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.
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.
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.
Phenomenal video! Years back had a buddy who had been a professional photographer for a major race team, and he was bonkers about the car. He owned the local hobby shop and sales were secondary to talking about its virtues. Being a former aircraft mechanic myself, he found a fellow gearhead to bounce ideas with. Will be back!
Thanks for the comment. I think anyone who gets a ride in a Seven never forgets it, or in fact many get the bug and have to scratch it by buying one. They're not for everyone, but any gear-head will appreciate them.
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! It's called Lotus Aubergine. If I'd have known the internet had such a thing about aubergines (eggplant) then perhaps we'd have gone for another colour 🤣
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.
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.
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.
I took a break from building my Van's RV-8 aircraft and watched this; it helped inspire me to get back to work. Don't get me started on R.T.F.M. moments... I had to drill a hole in an interior wall and feed my aileron tubes into the wings (one through the fuselage as well) just because I missed the sentence: "If you're building in close quarters, the aileron tubes should be inserted into the wings before fitting the wings to the fuselage." I've a few build-related videos on my channel... can't wait until I'll post a first-flight video.
Absolute perfection! Entertaining and informative from the first second and compulsive watching till the credit roll! Congratulations on a beautiful build sir!
Currently building an academy car, so many little pointers which were a massive help like polishing out the front ARB sockets due to power coat build up!! Thanks! 🙌🙌
You’re welcome. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’d have the time to do Academy but that looks to be an awesome experience. Especially if its anything like Rob Oldland’s experience. Thanks for watching!
It's fun watching this as I think my build done around 2004/2005 is perhaps the longest ever at way over a year (all hell broke loose at work within days of the kit arriving meaning I almost totally shelved the build for about 7 months!) I remember spending many a happy hour over items like the headlights and the boot cover fitting (back then this was left to the customer) Being an awkward sort I did the build entirely on my own except for having someone slide a bolt in while I bench-pressed the diff into place.
@@Purplemeanie Thanks for the reply. Oh, yes, I'm never giving it up. I have wanted one since I was a kid in the late 1950s or early 60s having seen a review in Autocar or Motor (I forget which) so it was fantastic to be able to satisfy that desire so many years later. I was also a great "Prisoner" fan. Anyway, I saw a picture of a bare-metal/green Classic in Evo in about 2004 and that just triggered me off to order one (the only time, I think, I have ever blown serious money without gaining full "family manager" permission beforehand). My younger daughter is going to prize the keys from my cold hand when the time comes...
Hope when my son is a bit older we can build one of these together…. It looks a lot more difficult than I thought…but I’d rather know a car inside and out that I’m going to track…no better way than to build it yourself lol Gorgeous spec, love the purple. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the comment and watch. If you’ve got a reasonable level of practical knowledge then building a Caterham isn’t too difficult. I’m probably biased, but the quality of the kits from Caterham are better than others, but of course that’s reflected in the cost. Hope you manage to get one built at some point 👍🏻
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.
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.
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. 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!
I own a 1927 bugatti replica built on a vw chassis, and a replica 65 Shelby cobra... This is the newest self built dream car I need in my garage!!!!!!😍😍😍👍👍
:-) About 250 people build a Caterham every year in the UK (or at least start one). I'm amazed I seem to be the first to document it on RUclips, but I'm not that unique.
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 great video of a car that must be an endless blast to drive! You must take immense satisfaction in having built it with your own hands and some help from good friends. Well done!
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 have a countach replica 'kit' in the garage, its been around a few people i suspect in the 30 years since it was first 'built' and is still not finished. I haven't started yet, watched your video to get an idea of whats involved - made me realise how I definetly dont have a 'kit' car - no instructions, no made-to-fit parts, intended engine hadn't even been designed when the car was first built, so I am going to need to learn a heck of a lot of skills - but for me, the main thing is the experience of building the car and what I learn through it. I hope to document it on YT too.
great build video. looks like even Caterham which comes in a semi assembled kit, there is still a lot of work to do and fiddling around to get everything to fit right. 2004 i built a Tiger kit car, you have to do a lot more as you get the chassis bare frame, some bodywork and suspension pieces etc and have to supply your own engine and gearbox. It was a good learning experience and like yourself i remember i had a wet day for the vehicle test day. If i had the money, time and a garage i would love to build another kit car someday.
