Build Officially Started!

[TalonMotorFabrication]

If your battery acid level has dropped it might be time to buy a new one as when the lead plates start to dry out that's when the problems start, also you don't fill a battery with acid it's deionised water.

[Tatey]

Talon it is a brand new dry battery which needs filling up with electrolyte (sulphuric acid), I stupidly only got half the amount required so I need to order some more to allow me to fill the battery to get the required specific gravity.

[TalonMotorFabrication]

Didn't know you could buy dry car/van batteries thought that was only big storage jobbies, I stand corrected then.

[Tatey]

Its believe its mainly with motorcycle batteries that you can buy them dry.

[Tatey]

Well my new earth strap, 40A inline strip fuse and extra battery acid arrived, these got fitted today and the engine now turns over under battery power which I'm very happy with! Meaning my wiring, starter motor, solenoid and battery work as expected!

Tomorrow I will be hooking up my fuel lines and trying to fire it up and I will record the compulsory first start video! It has been a long time coming :D.

[Tatey]

It's ALIVE! After some faffing this morning and a few problems it has started! Unfortunately this wasn't the first start as I had to do a bit of faffing and thought my carbs were a bit dud as they were leaking but then give it a quick go after earthing my fuel pump (oops) it started!

The horrid noise you can hear at the start is the fuel pump kicking it, it's currently not bolted down so is vibrating off the aluminium panel.

The engine is also running on a lot of choke in the video and there are a lot of air leaks as I haven't got my carbs tightened down, or my MAP sensor fitted, it's also running on EDIS only at the moment and the exhaust hasn't got a gasket fitted. The carbs also need rejetting and a bit more setting up.

Also please ignore the smoking exhaust manifold :eek:. It's just several years of oily residue burning off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHZopYCKItw&feature=youtu.be

I am over the moon that it has started though! After owning the engine for about 4 years with it sitting there doing nothing and a second hand set of carbs I thought I was going to run into some real trouble with it.

The next jobs are going to be finishing off the wiring, buying the relays I need for the lights and checking that it all works. I also need to buy a new alternator as I found mine makes some interesting noises when rotating. Then I just need to finish off the cooling system, which shouldn't take too long.

[voucht]

Well done Simon!
Starting the engine for the first time is a very important step of your build, you should be very happy!
Keep up the good work :)

[K4KEV]

Nice one Simon ...ye should be aiming for next spring to be on the road so get a move on matey

[Tatey]

Well todays job has been to finish wiring my ECU and mount it and the EDIS 4 unit to my bulk head which went without a hitch. I also tidied up the wiring under the dash so the cable runs are a lot better and they are nicely secured to the chassis.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/Simon_Tate/DSC08541.jpg (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/Simon_Tate/media/DSC08541.jpg.html)

I then set about trimming my bulkhead so that it fit with the side panels, it now looks a lot tidier. I haven't got any photos of that though I'm afraid.

Finally I finished my headlight wiring at the relay holders and ordered the relays I need for the headlights and indicators (LED specific one for my lights). Hopefully they will arrive soon and I'll be able to test the functionality of them.

I need to order some new bullet connectors for my front indicators so I can connect those up and run some ground connections.

It is feeling like the end is in sight now that I am finishing off jobs. I am now aiming for getting it on the road next spring, with a potential track session for a shake down prior to that.

[Tatey]

Just a quick update on my build. It is still progressing! I have now changed the CV joint boots, tested my lights and had my mushrooms re-machined to allow them to be used with my shorter transit drag links. Today I have ordered the remaining bits I need for the fuel system, cooling system, most of the bits for the electrical system and some other odds and sods like nuts and bolts, throttle cable, brake actuation etc, which should arrive over the next week.

I've got a friend coming up next weekend to give me a hand as well so hopefully progress should be quickly made.

Next month I'm planning on ordering my alternator and digital dashboard which I believe will be some of the final bits I need other than IVA compliant bits and making it all look pretty.

