MadaboutKitcars

Well guys I am filling in my SVA form - something I was beginning to think would never happen. Two questions that those of you that have passed can help me with.

What should I enter for the axle weights?
What did you put for the RPM for max power (I guess you don't want something to high here)

Also - do you have to have any documentation to back these figures up?

Cheers

Robin

Hi Robin,

For the axle weights I used;
Axle 1: 550kg
Axle 2: 700Kg
Gross: 1250Kg
Train: N/A Kg

These were based on a review I did of what had passed and what had failed on similar Sportsters. I had no questions or issues with these values and they are as shown on my MAC.

For maximum power RPM I put 6000rpm. This is as stated in the BMW handbook that came with my donor car for a 2 litre engine. For the 325i engine it says max power is at 5800rpm, so you should go with that figure.

Incidentally, for max road speed, I put 120mph as that is the maximum my speedo reads and there is no way anybody could test it although they do run it up to 70mph on the test rollers which is quite fun!

good luck!

Hi Robin
I've posted mine today - total madness as I haven't even started the engine yet Guess next couple of months will be busy!!
I put down 500, 550 and gross 1050 for the axle weights.
I put down max speed of 125 mph at 5500 rpm (got the rpm out of the Haynes maual).
Guess the SVA passers will let us know if these are way out!
I also enclosed some build pics and photocopies of all the receipts I could find. And the amateur build declaration form, which took some hunting down:

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repository/AB%20Declaration%20Revised%20June%2006.pdf#xml=http://www.vosa.gov.uk/SCRIPTS/texis.exe/webinator/search/xml.txt?query=amateur+build&pr=CORP&order=r&cq=&id=49892f295e4
Good luck
Tim

Thanks Tim

I thought that you didn't need the amateur build declaration form until you actually applied for a registration - after the SVA.

Does anyone else know any different?

Cheers

Robin

I was not aware of the requirement for this form before I applied for my SVA test. (There is no mention of it on the SVA application form?) The first thing Swansea did was send me the form and ask for the proof required!

No harm in doing what Tim has done and send it off with the application form as they will only write back and ask you for it.

Peter

Thanks Peter

This SVA business seems to be a bit of a black art....

Robin

Same happended to me, they wouldn't even consider my application until i'd sent the ABD and emailed them a shed load of photos and receipts for the major components

Do I need to also prove the date of the engine? I seem to remeber a thread about this some time ago. I have the Log Book of the donor that has the engine number in it.

BTW where is the engine number located - does anyone know.

Robin
Snowed in in Bedfordshire...

Yes you need to prove date of engine and log book for donor should be ok as long as it matches the engine number in the car. The Number is located on the passenger side towards the rear of the engine.

Stuart
Shovelling Snow in Somerset

Luckly as long as the numbers match its ok, if you can't prove the engine date it is treated to a full CAT test

I sent the VIN number to BMW customer services and got an email confirming the car was built in 1998 and the engine just before this. Is this sufficient evidence??
Tim
Snowed in in Bath (not complaining about day off work though)

Well I can't actually see the engine number now the car is assembled. I guess I would have to take the side bonnet off. So how does the SVA man check it?

Robin

On intake side of block, below or near the top bearing for the oil pump drive. Should be a machined section with the number stamped into it.

Jason
Stupid enough to go to work, just as the Blizzard re starts.

The only numbers I can find are on a machined section just behind the nearside engine mount. Am I looking in the correct place? Because in that case I have a problem - the numbers here bare no resemblance to those in the log book...

In the log book I have 0261200173 and the number on the block is 22404838

Robin

I'll double check tonight, but I'm sure it's on the other side of the mount... Trying to view the pics on I have on my blog on my iPhone isn't helping (site blocked at work - Bah!)

Hang on - here's pics




On mine It's there, under the oil pump bearing, to one side of the dipstick tube. I rubbed some white paint into the stamped numerals to make it a bit easier to read.

Even clearer where it is on my block here:



But mine is an earlier block to yours (85/86)

Thanks for the pics. Mine looks quite a bit different in this area. Do you remember what the format of your engine number was?

The strange thing is that the car I bought was literally a one familly owner job and I have all the service history including plenty of paperwork with the "wrong" engine number on. No history of an engine swap. I can only assume that someone wrote it down incorrectly in the first place and it has stayed that way.

I think I need to get it resolved before the SVA (looking like an IVA now...)

Robin

I'll have to have a look later - I can't remember of the top of my head, and the pics aren't clear enough to read the characters.

Not really, you've only got to prove the engine age at the SVA test not before so you have 2 months to sort it out, even if you can prove it by the first test, you can on the second/third etc

The stamps on my block are

Top Line: 25 6E 1
Bottom Line: 20673793

Only the bottom number is on the V5, and it matches up... And the number you have is 8 digits long like mine.

I guess that it was a cock up in the paperwork when it was registered. Maybe time to contact BMW customer services?

If they can prove that the block came from the car with your donor's VIN number, you can prove that the V5 is incorrect.

Thanks GOO

I suspect I will have problems as the car originally came from Switzerland - I am not sure if the UK will have access to the records.

I am wondering if I can just get away with having the Log Book changed?

Does anyone know if the date that an engine was changed shows on the Log Book?

Patrick - did your bro update the logbook for his car when you did the engine swap and if so does it say anyhting about the date it was changed?

Cheers all

Robin

Hhmmmmm....

the number on your engine block looks like the correct length, so looks like it was an error on the paperwork when it was registered in the UK.

You could try contacting [email]Customer.Information@bmwfin.com[/email] but when I contacted them with the engine number they needed the cars VIN and could only confirm the date of birth for the car and not the engine?

The email I got back from BMW along with the V5 of the donor was enough for the SVA tester to confirm the engine's age for the gas test. (And yes, they do check all the numbers match up. And again at the DVLA registration check. My MOT tester managed to get my chassis number wrong so had to do another whole test to correct it)

I think your best bet would be to just send the V5 back with the correct engine number although not sure how they will treat it as presumably you donor is SORN'd. With a bit of luck it will be just processed without any questions. I think they are only intrested if you put a bigger engine in a car as it can attract a higher road tax.

....peter

As Peter said I contact the above email address they sent me a nice letter confirming the engine number, vin and date of manufacture for the engine. I think I spoke to them on the phone at some point too, very helpful

As far as I'm aware there is no record of when the engine is changed on the log book.

I "replaced" my engine in the donor when I started building. SVA and registration guy just made sure that the number on the V5 and the engine was the same. Mine was a new Rover engine that was put in, so no relation at all to the original donor.