Wow! 100,000 Views !! That's Bonkers. Thank you for all your comments, which I think have been overwhelmingly positive. I never thought this video would get more than a few thousand views... my family and the few hundred or so people a year that are building a car. I'm amazed that this video has been so popular. If you'd like me to make some more videos about, or with, the car, then please make suggestions in the comments. Thanks for watching, John
@@Purplemeanie I totally adhere to @sat sahota statement. I didn't had the opportunity to build it myself (EU 485S), but I can see how well spent were the approx. 2.5k £ Caterham is charging for taking care of the assembly. Well done!
@@Purplemeanie I totally get it, plus the proud you have to feel driving something you've ensambled with your own hands, that's another level. Hats off! ;)
I did it the hard way. Bought Dennis Ortenbergers book "Legend of the Lotus 7", took some photos of a local Caterham 7, and with a stick welder and hacksaw started cutting out bits of tube. Here in Australia the rules can be strict, and they're much stricter now than 1993 when I started this 2 year penance. I used a Toyota 4AG Twincam engine/ gearbox and computer. Registering was far from straightforward because it failed twice, different parts being picked out by different inspectors. Finally I got the title, registration but couldn't find an insurer. In Australia basic 3rd party insurance is covered in the registration cost so I managed with that. Kept it 5 years, not one single issue, it never let me down, never blew a fuse, nothing. It was featured in the local paper and I even had a 10 minute spot on a local radio station. I sold it to a guy who kept it for a few years and then sold it to someone fairly local. This guy has done Perth to Sydney and back in it twice and loves it to bits. I still see it around occasionally...
@@Purplemeanie I laid my story out not to impugn your work in the slightest, it's just that my route took a little longer. I took progress pictures but in those dark old days there wasn't much in the way of digital cameras so little has survived other than a couple of pictures I keep on my desktop as a reminder. These were taken with a digi. It was the current owner dropping by for a chat... My email address is itsonlyme@optusnet.com.au If you're interested send me a blank email and I'll send a couple of pix by return and a few words about the fun and games I had.
Great video, I’m amazed how much fixing and adjusting it takes to put one together. You would think after nearly 50 years the kits would be pretty seamless to put together.
Another great video, mine was built when I bought it but I can see from this and other blogs the satisfaction (and frustration at times) of building it yourself.
I don't normally watch vids that go more than 30 mins, but this one was very interesting. I think it would have been a bit tedious if you had uploaded 40 odd parts showing each of the sessions so, in that regard, you made the right choice. Congrats on the build.
Absolute perfection! Entertaining and informative from the first second and compulsive watching till the credit roll! Congratulations on a beautiful build sir!
Thanks. Had the Purplemeanie domain name for nearly 30 years and making a purple car just had to be done if I was going to blog it all. Have you still got yours?
Purplemeanie I sort of still have it! I wrote it off in a racing accident in 2016, bought a replacement, wrote that one off a few months later, and rebuilt the original car onto a fresh chassis over the winter. I’m still racing that one… 😀
Great that you've got a car, not so great you've written a couple off - ouch... that's a bit pricey! I've loved taking mine on a track but for various life reasons haven't got to as many as I'd have liked. Can't wait to get back on track again.
Man I love how you placed everything out on a table just to get to know the kit. You are the kind of dude I'd want to build a car with. The type that puts tools back when they use them lol Great video bro!
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing! Was allowed to do self-assemble my CSR. Yes, it's even coded as a such in the frame. Crashed it after a scary bit of aqua-planning and consequently got the opportunity to disassemble it and reassemble it again. Happy memories.
If I may ask, how did you qualify to be allowed to build your own CSR? When we got the R500 a while back they insisted that a caterham mechanic had to do it. (A fine job he did I may add but we wanted to do it)
@@jamiewalker8772 The Swiss dealer, Fredy Kumschick, was so kind as to allow that. Possibly that was driven by the fact that I otherwise would have chosen a different -as in "cheaper"- model. His workshop also had assembly instructions for the CSR which were indispensable. Essentially the suspension is a bit more complex and the engine wiring is perhaps slightly different compared to the usual self assembly models. Fredy is a bit of a character. There should be a video of him crashing one of Bernie Ecclestone's cars. One of the Brabhams if I recall well. If I'm not mistaken Fredy was given the odd opportunity of restoring the car using Bernie's 2nd exemplar. All free of charge I believe.
You have my respect Sir ❤ I hope to have one of these one day, maybe a 270S... Aniway I would not have the courage or the time to kit build it! Respect ❤👍💯
I built mine (310S SV) last year using various reference points including your Purple Meanie blog. Thank you so much for putting the extra time in to make the blog and this video. It's really appreciated.
If you’re looking at Academy, then have you seen Rob Oldland’s channel... a great look at doing Academy: ua-cam.com/channels/ovER5GiegKYCctnxP9VwoQ.html
Wow! You must have great eyesight, I've been over the raw footage a dozen times since you said that and I can't see anything :-) There's a leaf on the floor at the bottom of the pillar, is that what you mean?
@@Purplemeanie at 13:51 its bang in the middle of the pillar just off the floor above the leaf, just watch from 13:46 to 13:52 and you will see it. I cant comment with a pic to point it out easier :(
Ok Martin. Got it. I hadn't gone on far enough in search of it. I had been waiting for someone to find something in the video that I hadn't noticed - and you definitely got there! 13:50 to 13:51 gives the best view of it. So, accounting for the fact that it takes about 28 frames to move about 30cm, at 25fps and a speed up of 250x, that makes 4 minutes 40s to traverse the pillar.... I think I can definitively identify the creature as a.... slug!! 😂
@@Purplemeanie ahhh true, I forgot to account for the sped up footage, yeah slug is much more justifiable. But still a great video and makes me wish I built my Caterham myself. Maybe in future I will get another and follow this guide. Great vid pal 👍
Great job of making the kit car ~ btw, was it possible to get it registered and drive on public roads? WHere i live, south korea. i think the regulations wont allow registering kit cars.
Yes, its absolutely part of the process to get the car registered for road use. I use it often on the roads. I suspect that here in the UK we will soon not be able to do this like many other countries.
Fantastic video and a beautiful job, that's a stunning car you have there in the perfect spec! Bad luck on the wipers but in my experience they're useless in heavy rain as it runs down the inside of the screen too! 😂
Thanks for the vote of confidence. You clearly have experience of a Seven in the rain and I can whole heartedly agree with your analysis of the wipers! 😀
When heat shrinking, remember the shrink ratio range from 1.2 to 1 upto 6 to 1 the higher the ratio the thicker the finished wall thickness and stiffness and protection given. To seal the end of the shrink tube if a bundle of wires is inside is to put sealant on the last 10cm of the loom inside the shrink tube before shrinking. May be buy some clear heat shrink and print or write white ID tags and clear shrink over them and log the in your build log with wire colour and item they feed and even an above view plan chart for the crew with joint marked on.
