Caterham 7: Build + IVA + Tour in 6 months
Discussion
In 2021 I get 6 months paid leave and the current plan is as follows...
March 2020: Order Caterham 7
Feb 2021: Take delivery of Caterham 7
March 2021: Start 6 months leave and start build, more or less full time Mon to Fri 9-5 with weekends as contingency.
May 2021: IVA
June 2021:Repeat IVA or running in car etc
Aug 2021: Ferry to Spain, drive through Spain to Portugal, meet family (who have flown out) for family holiday before driving south coast of Spain, France, Italy, back through Switzerland etc
So, I'm posting here as I'd like to make sure I've anticipated any risks and to sanity check the plan. E. G is a build time of 2 months adequate? How long does it take to schedule an IVA? How long a road trip is sensible without bits falling off?
... I appreciate that a lot of this depends on me, but just wanted to check that I'm not being unrealistic.
Thanks
David Bevan
March 2020: Order Caterham 7
Feb 2021: Take delivery of Caterham 7
March 2021: Start 6 months leave and start build, more or less full time Mon to Fri 9-5 with weekends as contingency.
May 2021: IVA
June 2021:Repeat IVA or running in car etc
Aug 2021: Ferry to Spain, drive through Spain to Portugal, meet family (who have flown out) for family holiday before driving south coast of Spain, France, Italy, back through Switzerland etc
So, I'm posting here as I'd like to make sure I've anticipated any risks and to sanity check the plan. E. G is a build time of 2 months adequate? How long does it take to schedule an IVA? How long a road trip is sensible without bits falling off?
... I appreciate that a lot of this depends on me, but just wanted to check that I'm not being unrealistic.
Thanks
David Bevan
Dunno about the IVA timescales, but regarding the build haven't caterhams been built in a weekend?
One thing that might slow you down is shortages from the kit and errors in the parts supplied. So I'd definitely be inventorying the kit when delivered in a very detailed fashion and as a matter of urgency as soon as it arrives. Getting some help from someone who has good modern knowledge of the kits to do this would also help. My knowledge is circa 2000 in vintage so not contemporary enough!
Sounds like a fun project, good luck!
Bert
One thing that might slow you down is shortages from the kit and errors in the parts supplied. So I'd definitely be inventorying the kit when delivered in a very detailed fashion and as a matter of urgency as soon as it arrives. Getting some help from someone who has good modern knowledge of the kits to do this would also help. My knowledge is circa 2000 in vintage so not contemporary enough!
Sounds like a fun project, good luck!
Bert
My 360 r build took from October to June.
The IVA from June to August ( electrical problem that wasn’t anything to do with the build)
Don’t forget to add the Caterham build check to your timescale
I’d vote for a slow build as that’s the fun bit.
You can drive a great car anytime
Building is special
The IVA from June to August ( electrical problem that wasn’t anything to do with the build)
Don’t forget to add the Caterham build check to your timescale
I’d vote for a slow build as that’s the fun bit.
You can drive a great car anytime
Building is special
I had my kit delivered in late November and with evenings and weekends only, had it finished by March. IVA was done in April and ready to go by May.
If I had 6 months off, I would get the car finished and ready to go before the 6 month holiday, that way you can hopefully drive it all the time, but if there is a delay, it doesn't ruin your holiday.
The build is easy to fit around most 9-5 jobs as long as you keep going into the garage and doing smaller jobs every day.
If I had 6 months off, I would get the car finished and ready to go before the 6 month holiday, that way you can hopefully drive it all the time, but if there is a delay, it doesn't ruin your holiday.
The build is easy to fit around most 9-5 jobs as long as you keep going into the garage and doing smaller jobs every day.
Timescales look realistic to me. As above, LOTS of variables which will influence.
I built my 7 in 2013 in a similar manner - during the day when the Speed Limiter was out of the house and I went nowhere near the garage at weekends or evenings - ie the opposite of most folks.
Taking it steadily (rarely more than a 10am - 4pm day with lunch), the build was just over a month (reckon 100-120 hours build time). You will need the extra time for speaking to Derek and/or emailing him to get shortages corrected!
The old 80/20 rule will kick-in - 80% of the build takes 20% of the time - you’ll have a rolling chassis remarkably quickly and think you’re nearly done but the weather gear (measure thrice, cut once) takes the time... and then you never use it!