Yeh… you’re right, the Caterham’s come with a lot more already done than other kits…. And more than I was expecting to be honest. Good luck with any future builds!
Great summary and over view of the build. Thanks so much for pulling this together, hard to find a better description in 30 minutes. I'd be happy to buy your car, very professionally done and I'd say I have some reasonable perspective on making that call as a professional manufacturing engineering manager :-)
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.
Wow, I’ve always wanted to do something like this with my dad. Looks like such a good patience tester, and character builder. Looks like it would be tons of fun afterwards also. Just wish there was kit company like this in South Africa 🙊🙊
It was definitely great fun, and a great sense of achievement. Unfortunately it’s more and more difficult for companies to sell kits. Would be awesome to drive in the sun in SA though!👍🏻
I couldn't tell from the video but if you neatly twist all the wires together before heatshrink it can help reduce the overall bundle diameter which may make it easier to pass the wire through the headlamp stalks.
Thanks Ryan. I didn’t do that. But I can see that doing that would create a minimal diameter cable assembly. I’ll have to remember that for the future.
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/
2 года назад
Well thank God for Ted, without him you were scuppered.
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.
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
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
Very cool build. I think its funny that your MoD requirements innthe UK are so strict but the car doesn't offer much more protection than a motorcycle, let alone compared to modern car designs. Still, a fun car and must be a blast to drive!
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.
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?
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.
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.
'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
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!
🤣
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!
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!
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!
“James does it need a washer yes or no?” - Jeremy Clarkson
🤣
I hope they went back and put all the washers in. LOL
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.
Driving in the rain to the SVA with no wiper, hanging out the side made me proud to be British. Top bloking.
Thank you. I pride myself on going the extra bloking mile! 😀
Phenomenal video! Years back had a buddy who had been a professional photographer for a major race team, and he was bonkers about the car. He owned the local hobby shop and sales were secondary to talking about its virtues. Being a former aircraft mechanic myself, he found a fellow gearhead to bounce ideas with. Will be back!
Thanks for the comment. I think anyone who gets a ride in a Seven never forgets it, or in fact many get the bug and have to scratch it by buying one. They're not for everyone, but any gear-head will appreciate them.
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.
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
I MUST get one of these one day..
Well I would agree with that... but I am a bit biased :-)
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!
Stunning colour
Thanks! It's called Lotus Aubergine. If I'd have known the internet had such a thing about aubergines (eggplant) then perhaps we'd have gone for another colour 🤣
@@Purplemeanie Nooo, I think the colour is perfect.
Think I should have gone for that when I had the TVR resprayed
I greatly admire your patience and ability. Your car looks great too.
Thanks, I’m very lucky to be able to drive it around.
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.
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.
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 👍🏻
I took a break from building my Van's RV-8 aircraft and watched this; it helped inspire me to get back to work. Don't get me started on R.T.F.M. moments... I had to drill a hole in an interior wall and feed my aileron tubes into the wings (one through the fuselage as well) just because I missed the sentence: "If you're building in close quarters, the aileron tubes should be inserted into the wings before fitting the wings to the fuselage." I've a few build-related videos on my channel... can't wait until I'll post a first-flight video.
Awesome! I’ll take a look at your channel. I think we’re all long standing members of the RTFM club! :-)
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!
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!
good choice on the body colour
Thanks!
Awesome Video! I have wanted to build a Caterham for years!
Go for it!
Currently building an academy car, so many little pointers which were a massive help like polishing out the front ARB sockets due to power coat build up!! Thanks! 🙌🙌
You’re welcome. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’d have the time to do Academy but that looks to be an awesome experience. Especially if its anything like Rob Oldland’s experience. Thanks for watching!
