Tax Disc and Number Plates ... first "legal" drive!

Sat 24th July 2010 - Work time = 0.5hrs ... Build Time to IVA = 252hrs ... Post IVA Build Time = 3.5hrs
The Tax Disc and Registration Numer details came in the post yesterday.  I managed to get some number plates made up locally and fitted them today. Sandra played a blinder by holding the screw driver whilst I stretched my arms under the bonnet to tighten the nuts securing the front number plate.
With Henry still in Mongolia it was done to Amy to be the passenger for the maiden drive with number plates and a tax disc ... i.e road legal !

We did a short 10 mile drive ... the first time I had driven the car with the side screens on.  They certainly make a lot of difference in keeping the wind out.

We returned and I persuaded Sandra to hop in.  Needless to say she was not as willing a passenger as Amy.  Unlike Amy's request to go faster Sandra had her eyes covered as we approached 50mph!  It was therefore a very short drive!

With nearly 200 miles on the clock I now need to get some further mileage done to make sur everything is fully "shaken down" prior to embarking on the Corsica Rally in only 8 weeks !

Waiting for the Reg No & Tax Disc ... time to fit some bits

Sat 24th July 2010 - Work time = 3hrs ... Build Time to IVA = 252hrs  Post IVA Build Time = 3 hrs
With the build complete and IVA passed it all seems a little anti climatic as I await the tax disc and registration number.  So I set about removing some bits and fitting some new ones.
Firstly the covers on the seat belt mountings which were required for the IVA had to come off.  I lock wired the mounting clasps at the same time.

Net it was fitting the side screens.  Fairly straightforward to fit them to the car but the fixing to keep them closed and against the bodywork required some prior planning.  The standard approach is a short strap which is "clipped in" onto a popper on the inside.  I wasn't too keen on this so based on an aproach I had seen on a Dax Rush I sourced some yacht parts from a local chandlers and used some shock cord.  This is much easier to clip in and remove.  I just need to tidy the ends up a little once I get the length right.

I then removed the "cheese grater" heat shield on the silencer.  As I mentioned previously I prefer he clean look of the silencer and as the exhaust is on the passenger side there is no chance of me burning my legs ! 

After this some safety equipment ... a fire extinguisher.

Finally I turned my attention to the engine bay and fitted the carbon fibre cam cover insert ... purel a cosmetic ddition to hide the spark plug leads ... but it does look a lot neater.  I also painstakingly labeled all the fuses in the fuse box.  Figured it would make diagnosis easier in case of a future issue.  I plan to put a copy of the wiring diagram in the car too when we embark on the Corsca Rally in October!

IVA Test #2 ... It Passed !!!

Fri 23rd July 2010 - Work time = 0hrs ... Build Time To Date = 252hrs
Filled with much trepidation I set off for Mitcham test station again today.
A different tester today ... not as friendly as the last one so I was a little worried when he said he'd have to retest the whole braking system after a quick inspection underneath to check what I'd done to fix the handbrake.
I shouldn't have been concerned though as it passed without any further issues.
The drive back home was very enjoyable ... definitely lots of smiles per miles ... I've managed to do nearly 160 miles already and it's not registered yet!
I also took the registration paperwork over to Maidstone this afternoon ... parted with another £260 but left with the promise of a V5 Registration Document and Tax Disc in the post in a couple of days !!!  :-)
I can now start to add the other bits and peices I've bought to fit post IVA.  Watch this space!

Handbrake Tested again ... ready for IVA now

Sat 17th July 2010 - Work time = 0hrs ... Build Time To Date = 252hrs
Back to the garage today to retest the handbrake.
Nearside recorded 128kg and offside was 115Kg and both wheels locked out so they said that all was OK and should be fine for the IVA test on Friday.

Handbrake fixed ... after two attempts

Sat 10th July 2010 - Work time = 2hrs ... Build Time To Date = 252hrs
I'd booked the car in for a quick brake test at the local garage.  Confident that I'd fixed the issue following the IVA Test I was devastated when they said the near side was still not good enough. 
A quick drive home and up on the jack again to check it all out.  I removed one of the jaws on the handbrake locking mechanism on the near side and found that I was able to adjust it slightly.  A quick run back to garage and this time the near side was pulling up really well.  The off side was also good but not quite as good as the near side.  The chap in the garage said it was good enough for an MOT pass but not sure if the IVA test was more stringent.
Worried that there still might be an issue I took the easy route and booked it back in the garage for them to tinker with it to get it spot on. 
It's back in there on Sat 17th ready for the IVA retest on Fri 23rd.

IVA Test ... Not good news !

Thurs 8th July 2010 - Work time = 0hrs ... Build Time To Date = 250hrs
The big day had finally arrived!  The VOSA centre was in Mitcham, Croydon ... a 35 mile drive from home.  I had planned to hire a trailer and car with tow hitch but the nearest hire centre was Maidstone and they wanted ~£250 for the two day hire ... ouch!  So with the car loaded with various nuts, bolts, tubing, tape, and tools I set off at 6am to drive to Mitcham.  
It was a nervous drive but with every mile my confidence grew and I arrived in plenty of time for the 8am appointment.

Here's the car at the test station just before the test.

