This is a read-only archive of the old Madabout Kitcars forum. New posts and replies are no longer possible, but every thread is still here to browse and read.
Well guys,
I travelled 50 miles in my 5exi to Newcastle sva test station yesterday and thankfully it got me there and back without too much trauma. The short drive shaft inner boot split open on the way down covering all my lovely clean engine in cv grease, the shaft was new and fitted correctly so i hope it was just a one off, we all know how tight the angle it runs at. I fortunately had plenty of rags to clean up while I was waiting for them to open. I had to be there for 8am by the way which meant 5.30am start.
It took nearly 4 hours but he wasn't rushing thats for sure. It is a pretty thorough test mind you. I had a few minor fail items such as edges round side catches, fog lamp and reverse lamp bases have lip sticking out from lens and needed rounding off, the odd bit of wiring required extra straps. The shocking one for me though was the design weight was wrong, when you fill in the test application you have to state gross and axle weights, this I got from Marlin but it aint enough. The only other problem I need to sort is speedo overreading, mine is electronic and i'm trying to find an easy way to do it, Mark suggested removing dash and altering tension of needle but i don't want to bugger it up, I know there are devices for imports to convert km to miles but nothing adjustable which is what i would need, anybody seen anything that might do it. Thanks Brian.
so sorry for you
Its a gut wrenching feeling when they fail you. I have been there and I feel for you. but you are one step closer to that MAC form.
you did not say how far your speedo was out or if if was constant thru the range of speeds they check. Did they give you the print out ?
If it is constant ie 30 reads just under as does the other speeds you could mark where the correct 30, 40,50, 60,70 is and put on a dial set such as lockwood coloured dial kit and align it with the correct readings not the exsiting dial postion. or hold the needle spindle and remove the needle and replace so it is up a bit
Hey guys,
I ain't downhearted, on the contrary, it's only failed on minor points which in the circumstances of having no real experience of an sva test I was well pleased with the result. The main items were fine, just small details that could have been done on the day to get a pass but due to speedo and weights issue there was no point. I have just ordered an electronic device to be able to adjust speedo signal input, it's from the states so hopefully it won't take too long.
Brian.
Yes Yes Yes,
A sigh of relief but there was a little trauma, the design weights that failed me on the first test were increased and supplied in writing by Marlin and this was still a fail, fortunately Terry came to the rescue and faxed the sva testing station and increased the weights again and fortunately this time it passed. I will put a seperate post about design weights for all turbo builders.
The speedo calibrator I got from the States works a treat it just took ages to arrive. The company is Dakota Digital. I just need to get it registered now and then spend the next ten years or so tinkering. Brian.
Thanks guys,
I'm off to Cyprus for two weeks tomorrow so I'll post pics when I get back. I still have a lot to do to it, the bodywork needs preparing and painting for starters, but I think I'll get that done over winter.
My first impressions are pretty good considering suspension settings are still on initial adjustments, the front ride hight has dropped and needed adjusting up twice after only short runs. The main thing other than handling and performance that I noticed was no air in the cabin to the point where on a hot day like yesterday it was too hot, the heat from the engine comes back at you. I think it might need some air vents fitting for summer driving. The good thing is absolutely minimum buffeting at high speeds (not a bit like my Sportster).
I need to improve the clutch (too flippin heavy) and the gearchange is not as slick as I would like. There are a few rattles to fix and that's about it. Mark told me there is a modification to do to the steering arms to stiffen them which I need to speak to him about and I did feel it wandering a little but that could be just a set up issue. I'll be able to evaluate it better when I get registration, hopefully shortly after I return from holiday. Cheers Brian.
