Front Suspension going in

I wish I could show you some pictures to go with this post but the site seems to be crashing at the point where I upload them so I'll put them up another day.

After a few frustrating moments, several post-watershed utterances and less grazed knuckles than I thought, the front suspension is nearing completion. I've just got to attach the roll bar, and tighten the braided brake hoses to the calipers. Then the female brake unions need doing and that's it.

A few difficulties along the way: I think the upper wishbone is best to attach after you've fitted the spring/damper unit as it gives you a but more space to manoeuvre it in. Then the top bolt to attach the spring/damper unit is an absolute nightmare to remove and re-install. This was easily the most frustrating thing - the only way I found to accomplish the task was to screw it millimetre by millimetre. It took ages.

Apart from that, I learnt to make sure I read the instructions properly - particularly when fitting the 'upright' (screw the plain nut fully home before undoing it again) - and I'm just waiting for my steering rack before feeling like the front is done.

On that subject, the rack should be here on Friday. Caterham now have them but they're waiting for brake pads (which I hadn't realised were missing) to arrive tomorrow before sending them all out to me.

One last bit of chat for this post: I asked my wife to help so that she could be part of the process and I couldn't have built the front without her assistance. It was certainly a two person job on occasion.

I learnt a lot at Mallory

Not strictly build-related but having spent the day looking at cars in various states of build, I learnt how some of the pieces go together. Additionally, speaking with the chaps doing the Caterham Support gave me some tips for the future.

Having been and seen some cars, I could clearly see what I could do while I wait for the steering rack.

I've now built the majority of the front suspension and I'll post something more on this tomorrow.

Finally, it was great to see some of the fellow Academy 10 entrants - all of them mixing a look of enthusiasm, amusment, excitement and terror in one...!

Let the fun begin

Paul (a friend with a van) turned up at my house at 8am. By 8:30, we were bacon-buttied and on our way to Dartford. The 2-hour trip down the M11 proved uneventful with us having missed the worst of the traffic. We got to Caterham at 10:30 and waited a short while for Brian (Sean was off sick!) to help us load the van and trailer with the necessary goodies.

It wasn't what I expected. The chassis got wheeled out on a trolly and left to one side but then the engine got brought out on a lift - we had to load it back on to a wooden engine pallet before strapping it down to the floor of the van. The bigger surprise was a pallet full of a variety of boxes containing everything needed for the build from tie-wraps to a roll cage. The stack was over two meters high...

After an hour and a half of moving and stacking boxes, lifting and strapping-down the chassis and debating the use of a tarp, we were on our way back. Paul chose a different route home which resulted in a trip of over four hours... Seemed like we exhausted our traffic luck in the morning.

The whole super-jigsaw's in the garage now - I've just been out to have a quick check of the contents of the boxes. I think it's all there but the pick-list isn't ordered by box...

One last thing. Brian at Caterham told me the steering rack is the only missing component and it'll be sent as soon as possible - a quick check of the instructions shows the sterring rack is the first item to be fitted...

I collect the kit tomorrow

I've confirmed I can go to Caterham and collect my kit tomorrow. Once I get it back, I'll have to do a stock check (make sure everything's there).

Then the building fun begins!

Welcome to my Build blog

Hello All

This is the start of the blog detailing the progress of my Caterham Academy car build. I'll put progress reports as and when appropriate.

With a bit of luck, I'll be picking my kit up next week which will then start the whole adventure (actually it started back in February 2008 when I paid my deposit...).

I can't wait.