I've now set a date to be on the road by the spring.

[Tatey]

I've managed to make quite a lot of progress today after all of my bits arrived. Today I managed to fit my roll over valve + breather end cap/filter, fit my vacuum take off for Megajolt, finish off my cooling system (minus a few hose clips), including P-clipping hoses in place and finally I have ran my throttle cable, I just need to attach it to the pedal which is tomorrows job.

Tomorrows job is to finish off the throttle cable, wire up my front indicators, wrap my exhaust, finish off my pedal box, sort out my brake actuator to get it to the right length, fit pedal stops (both forwards and rearwards).

Pictures speak more than words so here are some:

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/Simon_Tate/DSC08561.jpg (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/Simon_Tate/media/DSC08561.jpg.html)

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/Simon_Tate/DSC08553.jpg (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/Simon_Tate/media/DSC08553.jpg.html)

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/Simon_Tate/DSC08562.jpg (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/Simon_Tate/media/DSC08562.jpg.html)

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/Simon_Tate/DSC08548.jpg (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/Simon_Tate/media/DSC08548.jpg.html)

[Rosco]

Looking good mate! Ive reamed my hubs today so will get your reamer back to you asap 👍

[twinturbo]

Getting there , bit faster than me ;)

TT

[Tatey]

I didn't get much time in the garage this weekend due to family meals, nights out and sorting out things around the house. I managed to find a couple of hours today and mounted my fuel filler cap. I've had the cap for about 2 years now so it's nice to finally fit it!

I'm using some cheap flexible fuel filler hose from CBS which has kinked slightly at the fuel tank end. It should bet me through the IVA test and if I have any problems filling up then ill be replacing it with 2 aluminium 90° bends and fuel resistant joiners.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/Simon_Tate/DSC08567.jpg (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/Simon_Tate/media/DSC08567.jpg.html)

[skov]

I'm using some cheap flexible fuel filler hose from CBS which has kinked slightly at the fuel tank end. It should bet me through the IVA test and if I have any problems filling up then ill be replacing it with 2 aluminium 90° bends and fuel resistant joiners.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/Simon_Tate/DSC08567.jpg (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/Simon_Tate/media/DSC08567.jpg.html)

That's a neat looking way to mount the filler, I like that :cool:

I don't think you'll have any trouble filling it up, but (depending on how you've done it) you might find you get fuel peeing out of the breather if you brim it!

[Tatey]

Skov that is a very good point, the breather uses a 1 way roll over valve which should prevent any fuel from spilling out when brimming, i'll need to see how it goes!

[SeriesLandy]

I had to move my filler to that position after having it on the back panel, as the 4 times I tried to fill the car up, I just got the petrol on the floor.

After advice on LB I ditched the 1 way valve and bought a 2 way (1 way free, the other vents at pressure) to cope with tank expansion in the sun. A few people have failed iva with the normal 1 way valve. Annoying as the vent is £35 ish from cbs.

[metal matt]

I know what you mean about the 2 way vent valve I've go one to go on my tank £35 from CBS and it is tiny

[Tatey]

I have missed quite a few updates on my car recently!

I've been very busy work on the car as of late, pretty much every day I am in the garage. My IVA test is now paid for (awaiting a date) but should be around the start of April if everything goes according to plan.

Since my last update I've done the following minus a few things I've probably forgotten:

Wrapped exhaust in fibreglass wrap
Finished cooling system
Fitted side repeaters to rear arch
Bought and fitted Acewell digital dash
Fitted speed sensor to propshaft
Finished brake system
Fitted gaiters to handbrake and exhaust
Trimmed seats in edge trim
Bought and fitted alternator
Fitted oil catch tank
Finished engine bay wiring
Made rear boot panel
Remade brake reservoir panel
Main steering column cover panel
Wired front indicators
Cover all cabling in spiral wrap

I will try and get some pictures up soon!