Wow! Thanks @BillHover that’s really good advice. To be honest I’ve been using heat shrink for 40 years without really knowing or thinking about any of that. Your suggestion makes a lot of sense. Thanks, John
2 more for you, if you have 2 wires comingout, put on a 20cm bit of adessive heat shrink on with 10cm over the other tube and just heat that bit , then pull the 2 wires apart and heat that bit and when hot pinch the bit in the middle with a pair of long nose pliers and hold till it cools a bit, and you have a perfect Y joint. Next, if you forget to put heat shrink on and it is a small bit, you can expand it a bit by putting the tip of a long screw driver in a vice with the tube sliding on it and slide a second driver in the tube as well, and with a bit if heat you and lever the drives apart a little and hold them in place until the tube cools and after fitting with heat it will still shrink back
I am an ex pat living in California, I recently just started building a factory five roadster. I have always liked the caterham nice work. The factory five does not have the cabin panels fitted in the factory and that is what I am working on now. I am planning on my build being easy to update to pass the Iva in case I return and want to import it. Did you ever look at it during the build and think to yourself what have I done? I have always dreamed of building a car but sometimes it looks overwhelming.
Thanks for the comment. As I was building mine I did wonder whether I had bitten off more than I should have. But looking back now I realise that it was actually really straightforward and I should't have worried. Good luck with the build.
By the way... Your videos are looking to be exactly what I originally set out to do when I first turned on my cameras. But doing a blog and vlog proved to be too much. I’m glad someone is getting around to doing an in depth video series. Keep going if you can, they’re already looking great.
Big boy lego. I kind of wish there was a 'kit' you could buy that was basically a chassis and shell that you could transfer all the parts of a cheap donor car onto, so you could do this for just a few grand instead of tens of thousand. It'd be harder, dirtier and less satisfying (rust and grease etc.), but it'd put it in range of us peasants.
Thanks for the comment. It’s been a very long time since I looked at this but in the past people like Dutton and Westfield (I think) did exactly that. When I looked last, a lot of the kits were based on Jaguar or Ford donor cars. I didn’t have the patience for that and was lucky enough to be able to afford the Caterham. But you’re right, more rust and grease to deal with from a donor car.
@@Purplemeanie Cheers for the reply! I'll have to look into that at some point. Makes sense to shift a load of cheap common parts onto a really well-designed frame that's much lighter, especially if the frame is designed for a specific donor car or is tunable for weight distribution etc.
How do you go about driving the car on the road to the IVA test? No registration mark, presumably no insurance? I’m asking as I plan to build an MK Indy this winter and was dreading having to figure out how to trailer it to the IVA test, seems I might not have to! Excellent work on the build and the video!
Thanks for watching. It’s been a while since I did my build, but from memory I talked to my insurance company and made sure they knew I what I was doing - I think they gave me a special insurance for a few days. Then you’re good to drive to the test centre. As long as you have a test booked and you’re on the way there (or back home again), then everything is legal. Hope that helped.
Thanks for putting this together and sharing. I found my build pretty stressful, but what a thing to finish, and what a car to enjoy at the end of it all!
I was surprised how unstressful my build was, I was a lucky one... I know many people have a much more stressful time than I did. And yes, they’re fantastic cars to build, own and then use. All the better for knowing that I (you) put it together.
This vid should be renamed to "100 reasons why never to buy a Caterham kit".... There is NO fucking excuse for the manual to not match the parts or procedure, EVER!
In any normal product purchase you'd be exactly right. But when you buy a Caterham kit you are pre-programmed to expect it. To be honest, I wouldn't have thought it would be that difficult to fix their parts-kitting processes to at least provide you an addendum to the build manual. Oh-well... I said it was all part of the fun, and if you don't have that attitude then you'd get seriously pi**ed off with the build pretty quickly.
@@Purplemeanie I think it's especially bad with a CAR, not only is it one of the most expensive things you'll ever buy in kit form, but it's a safety issue as well. It's not exactly on the same level i'll readily admit, but i used to write service and setup manuals for a range of printers, not user manuals, but manuals for engineers to use, and you can be damn sure there wasn't even a comma out of place, let alone a procedural error. It's not difficult to proof read and it's not difficult to update a master drawing or manual, it is difficult though to work through the bullshit you encounter when some lazy half arsed fuckwit hasn't done that. The crap you went through in this video was infuriating even just to watch...
@@mymodel6 I don't disagree with you. I also come from an industry where this sort of poor process would be unthinkable. I have my suspicions about why Caterham works this way but I'm not prepared to air them in public - they would be speculation and I'm not about to fan any flames. Hopefully my video is another checkpoint for people wanting to build a Caterham... if you are forewarned then I hope having had your eyes opening will reduce the frustration (if only a little). I became very laissez-faire with the process and perhaps that's a fault, but it helped me through the build. I've seen others build cars and become very frustrated and disillusioned, and then that spoils the fun you can have with the car. In many ways I enjoyed the challenge of beating the manual - but I fully admit that it takes a certain mindset to think like that. I don't say its right - its a reality. I do fully take on board your safety point though. The Post Build Check and IVA are points at which safety will be tested and are much needed part of the process. And from my experience the IVA can be tricky for people who are less mechanically minded. But is a much needed check point to make sure something dangerous isn't allowed on the roads. From what I understand of the US process, I don't think such a check exists. Its up to your own personal worldview as to whether IVA is a control too far or a necessary safety check. It's also something you have to come to terms with in terms of costs. These are very expensive kits. The IVA guy that inspected my car was full of praise for Caterhams - saying that he sees other kits being much worse. However, for the top dollar you pay for a Caterham you might expect top paperwork. Perhaps other kits are even worse?? However, I do think that Caterham have got a lot better over recent years - my experience (and others around me at the time) was better than a few years previously, so it's not all bad news. And my experience is a few years old now. Though I do still see people blogging about builds where there are still problems with component shortages and the manuals not being quite right. Perhaps other more recent builders can chime in here if they see these comments.
This is one of my dream cars, though I wouldn't go with the "R" option. The SV chassis? I'm over 183 cm tall. That "option" is more a necessity in my case. Oh, and The Prisoner color scheme.
If dreaming of specs is your thing, then have you checked out Caterhams car configurator? I've lost many happy hours there! www.caterhamcars.com/en/configurator
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Can I ask, how much you need to spend on 'bits' beyond what you need to pay for the car itself? Wheeled axel stands, hoist, any other special tools, all the testing and the fees for pickups, etc? Excluding the basic tools every garage already has, of course :)
That’s a good question. I forget but I think the car registration cost about £200. As for tools and stuff that wasn’t in the kit… I spent a few hundred pounds, but you could probably get by with just the regular screwdrivers, spanner’s, Allen keys, drill bits, socket set etc. There is a high torque wrench required but many people just get those wheel hub nuts tightened up at the Post Build Check and so don’t need the torque wrench. You can see all the stuff I used here: purplemeanie.co.uk/index.php/2018/07/01/caterham-420r-build-tools-and-trinkets/
Superb work, I dream about putting one together since I ran a few laps at the wheel of a catheram superlight at Palmer sport in Bedford in a corporate event back in 2007 , 650kg 200bhp was magnificent.
Exhaust spring installation assistant... about an 8 inch piece of tubing or round stock, with a hole to catch spring anchor, with an OD less than the spring hook ID with one end cut with a little angle can be slipped over one of the header spring anchors to extend the spring to hook in place.
🤣 The current wings are probably a bit too small for flight, but there are certainly some tracks around the UK where we should be able to get airborne over some crests! 😉Thanks for watching.
Thanks. In my opinion the 420 is the sweet spot. Nothing wrong with any of the other variants for the right person, but for me the 420 has exactly the right combination of performance, practicality and fun.
