ChrisC

Looking at my parts picking sheet for my car the part number has a space in it. I wonder it that's the problem. It's a Rover part number SBB10173. It's either a phone call to CC, or other parts suppliers. You can also use Rover parts suppliers (RimmerBros has them cheaper and in stock)

I agee, you can't compare without the noise cone and bonnet / nose cone foam, Have you got the new gearbox engine spacer, fitted between the gearbox and the gearbox mount? I thought your kit was supplied before mine. My kit wasn't supplied with one, but I have seen it on new kits. It's normally the coil cover corner that touches the bonnet, and need careful organisation of the coil wires below (not as delivered) and possible trimming of the cover to get it as low as possible. The tin foil trick will give a good indicator, but its only valid with the nose cone in position.

Yer I was going to say has the resistor been removed, it's common practice with race cars.

Use the Ford part number and google. You will find the £20 alternatives on the fleaBay

How broken is it? I took a picture of the Ford part number while building my car. Ford Part No. 1644638, so you can get an exact replacement from any Ford dealer (at a price). In fact when I check Ford charge nearly twice what Caterham does for the same part (£119 vs £60). There are pattern versions of that mirror for about £20. If its just the self adhesive pad (Ford part 1568648 from memory) that needs replacing, again I would recommend the Ford pad for that mirror, its very strong, providing is applied to a hyper clean surface. Again Caterham sell them for about £2. Good luck with you hunt. Hope this helps

The other frustration is most topics don't end with a confirmed resolution. So even if you find exactly what you're looking for you almost certainly won't find the answer. Nature of forums I guess :-(

Yes it does still flex, but no where near as much as the first plastic version. All I am saying is upgrade to RBs, for the noise and to unlock the drama, basically the right reasons. If you have cold start idle problems, cold or hot hunting, stalling or massive hesitate don't feel forced into upgrading, get what you have working properly. I am more that willing to help get a stock 420R running and starting as it should. That offer also goes to owners with the infamous Sigma 150 or the 360R (basically the cars I have owned) and know.

Just for the record, there is no reason a 420R in standard form should have problems to idle, from cold or have a drivability issues. There is a minor hesitation, which is mainly noticeable reviving the car in neutral, which is barely noticeable when driving. That said care and attention has to be paid to the TPS position, throttle flap / manifold pressure at idle to get that things right. To get my car spot on I have adjusted the slots a little in the TPS, and it took at least an hour maybe even two before I was happy. But without doubt the RBTBs are a step up, and noise is the real improvement.

A 2016 Academy car will have a Mazda gearbox, so the fill hole and drain are on the left hand side (in the passenger footwell). I don't know the quantity because the are all supplied factory filled with the kits. On a Mazda gearbox the gears stick also needs a small quality of oil. My drain is a hex, but the fill is a square drive. Don't forget to loosen the fill hole first before tackling the drain. You don't want to drain it without being able to fill.

Welcome :-) I had no problem with my stock 360R at Bedford, which is considered one of the strictest on noise. So you should be fine.

Just for reference. The Ford original parts are still available from your local Ford dealer. 6133689 and 6133688 are £16.60 (including VAT) each. The only downside to using the Ford original part is they have changed the spec from 41mm to 42mm, so you may need a new socket. I discovered this last year when I built my car. At the time CC supplied one 41mm nut, in older Ford packaging, and one 42mm nut (with a packing date of November 2017). Now both are now 42mm, one was still packed November 2017 and the other was May 2020 which suggests they are still produced. .

Nice :-)

HI Derek That looks like a "S" model, which would not come with an LSD standard. Was it specified as an option? Chris.

If I am just out for a blat, then I am a mobile and an AA card sort of 7 owner. But, when I am out for the day that increase to a tool roll Velcroed to the inside of my boot that contains the following Torch (LED) 7mm combination spanner (for Jubilee clips) 8mm combination spanner 10mm combination spanner 13mm combination spanner 15mm combination spanner 17mm combination spanner 3/8" Ratchet 1/4" Ratchet Socket rail with 7mm 1/4" drive socket 8mm 1/4" drive socket 10mm 1/4" drive socket 13mm 3/8" drive socket 15mm 3/8" drive socket 17mm 3/8" drive socket 3/8" to 1/2" adaptor 19mm 1/2" drive socket Short 1/4" extension 6mm hex drive 3/8" drive socket 8mm hex drive 3/8" drive socket Medium 3/8" drive socket Side cutters Needle nose pliers Tie wraps Gloves Spare fuses (selection) LeathermanThat said I can just remove the wheel bolts (but I can't jack my car) with my 3/8" drive ratchet, but that's only because I have torqued the wheel bolts correctly and not had them wound up with a windy gun. If I had to tackle on the the many imperial bolts on my metric car, the I will use the metric spanner and replace the fixing when I return. This set is about self help, because I still have my AA card :-)