[SeriesLandy]

It sounds like you are getting close to the finish.

Are you able to test the speedo as I had a problem with my pickup on the prop. The prop was spinning too quickly. I ended up using a bolt on the rear driveshaft and the sensor in the upright, as its spins nearly 4 times slower. My dash is a race technology one though.

[onedayTM]

hi there, been following your build as it as you are using same motor/ bike carb setup as i am, great build so far by the way. I hope you dont mind me asking as I noticed your Hand brake cable set up goes in from the rear, did you do that for any particular reason. It is a pain to position and did you have any issues getting it to seat properly against CP14 as the angle of the brkt would have been better if it was vertical position.
cheers
tony

[Tatey]

Hi Tony, I can't remember why I put the bracket like that, I think it must have been a case of reading the book, welding it in prior to getting my handbrake cable and not having a problem fitting the cable once I eventually bought one.

SeriesLandy, I haven't had a chance to test it yet so I guess I'll need to see how it goes!

[Tatey]

Well it's been a long time since I've posted on here! I got very close to finishing the car but decided in the end to cancel my IVA and rebook for early next year so I can get the most of the summer.

My plan to keep me going is to finish the car to a track ready condition, fit a tow bar to my tin top and then do a track day or 2 to give the car a good shake down prior to IVA. It should also spur me on to finish the remainder of the IVA required items!

I am currently in the middle of painting the car which is going quite well now that I've got to grips with it. All of my GRP panels except the bonnet have been etch primed, primed and I'm in the process of painting these red. There has been a lot of learning along the way and there will be a bit of work to get rid of a few paint defects like orange peel and a couple of sags. I am hoping to have all of my painting done by the end of September.

Once the car is painted there are only a couple of jobs like changing the coolant and oil, putting my racey steering wheel on and checking everything works the way it should. My plan now is to have a track day in the middle of November. I will try and get some more pictures up soon.

[BenBrooks]

Do you know what the rules are for track days and cars without MOT etc? I was looking into this too but wondered how far along my build had to be..
Thanks

[flyerncle]

Fuel tank vents have been placed up inside the roll bar,cant much higher than that.

[Rosco]

Sounds good!

[Tatey]

Ben, I don't think there are any rules on how complete the car needs to be. My boss has a track only Caterham with no MOT, no handbrake and no lights. I think it's a case of as long as it looks safe and nothing is going to fall off I.e. It doesn't look like a shed then I feel it will be ok!

[vmax1974]

I agree I had a track car no tax test or insurance one seat only never had a problem gettinv it in on a track day

[Tatey]

Well I have finally gotten round to taking a picture of my car now that a few panels are finished/nearly finished. My side panels are drying in the garage as I write this and my rear arches need a bit of sanding a polish up. The bonnet needs a quick sand to get rid of a bit of orange peel and then a polish, but the finish in the picture is the finish straight out of the gun.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/Simon_Tate/DSC08638.jpg (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/Simon_Tate/media/DSC08638.jpg.html)

I have to say I am pretty proud of myself for how the car is now looking!

I've also discovered that the head gasket in my engine has gone and my battery is now a dud which isn't really surprisingly as I have been abusing it while testing electrics. So next month I shall be buying a new battery and then doing a compression check on my engine and if that goes well then take the head off, get it skimmed, lap the valves and replace the valve stem seals. I know I can pick up a cheap engine but the pre-95 engines are getting pretty thin on the ground and I would like the lax emission rules when I get the car IVA'd. Plus I've always wanted to rebuild an engine :D.

I also realised I had my top wishbones on upside down when I made my cycle wing carriers meaning my cycle wings are no longer in the correct position, which is slightly annoying! However as I'll be putting it on the track first I'm not too fussed at the moment and come IVA time I shall sort them out.