Purplemeanie I’m still to test drive any of the variants, but on paper the 420 looks like the one for sure. Very early stages in my journey, first step building a garage, let alone just tidying one up!
Great video. I know it's two years ago but in some shots it looks like there is serious corrosion at the bottom of some panels e.g 9:18. Curious as to what it was. I've thought of building a Caterham but the laws here in Australia make it almost impossible to get it registered.
Hi Graeme, no there's no corrosion on the panels. Possibly just reflections off the floor maybe? I've now done about 4,000 miles in the car (pandemic knocked my mileage for a while 🙁) and no signs of any corrosion. I feel your pain on laws... I suspect it will become more and more difficult to own cars like this here too soon.
The simple answer is that Caterham won't let you. My understanding is that its because of the much more complex plumbing and space available in the engine bay.
My wife always wanted me to build a cobra, that would be awesome. I’ve got another build probably going to happen this year and a series that will come out with it. More on that in the coming weeks.
Must have been frustrating and fun at the same time to build your car, I like the idea of doing it but I have to admit my limitations and lack of garage space :).
It was frustrating at times, but the fun part is what sticks with me three years on. I had limited garage space and people do them in even smaller spaces than mine.
The original Lotus 7 was advertised as 0-60mph in 3 days. This was how long it took you to build it from the kit. What took you so long! the reason to build it from a kit was to avoid sales tax. But then the whole thing only cost 1000 pounds (UK money) I remember a friend who had a Lotus 6, with a Triumph TR2 motor. Talk about fast roller-skate!
Yeh... you're right.. I took a long time. Part of the problem was that I was savouring it 😀. But it was also that I blogged all the build on my website and that took me as long as the build itself.
@@Purplemeanie surprised you replied a year after the video was uploaded! In that case, I just want to say, i really enjoyed the video. watched the whole thing and it taught me more about tips and tricks than i would have learned in months of school work.
Where does one even start with these kit cars (ready built) ?! Im selling my motorbike to buy one but how do ya know which to buy? Caterham? RobinHood? And so forth..........
Thanks for watching! I think a lot of it comes down to how much money you’ve got. IMHO (and I would say this 🤣) I think Caterham’s are the best, but they’re also the most expensive. It also matters how long you want to wait. I think Caterham’s are now a year’s waiting list and I was talking to someone last week who just revived their kit at 18 months waiting.
It certainly takes a bit of dedication. It used to be the case that you could pick up a half-finished car that people had bought but lost interest in... but I think these days most people seem to finish them. At least I don't see half-finished ones for sale. Perhaps others can comment on that.
Great video, really well done sir. That didn’t seem like 33 minutes at all. Very interesting to watch your trials and tribulations. Have you thought about heli tape for the areas of body work that chafe? You could even get a carpet tile designed for heavy traffic areas and cut strips from it to make a hard wearing yet slightly soft non scratch pad?
Purplemeanie had another thought. 3m make a product called dual lock. It’s basically really strong Velcro where both sides are of the plastic hook type. It’s very strong. We used it to hold number plates on super cars for testing and they never came off even at 170mph plus (on a track). It does end up being about 3mm thick when it’s mated together though so might create an unsightly step. It would stop the panel flexing at that joint though it that’s a problem.
I have to ask, is the ford duratec engine worth it? I've heard the k-series engine or even a rotary is great in this car, but I would assume the downside to a rotary makes it less practical off the track with the warm ups and fuel mileage drop. But otherwise, it does have a weight advantage. Any experience with other engines? Do you have issues with the Duratec?
HI, thats a very good question. To answer the last part first, I’ve had no problems with the Duratec, and I’ve not heard any problems from other owners. Caterham even makes a supercharged version that is another level again from mine. They do also still sell a 2.5L Duratec in the European market that I’ve heard is very impressive. Then Caterham now sell a 600cc Suzuki engined version of the car that many owners love for its light weight and therefore great handling - nowhere neat as performant, but a lot of people really like it as a fun car on the road and track. The k-series engines are often loved by Seven owners as a free revving and lighter version, but of course they are now older cars only, and not available as a new purchase - but I know owners who would absolutely not “trade up” to a Duratec because the love the character of the k-series so much. Personally, I’m a bit fan of the 2.0L Duratec due to its lazy town and country driving but can be a beast on track too. I have no experience of rotary based Seven’s so can’t give any opinion there. Perhaps one of the downsides of the Duratec’s is that they get very hot, and there’s a lot for heat soak into the passenger compartment - which can be a pain on hot summer’s days, touring, or on track, where you can’t get away from the heat (makes for toasty knees). The Duratec’s are also a bit heavy, so handling isn’t perhaps the same, they can push on a bit in corners and not as nimble as a k-series or Sigma car. I love my 2.0L Duratec, it’s just right for me. But you’ll hear many other Caterham owners say the same about their completely different cars too. You pays you money and takes your choice. Hope that helped, maybe not. It’s a complicated subject with not one right answer.
I understand your concern about the fiberglass wheel wells any time I’m drilling or cutting PCV pipe, plastic house siding anything anything that turns to dust in the air? 🤷🏻♂️I worry about my lungs🤔🤦🏻♂️👍🏻✨
Absolutely. I had to put a new rear wing on the car a couple of weeks ago and I was even more careful this time… can’t be too careful with your lungs! Thanks for commenting 👍🏼
I know this is old but if you are still around, where would the Caterham 7 Fireblade fit in the Caterham lineup. Thank you. The Caterham is still my favorite car to drive in Grand Turismo 6. Once I figured out how not to flip it😅 Lightweights Forever!
Hi… thanks for watching and the comment. I’m not a Caterham Fireblade expert but I know people who are huge fans of that concept - light motorbike engine in a light car chassis - and people who have the Fireblade Caterham and love it. I must see if I can have a drive in one one day and get back to you. Some people say that motorbike engines is now Caterham will get out of the current discontinuation of Ford engines (and many other car engines) that Caterham are experiencing at the moment.
Mighty disappointed that you didn't give us a nice full tour of the finished car. You actually think we wanted to see you at the end, jabbering about various things? We sure did want to see the complete vehicle, running, cornering, etc, etc. It's as if you showed us how you make and bake a cake...but you don't let us see taste the finished product. Sack your Producer/Director. You left off the Ending. Yeah, maybe it was 'the end' for you, having working with it for months, but you forgot your audience.
Hi Dan. I don't disagree with you. Unfortunately I got sick not long after finishing the car and didn't drive it for a long time. Then I put the build video out thinking only my family would watch it, so I was surprised by the number of views! There are are couple more videos of me driving it now, like the Fish and Chip Run video. If you check the rest of my videos you'll see me driving it around.
Why do Brits pronounce garage like that? Like us Canadians, you kept pretty much every other French-influenced spelling and pronunciation. Heck, even Yankees use the French pronunciation. Why did you choose to change that one word? It's so bizarre.
I would love to do a catheram build, but only ordering the body, seats, lights and fenders, and get all the mecanicals parts of a subaru WRX! I know the flat engine wont sit in the engine bay, and a lot of electronics will have to be messed with to just have the car starting, and that custom axle would be needed, but I mean, why not?
