Replacing the Caterham Engine / Coil Cover Badge

 

TL;DR removing the old one was almost too easy 

I was never too pleased to see that my engine cover badge was upside-down, compared to how the proper orientation felt like. In my eyes, the inclination and dip stick position made obvious that is was supposed to be read from the business side of things, where the turbo is.

Personal feelings aside, all the Caterham 170 engines I've seen in the metal or on the internet have it installed that way.

Adding to the injury, part of the lettering was already missing, and I don't think it was ever cleaned with WD40 or brake cleaner.

While not specified to be a match for the Suzuki engine, the standard Sigma/Duratec badge sold on caterhamparts.co.uk is the part I was looking for. The advertised dimensions made for an easy check with the one the car.  "Badge dimensions are: 28mm x 143mm".  So I got one at the same time as the diff, they were picked-up in person at the factory.

I feared that removing the old badge would end up with blood, tears, a poor looking piece of mangled scrap, and a ton of glue to clean-up.

"Au contraire, mon frère", it just popped-out cleanly; almost too easily. With the help of a thin blade screwdriver, I gently lifted one short edge, and it just popped all at once. No fuss. In perfect condition, leaving very little glue residue on the engine cover.

All I got to clean were 2 small spots of glue, about 2cm by 5mm each. WD40 and paper towel did a quick job of that. I degreased the embossed area with brake cleaner on a fresh piece of paper towel, then give a quick rinse of the whole cover with clear water.

The new emblem was fitted as easily: I laid the part on the cover and centered it precisely before committing to a definitive position by pressing it firmly in place; the 3M adhesive is actually very thin.

I kept the transparent plastic protection on for now.