SVA ready...

[MartinClan]

Well I hope so. Keeping fingers crossed.... Those of you with good observation skills will note that I haven't fitted the door and dash trim. It's a long story... Hopefully the SVA man won't care as there are no edges that it covers anyway.











Robin

[peterux]

Looking good, Robin!

good luck for next week, fingers crossed for some nice weather and a happy SVA man

[timbo]

Good luck Robin. Its looking great!
Mine is tomorrow, I know it will fail as I haven't managed to calibrate the speedo correctly yet (!), and a few other things which I've simply run out of time to do. Test drive time today tho
All the best
Tim

[Patrick]

Robin, it's looking fantastic - good luck next week

[MartinClan]

Originally Posted by timbo

Good luck Robin. Its looking great!
Mine is tomorrow, I know it will fail as I haven't managed to calibrate the speedo correctly yet (!), and a few other things which I've simply run out of time to do. Test drive time today tho
All the best
Tim

Hi Tim

Let us know how you do. We could compare notes!

Robin

[timbo]

Hi Robin
Hope you do a lot better than I did! I should have trailered it down, but stupidly I decided to drive it (about 50 miles) on Sunday night. First 45 mins were superb, as you said before - very quick and very windy but fabulous fun. Then one (or two) of the prop shaft bolts came loose, causing it to vibrate too much to drive fast. And I got within 200 yds of the SVA station this morning when the brakes seized up (the whole car was stuck), so I didn't make it to the SVA in time. I couldn't even push it there! Very frustrating, but my own fault for wanting to drive it when perhaps I needed more testing time. An expensive lesson as I will have to IVA it now!
Good luck with yours anyway!
Tim

[chrislandy]

I'm glad I trailered mine down as the engine blew after 10 miles of driving!

[peterux]

Originally Posted by timbo

Hi Robin
Hope you do a lot better than I did! I should have trailered it down, but stupidly I decided to drive it (about 50 miles) on Sunday night. First 45 mins were superb, as you said before - very quick and very windy but fabulous fun. Then one (or two) of the prop shaft bolts came loose, causing it to vibrate too much to drive fast. And I got within 200 yds of the SVA station this morning when the brakes seized up (the whole car was stuck), so I didn't make it to the SVA in time. I couldn't even push it there! Very frustrating, but my own fault for wanting to drive it when perhaps I needed more testing time. An expensive lesson as I will have to IVA it now!
Good luck with yours anyway!
Tim

Bad luck Tim on not getting to he SVA. I expect it was just down to rushing things to try and beat the IVA deadline.
Looking on the bright side, sounds like you're are lucky to be all in one piece ...with propshaft bolts comming loose and brakes siezing up, you could have had a nasty accident! I used locking nuts and thread lock on mine to be sure.

good luck with the IVA!!

At least you have had a taste of what is to come which should spur you on

[MartinClan]

Well I didn't pass - but the failure items were all radius issues - and some were very picky IMHO).

I had two guys crawling over the car. One did the SVA test and the other did an IVA test! (More about that later....) The problem was of course was that they compared notes at the end and the list of radius failures virtually doubled as a result. Never mind none of them are really problematic.

The ones that were strange (as no-one else has failed on these as far as I am aware) were:

The square section on the upper wishbone through which the balljoint mounts. Contactable edge less than 2.5mm

Front upper wishbone bush itself. I am using some polybush items that are quite hard. I will have to sand a radius on these

Front shocker lower spring plate (the one that adjusts up and down). The tester somehow managed to contact the lower edge of this which is, admittedly quite sharp. They suggested covering these with a cut down CV joint gaiter.

Side bonnet and A post louvres - shock horror. But fortunately only the rearmost one of each.

There were a few other interior issues in the footwells that also need sorting plus they complained about one of the leads in the engine loom that was also not well supported (Although it was as BMW intended). All pretty trivial.

On to the (psuedo) IVA test. It turned out that someone that had booked in for an SVA test didn't turn up so the guy booked to do it decided to practice an IVA test on my car. It revealed a couple of serious issues.

1. For the IVA you will not be allowed to use tie wraps and bits of rubber to cover sharp edges. Sharp edges have to be designed out in the components itself.

