progressive springs are available with the stud type mounting at the top? - if I'm really worrying too much and even pounding along bumpy French roads it will probably be ok?! Any help appreciated Cheers, Paul

Hi Martin - from your previous thread on this issue it seems you replaced the cap, so it's unlikely to have failed again. If this and careful bleeding hasn't helped then it does point to potential head gasket issues, but there is a quirk to this particular engine that's you should be aware of. Caterham originally left the thermostat out on these engines, as they were having problems with air locks and overheating (hard to believe since it is a bit of a bodge, but true). It is possible to fit a thermostat, but you have to modify the coolant hose routing to prevent the issues - I did this on mine following previous threads on here and it worked a treat - I wanted my heater to work on cold days, not unreasonably! So before looking at head gasket problems, I would check to see if someone has fitted a thermostat and try removing it as Caterham did and see if that helps. If so and you want to go back to a stat I can try to dig out the tweaks to add one. Worth a try at least, since it won't cost you anything!

I bought what I'm fairly sure was the last handbrake Caterham had. It didn't have the barrel so I had to make my own. I spent a lot of time trying to work out the source with no joy, so I would try Redline or Mike Brotherwood http://www.mikebrotherwood.com/Parts.html

pm sent

Thanks both - I might post a bit to Woolies and see which of theirs is the closest match, but it would save a lot of faff if Oxted can do me one carpet section...

Hi - I need to replace one of the black tunnel-side carpets in my 2010 car and would like to do a few other sections as well - has anyone found a good match for the existing carpet that I can buy by the metre please? (Not particularly technical but I guess TechTalk is the closest!) Cheers Paul

Hi Rob Sorry about that - I've tried clearing a few messages from my inbox so hopefully it will work, although I did get a message that 'An illegal choice has been detected' I don't know what that means, so I'll message you my email address as well... Paul

needing 145/80 r15s for my S1 and not having the budget for Michelins or similar, I opted for Nankang CX668 after spotting they were on the MSA list and so I could use them if I fancied sprints or hillclimbs further down the road. Not had much chance to put many miles on them, but so far quite like them, they breakaway predictably, don't look too modern, and were only about £35 a corner, though like everything they are more expensive now. On my old LA car I had Falken Sincera SN-807 165/80 R13, which again were good value and fun to drive on, wet or dry. I'm glad you warned me about the Michelins, as I had been thinking of upgrading to them on the S1, I'd have been mightily fed up to spend more than my engine cost on tyres only for them to turn out rubbish...

Judging by the way S2 Lotus Elevens run a lot of negative camber in historic racing (when they had positive from the factory with essentially the same set up as the early 7s) I'd guess standard wishbone lengths are not known/checked by scrutineers?! I'm looking at changing the geometry on my S1 (for road use) and I'm thinking of just getting some wishbones made up to my spec with increased camber and castor, as they aren't particularly complicated items. If I increase the distance between the inner ends I can use washers to adjust castor as on the later cars.

What a brilliant trip and an entertaining write up - do please send an article to LF as not everyone will see it here. We do long drives round France every year, and once down to Bilbao, but I can't imagine finding space for a dog as well! Superb

Well spotted Andrew, thanks for that, I've added it now. I know it's a really long post, but I think if advertising it in the club it's best to be thorough and honest about any weak points. It's a great car though and I'm sad to have to sell it, but the chance to have the BDR is too good to miss - Dad has owned it since new and I've a lot of fond memories.