My IVA appointment was about 6 weeks after the application. I self-presented and the car (despite having the Caterham PBC) failed but I got it retested within a week as the failure points were easily fixed. Registration took a week (dunno was on holiday - I applied before I went away and the V5 was in the pile of post when I got home!)
Went from lots of boxes in late March to a car on the road early June. If built right, the car should be no less reliable than any other new car, so don’t be frightened of a long road trip (but buy Euro cover for recovery just in case!)
I built my 7 in 2013 in a similar manner - during the day when the Speed Limiter was out of the house and I went nowhere near the garage at weekends or evenings - ie the opposite of most folks.
Taking it steadily (rarely more than a 10am - 4pm day with lunch), the build was just over a month (reckon 100-120 hours build time). You will need the extra time for speaking to Derek and/or emailing him to get shortages corrected!
The old 80/20 rule will kick-in - 80% of the build takes 20% of the time - you’ll have a rolling chassis remarkably quickly and think you’re nearly done but the weather gear (measure thrice, cut once) takes the time... and then you never use it!
My IVA appointment was about 6 weeks after the application. I self-presented and the car (despite having the Caterham PBC) failed but I got it retested within a week as the failure points were easily fixed. Registration took a week (dunno was on holiday - I applied before I went away and the V5 was in the pile of post when I got home!)
Went from lots of boxes in late March to a car on the road early June. If built right, the car should be no less reliable than any other new car, so don’t be frightened of a long road trip (but buy Euro cover for recovery just in case!)
The current kit is very easy to build - anyone that can't do it in a week (shortages aside) probably shouldn't be doing it.
Weathergear comes pre-fitted now - I think caterham got fed up with people fitting doors back to front and finding increasingly inventive places to put poppers.
Weathergear comes pre-fitted now - I think caterham got fed up with people fitting doors back to front and finding increasingly inventive places to put poppers.
Update...
...I've placed my order! Just in time as it happens as the Academy builds had taken most of the winter slots and I was lucky to get a Feb 2021 delivery slot, which should be time to inspect and report any shortages etc before build starts mid March!
I've now got a loooooong wait!
Cheers
Dave
...I've placed my order! Just in time as it happens as the Academy builds had taken most of the winter slots and I was lucky to get a Feb 2021 delivery slot, which should be time to inspect and report any shortages etc before build starts mid March!
I've now got a loooooong wait!
Cheers
Dave
Hi
Congrats , make sure you take advantage of the various Fb groups for this or whatever forums you like to inhabit.
This guy has written the bible on a build https://www.purplemeanie.co.uk/ fantastic resource plenty of others as well but he was by far the most helpful to me.
If it helps I got an Academy shell delivered on 1st December 2018, only had weekends and bank holidays to work on it and had it finished in 6 weeks , yes I spent 6 hours on Christmas day! (needs must and I couldnt get time off work)
I had only ever changed a tyre and I think I did a set of brake pads 20 years ago, but always mechanically interested.
Took about 80 hours of building, and probably 30 hours of research in evenings to work out what the instructions actually meant. And its a "guide" not actual instructions that you get.
Anyway I'm about to repeat the experience in a few weeks time (thanks to a bug shunt at the Birkett endurace race) and now I know what I'm doing and I have time. So I expect I can get it done within 2 weeks comfortably.
re:IVA, it actually depends on booking the slot, the guide will tell you to apply as soon as you can, this is very good advice, just get the front suspension in and the engine and then apply for it, (thats a few days work) , from when I applied (15 December( my IVA slot was 10 Feb, which it failed then was re-tested on 24 Feb which it passed). So the longest lead time by far is IVA.
Back to your plan, your timetables look very comfortable.
Best of luck and enjoy the build, I wish i hadnt had to rush it last year as it was a really enjoyable.
DC
Congrats , make sure you take advantage of the various Fb groups for this or whatever forums you like to inhabit.
This guy has written the bible on a build https://www.purplemeanie.co.uk/ fantastic resource plenty of others as well but he was by far the most helpful to me.
If it helps I got an Academy shell delivered on 1st December 2018, only had weekends and bank holidays to work on it and had it finished in 6 weeks , yes I spent 6 hours on Christmas day! (needs must and I couldnt get time off work)
I had only ever changed a tyre and I think I did a set of brake pads 20 years ago, but always mechanically interested.
Took about 80 hours of building, and probably 30 hours of research in evenings to work out what the instructions actually meant. And its a "guide" not actual instructions that you get.