2. They have changed the spec for how wheels and tyres are covered. I didn't fully understand but it seem the rear wings of the Sportster are a definite fail as they don't extend far enough back. This could be quite a serious issue...

That's it. Off to buy some CV joint gaitors now.

Robin

[GreatOldOne]

Originally Posted by MartinClan

On to the (psuedo) IVA test. It turned out that someone that had booked in for an SVA test didn't turn up so the guy booked to do it decided to practice an IVA test on my car. It revealed a couple of serious issues.

1. For the IVA you will not be allowed to use tie wraps and bits of rubber to cover sharp edges. Sharp edges have to be designed out in the components itself.

2. They have changed the spec for how wheels and tyres are covered. I didn't fully understand but it seem the rear wings of the Sportster are a definite fail as they don't extend far enough back. This could be quite a serious issue...

A Worrisome report! As I will be going through IVA, more than likely at the same station as you, Robin, I'm wondering what I'm going to need to do to get the rear wings to pass!

[Mike]

Originally Posted by MartinClan

1. For the IVA you will not be allowed to use tie wraps and bits of rubber to cover sharp edges. Sharp edges have to be designed out in the components itself.

2. They have changed the spec for how wheels and tyres are covered. I didn't fully understand but it seem the rear wings of the Sportster are a definite fail as they don't extend far enough back. This could be quite a serious issue...


Robin

Robin
Well done on your SVA - sounds like you should sail through the re-test.

For the rest of us it sounds like it could be a real problem for open fronted cars, where all the suspension bolt heads are on show. And trying to remove all the radiused edges from the component itself could be a real issue, if rubber strips are not allowed.
Oh dear............
Mike

[timbo]

Hi Robin, well done on so few things 'wrong'. Thanks for the IVA info, looks like its going to be much harder but oh well...
Tim

[Patrick]

Well done Robin Nothing serious from the sound of it. The retest will be nice and easy

On the IVA - Maybe the rear wings will need substantial mud flaps?

[peterux]

Well done Robin, so all the major worries about collapsable steering, axle weights, noise, emisions, speedo calibration, build standard, steering wheel, dashboard, seat belts, self centering, light positions, brakes, handbrake adjustment, etc etc all passed! That's pretty good and you should be well chuffed.

Sounds like a list of really picking fail things that in practise have nothing to do with the safety of the car or any pedistrian you might run over!!

On the IVA comments.... what's the diffrence between a steering rack or CV joint gaiter fixed with plastic clips (like on every car on the road) and a piece of hose fixed with tie wraps?
I guess the answer is that they know you're going to remove the hose and tie wraps! Maybe the solution will be to use steering rack type gaiters that look like engineered solutions? Did they say anything about palstic caps for bolt heads? I glued all mine on to stop the bu**ers taking them off!

You should sail through the re-test and then off on the open road.........

P.S. there was a theory floated on another forum that the SVA inspectors are failing all cars to generate lots of re-test work as they know there will be a lull in work when the end of the SVA deadline is reached and when people start booking IVA's. I didn't belive it but after your list of things never picked up on other tests suggests it may be true?

[MartinClan]

Originally Posted by GreatOldOne

A Worrisome report! As I will be going through IVA, more than likely at the same station as you, Robin, I'm wondering what I'm going to need to do to get the rear wings to pass!

They held up some strange perspex template to the rear wheel. There was something about the coverage of the rear of the rear wing and an angle wrt the centre of the wheel - I am not sure exactly. (They use a similar thing for the SVA but the rules for the IVA are slightly different) As I know there are several other builders that will have to do the IVA I asked them what would be the solution. After some head scratching the first option they came up with was to change the wing design - not good. But then we discussed the possibility of using some mud flaps of some sort and they thought that was a possibility.

I think the first thing is to look at the new rules carefully and try to see what it is that has changed. The testers were also learning themselves and not 100% sure of some of the "interpretation" so I wouldn't get too concerned yet.

The guys were very affable (if strict). I will try and remember to ask them what rule it was they were implementing when I go back for the re-test.

Robin

[MartinClan]

Originally Posted by Mike

Robin
Well done on your SVA - sounds like you should sail through the re-test.

