Caterham Build Diary. 11-21 January 2000 - part 1

<body BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#1010A0"> <H1 ALIGN=CENTER>Caterham 7 Build Diary<br>11<sup>th</sup>-21<sup>st</sup> January 2000</H1> <br><br> <p align=center> <table width=90%> <tr> <td background="Date_bar.jpg"><font size=+1>Tuesday, 11<sup>th</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> 6pm - The car arrives in San Francisco Airport aboard United Airlines Flight 931 - it's in the country !! <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Thursday, 13<sup>th</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> Paperwork is with customs, should be made available tomorrow.<br> Found out that shipping to Milpitas will cost another $278 and they won't be able to off-load it unless I get a forklift truck !!<br> Looks like I will have to hire a "U-haul" and a fork lift ..... gloom. <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Friday, 14<sup>th</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> <p align=justify> Well, today I went up to Vantage Point Services to collect the customs papers. I need to pick the papers up today because they are not open tomorrow (Saturday).</p> <p align=justify> I spent about 3 hours on the phone trying to find a way of getting the boxes off the truck at this end. The main problem is that one of the boxes is 11 feet long and weighs about 700lbs. Not the sort of thing you can easily manhandle!! The best I came up with was to hire a truck and a forklift to get the boxes off the truck. This was going to cost over $300 ! Then I had the good fortune to speak to a Guy Simpson, another mad Englishman who is crazy enough to build one of these things. He told me that the way he had got his "7" off the back of the truck was to hire a truck with a hydraulic lift and lift / slide the box out in stages. I was sceptical, but it was the only option left.</p> <p align=justify> Armed with this information, I rang the following rental companies to try and find a suitably sized truck with a hydaulic lift. All these ....<br><br> <li>United Rentals <li>U-Haul <li>San Jose Forklift <li>Budget <li>Ryder<br><br> ... were a wash.<br><br> I finaly tried Monarch, and they came up trumps. </p><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Saturday, 15<sup>th</sup> January 2000 - <strong>The big day !!</strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> <p align=justify> What a day! I woke up at the usual time, got ready and left at 9:35am to pick up Ian, my brother, who had said that he would give me a hand collecting the car. At his place he couldn't be stirred ! At 9:50, we left for Monarch truck rentals. Thinking it was on North 1<sup>st</sup> Street between 101 and McKee, we head off for San Jose. Amazingly (you will see why later) we see a big sign saying "Monarch car rental" by the side of the road. We take the next turn and see a big building with a Monarch truck outside. However, all this is just pure coincedence! The sign is old and the big building is some manufacturing plant.<br><br> We find a local Togo's sandwich place that has a phone outside. There is a Yellow Pages so I don't bother to ring because I find out that the address is actually North <strong>30<sup>th</sup></strong> Street Between Alum Rock and McKee off 101 - ooops !!<br><br> So, we get to Monarch, rent this <strong>huge</strong> truck and I head off for San Francisco Airport.<br><br> At the airport, I go to what I was told by Ned at Vantage Point Services was the United Airline Cargo Building - only to find it is closed. However, there is a big sign saying things like "Maintainance" and "Employee Entrance" but none for cargo or freight. I turn the truck around (not an easy task!) and head off back to the first set of traffic lights you come to off the freeway. There I saw a sign for "North Cargo Area". Following the road around, you eventually come to a sign that says "No unauthorized vehicles beyond this point", with an armed police officer in a little hut and a bar gate (reminiscent of the border crossing into the Czech Republic - but that's another story ...). I ask the officer where "UA Cargo building No.5" is and after a quick phone call tells me is is back down the road I have just come up, past the first UA building I tried and almost all the way to the passenger terminals - thanks Ned! (not).<br><br> So, once again I turn the truck around (big space, so it's easy this time), and head off in search of the elusive UA Cargo building No.5. After going all the way down McDonald Road practically to the passenger terminal, I am about to give up and turn around when I spot it - Hurray !!<br><br> After being served by a very rude man who was more concerned with reading his newspaper than giving me good service, I am told to go to Dock No.9. There I find someone who, after establishing what I want to do, tells me to stand outside and tell him when a forklift turns up. So I stand, like a lemon, watching these forklifts go back and forth wondering if I have to flag one down like a taxi or whether one will just turn up! Then someone else tells me to back my truck up to Dock 12 or 13. Not being terribly superstisious and fearing that I might scrape the nice, shiny behemoth of a truck parked in Dock 11, I opt for Dock 13. Just after I finish this delicate operation, my boxes turn up on the prongs of a forklift and my heart skips a beat - finaly, the car is in my posession!<br><br> Off back down the 101. Time passes quickly and soon, I am back at home in Milpitas.<br><br> Now the real fun starts - how do I get 3 boxes, one of which is 11 feet long and two of which weigh more than 600lbs off the back of the truck, which is about 5 feet in the air, and into the garage ?<br><br> We try ringing Ian (remember Ian?), but his phone says he "can't answer the phone right now", so we leave a message. Meanwhile, I take the lid off the 11 foot box only to find that the car is the wrong colour! It is <strong>ALL</strong> yellow. I specifically asked for plain panels with a yellow nose cone and wings. Hmmmph! Oh well, at least the paint-job was free.<br><br> Ian finally turns up giving the excuse that his girlfriend was having an emotional crisis! He didn't think about the emotional crisis I was about to go through if I couldn't get the car off the back of the truck by nightfall!