Great video, i am toying with the idea myself on getting a 420r. Just out of intrest is it much cheaper unbuilt ? Thank you for putting such a great video togther wonderful
Hi there, thanks for watching. I think a kit is about £2k cheaper than a prebuilt one. You should talk to a dealer to talk about options though as i think wait times a quite long at the moment. Good luck! 👍🏻
Just watched your build video. Congratulations, that is a nice car! I was surprised about you installing an oil tank! Does this engine have a dry sump?
Yep, it does. There's a theory that the Ford 2.0L Duratec can suffer from oil starvation when cornering hard on tracks. There's not a lot of evidence for that theory but I thought it best to be safe rather than sorry. Thanks for watching.
Unfortunately no. You might be able to arrange for a kit to be delivered to someone in the UK and then get it shipped to Germany, but Caterham always say that European laws don’t allow for kit builds other than in the UK. I suspect kit builds here are also going to stop in the next few years too. Shame.
Yes diff oil stinks, believe it or not but once when draining old diff lube out of my corvette I had to keep a cat from lapping it up out of the drain pan. So it must smell good to cats or at least that cat.
What don't you like about it? Personally I like the "chunkiness" it give the car. But I know lots of people who remove the cat and reduce or remove the silencer to get that sleeker look.
Way back in the early sixties I was driving a truck to Harlow to deliver steel tubing to the Lotus Factory when a little aluminum-bodied toboggan passed me as if I was parked. It was one of the original Sevens built at the Lotus Works. That day was when I first saw and fell in love with what is now the Caterham Seven. At that time the original car was powered by an A Series BMC 1000cc (997cc really), they were easily obtained and easy to work on and produced good "HP" at that time I also part-owned a MINI group 3 Saloon which was also powered by an A Series 997cc, I was the dog's body mechanic (with ten-inch steel fingers) and driver of the little beast. I still haven't given up the idea of owning one *Caterham Seven* but have no desire now (at my time of life) to build one myself although I have given a hand in a couple of other builds. It all looks too hard and would play havoc with my aging bones. But, thank You for an excellent video and "WELL DONE TOO"
Hi Neil, I’m not up with latest pricing but I think kits start at about £20k and go up to £40k+. Top of the range (factory build only) 620’s are well over £50k, certainly once you have a few options.
Wow! 100,000 Views !! That's Bonkers. Thank you for all your comments, which I think have been overwhelmingly positive. I never thought this video would get more than a few thousand views... my family and the few hundred or so people a year that are building a car. I'm amazed that this video has been so popular.
If you'd like me to make some more videos about, or with, the car, then please make suggestions in the comments.
Thanks for watching, John
Section 25 says stqrt instead of start lol
Love the vid!
So it did! Good catch, thanks! 👍🏼
Purplemeanie 140k now!! I’m 14 and I think me and my dad my build one as a father and son thing
Yessir! Excellent video. Once this mx5 turbo is done I wish to do exactly this. I had an R500 superlight back in the day. Miss it!
Everyone should build a Caterham at least once in the motoring life!
Respect to this man for A: building the car B: taking the time for making this video C: seeming to be an absolute gentlemen.
That’s very kind of you to say so! :-)
@@Purplemeanie I totally adhere to @sat sahota statement. I didn't had the opportunity to build it myself (EU 485S), but I can see how well spent were the approx. 2.5k £ Caterham is charging for taking care of the assembly. Well done!
I agree, £2.5k is good value for the work they do... however, I think I’d have paid them money not to build the car :-) I enjoyed it so much! :-)
@@Purplemeanie I totally get it, plus the proud you have to feel driving something you've ensambled with your own hands, that's another level. Hats off! ;)
Of course, he's British. England couldn't build an empire and help win two world wars without a good work ethic.
'Your wife leaves you, she's in bed with a milkman and you're like ohhh where is my front suspension unit?" - Jeremy Clarkson
I always made sure to be out of the garage when the milk-man visited.
Loved that episode of Top Gear!
@@Purplemeanie Hahaha
I did it the hard way. Bought Dennis Ortenbergers book "Legend of the Lotus 7", took some photos of a local Caterham 7, and with a stick welder and hacksaw started cutting out bits of tube. Here in Australia the rules can be strict, and they're much stricter now than 1993 when I started this 2 year penance. I used a Toyota 4AG Twincam engine/ gearbox and computer. Registering was far from straightforward because it failed twice, different parts being picked out by different inspectors. Finally I got the title, registration but couldn't find an insurer. In Australia basic 3rd party insurance is covered in the registration cost so I managed with that. Kept it 5 years, not one single issue, it never let me down, never blew a fuse, nothing. It was featured in the local paper and I even had a 10 minute spot on a local radio station.
I sold it to a guy who kept it for a few years and then sold it to someone fairly local. This guy has done Perth to Sydney and back in it twice and loves it to bits. I still see it around occasionally...
Wow! Now that would be a whole video series worth watching. Even the Perth to Sydney run would be a great story.
@@Purplemeanie I laid my story out not to impugn your work in the slightest, it's just that my route took a little longer. I took progress pictures but in those dark old days there wasn't much in the way of digital cameras so little has survived other than a couple of pictures I keep on my desktop as a reminder. These were taken with a digi. It was the current owner dropping by for a chat...
My email address is itsonlyme@optusnet.com.au If you're interested send me a blank email and I'll send a couple of pix by return and a few words about the fun and games I had.
Email sent.
Great video, I’m amazed how much fixing and adjusting it takes to put one together. You would think after nearly 50 years the kits would be pretty seamless to put together.
You would think, wouldn’t you!?
It's an english car, after all...
I built a car way back in 1997 (2.0 Vauxhall HPC) and had FAR fewer fiddly problems. Maybe the cars were simpler back then!
🤣
“James does it need a washer yes or no?” - Jeremy Clarkson
🤣
I hope they went back and put all the washers in. LOL
Another great video, mine was built when I bought it but I can see from this and other blogs the satisfaction (and frustration at times) of building it yourself.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it Mark.
I don't normally watch vids that go more than 30 mins, but this one was very interesting. I think it would have been a bit tedious if you had uploaded 40 odd parts showing each of the sessions so, in that regard, you made the right choice. Congrats on the build.
Thanks Peter. Always difficult to know how to pitch these things. Glad you enjoyed it.
Absolute perfection! Entertaining and informative from the first second and compulsive watching till the credit roll!
Congratulations on a beautiful build sir!
Thank you for your very generous comment. I just make videos that I’d like to watch, and it seems that others seem to like that too 😀👍🏼
Man, what an inspiration! Now to get back to work on my ‘53 International hot rod pickup.
Glad you enjoyed it... that hod-rod sounds fun!
Awesome Video! I have wanted to build a Caterham for years!
Go for it!
Great video - triggered so many memories from my build in 2011. Love the colour!
Thanks. Had the Purplemeanie domain name for nearly 30 years and making a purple car just had to be done if I was going to blog it all.
Have you still got yours?
Purplemeanie I sort of still have it! I wrote it off in a racing accident in 2016, bought a replacement, wrote that one off a few months later, and rebuilt the original car onto a fresh chassis over the winter. I’m still racing that one… 😀
Great that you've got a car, not so great you've written a couple off - ouch... that's a bit pricey! I've loved taking mine on a track but for various life reasons haven't got to as many as I'd have liked. Can't wait to get back on track again.