For the rest of us it sounds like it could be a real problem for open fronted cars, where all the suspension bolt heads are on show. And trying to remove all the radiused edges from the component itself could be a real issue, if rubber strips are not allowed.
Oh dear............
Mike

Hi Mike

I think there are some things that will be allowed in the IVA. What they told me were a definite no no was anything that could be construed as "not permanent". They were very aware that at the moment such things often "fall off" after the SVA. (In fact one of the guys goes to Stoneliegh....)

For example bits of rubber held on with cable ties to cover sharp edges are definitely out. (As in the wing stays of the Sportster). I asked them about titanfast - which is used by many builders for all sorts of things - and they weren't sure about that. As for nut covers I don't know. (I know they pulled all mine off to check the length of threads protruding from the nuts!)

I suspect the first few months of the IVA will be chaos (as apparently the SVA was) while rules are decided about what is, and what isn't permanant.

I don't think things will be impossible - the feeling I got is that the rule changes were there to stop builders who "take advantage" at the moment.

Robin

PS - The other thing they mentioned is that suspension will be checked from the front and rear in the IVA (Just the front for the SVA)

[MartinClan]

Originally Posted by peterux

Well done Robin, so all the major worries about collapsable steering, axle weights, noise, emisions, speedo calibration, build standard, steering wheel, dashboard, seat belts, self centering, light positions, brakes, handbrake adjustment, etc etc all passed! That's pretty good and you should be well chuffed.

I didn't see them look at the steering - although too much coffee had taken effect and I disappeared to the small room a couple of times!

Axle weights were fine. Noise was actually very low (95db). Emissions were very low but apparently that's because I have a lambda sensor. Speedo calibration was 1mph out at 70 (scary test that). Brakes were strange with one side constantly about 20% less than the other. The servo only gave a small boost though which there was some discussion about.

Sounds like a list of really picking fail things that in practise have nothing to do with the safety of the car or any pedistrian you might run over!!

Yes it was a little bit picky. (Not a lot of discretion I would say) For the lower spring mount you would actually have to run over someone first! In fact thinking about it I think they may have got that wrong - but I will do as they suggest anyway. But the strangest thing was that they failed the fuse box - yes the fuse box! It has a small moulding on the side that projects about 10mm above the surface and it failed the radius test. It is mounted up under the dashboard on the passenger side but because I had cut away the lower edge of the dash slightly it was contactable. Although quite what your passenger would be doing with their head down there I don't know lol. Anyway - easy to fix with the Dremel.

On the IVA comments.... what's the diffrence between a steering rack or CV joint gaiter fixed with plastic clips (like on every car on the road) and a piece of hose fixed with tie wraps?

I guess the answer is that they know you're going to remove the hose and tie wraps! Maybe the solution will be to use steering rack type gaiters that look like engineered solutions?

Good point!

Did they say anything about palstic caps for bolt heads? I glued all mine on to stop the bu**ers taking them off!

No they didn't say anything. I glued some of mine on as well but they went and got a biggger screwdriver and levered every one off on the suspension to check the thread projections - which were thankfully all OK.

It was quite an informative day!

Robin

[peterux]

Originally Posted by MartinClan

The ones that were strange (as no-one else has failed on these as far as I am aware) were:

The square section on the upper wishbone through which the balljoint mounts. Contactable edge less than 2.5mm

Front shocker lower spring plate (the one that adjusts up and down). The tester somehow managed to contact the lower edge of this which is, admittedly quite sharp. They suggested covering these with a cut down CV joint gaiter.

I just popped out to the garage (through the new workshop which some call a 'kitchen') My seventeen year old son was hovering nearby and I showed him some these 'failure points'.
His only comment was "they're obviuosly short of money" and wandered off!

Just about sums it up really!!

(these points remind me of the 'sharp edges on the rear reflectors!"

[MartinClan]

PASSED!

Had a scary moment though when the bloke having a re-test just before me failed again! He had built a mid engined "Mini" lookalike. Fiberglass body, bike engine 150hp with a total weight of just 500kgs. Cost - a staggering 20k!!!!

He had also pre arranged a visit to the Northampton DVLA office to be registered the following day - oops. Apparently they will often do it on the spot or with just a few days notice. Now wheres me map....

Robin

PS wings stays came loose again - definitely needs to be sorted.

[peterux]

Congratulations!! well done

.....just the DVLA which should be easy and then you'll be on the road.