[voucht]

Hi Simon,
It's cool to see you and your car are seeing the end of the tunnel! The car looks very nice in deed, it is a very neat built, and you can definitely be proud of yourself. And I'm pretty sure that once on the road, it is going to be an amazing car!
Don't try your engine too much, suspecting a head gasket failure, with the radiator on : I've ruined 2 radiators before I figured out the head gasket was dead on mine (I figured out that the compression from the cylinders was going into the cooling circuit, building up a pressure there that the radiator couldn't handle).
Good luck for the end, and keep us posted :)

[Rosco]

Getting there now!

[Tatey]

So it has been a very long time since I last posted. Progress on my car has been virtually non existent. However it is a new year and I have a renewed desire to get the car finished!

An update from the last time I posted was that I pulled the head off, got it skimmed, changed the head gasket, replaced the valve stem seals, put a new timing kit on it and lapped the valves in. I also sent my carbs away for rebuild, as they had a suspected air leak. I also redesigned my inlet manifold so that my bike carbs use the standard rubbers which now bolt to the manifold. The standard rubbers also have vacuum take off points on them so it is a much better solution.

I have had my wishbones powder coated and I have revised them as I wasn't happy with the original bushes I took out.

I am now reassembling the suspension onto the car and the plan is to buy a cheap car transporter trailer and take the car for a rolling road session and get it on at least one track day this year just to use the car! Once I am happy with that then I will finish off the bits I need for IVA and get my test done over the winter.

One thing I have also noticed when fitting the new suspension is that my fuel hose looks to have perished again, I haven't checked to see if the main run down the tunnel has or if it is just the section to my fuel filter. If it is everything then I will be ripping all of the fuel line out, converting all of the connections to JIC -6 and running Brown and Miller Racing Solutions consulted PTFE hose with their progold fittings. It will meaning changing my fuel filter and fuel pump but I feel it will be worth it in the long run!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wyFmj2qHk8SM51627

[twinturbo]

I have many new years resolutions to keep up with...

One is doing stuff for "ME" , so that includes hopefully getting a look at the car again..

I sold my sierra after 25 years and that freed up a stack of cash so rather than just pay off more of the mortgage I have spent a little on myself...

I think it's a Decade since I started!


My plan also is to try and get the car to a state that I can stick it on my trailer which I bought 18 months ago.. and get at least some use out of it. I have some private trading estate land that we can shake it down..

Ideally I want my eldest to have a go and use it to learn more driving skills before he turns 17 in 2021...


My fuel lines are all copper front to back, or they will be.


I did by a Speeduino Clone in November, so when I look at doing Injection I should be in a reasonable position..

TT

[tkpm]

There I was thinking I must the only one that's not touched there car in a long time.
I past the 10 year mark back in September last year.
Like Tatey and twinturbo, I'm going to make the effort and get my car finished.

It's been about 12 months since I've taken the cover off it, the list of jobs is quite small.
Clean the fuel tank and lines.
Re fit a panel to the side prop tunnel.
Send away my shocks away for a rebuild as they now have bad rust areas on them.
Replace an oil seal on the gear box.
Then its just a few bit rubber trim around sharp edges.

Hopefully by June I will have enough money saved up to get IVA done.

[voucht]

Good to see you back Simon! I honestly thought we'd lost you forever :p

You'll see that unfortunately, this forum is not what it used to be, no more car being built, new members having the worst trouble to register, so it is not very active. But like TT and TKPM, I have a look at it almost everyday to see if there is something new.

Regarding your fuel lines, if you go for dash-6 stainless steel braided PTFE hose, buy the one with carbon charged PTFE which has a black colour (not the usual clear colour like the brake hoses). It is not rubber (Nitrile or NBR), it is PTFE (Teflon), but black.

It is very important for fuel lines, as carbon charged PTFE hose is anti-static. When you run a fuel injection, fuel is passing at a high speed in the PTFE tube, and because of that, the PTFE get charged with static electricity. A bit like rubbing a plastic ruler on a synthetic cloth sweater. You know what happen when you do that, you get sparkles. And sparkles + fuel anywhere else than in a combustion chamber is not good. That is reason why they make carbon charged PTFE hose, so the static electricity is permanently conducted out of the fuel hose through the carbon particles and the stainless steel braid, so no spark can occur. It is a very important thing to think about, really.