I think the difficulty is avoiding the £1.89 items sold with a 1000% markup :-)

Love the reminder of "Jesus Nuts". I flow RC helicopters where the head was attached to the main shaft with a "Jesus Bolt" and that was always replaced after every crash. The original ford part numbers are 6133688 and 6133689 which have lots of alternatives https://7zap.com/en/part/FORD/6133689/ Ranging from £1.89 to £18 (for a genuine Ford item), admittedly the £1.89 versions are from Europe suppliers, so some are not shipping to UK at the moment. Recently a CC mechanic did tell me about a batch which stripped before they reached 270Nm, makes me glad to have genuine Ford items for now, even if one nut is 1mm bigger than the other :-(.

The 310 and 420 are my favourites of the current range, but I haven't driven the Super Sport 1600. So the choice isn't going to be easy. I enjoyed my Sigma engined cars on track, and felt I was able to extract more from them, than I have been able to with my Duratec cars (so far). I haven't adapted to my Duratec car yet, but I haven’t had time to get a proper setup on it either, so the jury is still out. Ultimately every Caterham will be out gunned on a track in top speed when the aero dynamics kicks in, but that’s not what it’s about. With less power you concentrate more on carrying the speed through the corner. The model number doesn't make a fast Caterham on the track, the driver makes the difference. Off the track one of the greatest parts of ownership is the blats with fellow owners. This is another area where power just isn’t necessary. It doesn’t seem to matter what engine the car has. Four pot callipers where originally added for endurance racing, and because durability. So technically you don’t need them, but I prefer them for Duratec cars. Sigma cars I don’t think them. Final point I guess to make is complexity of the build. A 420 is significantly more complex to build especially if it’s a S3. Oh and Welcome :-)

And just looks at David's blog and it shows an engine install without the shift lever.

If you get a chance to view the Discovery channel, Dearm cars, Caterham episode. You will see, for a few seconds, a Duratec / Sadev being installed in the factory. What I found strange was the engine / gearbox was installed with the shift lever in place. This increased the angle needed during the install engine install. I personally would struggle to get the angle / height this would need. That said I have no first hand experience on installing a Sadev, the shift lever may be removable during the install.

I believe its personal preference to drive over winter or not. You shorten the time between rebuilds due to corrosion and skin bubbling, but you increase your driving time, When (and if relevant) you reduce the market for potential buyers, but that's no different to smoking in a normal car. Finally I think you increase your chances of an accident, with cold tyres and greasy roads, but nothing that can't be mitigated.

Totally agree, this is short sighted council budgeting. Its not as if the salt wont keep to the next season. My first car was all year round car, and never again. You can see salt damage even after one trip. Zinc coating on nut / bolts and washers is only rated for a few hours of protection in salt water, and you can see the effect after a single trip. I wait for at least 1 week clear from salt spreading, and plenty of rain fall before my first trip of the season. I watch Twitter for the start and end end of gritting in my area.

If only our roads weren't covered in so much salt, maybe this conversation would not be needed. The worst time of the year for salt is March, where salt seems to be applied if the temperature is single digits.

You can get them 3DPrinted for about £16 per mount, depending on how urgently you want them. You can download the files from Mark's blog https://www.caterham7diaries.com/post/eccles-mirror-mounts and get them printed by https://3dprintdirect.co.uk/ I must say, I tried them and the mount pressed hard against the window, something I have never seen before. So I ended up with DPR Motorsport mounts, which are very very stable, best mirrors I have had on a seven. https://caterham420detailedbuildblog.co.uk/2020/12/27/mirror-again/

Handbook says All models minimum 95 RON. For some strange reason my Sigma 150 ran with less pops and bangs on Shell Plus, and I fell into the habit of using that for my Caterhams, so I have only run my 420R on Shell Plus. Sorry don't know if Northampton Motorsport have the software to modify a locked ECU, but even if they can, they won't be able to unlock it, just modify the map/settings in the locked ECU. Worth a phone call I guess.

No, not a thing. But I suspect there has been a few other priorities recently, putting manuals on the back burner.