Man I love how you placed everything out on a table just to get to know the kit. You are the kind of dude I'd want to build a car with. The type that puts tools back when they use them lol Great video bro!
Is there any other way of doing it?! Ha ha ha! Thanks for watching!
Really enjoyed this , thanks for sharing and congratulations on successfully building your caterham
Glad you enjoyed it. Seems a long time ago it was finished.
Thanks for sharing! Definitely on my bucket list.
Go for it!
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Was allowed to do self-assemble my CSR. Yes, it's even coded as a such in the frame. Crashed it after a scary bit of aqua-planning and consequently got the opportunity to disassemble it and reassemble it again. Happy memories.
Wow! That sounds like an adventure!
If I may ask, how did you qualify to be allowed to build your own CSR?
When we got the R500 a while back they insisted that a caterham mechanic had to do it. (A fine job he did I may add but we wanted to do it)
@@jamiewalker8772 The Swiss dealer, Fredy Kumschick, was so kind as to allow that. Possibly that was driven by the fact that I otherwise would have chosen a different -as in "cheaper"- model. His workshop also had assembly instructions for the CSR which were indispensable. Essentially the suspension is a bit more complex and the engine wiring is perhaps slightly different compared to the usual self assembly models.
Fredy is a bit of a character. There should be a video of him crashing one of Bernie Ecclestone's cars. One of the Brabhams if I recall well. If I'm not mistaken Fredy was given the odd opportunity of restoring the car using Bernie's 2nd exemplar. All free of charge I believe.
This dude reminds me of a teacher I had back in school 😂
Nobody ever said that about me before! Thanks for watching, hope you enjoyed being back a school! 🤣
that's a great idea to photograph everything first
A bit OCD though 😉. Thanks for commenting 👍🏼
You have my respect Sir ❤ I hope to have one of these one day, maybe a 270S... Aniway I would not have the courage or the time to kit build it! Respect ❤👍💯
Thanks for the comment. I hope you manage to get into a 270. They're awesome!
@@Purplemeanie i hope it! I mean i am only 14 I have all the time 😄💯👍
I’ve recently ordered a 170S and this video both excites and scares me. Fingers crossed for a relatively smooth build!
Hi Ian, I went on a run last weekend with a guy in a 160S. He had a wail of a time, I'm sure you will too!
Great video, one of the best ways I've seen of covering a build
Thanks. Hopefully the nearly 3 years it took to go from car-build to UA-cam video was worth the effort/wait :-)
Does it classify as a super seven
Well I think its super! Super Seven is actually a model name like Seven 420 or SuperLight. But mine isn’t that particular model name.
I built mine (310S SV) last year using various reference points including your Purple Meanie blog. Thank you so much for putting the extra time in to make the blog and this video. It's really appreciated.
Thanks Tony. I’m glad what I’ve done is useful. Hope you’re enjoying your 310!
I love this car. Minimalist, makes fun back again. Simple and just loads of fun. Light and fast, and a car that keeps you honest.
Absolutely! Strips everything back to the raw driving experience.
Great Video . No small feat - v impressive !
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed watching!
Fantastic video, thanks so much for sharing!
You’re very welcome!
One day I will own a Caterham 7.... thanks for the video.
You’re welcome! 👍🏻
Lot of hard work there. Congrats
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Fantastic video, thanks for making and sharing can’t wait to build mine.
Thanks. Good luck with your build. What stage are you at?
Purplemeanie Well I’m at a very early stage, debating between an academy package or a regular kit.
If you’re looking at Academy, then have you seen Rob Oldland’s channel... a great look at doing Academy: ua-cam.com/channels/ovER5GiegKYCctnxP9VwoQ.html
Mate well done but it sounds like Caterham need to upgrade their kit!..love the comment about Ted next door....so funny!
Yeh... it was great to have Ted help. We've talked over the fence for 20 years about stuff and it was good to have a project he could help me with.
Very enjoyable vid lots of work and skill well done.
Thank you! Cheers!
Did anyone else notice millipede/lizard on pillar in bottom left at 13:46 ? - Great video though, very informative
Wow! You must have great eyesight, I've been over the raw footage a dozen times since you said that and I can't see anything :-) There's a leaf on the floor at the bottom of the pillar, is that what you mean?
@@Purplemeanie at 13:51 its bang in the middle of the pillar just off the floor above the leaf, just watch from 13:46 to 13:52 and you will see it. I cant comment with a pic to point it out easier :(
Ok Martin. Got it. I hadn't gone on far enough in search of it. I had been waiting for someone to find something in the video that I hadn't noticed - and you definitely got there! 13:50 to 13:51 gives the best view of it. So, accounting for the fact that it takes about 28 frames to move about 30cm, at 25fps and a speed up of 250x, that makes 4 minutes 40s to traverse the pillar.... I think I can definitively identify the creature as a.... slug!! 😂
Martin, you made my day. I'm pinning this to the top of the comments! :-)
@@Purplemeanie ahhh true, I forgot to account for the sped up footage, yeah slug is much more justifiable. But still a great video and makes me wish I built my Caterham myself. Maybe in future I will get another and follow this guide. Great vid pal 👍
Wow, that was a lot more work than i thought it would be, not sure i have the time and patience to be building from scratch.
Thanks for watching and commenting. “From scratch” is a bit of a stretch, its more like a big set of Lego or Meccano ! :-)
Riveting ! I spent 30 years of my life as self employed car mechanic. Would i attempt to build a kit car? Ask me in 30 years time!
With 30 years in a work shop you’d breeze through building a Caterham. Thanks for watching. 👍🏼
Great job of making the kit car ~ btw, was it possible to get it registered and drive on public roads?
WHere i live, south korea. i think the regulations wont allow registering kit cars.
Yes, its absolutely part of the process to get the car registered for road use. I use it often on the roads. I suspect that here in the UK we will soon not be able to do this like many other countries.
Fantastic video and a beautiful job, that's a stunning car you have there in the perfect spec! Bad luck on the wipers but in my experience they're useless in heavy rain as it runs down the inside of the screen too! 😂
Thanks for the vote of confidence. You clearly have experience of a Seven in the rain and I can whole heartedly agree with your analysis of the wipers! 😀
When heat shrinking, remember the shrink ratio range from 1.2 to 1 upto 6 to 1 the higher the ratio the thicker the finished wall thickness and stiffness and protection given. To seal the end of the shrink tube if a bundle of wires is inside is to put sealant on the last 10cm of the loom inside the shrink tube before shrinking. May be buy some clear heat shrink and print or write white ID tags and clear shrink over them and log the in your build log with wire colour and item they feed and even an above view plan chart for the crew with joint marked on.
Wow! Thanks @BillHover that’s really good advice. To be honest I’ve been using heat shrink for 40 years without really knowing or thinking about any of that. Your suggestion makes a lot of sense. Thanks, John
2 more for you, if you have 2 wires comingout, put on a 20cm bit of adessive heat shrink on with 10cm over the other tube and just heat that bit , then pull the 2 wires apart and heat that bit and when hot pinch the bit in the middle with a pair of long nose pliers and hold till it cools a bit, and you have a perfect Y joint. Next, if you forget to put heat shrink on and it is a small bit, you can expand it a bit by putting the tip of a long screw driver in a vice with the tube sliding on it and slide a second driver in the tube as well, and with a bit if heat you and lever the drives apart a little and hold them in place until the tube cools and after fitting with heat it will still shrink back
Great video
Thanks!