Hope that will help :)

Good luck for finishing your build... and please, post some pictures!

[martin62]

I too am getting at my car as well Auto Electrician coming on Tuesday to finish off my attempt at wiring, just a few bits of wiring on the steering column and relays and I can start the car. I started the build in October 09 a lot of distractions on the way

[jps]

I too am adamant that I will finish this year! Like others I have had various changes since I bought a rolling, but only part finished, chassis in summer 2012... I spent yesterday getting the side panels properly cut for the front suspension, and my car now sits on 4 coilovers for the first time ever.

[will_08]

I'm in the 10 year club too.....must be longer, had Ron Champions escort based book for a few years before I started this :o

Will start my build thread soon, good luck with yours :cool:

[Tatey]

So a quick update. The car is now ready for the track. I have all of the powder coated suspension back together. The fuel line was replaced.

I previously got my carbs refurbished and after getting them back the car wouldn't start, this was over 2 years ago. Since replacing the fuel line I tried to get the car started with no luck. It was definitely pumping fuel, but it turned out I had no spark. Cue taking off the scuttle and pulling out the dash and dismantling my loom to find a loose connection to my EDIS 4 module from a crimp connection. This was soon fixed and the car fired straight up on the button.

I have since been edge trimming things and tidying other stuff up, some of my aluminium panels had gone slightly furry in the time it has been in the garage so this has been cleaned up.

I am now trying to source a transporter trailer that will fit the Haynes on and fit in my single garage. It looks like the Brian James C4 Blue and the Minno Max are the only trailers on the market wide enough to makes the Haynes but narrow enough to fit through my 2134mm wide garage door opening.

[jps]

Great to hear, shows there is hope for us all! I just looked back to see some pics for inspiration and see the curse of Photobucket has wiped everything out, would be great to see some pics of it as it stands!

[Tatey]

I still have all of the photos so I will upload them to a photo service and post the link.

I have a couple of things to do to the car this week including fixing my immobiliser LED which broken when I was removing the dash. I also need to bond on some cable tie mounts so I can secure the rear of the rear tub cover. I'm then going to get it out for a wash so I'll take some pictures of it in its current state.

[Tatey]

May was definitely a long time ago! But with a temporary 10% paycut made permanent due to COVID put a stop to my trailer buying plans.

That paycut has thankfully now been reversed. The past few months have also shown how rare a C4 Blue or Minno Max trailers are or how well they hold onto their value. So I have today just ordered a brand new C4 Blue so that I can finally get the car out on track!

My trailer is due to turn up at the end of October so I am trying to get a rolling road session booked for early November with Bogg Bros to get my carbs/ignition map setup for the track.

The plan is to do Blyton Park at the end of November if everything goes well.

I have since fixed my immobiliser light and redone the electrical connections for my fog light switch. I have acquired some oil to refill my diff and I'm checking fluid levels for my gearbox this weekend as it was 6 years ago when I filled it up and I want to double check it!

[twinturbo]

I kept looking at transporters on ebay. some real rough stuff made stupid money back in late 2018... and they were all a long way off.

Then one poped up, it looked old but solid and was only 20 miles away.

It said offers, so I offerd £400 and we settled at £480.. I did not know what to expect.

When I got there the guy had a brand new low loading indespension transporter, that was for his MK1 RS2000 rally car. He also had a Focus RS in his sizeable home garage....

so his old trailer, he had designed and built himself. the main bed sections had been folded by a local engineering firm ~20 years previously. The whole thing looked PRO and in some ways better than contemporary Brian james or Similar units.

It's been used a handful of times to recover purchases or move cars that are not MOT'd..

