Collected car from Caterham South this morning & drove back with Adam in the rain, hood down, big smiles - just had to be done.
Frustratingly, the whole post build inspection, IVA test & registration process took four long weeks so we missed our target by 2 weeks of getting the car on the road in time to drive it to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Surprised by the length of the list of remedial work uncovered by the post build inspection (including new A frame!) as I thought we'd followed the Assembly Guide meticulously :-(. Closer analysis revealed that the guide was incorrect (washers for rear dampers, washers for rear brake hose) so I managed to negotiate a reduction in the bill but nevertheless there was still an unexpected £500 of work.
A word of warning to others reading this blog: the routing of wiring, cables etc in the engine bay has to be done in a very specific way to get through the IVA test & this is one area the Assembly Guide glosses over (a few more detailed pictures would be useful here). Consequently mine needed re-doing by Caterham, who did a very neat job. Another gotcha is the A frame for the rear suspension; apparently it's very easy to stress & crack the weld when tightening it up. Even measuring the spacers & making sure it was central we got caught out so it has to be a manufacturing defect.
Decided to get Caterham to take the car through the IVA test but, even so, this was not straight forward as it failed first time round despite all this work & preparation. The handbrake needed adjusting & the mounting of the washer bottle was incorrect which I'm at a loss to understand. The bottle comes pre fitted to the chassis & slides into a tapered bracket so there is only one way it can be fitted. Net result we lost us a week while we waited for a re-test.
Second warning: don't use MC Edwards for your insurance. Service is non existent, they don't answer the phone, respond to emails or voicemails & cover notes don't turn up on time.
How long did it take to build?
Estimate that the build took us about 120 hours. We started mid February & finished mid June working about 8 hours each weekend.
Was it a good family project?
It certainly beats spending hours in front of the TV or gaming on the PC or Wii. Both of my sons learnt a lot from the project about how to use tools, how to solve problems, car mechanics/enginering, & resolve & determination to see something through to the end. The picture on Adam's face of pride & excitement as he took his first ride in a Caterham he'd help build was priceless.
And lastly, would I build a Caterham again? Yes, but it would be a lot easier & quicker second time :-)
© 2011 Chris Jobling - All rights reserved