It's fun watching this as I think my build done around 2004/2005 is perhaps the longest ever at way over a year (all hell broke loose at work within days of the kit arriving meaning I almost totally shelved the build for about 7 months!) I remember spending many a happy hour over items like the headlights and the boot cover fitting (back then this was left to the customer) Being an awkward sort I did the build entirely on my own except for having someone slide a bolt in while I bench-pressed the diff into place.
Great to hear your story Colin. Have you still got the car?
@@Purplemeanie Thanks for the reply. Oh, yes, I'm never giving it up. I have wanted one since I was a kid in the late 1950s or early 60s having seen a review in Autocar or Motor (I forget which) so it was fantastic to be able to satisfy that desire so many years later. I was also a great "Prisoner" fan. Anyway, I saw a picture of a bare-metal/green Classic in Evo in about 2004 and that just triggered me off to order one (the only time, I think, I have ever blown serious money without gaining full "family manager" permission beforehand).
My younger daughter is going to prize the keys from my cold hand when the time comes...
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! 👍🏼
Wow, I couldn’t do that, but it’s been fantastic to watch, thank you so much for sharing. Enjoy 🏁👍
Thanks for watching! 👍🏼
Hope when my son is a bit older we can build one of these together…. It looks a lot more difficult than I thought…but I’d rather know a car inside and out that I’m going to track…no better way than to build it yourself lol
Gorgeous spec, love the purple. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the comment and watch. If you’ve got a reasonable level of practical knowledge then building a Caterham isn’t too difficult. I’m probably biased, but the quality of the kits from Caterham are better than others, but of course that’s reflected in the cost. Hope you manage to get one built at some point 👍🏻
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.
Now i'm thinking of buying one and building it with my dad! Would be an awesome project! Thanks man
Good luck!
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.
Great video, loved the creepy crawly running up the wall at 13.51ish
Glad you liked it. That was actually a slug crawling up the wall :-)
Thanks for sharing! Definitely on my bucket list.
Go for it!
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!
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.
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.
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!
😀👍🏼
I'll buy a kit when I'll retire. I dream of it since I begun working and I'm over halfway there ❤️
It’s a great project to do… so good luck with getting to yours.
Thanks for taking the time to set this up. great guide.
You’re welcome. I really enjoyed making the car, and the video… double win! 😀
I own a 1927 bugatti replica built on a vw chassis, and a replica 65 Shelby cobra...
This is the newest self built dream car I need in my garage!!!!!!😍😍😍👍👍
It would be rude not to then! 😉
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.
Half way through... bloody hell hats off to you
:-)
About 250 people build a Caterham every year in the UK (or at least start one). I'm amazed I seem to be the first to document it on RUclips, but I'm not that unique.
Great video, very comprehensive.
Thanks.
So cool, love these cars!
Me too!
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! 🤣
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.
Fantastic video. What a great job you have done.
Thanks. And thanks for watching
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 RUclips 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.
That purple is gorgeous!
Yeh, often get that comment, looks even better in person. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 👍🏻
@@Purplemeanie great video of a car that must be an endless blast to drive! You must take immense satisfaction in having built it with your own hands and some help from good friends. Well done!
Great video, maintaining the excellent high standards of your blog.
Glad you enjoyed it David!
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 😄💯👍
That’s so cool to do it your self
Thanks. It was a life long bucket list item. Really glad I did it.
that's a great idea to photograph everything first
A bit OCD though 😉. Thanks for commenting 👍🏼
Thoroughly enjoyed this build video as I have a hankering to do a Caterham myself, one day.
Glad you enjoyed it, and good luck with getting a build underway.
Great video. Well done!
Thanks!
I have a countach replica 'kit' in the garage, its been around a few people i suspect in the 30 years since it was first 'built' and is still not finished. I haven't started yet, watched your video to get an idea of whats involved - made me realise how I definetly dont have a 'kit' car - no instructions, no made-to-fit parts, intended engine hadn't even been designed when the car was first built, so I am going to need to learn a heck of a lot of skills - but for me, the main thing is the experience of building the car and what I learn through it. I hope to document it on YT too.
That sounds like one heck of a project. Good luck... and I look forward to seeing the videos.
Well done. A very handsome car.
Thank you! 🤩
Great Video . No small feat - v impressive !
