Here’s the first, and hopefully only (you’ve gotta think positively haven’t you) email and answers in-line, to Caterham’s chief fixer, Derek. I called him a couple of times on the Monday morning but the poor guy was only just back from a week off so I was only really calling on the off-chance. I decided to send an email after he didn’t answer for the second time.
(responses came by way of a return phone call from Derek later on in the Monday)
Firstly, questions:
1. Fitting the IVA trim around the front suspension holes in the bodywork… There is a profile to the IVA trim that has a long side and short side. I looked at a factory 420 at Williams a few weeks ago and it looks like the trim is applied with the short profile on the outside of the car. Is that correct (I’ve seen some blogs where it looks like they’ve put the long profile on the outside)?
Derek: Yes, the long profile goes on the inside of the panels.
2. Attaching the bell housing to the gearbox… Manual says to use 70mm bolts which there are none of. I’ve read some blogs that say to use the cap-head bolts pre-inserted in the bell housing. Is this correct and should I use both flat and spring washer with the cap-head. I have assembled the engine, gearbox and bell housing already and have used cap-head bolts, spring washers and flat washers.
Derek: Yes, use the four bolts pre-inserted into the bell housing. Discard the nut but use the bolts, washers and spring washers.
Shortages:
So, when the driver arrived on Friday he said that the only short was the bonnet. It has a couple of blemishes and was going to be resprayed. No problem, don’t need to have this just yet, but making sure you know that its a shortage.
Derek: yes the bonnet went away for a respray and has returned. They will work to get the bonnet redelivered by the Caterham driver when he’s in the Bristol area next.
Onto what I think I’m short of in addition to the bonnet… I took everything out of their boxes and photographed all contents, then put it all back into the boxes or laid the contents out on shelves I have in my garage. So far I can see the following as shorts:
1. NS/OS upper and lower wishbones. There’s no sign of any of the front wishbones for either side. I got the steering rack into the car, went to move onto the front suspension but had to stop due to no wishbones.
Derek checked the shortages box and confirmed they were in there. I should have received the shortages box with the car.
2. Associated with the front suspension, the manual talks about a front and rear plastic bag with contents. I don’t have those but I do have a “suspension pack”. I guess I therefore don’t need the front/rear bags??
Derek: yes that’s the bag now.
3. Rear radius arms, the short sections. No sign of short rear radius arms. I have two long ones but not the short sections.
Derek: The long and short arms are for the Watts Linkage system. That is no longer shipped by default. The parts I have are correct.
4. De Dion Ears. I’m a long way from needing them but going through the parts I have, these seem to be a shortage as I went through.
Derek: they should be in the shortages box.
It was at this point that Derek twigged that I hadn’t been sent the shortages box. It was ready to go with the car when it was delivered but didn’t find its way onto the van.
5. Rear hubs. The build manual talks about rear hubs but there’s no sign of them in the kit. I see rear disks, callipers etc but not hubs.
Derek: Again, these were noted as being in the shortages box. That’s confirmed it then, you don’t have the shortages box.
6. I guess there’s other stuff… I haven’t gone through all the poly bags and checked against the build manual/blogs… I’m expecting to get to those shortages as I go through the build.
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