Winter time

So after a final blat with the Essex area team last weekend and falling temperatures it's looking like hibernation time till next Spring. It's been a great 4 months since I picked up the car and we've done 2,200 miles ! First up is a proper clean after last weekend's excursion.

I used some Turtle Wax Rapid Ceramic Spray as a refresh on all of the paintwork and chrome, as well as on the wheels. Looks great. I also put a light coat of WD40 on as much of the chassis and under-side as I could get at from axle stands. I'm going to start the engine every week or so, and condition the battery every few weeks. I just disconnect the negative cables from the battery at the moment. Having pumped the tyres up to 30psi and filled the tank up with fuel that's basically it.

Following advice from other owners I decided to replace some of the rear wing bolts with nylon ones. The forward five bolts go into rivnuts that can easily corrode over time which makes them very difficult to remove. Also the nylon bolts are much more likely to break free if something hits the wings, thus reducing damage to the outer skin of the bodywork. These are commonly used on the race cars, and I ordered them from Caterham parts.

You do have to be careful when inserting them as they can't take much torque ! Hand-tighten then one turn of a wrench is about all, as I found out when I snapped a head off. After trying to remove the broken shaft I ended up just using a self-tapping screw into it, which worked fine.

Finally, I got a 2nd-hand Caterham indoor cover from Sevens and Classics for £100. 

It's very nice, a stretchy material that fits really snug.