<br><br> Anyway, with time pressing on, we set about the job in hand with a vengance.<br><br> For the big box, we used the technique used by Guy Simpson with his car, now known as the "Guy Simpson Method". It sounds dangerous<font size=+1><strong>*</strong></font> but works very well. This is what you do ...</p> <font size=+1>Step 1</font><br><br> That's the same flight I took - it's strange leaving so late. I went and saw Quantum of Solace at lunch time the day I flew and had a very leisurely day. Far different to the usual early morning panic. I liked it :-) I think I saw the aurora around midnight CA time, right before trying to put my head down for the night. As for the CV - that's up to you. I took the liberty of checking our public web site for jobs and I couldn't see any that I thought had your name on them, but you might think differently. I would say that having your CV on record is a good thing - even if you don't get a bunch of interviews straight away. The public web site is not always up-to-date or even accurate in terms of the actual openings available. I think you need to decide what you want to do too. If you approach it like "I'm good, here's what I think I can do for NVIDIA" rather than "what kind of job can NVIDIA offer me", you will find it easier to get noticed. They like energetic, self motivated people who are passionate about what they do (well, what company doesn't). Your interest in Pixar and animated movies could be a plus - it fits in with one of our core businesses. We also have an event planning team which might interest you - though that's based in Santa Clara. And they always give preference to recommendations (means they don't have to pay recruiters ;-), though I obviously can't make any promises about the outcome. The bottom line is - nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you think you're interested, let me know a little bit more about what you'd like to do and I'll forward your CV. It will likely take a while before you hear anything - which I know isn't going to help, come January - but at least the ball will be rolling. Whatever happens over the next few months, I wish you the best of luck - keep up that lovely positive outlook :-) Wayne Move the box so that it is resting on the tail lift with the balance point just on the edge of the hydraulic lift.<br><br> <font size=+1>Step 2</font><br><br> <p align=justify> Lower the lift - slowly - until the box slides off onto the floor. Don't worry about it sliding off completely, the runners underneath catch on the edge of the rear of the truck. Keep the lift half way up so that it is still under the box.</p> <font size=+1>Step 3</font><br><br> <p align=justify> Now use the lift in conjunction with jiggling the box back and forth until the end of the box that is still in the truck moves past the end of the truck bed. Then jiggle some more until the very end of the box is resting on the edge of the lift - <strong>DON'T PULL TOO FAR!</strong> Then lower the lift to the ground and push the box off onto the floor.<br><br> Spent the first evening un-packing and checking things out. Ian lent me two axle stands so that I could at least start putting on the front suspension. Unfortunately, work stopped quickly because I need to go shopping for things like grease. Not only that, but Caterham have shipped the wrong Assembly Guide! It's 10:30pm and I am tired, so that's it for today. </p> <table align=center border=1> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_01_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Just after arrival.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_02_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>My little helper :-)</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_03_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>"It's <strong>ALL</strong> yellow!!"</font> </td> </tr> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_04_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Even with 2 - "The Big One" is quite a handfull.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_05_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>This is where it stayed for the next 6 weeks.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_06_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>The last box - and the only one you can shift yourself.</font> </td> </tr> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_07_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Brrrrm, brrrrm !!</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_09_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>All the boxes in. Phew !!</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_15_11_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>The scene just before I went to bed.</font> </td> </tr> </table> <br><br> <strong>*Disclaimer</strong> <font sixe=-1>Neither Guy Simpson, nor I accept any responsibilty for any damage or injury cause whilst performing an operation according to these steps or similar to these steps. All liabilty is assumed by the individual performing the operation.</font> <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Sunday 16<sup>th</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> After a very frustrating day sitting on the garage floor with Ian, trying to figure out how to assemble the front suspension from drawings for a different car, I finally get to talk to Guy and arrange to pick up a spare copy of the correct guide. Come home and make a start - at last !!<br><br> Managed to do the right hand side front suspension and most of the LHS too. Finished at about 12:30am <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Monday 17<sup>th</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> <p align=justify> Finish off LHS front suspension and start to tackle the rear. Biggest achievement of the day was fitting the differential and propeller shaft - what a job!. The thing is really heavy and awkward, made even more so by the fact that you have to attach the prop' shaft before you put it in the car.