MadaboutKitcars

If its registered as a 1976 car I thought the only emissions test was a visual one for smoke ? I might be wrong but that should be easy if you can get it running right !

1975, misses out by 3 months!

Lots of other jobs, projects and holidays keep getting in the way so little progress.
The one thing preventing it from getting an MOT is the lack of brakes, I think I have tracked down the problem to the servo.
Pig of a thing to change as the RS conversion has a metal sub frame welded over the top of the servo. This has been cut out to allow the servo to be replaced, if all well I will weld it back up afterwards. Feels better straight away but needs a road test which means moving loads of cars around.
Wish me luck for tomorrows test drive.

Had a test drive and the brakes are better BUT not good enough. Back to the drawing board. Before replacing the servo the brake pedal was solid with almost no movement. It now moves but you have to put far too much effort in pushing the brake pedal to get the car to stop. Ok for a round the block test but not for everyday driving.
I am wondering about fitting an electric vacuum pump. I have been told that running 6 Weber carbs doesn't produce much vacuum.
Seems to have had new pads all round and the master cylinder doesn't look that old.
Does anyone have any experience fitting an electric vacuum pump?

Sorry Jag, no experience of electric vacuum pumps but I'm wondering if you've got partially restricted brake lines? Have you tried bleeding the brakes and did you have a good flow of fluid when the bleed nipples are open?

Haven't bleed the brakes. The rears normally have an access panel in the boot, due to the conversion the access panel has been covered, getting to the bleed nipples from underneath (inboard brakes) is a nightmare. When I had my E-Type I dropped the whole rear end and extended the brake lines from the bleed nipples to make access easier in future. I will do this on this car but don't want to do it just yet. Front brake nipples are seized so I need to source some replacements and go with speed bleeders. I did bleed the master cylinder by breaking the joints ay the first splitter. As all the pads and cables have been replaced I presumed the system had been bleed.
I have so much on at the moment that I am trying to cheat, rarely works.

Nice

Who's a muppet?

ME

I have been trying to fix a few minor things on the Daytona to get it through the MOT so that I can declare it MOT exempt. I understood it that it had to have an MOT before it could be declared exempt, this is wrong, you just declare it's age and fill out form v112 and amend the V5 to "historic vehicle" at the post office.
So it's officially on the road


One thing is that a modified car has to have had the modifications done at least 30 years ago, I thought this might be a problem as I don't know when the car was converted. However, I was lucky and picked up a magazine article on my car from Ebay.com in the US. It has a 3 page article clearly showing my registration number and all the pages are dated 1988. Result!

Lucky indeed. Congrats on the find.

Must admit I thought that as a kit car it had to be already registered as a "Historic vehicle" in the taxation class section of the V5C as per the notes on the back of the v112 form :-

"Q-prefix, kit cars and reconstructed classic vehicles.

The following vehicles (including motorcycles) are to be considered as substantially changed, unless they are taxed as an “historic vehicle” and have not been modified during the previous 30 years"

My Rickman Ranger (not modified within the last 30 years) has historic status but still requires an MOT (says it on the VED renewal). I prefer it to have an MOT anyway (another pair of eyes looking over is good). I find it hard to believe the authorities have allowed old cars to be on the road without some test (however basic)

I was surprised, I thought you had to get an MOT and then you could change it's status to MOT exempt. This way you could drag an old wreck out of a field and register it as MOT exempt.
I think it means we will see a lot more Sammio's on the roadeep:

The MOT exemption is not done automatically, you have to apply for it when taxing the vehicle using form V112.

This means that if, as you have said, an owner wants to continue to have his exempt vehicle MOT tested he can do so by simply not submitting a form V112.

It seems to me though that the best approach would be to apply for MOT exemption, but continue to take the car for a regular MOT test. That way if you happen to forget and your car is say 53 weeks since it's last test then you are not liable for prosecution for driving it on the road (always provided, of course, that it is in a roadworthy condition!)

Ah - I wasn't aware of that. It still seems strange to exclude any vehicles IMHO. I think I may just leave it as is, so I've got an incentive to get it tested...... otherwise it would be only too easy to let things slip

I do think they should have a current MOT before they can be classed as exempt. My old Jag only does a few hundred miles a year and lives in a heated garage so I am very pleased that I don't have to go to the hassle and expense every year.

Daytona suffered another setback, the starter motor had stuck. No amount of tapping it with a succession of larger and larger hammers would free it so off it went to the local Jag independent which is only a couple of miles away. He managed to tap it back into life. He did, however, find the front crank oil seal was leaking badly so I got him to do this as well as it is a pig of a job. He also mentioned how poor the brakes were and felt it was the fact that there wasn't enough vacuum.
Fitted a Volvo vacuum pump which is wired up to the brake light switch, press the brake pedal and the pump creates a vacuum and so you should have decent brakes. Doesn't work as well as it should but if the pump is wired up to run continuously, then the brakes work well. At least I know now the cause of the problem. The Jags have a largish vacuum tank in the brake system, the idea being if the car stalls you have enough stored vacuum for a couple of presses of the brake pedal.
I am intending to plumb the vacuum pump into the vacuum tank with it wired into the brake light switch. Just keep my foot on the brake pedal before moving off to create the vacuum in the tank and hopefully when you press the brake pedal a combination of stored vacuum and the pump running should do the trick.
If I don't post again you can presume it didn't work!

I'm just stepping outside to test my brakes, I may be some time.