Have questions about the reliability of the headlights electrical system....
Well, it is an English car.
And what's more... built by me!!
Nice vid. Well done.
Thanks!
Nice build vid. ... been there, done that, ... doh!
:-) It seems such a long time ago now!
I am an ex pat living in California, I recently just started building a factory five roadster. I have always liked the caterham nice work. The factory five does not have the cabin panels fitted in the factory and that is what I am working on now. I am planning on my build being easy to update to pass the Iva in case I return and want to import it. Did you ever look at it during the build and think to yourself what have I done? I have always dreamed of building a car but sometimes it looks overwhelming.
Thanks for the comment. As I was building mine I did wonder whether I had bitten off more than I should have. But looking back now I realise that it was actually really straightforward and I should't have worried. Good luck with the build.
Great video !!
Thanks!
By the way... Your videos are looking to be exactly what I originally set out to do when I first turned on my cameras. But doing a blog and vlog proved to be too much. I’m glad someone is getting around to doing an in depth video series. Keep going if you can, they’re already looking great.
@@Purplemeanie Thanks John, I've done all the filming it just the editing and voiceover I need to do now as the car is almost finished.
That looks a LOT harder than I was expecting. I would definitely go for the factory build.
Where's the fun in that 😀. Though building the car is just the stepping stone to the next 10 years of summer driving!
Isn’t that exhaust a leg burn waiting to happen? Great video and great job!
Every time I get out of the car! 😂
Seven Replicas hit an aerodynamic brick wall at about 150kph , so you can add as much HP as you like - it just means you will get there quicker!
You're not wrong there Dan. But great fun doing so... for me at least :-)
Big boy lego. I kind of wish there was a 'kit' you could buy that was basically a chassis and shell that you could transfer all the parts of a cheap donor car onto, so you could do this for just a few grand instead of tens of thousand. It'd be harder, dirtier and less satisfying (rust and grease etc.), but it'd put it in range of us peasants.
Thanks for the comment. It’s been a very long time since I looked at this but in the past people like Dutton and Westfield (I think) did exactly that. When I looked last, a lot of the kits were based on Jaguar or Ford donor cars. I didn’t have the patience for that and was lucky enough to be able to afford the Caterham. But you’re right, more rust and grease to deal with from a donor car.
@@Purplemeanie Cheers for the reply! I'll have to look into that at some point. Makes sense to shift a load of cheap common parts onto a really well-designed frame that's much lighter, especially if the frame is designed for a specific donor car or is tunable for weight distribution etc.
How do you go about driving the car on the road to the IVA test? No registration mark, presumably no insurance? I’m asking as I plan to build an MK Indy this winter and was dreading having to figure out how to trailer it to the IVA test, seems I might not have to!
Excellent work on the build and the video!
Thanks for watching. It’s been a while since I did my build, but from memory I talked to my insurance company and made sure they knew I what I was doing - I think they gave me a special insurance for a few days. Then you’re good to drive to the test centre. As long as you have a test booked and you’re on the way there (or back home again), then everything is legal. Hope that helped.
Would you ever consider making a kit car for a cost ?
I think I’ve done all the petrol car building I want to now 😀. Thanks for commenting 👍🏼
The best 30 minutes I have spent in 2020.Nice work sir.👍👍👍👍My late father built an Elan kit in 1968.It was in the Embassy cigarette colours.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. One of my neighbours has an Elan, fantastic car!
Thanks for putting this together and sharing. I found my build pretty stressful, but what a thing to finish, and what a car to enjoy at the end of it all!
I was surprised how unstressful my build was, I was a lucky one... I know many people have a much more stressful time than I did. And yes, they’re fantastic cars to build, own and then use. All the better for knowing that I (you) put it together.
This vid should be renamed to "100 reasons why never to buy a Caterham kit".... There is NO fucking excuse for the manual to not match the parts or procedure, EVER!
In any normal product purchase you'd be exactly right. But when you buy a Caterham kit you are pre-programmed to expect it. To be honest, I wouldn't have thought it would be that difficult to fix their parts-kitting processes to at least provide you an addendum to the build manual. Oh-well... I said it was all part of the fun, and if you don't have that attitude then you'd get seriously pi**ed off with the build pretty quickly.
@@Purplemeanie I think it's especially bad with a CAR, not only is it one of the most expensive things you'll ever buy in kit form, but it's a safety issue as well.
It's not exactly on the same level i'll readily admit, but i used to write service and setup manuals for a range of printers, not user manuals, but manuals for engineers to use, and you can be damn sure there wasn't even a comma out of place, let alone a procedural error. It's not difficult to proof read and it's not difficult to update a master drawing or manual, it is difficult though to work through the bullshit you encounter when some lazy half arsed fuckwit hasn't done that. The crap you went through in this video was infuriating even just to watch...
@@mymodel6 I don't disagree with you. I also come from an industry where this sort of poor process would be unthinkable.
I have my suspicions about why Caterham works this way but I'm not prepared to air them in public - they would be speculation and I'm not about to fan any flames.
Hopefully my video is another checkpoint for people wanting to build a Caterham... if you are forewarned then I hope having had your eyes opening will reduce the frustration (if only a little). I became very laissez-faire with the process and perhaps that's a fault, but it helped me through the build. I've seen others build cars and become very frustrated and disillusioned, and then that spoils the fun you can have with the car. In many ways I enjoyed the challenge of beating the manual - but I fully admit that it takes a certain mindset to think like that. I don't say its right - its a reality.
I do fully take on board your safety point though. The Post Build Check and IVA are points at which safety will be tested and are much needed part of the process. And from my experience the IVA can be tricky for people who are less mechanically minded. But is a much needed check point to make sure something dangerous isn't allowed on the roads. From what I understand of the US process, I don't think such a check exists. Its up to your own personal worldview as to whether IVA is a control too far or a necessary safety check.
It's also something you have to come to terms with in terms of costs. These are very expensive kits. The IVA guy that inspected my car was full of praise for Caterhams - saying that he sees other kits being much worse. However, for the top dollar you pay for a Caterham you might expect top paperwork. Perhaps other kits are even worse??
However, I do think that Caterham have got a lot better over recent years - my experience (and others around me at the time) was better than a few years previously, so it's not all bad news. And my experience is a few years old now. Though I do still see people blogging about builds where there are still problems with component shortages and the manuals not being quite right. Perhaps other more recent builders can chime in here if they see these comments.
This is one of my dream cars, though I wouldn't go with the "R" option. The SV chassis? I'm over 183 cm tall. That "option" is more a necessity in my case. Oh, and The Prisoner color scheme.
If dreaming of specs is your thing, then have you checked out Caterhams car configurator? I've lost many happy hours there!
www.caterhamcars.com/en/configurator
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Can I ask, how much you need to spend on 'bits' beyond what you need to pay for the car itself? Wheeled axel stands, hoist, any other special tools, all the testing and the fees for pickups, etc? Excluding the basic tools every garage already has, of course :)
That’s a good question. I forget but I think the car registration cost about £200. As for tools and stuff that wasn’t in the kit… I spent a few hundred pounds, but you could probably get by with just the regular screwdrivers, spanner’s, Allen keys, drill bits, socket set etc. There is a high torque wrench required but many people just get those wheel hub nuts tightened up at the Post Build Check and so don’t need the torque wrench. You can see all the stuff I used here: purplemeanie.co.uk/index.php/2018/07/01/caterham-420r-build-tools-and-trinkets/
Superb work, I dream about putting one together since I ran a few laps at the wheel of a catheram superlight at Palmer sport in Bedford in a corporate event back in 2007 , 650kg 200bhp was magnificent.
