Thought it was about time I got the speedometer fixed.
So, over to Caterham, the place not the car, to see Redline who fitted the five speed box back in December. Ever since then the speedo hasn't performed, and it was assumed this was a simple fix as a result of the box swap.
But oh no.
The right-angle drive in the side of the gearbox had snapped. This in itself is no big deal, but when you consider it's hidden in the transmission tunnel, and can't even be seen without removing the engine and box from the car, one starts to appreciate the complexity of the problem.
After a coffee (good customer care at Redline), it was agreed the best way to reach the snapped drive was to cut an access hole in the sidewall of the transmission tunnel. This may seem a little drastic but it means access is improved permanently should there be any future reason to get to the speedo drive.
And sure enough, like a loose tooth that just needs a little coaxing, the snapped off chunk of the old right-angle drive was free.
So, time to "just " fit a new one.
But oh no.
The newer style of right angle cable drive is slightly deeper, and within the confines of the transmission tunnel there simply wasn't the space to the side of the gearbox to fit a new drive.
So the access hole was enlarged slightly, the new drive fitted (bit of a git to fit but hey), and a simple cover plate sealed over the hole.
The new right angle drive is fitted, a new cable is fitted and I can now tell how fast I'm going.
Time for a gratuitous Speedo shot, which actually has very little to do with aluminium cars but is worth a look:
