More building...
27/11/2011
A little more work on the build today. Yes, I know the car is officially finished, checked by Caterham, and officially declared road-legal, but there is actually a little more to do.
You see, there are certain items that are considered necessary for racing, but which cannot be brought within the rules of the IVA test. These need to be attended to after the car is registered; it seems that the IVA test demands a stricter compliance with rules than is required for the rest of the car's life - utter madness. Also, some of the items actually increase the safety of the car, but in a way that is deemed unacceptable - again, utter madness.
So, today I re-fitted the pull handle for the fire extinguisher and connected the cable to the extinguisher in the boot. A gentle experimental tug on the handle suggests that it works; I hope that I never get beyond the testing stage with that part.
I also moved the nearside wing mirror back to the right place (as set out in the build manual). Caterham moved it to a new, higher position, presumably to make the IVA tester happy. In that position, it is all but useless for me. Given the "limited" visibility available in a 7 with the hood up, I've been missing it, and I'm pleased to have it back.
Then there is a headrest which fixes to the roll cage behind the driver's head and supports the seat's headrest. This is also the only headrest if you replace the standard Tillett seats with the custom-made bag seats, which it looks like I may have to do. The rules require my head (with helmet) to be at least 50mm below the top of the roll cage, which it is not. Some adjustment of the seat is possible, to tilt me back a little, but to be honest it looks a lost cause as (ith a helmet) I can actually clonk my head on the cage. I plan to have a day at Caterham Midlands to give it the first service, sort out the seat, and do a corner weighting setup, so I'll wait til then.
Next on the list is a side impact bar (driver's side only...!). I don't seem to have any instructions for that, but it is quite straightforward and just bolts on in three places. However, one of those bolts is behind the seat, which is therefore going to have to come out. As I had a bit of a nightmare fitting the seat, I think I'll leave this one until we fiddle with the seat at Caterham Midlands!
There is also an extra rear light, which I don't have instructions for and for which the fitting process is not obvious, and the small matter of sealing the boot floor with silicone and aluminium tape. I have the tape (courtesy of Caterham parts), but I don't think I have enough silicone. Those will have to wait then, as well.
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