Anyway I'm about to repeat the experience in a few weeks time (thanks to a bug shunt at the Birkett endurace race) and now I know what I'm doing and I have time. So I expect I can get it done within 2 weeks comfortably.
re:IVA, it actually depends on booking the slot, the guide will tell you to apply as soon as you can, this is very good advice, just get the front suspension in and the engine and then apply for it, (thats a few days work) , from when I applied (15 December( my IVA slot was 10 Feb, which it failed then was re-tested on 24 Feb which it passed). So the longest lead time by far is IVA.
Back to your plan, your timetables look very comfortable.
Best of luck and enjoy the build, I wish i hadnt had to rush it last year as it was a really enjoyable.
DC
sfaulds said:
The current kit is very easy to build - anyone that can't do it in a week (shortages aside) probably shouldn't be doing it.
Weathergear comes pre-fitted now - I think caterham got fed up with people fitting doors back to front and finding increasingly inventive places to put poppers.
I’d say that’s a bit optimistic. When I built mine I reckon it took me the 80/90 hours CC say it does. I did that over a couple of months. Weathergear comes pre-fitted now - I think caterham got fed up with people fitting doors back to front and finding increasingly inventive places to put poppers.
The weather gear is a few hours, maybe, if you’re including the boot cover so I guess 7 x 10 hours would do it.
As you say though, shortages, (and misfitting parts) will be the key.
As long as CC have done their bit right too.
REALIST123 said:
sfaulds said:
The current kit is very easy to build - anyone that can't do it in a week (shortages aside) probably shouldn't be doing it.
Weathergear comes pre-fitted now - I think caterham got fed up with people fitting doors back to front and finding increasingly inventive places to put poppers.
I’d say that’s a bit optimistic. When I built mine I reckon it took me the 80/90 hours CC say it does. I did that over a couple of months. Weathergear comes pre-fitted now - I think caterham got fed up with people fitting doors back to front and finding increasingly inventive places to put poppers.
The weather gear is a few hours, maybe, if you’re including the boot cover so I guess 7 x 10 hours would do it.
As you say though, shortages, (and misfitting parts) will be the key.
As long as CC have done their bit right too.
My Superlight kit was delivered mid July 2002 on a Thursday morning. Two of us built it and it was running on the following Monday. Had the SVA on the 2nd August in Derby, drove to the DVLA in Nottingham and registered it the same afternoon. I had the post build check later in August at Caterham Midlands.
I find it frustrating that now you can't do this and have to wait for the registration following the IVA.
TonyR
I find it frustrating that now you can't do this and have to wait for the registration following the IVA.
TonyR
forest07 said:
My Superlight kit was delivered mid July 2002 on a Thursday morning. Two of us built it and it was running on the following Monday. Had the SVA on the 2nd August in Derby, drove to the DVLA in Nottingham and registered it the same afternoon. I had the post build check later in August at Caterham Midlands.
I find it frustrating that now you can't do this and have to wait for the registration following the IVA.
TonyR
Why do you find it frustrating? How many are you building?I find it frustrating that now you can't do this and have to wait for the registration following the IVA.
TonyR
REALIST123 said:
forest07 said:
My Superlight kit was delivered mid July 2002 on a Thursday morning. Two of us built it and it was running on the following Monday. Had the SVA on the 2nd August in Derby, drove to the DVLA in Nottingham and registered it the same afternoon. I had the post build check later in August at Caterham Midlands.
I find it frustrating that now you can't do this and have to wait for the registration following the IVA.
TonyR
I find it frustrating that now you can't do this and have to wait for the registration following the IVA.
TonyR
Why do you find it frustrating? How many are you building?
In 2002 you could SVA and register the car and be on the road in the same day.
Now it appears after the IVA you have to wait for the DVLA to issue a V5. That's what I find frustrating, if anything it should be faster and simpler than it was 17 years ago.
forest07 said:
In 2002 you could SVA and register the car and be on the road in the same day.
Now it appears after the IVA you have to wait for the DVLA to issue a V5.
There are no longer Licensing Offices that you can visit and submit the paperwork face-to-face where they then get it done there and then.Now it appears after the IVA you have to wait for the DVLA to issue a V5.
I built mine in 2013 and whilst I could take all the necessary forms to an office, it still needed to go to DVLA for ratification, though that took under a week.
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