Caterham 7 rebuild
Discussion
Came to put the new carbon rear wings on today to find them damaged from shipping, bugger. Hopefully I can add it to the ever mounting insurance claim.
It had to have a few tests to become road legal (£££), but they're passed and I've now got a license plate. Here, in NSW at least, you can have a million different choices of plate. Too much choice comes to mind for hitting me on the spot! They also vary in cost. Looking back the Carbon one might have been nice. I wanted the black with silver writing, but they only had a few in stock, so I settled with black with white writing. I could have waited out a few weeks to get the plate, and also paid much more to get a different look. Then I could have gone for a custom plate also. But as you have to pay a 'stamp duty' on the car upon registering it (3% of the value), plus tax (luckily based on weight, so not too bad for me), plus paying for the plates, it was adding up fast!
You have to have compulsory 3rd party insurance (CTP) just incase you hit someone in your car. You can then have fully comp insurance on top of this if you want, but it's optional. Due to wanting my car to be paid out if damaged, I went for this also.
My car has been put down with a registration date of 2015. They seemed to think that I now have 5 years free from an MOT...which is great but I'm not 100% if they knew for sure.
So If I go outside and put the plates on, it's all insured and road legal....just with blue wings. Oh and the battery is too flat from having the isolation switch left on from shipping. I've also ordered a new starter motor from the UK. Caterhams have problems with the starter solenoid being baked by the close proximity to the exhaust. There are a few ways around this, but my starters buggered anyhow, so a new one is on it's way. See if they hit me for import tax...
It had to have a few tests to become road legal (£££), but they're passed and I've now got a license plate. Here, in NSW at least, you can have a million different choices of plate. Too much choice comes to mind for hitting me on the spot! They also vary in cost. Looking back the Carbon one might have been nice. I wanted the black with silver writing, but they only had a few in stock, so I settled with black with white writing. I could have waited out a few weeks to get the plate, and also paid much more to get a different look. Then I could have gone for a custom plate also. But as you have to pay a 'stamp duty' on the car upon registering it (3% of the value), plus tax (luckily based on weight, so not too bad for me), plus paying for the plates, it was adding up fast!
You have to have compulsory 3rd party insurance (CTP) just incase you hit someone in your car. You can then have fully comp insurance on top of this if you want, but it's optional. Due to wanting my car to be paid out if damaged, I went for this also.
My car has been put down with a registration date of 2015. They seemed to think that I now have 5 years free from an MOT...which is great but I'm not 100% if they knew for sure.
So If I go outside and put the plates on, it's all insured and road legal....just with blue wings. Oh and the battery is too flat from having the isolation switch left on from shipping. I've also ordered a new starter motor from the UK. Caterhams have problems with the starter solenoid being baked by the close proximity to the exhaust. There are a few ways around this, but my starters buggered anyhow, so a new one is on it's way. See if they hit me for import tax...
Thought I'd update with a photo or two.
The car was kept of the road by the starter motor playing up. I should have replaced during the rebuild but I promptly forgot after the engine was removed and sat in the corner of the garage.
A new one was ordered from the UK. The one I required wasn't in stock so an email to say they have upgraded me to a better unit. Fantastic, I'll see it in about a weeks postage. It turned up, it didn't fit. I might have whipped my angle grinder out and modified it. Woo it fits! Press the big red starter button, nothing, it fires but doesn't engage with the flywheel. Bugger. It's just plainly the wrong starter motor.
A new one is sourced. This time they manufacture me one as they have no stock. Just over 2 weeks go past and the new one turns up. It fits, all be it on 2 out of the 3 fixings but I'll take that and the car starts, Bingo!
A few 100 kilometers on the open road yesterday heading for the hills proves the rear end still needs setting up as it seems a bit live. But all's good, it's fantastic to be out after not really driving it for over a year now. We did however notice that upon arriving at our destination that the front numberplate had go awol. A simple £15 order online for a new one?? Not here, you have to surrender any remaining plates, then cough up for your chosen style, mine being $220 AUD, so just over £100. Lesson strongly learnt, attach the front numberplate better!
I also had the engine bay and the footwells powdercoated black when I refurbed the chassis. Bugger me the passenger footwell gets hot. Not just hot, but cook food hot. I think the powder coating and the hotter daily temperatures (although the car's cooling system is running fine temp wise) have combined to melt my feet. Horrifically hot. I'm now seeking heat insulation options.
A picture of it in it's new town.
A picture sans plate, although, come on, it looks better without a front plate. I should have move to the USA.
What doesn't look so hot is the old blue rear wings. Not really the colour combo I was going for. Still waiting to hear back from the insurance company in regards to replacements. Postage alone ranges from £250 - £300.
The roads aren't too bad here. Probably similar to the UK. Some rough parts, but over the last few years the UK roads around where I lived had deteriorated. I've got to go through the process of being stared at again for driving around in such a different car. It settled in the UK locally, partly due to daily use and partly due to seeing them out and about on occasion. Here they aren't that common, the colours a bit more in your face and it's new to the local area. Queue comments, looks, attention. It should hopefully die down.
The car was kept of the road by the starter motor playing up. I should have replaced during the rebuild but I promptly forgot after the engine was removed and sat in the corner of the garage.
A new one was ordered from the UK. The one I required wasn't in stock so an email to say they have upgraded me to a better unit. Fantastic, I'll see it in about a weeks postage. It turned up, it didn't fit. I might have whipped my angle grinder out and modified it. Woo it fits! Press the big red starter button, nothing, it fires but doesn't engage with the flywheel. Bugger. It's just plainly the wrong starter motor.
A new one is sourced. This time they manufacture me one as they have no stock. Just over 2 weeks go past and the new one turns up. It fits, all be it on 2 out of the 3 fixings but I'll take that and the car starts, Bingo!
A few 100 kilometers on the open road yesterday heading for the hills proves the rear end still needs setting up as it seems a bit live. But all's good, it's fantastic to be out after not really driving it for over a year now. We did however notice that upon arriving at our destination that the front numberplate had go awol. A simple £15 order online for a new one?? Not here, you have to surrender any remaining plates, then cough up for your chosen style, mine being $220 AUD, so just over £100. Lesson strongly learnt, attach the front numberplate better!
I also had the engine bay and the footwells powdercoated black when I refurbed the chassis. Bugger me the passenger footwell gets hot. Not just hot, but cook food hot. I think the powder coating and the hotter daily temperatures (although the car's cooling system is running fine temp wise) have combined to melt my feet. Horrifically hot. I'm now seeking heat insulation options.
A picture of it in it's new town.
A picture sans plate, although, come on, it looks better without a front plate. I should have move to the USA.
What doesn't look so hot is the old blue rear wings. Not really the colour combo I was going for. Still waiting to hear back from the insurance company in regards to replacements. Postage alone ranges from £250 - £300.
The roads aren't too bad here. Probably similar to the UK. Some rough parts, but over the last few years the UK roads around where I lived had deteriorated. I've got to go through the process of being stared at again for driving around in such a different car. It settled in the UK locally, partly due to daily use and partly due to seeing them out and about on occasion. Here they aren't that common, the colours a bit more in your face and it's new to the local area. Queue comments, looks, attention. It should hopefully die down.
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