S3 wings and nose cone
Discussion
Hi,
I'm probably being blind here, but I can't see S3 nose cones on the Caterham website, only SV. Are they available and how much do they cost? Secondly, are they to colour match with painted bodywork or do people tend to spray the wings and nose cone too?
On a related note, I don't suppose anyone recognises this blue as a standard Caterham colour?
Basically the nose cone, panels and wings are all a little tatty when you get up close. Not enough for it to look bad at first glance, but enough to make me consider the cost of revamping some or all of it. The laquer (or possibly paint) on the top of the wings is cracked in a few places, there's some gravel rash down one side of the bodywork and the nose cone is has a sort of notch taken out of the front of it - this time the actual GRP rather than the paint. What are my options?
Chris
I'm probably being blind here, but I can't see S3 nose cones on the Caterham website, only SV. Are they available and how much do they cost? Secondly, are they to colour match with painted bodywork or do people tend to spray the wings and nose cone too?
On a related note, I don't suppose anyone recognises this blue as a standard Caterham colour?
Basically the nose cone, panels and wings are all a little tatty when you get up close. Not enough for it to look bad at first glance, but enough to make me consider the cost of revamping some or all of it. The laquer (or possibly paint) on the top of the wings is cracked in a few places, there's some gravel rash down one side of the bodywork and the nose cone is has a sort of notch taken out of the front of it - this time the actual GRP rather than the paint. What are my options?
Chris
Chris, if you're particular about keeping the car looking good then IMHO you'd be better repairing and painting the existing nose - the supply and moulds have changed over the years and if this one is original it's likely the best fitting one you'll ever have!
Viper blue was very common around the age of your car but I suspect your's is a little darker. Hard to say from a photo. Mine (1999) is Lotus Azure blue which is possibly darker still, but worth checking.
Stu.
Viper blue was very common around the age of your car but I suspect your's is a little darker. Hard to say from a photo. Mine (1999) is Lotus Azure blue which is possibly darker still, but worth checking.
Stu.
If I was particular about aesthetics I probably wouldn't have bought this example! It's mechanically and structurally mint, but even the guy who sold it to me described it as 'the 50 foot car' - asked why he responded 'because it looks great from 50 feet'. 
The idea is to get a lot of track use out of it, so I'm a little wary of spending - what, two grand or so? - on respraying it and then resting my helmet on the bonnet or paying a visit to the gravel trap. If there was a cheap fix to smarten up some of it (i.e. cheap colour-matched wings and nose) then it would be less of a commitment.
...If I do repaint it, it's definitely going to be gained some Caterham stripes I think!
The idea is to get a lot of track use out of it, so I'm a little wary of spending - what, two grand or so? - on respraying it and then resting my helmet on the bonnet or paying a visit to the gravel trap. If there was a cheap fix to smarten up some of it (i.e. cheap colour-matched wings and nose) then it would be less of a commitment.
...If I do repaint it, it's definitely going to be gained some Caterham stripes I think!
Chris, I can't see anything being cheaper than a tub of Isopon P40 and some custom colour matched paint. If you say aesthetics are of little interest to you, there's no point busting a gut.
For paint matching, try one of these: Spies Hecker in London or Autopaints Brighton
For paint matching, try one of these: Spies Hecker in London or Autopaints Brighton
Chris,
I met you a couple of times last year, the last time at Bedford - I had the purple RSA.
When my arches were cracking I just epoxy resined them back up - that area of the arch is stronger than the rest now.
Its an RSA track car, patch it up as best you can spend the money on track time instead of new panels.
Good to see you've joined the club, watch out for the new Herts weekend blats/meets see you there.
Richard
I met you a couple of times last year, the last time at Bedford - I had the purple RSA.
When my arches were cracking I just epoxy resined them back up - that area of the arch is stronger than the rest now.
Its an RSA track car, patch it up as best you can spend the money on track time instead of new panels.
Good to see you've joined the club, watch out for the new Herts weekend blats/meets see you there.
Richard
Mick,Hope you are well, I did see that you were a refugee down here and that Mal had joined you in exile. I have been a PH member for 60 months but don't often post, but I only post on BC nowadays to organise blats.
When is that SV gonna be finished? I put my 7 back on the road last week after a 7 month layoff - good to have it back.
Richard
(sorry for the hijack Chris)
No worries - hijack away!
The only thing I've got to add to the original topic is carpet. At present mine's uncarpeted with a rather arbitrary strip of manky carpet running over the transmission tunnel and up the back of the cockpit area. It's come adrift at the back so I'm pondering what to do - stick it back, rip it out completely and leave bare metal or replace it with something (maybe one of the fancy Caterham leather covered transmission tunnel panels and some new carpet).
Again the likely answer is the 'super legera' option of just ripping it out and spending the money on track day fees, but what do people reckon?
The only thing I've got to add to the original topic is carpet. At present mine's uncarpeted with a rather arbitrary strip of manky carpet running over the transmission tunnel and up the back of the cockpit area. It's come adrift at the back so I'm pondering what to do - stick it back, rip it out completely and leave bare metal or replace it with something (maybe one of the fancy Caterham leather covered transmission tunnel panels and some new carpet).
Again the likely answer is the 'super legera' option of just ripping it out and spending the money on track day fees, but what do people reckon?
Go for the bare ally look! Carpet gets wet and smelly.
Richard, I wasn't exiloed, I just didn't bother to renew. I belive Mal got the Old Spanish Archer! (The Big Elbow
)
SV might be finished in about 5 years........
Back to the original topic, how about the age old method of covering the dings with an STP sticker!
(Now I'm showing my age!)
Carpet gets wet and smelly.Richard, I wasn't exiloed, I just didn't bother to renew. I belive Mal got the Old Spanish Archer! (The Big Elbow
)SV might be finished in about 5 years........
Back to the original topic, how about the age old method of covering the dings with an STP sticker!
(Now I'm showing my age!)No carpet Chris - just throw it away - as Mick says it just gets wet smelly and horrid.
Bare ally is fine in my book. My transmission tunnel has a large dent in it when one of its previous owners (a certain man who likes black and white cats) used to get in and out by standing on the tunnel. It gives the car "patina" so much nicer than the pretty boy cars.
Richard
Bare ally is fine in my book. My transmission tunnel has a large dent in it when one of its previous owners (a certain man who likes black and white cats) used to get in and out by standing on the tunnel. It gives the car "patina" so much nicer than the pretty boy cars.
Richard
Matt W said:
My 1998 RSA is looking quite tatty so is currently being treated to a re-spray and lots of powdercoating. I'm hoping that the cost won't be much more than the value that it adds to the car. Man maths at its best!
It's an interesting question. RSA's tend to be very well equipped - with the exception of the carbon 'bling' I think mine has everything on the standard Superlight spec list, for example - yet the ex-racer stigma keeps the prices down. I did flirt with the idea of prettying it up, but I wasn't sure that'd be reflected in the resale value when people are sadly more likely to go for a lower spec 'road car' over something that started its life on the track.I am expecting the total cost of tidying it up, with new paint job and powdercoating, to be less than £1k (that's with me doing no work other than delivering bits to the powdercoaters). The paintwork is currently tatty and I nearly didn't buy the car, partly because of that. I factored in a respray when working out how much to offer for it last year and, quite frankly, I'm surprised my offer was accepted.
Even if the work doesn't add much value to the car I am sure that it will make it more saleable and give me a car that I can be proud of rather than slightly embarassed by. That's worth a lot to me.
Even if the work doesn't add much value to the car I am sure that it will make it more saleable and give me a car that I can be proud of rather than slightly embarassed by. That's worth a lot to me.
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