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed watching!
Huge respect to you! I’m thinking of one day building one & your video has made me realise how much I want to!! Thanks
Thanks for the comment and glad I could be some inspiration for you having a go. I hope you manage to have a go and good luck!
Well done...gives me great confidence! Thanks
You mean, even I could do it? Too true! 🤣
Wish such a project was possible here in Canada .. thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!
great build video. looks like even Caterham which comes in a semi assembled kit, there is still a lot of work to do and fiddling around to get everything to fit right.
2004 i built a Tiger kit car, you have to do a lot more as you get the chassis bare frame, some bodywork and suspension pieces etc and have to supply your own engine and gearbox. It was a good learning experience and like yourself i remember i had a wet day for the vehicle test day.
If i had the money, time and a garage i would love to build another kit car someday.
Yeh… you’re right, the Caterham’s come with a lot more already done than other kits…. And more than I was expecting to be honest. Good luck with any future builds!
Great summary and over view of the build. Thanks so much for pulling this together, hard to find a better description in 30 minutes. I'd be happy to buy your car, very professionally done and I'd say I have some reasonable perspective on making that call as a professional manufacturing engineering manager
:-)
Thanks for your vote of confidence! Much appreciated!! 👏🏻
you earn an award
Thank you!
Nice build vid. ... been there, done that, ... doh!
:-) It seems such a long time ago now!
Fantastic video, thanks so much for sharing!
You’re very welcome!
This is so cool! Thank you for the video.
No problem. Glad you liked it. 👍🏻
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.
Cracking video!
Thanks Mark. Hopefully it'll be useful to people getting into a build.
Purplemeanie definitely, though your blog is brilliant, it was my goto source during my build.
This is great, very well done. 👍
Thanks!
Well done. Magic👍
Glad you liked it!
Great video! Brings back good memories of building mine!
Glad you enjoyed it!
One day I will own a Caterham 7.... thanks for the video.
You’re welcome! 👍🏻
Wow, I’ve always wanted to do something like this with my dad. Looks like such a good patience tester, and character builder. Looks like it would be tons of fun afterwards also. Just wish there was kit company like this in South Africa 🙊🙊
It was definitely great fun, and a great sense of achievement. Unfortunately it’s more and more difficult for companies to sell kits. Would be awesome to drive in the sun in SA though!👍🏻
@@Purplemeanie I’ll definitely keep searching and find one soon... hopefully 🤞
I couldn't tell from the video but if you neatly twist all the wires together before heatshrink it can help reduce the overall bundle diameter which may make it easier to pass the wire through the headlamp stalks.
Thanks Ryan. I didn’t do that. But I can see that doing that would create a minimal diameter cable assembly. I’ll have to remember that for the future.
Lot of hard work there. Congrats
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
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 ! :-)
Great video
Thanks!
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/
Well thank God for Ted, without him you were scuppered.
It’s always good to have a helpful neighbour! 🤣
Great presentation style. Thanks for the vid. Inspiring
You’re welcome, thanks for watching.
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.
Love the video, thanks for sharing. Its a bucket list item to build my own car and caterham seems ideal.
Can’t go wrong with a Caterham. There will be bumps but great fun.
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.
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
Nice vid. Well done.
Thanks!
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: ruclips.net/channel/UCovER5GiegKYCctnxP9VwoQ
that was really entertaining to watch... thanks for posting...
You're welcome Charles, glad you liked it.
What you really needed was Mr Clarksons expertise exsperiance and help with the build ! .
Personally, I think I’d go with James to help out :-)
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 👍🏼
I can flop into a caterham but can't get out !!
Why would you want to get out??! 🤣
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
Lol. You said 'trimmed the Allen socket with a hacksaw'.... I'll bet that took a bloody hour
You’re right... it did! :-)
Very cool build. I think its funny that your MoD requirements innthe UK are so strict but the car doesn't offer much more protection than a motorcycle, let alone compared to modern car designs. Still, a fun car and must be a blast to drive!
I totally agree! But yes, it's great fun to drive. 👍🏻
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.
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!