Yep. They are very special on a track.
Exhaust spring installation assistant... about an 8 inch piece of tubing or round stock, with a hole to catch spring anchor, with an OD less than the spring hook ID with one end cut with a little angle can be slipped over one of the header spring anchors to extend the spring to hook in place.
That's a good idea 👍🏻
Great Video!! Awkward lookin SV chassis Fatboy model S3 chassis car looks much better but if you are a big guy it's a squeeze.
Thanks for the comment. And I totally get the SV comment but it works great for me and very happy I went with SV rather than S3 😀
So the plan is to fly this thing, given the attached wings?
🤣 The current wings are probably a bit too small for flight, but there are certainly some tracks around the UK where we should be able to get airborne over some crests! 😉Thanks for watching.
Fantastic video - looking to pick up a 420 kit at some point in the future and absorbing all the knowledge I can for now
Thanks. In my opinion the 420 is the sweet spot. Nothing wrong with any of the other variants for the right person, but for me the 420 has exactly the right combination of performance, practicality and fun.
Purplemeanie I’m still to test drive any of the variants, but on paper the 420 looks like the one for sure. Very early stages in my journey, first step building a garage, let alone just tidying one up!
😀👍🏼
Great video. I know it's two years ago but in some shots it looks like there is serious corrosion at the bottom of some panels e.g 9:18. Curious as to what it was. I've thought of building a Caterham but the laws here in Australia make it almost impossible to get it registered.
Hi Graeme, no there's no corrosion on the panels. Possibly just reflections off the floor maybe? I've now done about 4,000 miles in the car (pandemic knocked my mileage for a while 🙁) and no signs of any corrosion. I feel your pain on laws... I suspect it will become more and more difficult to own cars like this here too soon.
I MUST get one of these one day..
Well I would agree with that... but I am a bit biased :-)
So why can't a 620 be built at home..?
The simple answer is that Caterham won't let you. My understanding is that its because of the much more complex plumbing and space available in the engine bay.
I'll take one please.. so send me one my address is:
Wait...your sending one right ?
😂
Could you build a cobra rep next :p
My wife always wanted me to build a cobra, that would be awesome. I’ve got another build probably going to happen this year and a series that will come out with it. More on that in the coming weeks.
I greatly admire your patience and ability. Your car looks great too.
Thanks, I’m very lucky to be able to drive it around.
Well done, great build. I will never forget the feeling of starting the car for the first time on something you have built yourself
Thanks. And yes, first start is a mixture of apprehension, excitement and relief when it finally fires!
Must have been frustrating and fun at the same time to build your car, I like the idea of doing it but I have to admit my limitations and lack of garage space :).
It was frustrating at times, but the fun part is what sticks with me three years on. I had limited garage space and people do them in even smaller spaces than mine.
This car is op in Forza 6 (and likely other titles) and it makes me sick haha. But I'd love to drive one irl!
They're like a road legal go kart. Great to drive!
The original Lotus 7 was advertised as 0-60mph in 3 days. This was how long it took you to build it from the kit. What took you so long!
the reason to build it from a kit was to avoid sales tax. But then the whole thing only cost 1000 pounds (UK money)
I remember a friend who had a Lotus 6, with a Triumph TR2 motor. Talk about fast roller-skate!
Yeh... you're right.. I took a long time. Part of the problem was that I was savouring it 😀. But it was also that I blogged all the build on my website and that took me as long as the build itself.
13:51 big ass bug crawling into your garage on the garage door
Well spotted. The Timelapse makes it look really creepy! 😉
@@Purplemeanie surprised you replied a year after the video was uploaded! In that case, I just want to say, i really enjoyed the video. watched the whole thing and it taught me more about tips and tricks than i would have learned in months of school work.
Hi Stefan, my channel isn’t a particularly big channel so I like to reply to all the comments I get. And I’m really glad you enjoyed the video! 👍🏼
awesome！
Thanks!!
I can flop into a caterham but can't get out !!
Why would you want to get out??! 🤣
Where does one even start with these kit cars (ready built) ?! Im selling my motorbike to buy one but how do ya know which to buy? Caterham? RobinHood? And so forth..........
Thanks for watching! I think a lot of it comes down to how much money you’ve got. IMHO (and I would say this 🤣) I think Caterham’s are the best, but they’re also the most expensive. It also matters how long you want to wait. I think Caterham’s are now a year’s waiting list and I was talking to someone last week who just revived their kit at 18 months waiting.
Lol - you're worried about NVH in a Seven?
I was. But after 4 more years of ownership, not so much :-)
It should not be called a build but an assemble.
You're probably right there. 😀
I always thought I'd b good at doing something like this...I now don't think I would be lol
It certainly takes a bit of dedication. It used to be the case that you could pick up a half-finished car that people had bought but lost interest in... but I think these days most people seem to finish them. At least I don't see half-finished ones for sale. Perhaps others can comment on that.
Great video, really well done sir. That didn’t seem like 33 minutes at all. Very interesting to watch your trials and tribulations. Have you thought about heli tape for the areas of body work that chafe? You could even get a carpet tile designed for heavy traffic areas and cut strips from it to make a hard wearing yet slightly soft non scratch pad?
Thanks for the comment. Hmmm... no I hadn’t thought of heli tape or carpet. I’ll have a think about that. Thanks. John
Purplemeanie had another thought. 3m make a product called dual lock. It’s basically really strong Velcro where both sides are of the plastic hook type. It’s very strong. We used it to hold number plates on super cars for testing and they never came off even at 170mph plus (on a track). It does end up being about 3mm thick when it’s mated together though so might create an unsightly step. It would stop the panel flexing at that joint though it that’s a problem.
@@mopedmarathon Hmmm. I'll have a think about that. I use the dual-lock to secure the number plates on the car, so could try it out elsewhere.
I have to ask, is the ford duratec engine worth it? I've heard the k-series engine or even a rotary is great in this car, but I would assume the downside to a rotary makes it less practical off the track with the warm ups and fuel mileage drop. But otherwise, it does have a weight advantage. Any experience with other engines? Do you have issues with the Duratec?
HI, thats a very good question. To answer the last part first, I’ve had no problems with the Duratec, and I’ve not heard any problems from other owners. Caterham even makes a supercharged version that is another level again from mine. They do also still sell a 2.5L Duratec in the European market that I’ve heard is very impressive. Then Caterham now sell a 600cc Suzuki engined version of the car that many owners love for its light weight and therefore great handling - nowhere neat as performant, but a lot of people really like it as a fun car on the road and track. The k-series engines are often loved by Seven owners as a free revving and lighter version, but of course they are now older cars only, and not available as a new purchase - but I know owners who would absolutely not “trade up” to a Duratec because the love the character of the k-series so much. Personally, I’m a bit fan of the 2.0L Duratec due to its lazy town and country driving but can be a beast on track too. I have no experience of rotary based Seven’s so can’t give any opinion there. Perhaps one of the downsides of the Duratec’s is that they get very hot, and there’s a lot for heat soak into the passenger compartment - which can be a pain on hot summer’s days, touring, or on track, where you can’t get away from the heat (makes for toasty knees). The Duratec’s are also a bit heavy, so handling isn’t perhaps the same, they can push on a bit in corners and not as nimble as a k-series or Sigma car. I love my 2.0L Duratec, it’s just right for me. But you’ll hear many other Caterham owners say the same about their completely different cars too. You pays you money and takes your choice. Hope that helped, maybe not. It’s a complicated subject with not one right answer.
