MadaboutKitcars

SVA booked for 23rd April 1.00 p.m. so must pull my finger out!

Fingers crossed for you, I bet you have a busy week ahead!!

Did you get the engine mapped properly, what numbers?

Rich

Yeah going to be busy, list as long as to finish including finish fabricating the exhaust, put some seats in and wheel arch/liner extensions and a load of little time consuming bits to tidy it up.
Still waiting for 'A' pillar cappings but booked in to Birmingham SVA so hoping Norman can come along maybe with a pair off one of the other cars if mine arn't ready in time.

As for mapping I had a few problems biggest of which was the cooling system wouldn't work. Noble sorted that out for me - rerouted a few pipes and blocked off one unneccesary connection and it is now o.k. apart from the heater doesn't work at idle.
Engine could only be mapped up to 3,000 rpm because thats when the turbo started to run away on its own - 1 bar boost and rising with the waste gate wide open, potentially 500+ bhp for a very short while! Turns out the exhaust system is too free flowing so too little back pressure. Turbo has been back to Turbo Dynamics this week to have the wastegate ported 3-4 mm bigger which should hopefully bring it back under control and max 8-10 psi boost. Only fastened it back on today so not had a chance to test it out yet. Have been assured that it will pass emissions test so can have the top end mapped after it is registered etc.

Good luck Ken, i've nagged norman about the a pillar cappings a few times, he said he'd pick them up either today or tomorrow.
If you need any other bits/help let me know, most of my interior is out at the moment so its easy for you to borrow anything if you need.

Spoke to Norman yesterday, he had picked up the cappings and was putting them in the post today so should have them tomorrow or Thursday.
Have been cracking on with my list but tonight I took it out for a bit of a road test on some quiet roads around work and there were some very noticible rattles in the doors and from the dash. The door ones were the handle and lock rods banging against the inner door skin - fixed with a bit of pipe lagging and an hours worth of contorsion trying to get my hands in through the little openings and up past the glass.
Anybody got any ideas what might be causing the rattle behind the dash?
One other quick one - is there a minimum size of letter for the chassis number? I stamped mine in tonight with 3mm punches but they don't look very big.

What kind of rattle is it behind the dash ken?

In the end I got a nice chassis plate professionally made with the phantom logo on it and its welded on, but for the inspection i just stamped one in at the front above the rad with letter stamps, the didgets are probably only 5mm high?
So long as its clear it should be ok.

spoke to SVA today - no limit to size as long as its legible. Its also o.k. to have a plate machined up and pop riveted on.
That one of yours Ed is spot on - will have to get the details.

Pop riveting on is technically not OK according to the rules, it has to be welded on or stamped into the chassis. Might be worth playing safe as the last thing you want is to fail due to that! I got away with it with my Libra but that's a fibreglass monocoque and no other option so they let it pass...
Rich

I asked about pop rivetting and they said no, it had to be welded, must get a friend to finish tigging it on for me actually.

It was one of the SVA guys at Birmingham who said about pop riveting and I machined one up in ally plate today and riveted it on tonight, hope he can remember the conversation on Monday or he can read the 3mm stamped number which is still there.

Its not really SVA people that are fussy about the plate, its the registration inspection guys.

Just have to hope I won't need a registration inspection then.

You will, they all do in order to prove you've used new bits.
As you've already got the receipt, just get one made up to say you've had the engine reconditioned to as new standard, you've prob got recipts for all the other bits like suspension etc...
If you can get one for steering column as well.
See if you can get someone to just put a couple of tacks on the plate youve done, then it will be fine, mine only had a couple of tacks on it.

Then you should be able to get an 07 plate

Bit difficult welding ally to steel. Might have to invest in a set of 5mm punches.
Could possibly get a plate machined up in s/s in time but a bit reluctant to get the welder near the car now with the painted body on plus a load of electronic goodies fastened on.

I wonder if they might let you fit it on with tamper proof screws instead? the ones where the head shears off when you tighten them.
Or maybe bond it on?

Any news Ken?!

All was going really well, a few things had been looked at quite closely and the round lump had been brought out to check some stuff on the front, emissions test based on engine age (April 1995) was for non-cat but with a CO reading of 0.15% and HC reading of 50 it would have sailed through a cat test anyway. When it was put on the ramp the tester found I had forgotten to put in the split pins on the castle nuts on the front upright top ball joints - easy to put right on the yard. But then it was time for the brake test, failed on the drivers side handbrake caliper not opperating - the cable and the caliper pivot arm were moving freely but there wasn't any braking plus the front/rear brake balance was out, too much braking on the rear axle so the rear would lock up before the front.
So when I got back tonight split pins have been installed, the secret brake bias valve has been adjusted and the rear handbrake caliper has been stripped and reassembled. I had thought it might have siezed up but it was just badly adjusted and without any hydraulic circuit opperating on the piston the self adjustment mechanism would not work.
Anyway all sorted now so 8.00 a.m. tomorrow I shall be on the phone to book my retest.

Just remembered - only just passed the noise test, 100 dB @ 4,000 rpm !

Re-test today at 2.00 p.m. Passed this time no probs!

Only thing was I called in at Shrewsbury DVLA on the way back for licencing and they said the only inspect on a Tuesday and they were full for next week so earliest would be 8th May. Will try Chester tomorrow or Bangor even.

Congratulations Ken, hope you make it to Stoneleigh! Did you drive it to the test, much stuff to sort out?
Rich

Nice one Ken.
There was a fantastic girl at the birmingham office, ill dig her name out and let you know, give her a nice smile and she might sqeeuze you in thats what they did for me.
Basically you need to beg lol.

Just found the bit of paper, its Miss K Chandler, I think it was Karen, shes in charge of all of the self builds. Very very helpful lady!!

Yeh, drove yesterday and today. Passed a nasty 3 car smash on the way back, loads of police in attendance and after about two miles a plain clothes police Volvo pulled me over to enquire why I had no number plates or tax. One of the police knew all about the SVA though and was genuinly interest in the car (just as well I had been taking it easy before they pulled me over)

Hi Ed,
have you got a direct number for the Birmingham office, took about 10 mins this afternoon to get a real person on the phone at DVLA and then they wouldn't give me the Chester office number but said they would get someone there to call me back, hopefully before 11.00 a.m. tomorrow.

They dont have phone numbers to get through to the local office now, useless idiots, the only way to get hold of them is to fax them asking for them to call you.