Revised
31/12/2011
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In preparation for SVA there were several smaller jobs which had been left but had to be done to pass. I had bought a pack of assorted plastic nut covers off ebay so went round the car coving any exposed nut or bolt heads. Although maybe not needed for SVA I needed to connect a pipe from the flame trap to the air filter. A future job will be to install an oil catchpot but for the moment this would have to do. I had never been happy with the bonnet catches supplied by Dax and when it came to put the SVA covers on, I decided that I had to find an alternative. I ordered 2 pairs of SVA compliant bonnet catches from Car Builder Solutions which are far better although they only just arrived in time and only just cover the holes formed by the DAX catches, which I filled with some black headed pop rivets. To finish off the boot area, I bought some edging strip from Woolies for the edge of the boot box and finished off the bottom of the stainless steel roll bar with black sealant smoothed over using a solution of washing up liquid
I had been warned about ensuring the brake balance bar was fixed in place with pins. I hadn't had much of a chance to check the balance so took a chance and fixed the bar in place drilling though the nuts and threaded bar and inserting a cotter pin. During a final check on the car driving down the street and back I noticed the speedo didn't seem to be working. I jacked up the back of the car to carry out a test. Nothing ! Out came the dashboard to check the wiring but all seemed OK. I now had to take out the boot box to check the reed switch. I had remembered that when I first fixed the reed switch in place a long time ago I thought I had over tightened it as I heard a slight crack, but at the time it worked. This had obviously come back to haunt me as on checking the threaded bar holding the sensor had split in half. I had just enough time to get one ordered on overnight delivery before the SVA, although I ended up paying an extortionate amount to Greengauges for the privilege as they have a minimum postal charge of £20!
The day of the SVA came.I had also decided to have an MOT carried out at the same time. I had borrowed a trailer from a friend for the journey to Beverley and set off with a car-full of tools and parts for every eventuality. Despite a positive reaction to the car from the tester the car failed on the following points, although I was surprised that other things like the speedo reading and noise levels were spot on :
Although disappointed at failing the SVA and MOT a date was set for 2 weeks later for a retest. On seeking advice from the Yorkshire Rushowner members it appeared that I had my brake balance the wrong way round. The collar on the balance bar needs to be closer to the front brake cylinder than the rear as shown in the photo's below, and fixed with roll pins. Richard Wilcox from the owners club helped set up the emissions so they were sure to pass and the other items were minor and an easy fix. Before returning the car for a retest I also set up the camber and tracking as best I could using spirit levels and straight edges. I had been unhappy during the SVA that the steering wasn't centering and the steering wheel wasn't central, although this may have been caused by strapping down the front wheels whilst on the trailer.
At the re-visit to Beverley test centre, the tester remembered me from before and it wasn't long before I was issued with a MAC and MOT. He even let me set up the emissions correctly, although its a pity I hadn't been allowed to do this on my first visit !
The next day, I went to the DVLA office at Leeds to apply for registration. I left all the relevant documentation along with the fee and was told that someone would ring to arrange inspection of the car. To my surprise an hour later I received a phone call from the DVLA inspector wanting to arrange inspection for the following day. After everything I have heard about delays in booking for SVA and for arranging registration, I can only say that everyone I had dealt with had been informative and helpful with the minimum of delays. Perhaps it was just the time of year with everyone starting to get in the Christmas spirit.
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Registration speedo sensor, bonnet catches, final trim, MOT & SVA Nosecone, Rear tub, front mudguards, alarm Finishing fitting the dashboard Carpets, seats and Dashboard Making a start on the interior Lights working Bonnet, Nosecone, Headlights 1st drive Rear mudguards and lights Engine loom wiring, Alternator bracket, Distributor, Engine Started, Speedo sensor, Transmission tunnel fitting, Exhausts, Side panels Steering column, Front axle, Pedal box, Wheel studs, Fuel tank, Wiring loom, Rear tub, Remote oil filter, Front bulkhead / battery shelf, Column switches Footwell panels, Rear axle, Brake pipes, Rear bulkhead, Fuel pump, Engine installed Collect kit from Dax, Painting chassis, Remote oil filter takeoff plate, Floor panels, A frame bushes Gearstick remote, Baffled sump Preparing LT77 gearbox, exhaust options, Costs for kit 3.62:1 LSD Front hub bearings, Engine age Preparing donor differential, drive shafts, hubs
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