<br><br> After lying on my back trying to "bench press" it in, I gave up. Getting seriously worried about not being able to put it in without some help, I hit upon the idea of using ratchet straps to hoist the thing up. I slung them over and through the hood (roof) stays at the back and under the diff'.<br><br> After that, putting in the drive shafts and DeDion tube was easy. Found my first missing part - the LH thread axle hub nut that holds the LHS wheel hub on.<br><br> Also attached the FIA Rollbar - but only loosely.</p> <table align=center border=1> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_17_01_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>The red rags on the wing stays are to prevent injury.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_17_02_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Front right suspension.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_17_03_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Rear right hub. (Rear of the car to the left)</font> </td> </tr> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_17_04_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Differential and drive shafts. The long tube connecting the two hubs is the DeDion tube.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_17_05_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Top of the front right suspension.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_17_06_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Back view of the right front suspension. The steering is not connected up yet.</font> </td> </tr> </table> <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Tuesday 18<sup>th</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> Up at 4:30am to leave the house at 5:30 to take Sharon and Eve to Oakland Airport for their flight to Baltimore. <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Wednesday 19<sup>th</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> <li>Attached rear shocks. <li>Attached RH rear brake caliper. <li>Fitted Handbrake and cable. Only attached to RHS rear brake caliper. <li>Fitted cockpit heater - like you really need one in California! Oh well, Sharon insisted ... <li>Fitted rear cockpit wall carpet. <li>Fitted passenger's side seat belts.<br><br> <table align=center border=1> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_19_01_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Starting to look like I am building a car - not an aeroplane!</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_19_02_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Rear right suspension finished.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_19_03_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Cooool ....</font> </td> </tr> </table> <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Thursday 20<sup>th</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> <li>Put poppers on boot cover. <li>Glued passenger's side footwell carpet. <li>Fitted passenger's side seat. <li>Fitted driver's side seat belts.<br><br> <table align=center border=1> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_20_01_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_20_02_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"> </td> </tr> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_20_03_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Boot cover on the back.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_20_04_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Left rear suspension.</font> </td> </tr> </table> <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td background=Date_bar.jpg><font size=+1>Friday 21<sup>st</sup> January 2000</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br> Sat in Wheelworks for nearly 3 hours getting new tires put on the Jeep - how long does it take to change 4 tires!<br><br> <li>Glued driver's side footwell carpet. <li>Fitted driver's side seat. <li>Fitted engine bay heat shield. <li>Attached stainless steel rear wing protectors to rear wings.<br><br> <table align=center border=1> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_21_01_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_21_02_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Both seats in.</font> </td> </tr> <tr height=256> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_21_03_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Engine compartment heatshield material installed. Note the absense of the left hand top cross member.</font> </td> <td width=256 align=center><img src="2000_jan_21_04_thumb.jpg" border=0 alt="click for bigger picture"><br> <font size=-1>Right rear wheel arch - so shiny, you could shave in it!</font> </td> </tr> </table> <br><br></td> </tr> </table> <P> <A HREF=index.htm>Back to the ganimede home page...</A> </P> <hr width=50% size=2 noshade> <P ALIGN=CENTER> <A HREF=cat7.htm> <IMG SRC=small_back.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="Back to Caterham page" width=57 height=60></A> <A HREF=ganimede.htm> <IMG SRC=small_gan.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="Ganimede page" width=57 height=60></A> <A HREF=cgi.htm> <IMG SRC=small_ball.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="Computer Graphics page" width=57 height=60></A> <A HREF=ballooning.htm> <IMG SRC=small_bbac.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="Hot Air Ballooning" width=57 height=60></A> <A HREF=quake.htm> <IMG SRC=small_q.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="QUAKE!" width=57 height=60></A> <A HREF=unreal.htm> <IMG SRC=small_unreal.gif align=center BORDER=0 ALT="Unreal" width=57 height=60></A> <IMG SRC=grey_7_logo.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="My dream car" width=57 height=60> <A HREF=mars.htm> <IMG SRC=small_mars.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="Mars page" width=57 height=60></A> <A HREF=profile.htm> <IMG SRC=small_prof.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="About me" width=57 height=60></A> <A HREF=diary_jan_2.htm> <IMG SRC=small_fwd.jpg align=center BORDER=0 ALT="On to January, part 2 ..." width=57 height=60></A> </P> <hr width=50% size=2 noshade> <P ALIGN=CENTER> &copy 2008 Wayne Young. 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