Andy the tester was very good, explaining exactly what he was doing through the tests.  First check the VIN Plate and Chassis Number ... all good there.  Next the speedo where Andy took the car up to 70mph on the rollers ... the speedo calibration was spot on.  Next, emissions ... again no issues apart from me keeping the revs at a set point ... didn't realise how strong the throttle return springs were! 
Next the windscreen wipers and washers.  During the wipers test he poured water on the windscreen whilst he timed the sweep frequency ... water poured into the cockpit.  Note to self ... more sealant required around wiper box holes. 
From there it was onto the ramps to check underneath.  Here he pointed out what appeared to be a slight leak from the brake master cylinder.  He asked me to tighten the fitting and we checked again ... all good now.  From here to the light check ... headamps were not quite aligned but again he allowed me to adjust them there and then. Next a check of the exterior and interior projections with the varous sized "balls" and height etc of the seat belts ... again no issues with anything there.  From here onto the brake test. Foot brake no issues but the hand brake wasn't holding properly on the near side.  Andy said he needed to punch the numbers into a spreadsheet once he knew the weight of the car but it didn't look like it was pass :-).
From here it was onto a check of the mirrors ... we moved outside and various cones were laid out across the tarmac.  Onto the noise test where it recorded a very quiet 94decibels at 4000rpm ... well within the 99db allowed.  Then Andy asked me to drive about 25mph and slam on the brakes to check that the fronts locked first ... they did.  Final check ... a weight test ... total was about 630kg ... slightly heavier than I thought but almost 50/50 weight distribution front and back.
Then it was a long wait whilst Andy input the brake test and weight numbers into his spreadsheet.  I had resigned myself to the result and sure enough Andy came out with the Fail Certificate.  He was almost apologetic to fail it and offered some compensation by saying that it was "very well put together".
I consoled myself on the drive home ... getting more used to the car I pushed on a bit and was only slowed when a police car pulled out behind me.  I was ready to produce the paperwork explaining I was en route frm an IVA test but despite no number plates and no tax he ignored me!
Back home I set about looking at the hand brake and booked some time at the local garage on Saturday to test it again.

New Brake Clevis Yoke Fitted ... now ready for IVA

Tues 6th July 2010 - Work time = 1hrs ... Build Time To Date = 250hrs
Another milestone reached 250 hours expended on the build!
The supplier in Birmingham had come up trumps.  I wasn't sure exactly which size of fitting I needed so I ordered two ... with the next day delivery charge as well my wallet was £30 lighter!
It was well worth it though.  The new clevis yoke was much stronger and fit for purpose.
Here it is fitted:

And here the old fitting showing how bent out shape it was (not a good picture I'm afraid but I think you can see the difference):

Hopefully all the issues are now behind me and the IVA test in 2 days will be a breeze !

Brake Pedal Issue ... IVA minus 4 days !!!

Sun 4th July 2010 - Work time = 1hrs ... Build Time To Date = 249hrs
When I fitted the new steering column I found that the cover on the scuttle above the pedals didn't fit quite properly, requiring some additional fastening against the scuttle.
Having removed the cover I noticed that the clevis yoke on the brake pedal was all bent out of shape.  It's made from some mild steel and seems as though either on the way to/from the MOT or during the MOT test some over exuberant force on the brake pedal had bent it.
I tried to straighten it back into shape but when it was refitted it just bent again.
Two hours of talking to Mr Google I managed to find a supplier of yoke fittings in Birmingham.  Hopefully they had them in stock and could get one to me fast.  Nothing I could do today ... so had to wait until Monday to call them.

Fitting IVA Covers ... ready for the big day!

Sat 3rd July 2010 - Work time = 2hrs ... Build Time To Date = 248hrs
Time to fit all the little plastic covers for the bolts and other "sharp" objects.
Here goes for all that I did:

Bonnet Catches (had to cut these down):

Side Screen Mounts on Screen Pillar (had to put silicone sealant on these so they'd stay in place)

Front Hub (again I put silicone sealant on them all) ... I used the cover from the steering rack to cover the brake bleed valve.

Seat Belt covers ... shame they didn't supply them in black! ... the stitching wasn't too good though so they might fall off soon after the IVA!  ;-)

Exhaust joint between collector and silencer ... I covered this with heat wrap ... I also covered the lamda sensor to be on the safe side (again I think this may peel off a few miles after the IVA ;-)

Finally I put a label on the dash ... when I read the IVA manual there was something about the lights needing to be at least 50% visible when any removable covers are open.  With the bonnet in its hinge open postition I wasn't sure this would be OK so better safe than sorry:

Next stop the IVA Test on Thurs 8th July.

Oil Catch Tank fitted

Sat 26th June 2010 - Work time = 3hrs ... Build Time To Date = 246hrs
With the build almost complete and only the IVA covers to fit I was missing something to bolt on.  So I turned my attention to the oil catch tank I'd bought a few weeks earlier on eBay.
I wanted to keep it as low as possibe so that any oil expelled from the crankcase or cam cover breathers would flow into the tank.  So I fabricated a bracket to attach to one of the bolys on the cylinder head.  You can't see it too well in the picture but I made it all nice and pretty and sprayed it satin black!