@@Purplemeanie Great feedback. Appreciated.
I understand your concern about the fiberglass wheel wells any time I’m drilling or cutting PCV pipe, plastic house siding anything anything that turns to dust in the air? 🤷🏻♂️I worry about my lungs🤔🤦🏻♂️👍🏻✨
Absolutely. I had to put a new rear wing on the car a couple of weeks ago and I was even more careful this time… can’t be too careful with your lungs! Thanks for commenting 👍🏼
I know this is old but if you are still around, where would the Caterham 7 Fireblade fit in the Caterham lineup.
Thank you. The Caterham is still my favorite car to drive in Grand Turismo 6. Once I figured out how not to flip it😅
Lightweights Forever!
Hi… thanks for watching and the comment. I’m not a Caterham Fireblade expert but I know people who are huge fans of that concept - light motorbike engine in a light car chassis - and people who have the Fireblade Caterham and love it. I must see if I can have a drive in one one day and get back to you. Some people say that motorbike engines is now Caterham will get out of the current discontinuation of Ford engines (and many other car engines) that Caterham are experiencing at the moment.
Mighty disappointed that you didn't give us a nice full tour of the finished car.
You actually think we wanted to see you at the end, jabbering about various things?
We sure did want to see the complete vehicle, running, cornering, etc, etc.
It's as if you showed us how you make and bake a cake...but you don't let us see taste the finished product.
Sack your Producer/Director. You left off the Ending.
Yeah, maybe it was 'the end' for you, having working with it for months, but you forgot your audience.
Hi Dan. I don't disagree with you. Unfortunately I got sick not long after finishing the car and didn't drive it for a long time. Then I put the build video out thinking only my family would watch it, so I was surprised by the number of views! There are are couple more videos of me driving it now, like the Fish and Chip Run video. If you check the rest of my videos you'll see me driving it around.
Why do Brits pronounce garage like that? Like us Canadians, you kept pretty much every other French-influenced spelling and pronunciation. Heck, even Yankees use the French pronunciation. Why did you choose to change that one word? It's so bizarre.
Why do Brits pronounce garage like that?... we can't help it! It's a tomato-tomato thing! 🤣
I love this build and the video edit. Informative, detailed and to the point. Congratulations on the build too! It looks awesome!
Thanks D R. Comment much appreciated! There should be lots of cool stuff to make videos about in 2021.
I would love to do a catheram build, but only ordering the body, seats, lights and fenders, and get all the mecanicals parts of a subaru WRX! I know the flat engine wont sit in the engine bay, and a lot of electronics will have to be messed with to just have the car starting, and that custom axle would be needed, but I mean, why not?
That would be a pretty amazing build. Go for it!
Great video, i am toying with the idea myself on getting a 420r. Just out of intrest is it much cheaper unbuilt ? Thank you for putting such a great video togther wonderful
Hi there, thanks for watching. I think a kit is about £2k cheaper than a prebuilt one. You should talk to a dealer to talk about options though as i think wait times a quite long at the moment. Good luck! 👍🏻
Just watched your build video. Congratulations, that is a nice car! I was surprised about you installing an oil tank! Does this engine have a dry sump?
Yep, it does. There's a theory that the Ford 2.0L Duratec can suffer from oil starvation when cornering hard on tracks. There's not a lot of evidence for that theory but I thought it best to be safe rather than sorry. Thanks for watching.
Great video, very comprehensive.
Thanks.
Watch out - that creepy crawly bug that climbs along the bottom of garage-door casing at 13.50 may still be in your garage :lol:
It is... it’s a pet slug called Brian! :-)
Nice union Jack mug on the bench. Five quid sainsburys. Got one the same. Pity there're made in China
!!.
Yeh… its my favourite mug. 😀 Thanks for watching 👍🏼
Hi, I am from Germany and want to ask if somebody knows If Caterham sell the Kits in other countrys too. 🙈🏎
Unfortunately no. You might be able to arrange for a kit to be delivered to someone in the UK and then get it shipped to Germany, but Caterham always say that European laws don’t allow for kit builds other than in the UK. I suspect kit builds here are also going to stop in the next few years too. Shame.
Yes diff oil stinks, believe it or not but once when draining old diff lube out of my corvette I had to keep a cat from lapping it up out of the drain pan. So it must smell good to cats or at least that cat.
Sounds like I should make another video testing which cats like diff oil... 😆
That catalytic converter looks awefull...
What don't you like about it? Personally I like the "chunkiness" it give the car. But I know lots of people who remove the cat and reduce or remove the silencer to get that sleeker look.
Presumably you figured out the tire tread directions were screwed up. EDIT: I guess you did.
🤣 Absolutely! You’re not the first to notice! 🤣 Thanks for taking the time to comment though! 👍🏻👍🏻
Lol. You said 'trimmed the Allen socket with a hacksaw'.... I'll bet that took a bloody hour
You’re right... it did! :-)
Great video, maintaining the excellent high standards of your blog.
Glad you enjoyed it David!
Kia Ora & Good Evening from Caribbean Drive, Unsworth Heights, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand ...Another Great Video Bro.
Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it. Driving a Seven around NZ would be one of my “win the lottery” bucket lists items! 👍🏼
If I've learned anything from this video, it's that I have no hope of building a Caterham 7.
There’s always hope! Thanks for taking the time to watch the video.
As is tradition, the most difficult parts can be summed up as British wiring.
Yeh... but i think i also made a meal of it :-)
Unreal that these are now circa £53K for a factory built one with a few basic options included!
Yep, that’s bonkers isn’t it. People are still queuing up though 🤷♂️. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
Way back in the early sixties I was driving a truck to Harlow to deliver steel tubing to the Lotus Factory when a little aluminum-bodied toboggan passed me as if I was parked. It was one of the original Sevens built at the Lotus Works. That day was when I first saw and fell in love with what is now the Caterham Seven. At that time the original car was powered by an A Series BMC 1000cc (997cc really), they were easily obtained and easy to work on and produced good "HP" at that time I also part-owned a MINI group 3 Saloon which was also powered by an A Series 997cc, I was the dog's body mechanic (with ten-inch steel fingers) and driver of the little beast.
I still haven't given up the idea of owning one *Caterham Seven* but have no desire now (at my time of life) to build one myself although I have given a hand in a couple of other builds. It all looks too hard and would play havoc with my aging bones. But, thank You for an excellent video and "WELL DONE TOO"
Thanks for the comment Brian. I like to think you're never too old to follow your dreams. John
Am new to this, how much did the full kit cost and how much is the finished car worth, hope you don’t mind me asking.
Hi Neil, I’m not up with latest pricing but I think kits start at about £20k and go up to £40k+. Top of the range (factory build only) 620’s are well over £50k, certainly once you have a few options.