It's rock solid and would easily take most cars although it's probably only capable of 1500KG max..

When the Haynes is finished I may sign up as a memer at Kames for some track sessions.

[Tatey]

So things are progressing nicely.

I have now filled the diff with oil, flushed the cooling system and I'm about to refill it with coolant.

I have secured the rear tub top panel to the car using some bond on cable tie bases and cable ties for the rear most edge. The front most edge and the fuel filler cap area are bolted into position so it's really just to stop it flapping.

http://www.silverstonefactors.com/shop/product/56-t-b-cable-tie-base-tc105-bulk

The cable tie bases are a very useful things and are used extensively on race cars. Matched with some Loctite F246 structural adhesive you can mount them most places.

I have secured the access hatch into the rear boot to stop it dropping inwards.

I have also bought a winch for my trailer and a strap type tow loop which I have mounted to the top front wishbone mount. It will allow me to winch the car onto the trailer and the trailer into the garage (nose first) without needing assistance. I do need to see how much diagonal pull there is when the trailer arrives, with a straight pull the strap clears the nose cone, if there is a significant angle on the tow rope then it will start to contact the nose cone so that may require a rethink.

https://i.ibb.co/Z1b2gQ3/20200925-191044.jpg (https://ibb.co/1J4zXC3)

My trailer collection date is set at 31st October and I have a rolling road session booked at Bogg Brothers for 7th November. I am hoping to attend Blyton park on 28th November but I think I will wait to book that once I've had my session at the rolling road in case there are any problems.

Left on the list is to apply the sealant to my sausage filter backing plate, glue on edge trim, check all bolts and fasteners are tight. Check the gearbox oil. Setup the ride height and set the tracking.

[twinturbo]

remember to get photos of the trailer arrival,

[Tatey]

I'll definitely get a picture of the trailers arrival.

I have since decided to replace the cambelt, tensioners and water pump. On firing up the engine last week when changing the coolant I noticed a squeak coming from the cambelt area which had me concerned.

With the standard silvertop water pump with the smooth pulley I am also spinning the pump backwards. So I have now ordered an escort water pump from Retro Ford to replace this with as this spins clockwise. They sell a kit which includes a new lightweight ribbed pulley as the original escort pulleys are like hen's teeth now.

The cambelt/water pump on the engine is of complete unknown age. I have had the engine at least 10 years and the engine is now 30 years old so to be safe and avoid the engine going pop I feel it would be best to replace it. I previously decided against it as the engine only cost me £40 and the cambelt kit is £60 so didn't seem worth it, I have since come to my senses!

[Tatey]

So changing the water pump/cambelt was a good idea as the cambelt idler pulley bearings weren't in a good way. The new water pump is on, I am just waiting for a new coolant hose to arrive as the water pump outlet on the escort pumps is a straight fitting rather than pointing backwards.

The trailer was due to be collected today but the dealership decided to close this weekend so they are instead going to deliver it to me this week. It doesn't sound like I'll be able to go to my rolling road session next week given the soon to be announced lockdown.

https://i.ibb.co/9yxnLVS/20201031-172015.jpg (https://ibb.co/9yxnLVS)

[twinturbo]

Let's hope they can still deliver..

I should really look at the cam belt on my Escort Cabrio. I am so use to things having chains that I forgot they were a thing ;) . But in the last 18 months I have gone from having no cars with camblets, to all 3 cars ( that could be in play ) now having them.. :mad:

Was it easy enough on the Silvertop?

[Tatey]

The silvertop was easy to do with the timing kit (a bar to lock the cams, a pin to lock the crank and a home made tool to lock the cam pulleys.

You need a few big torx bits for the cam pulleys/cam tensioner pulleys, T50 and T55 I believe.

If you are doing the belt for the first time you'll need a new tensioner spring/spring post (very cheap) and a tensioner pulley post, they sometimes come in the kit but sometimes don't (mine didn't).

The Haynes obviously has a ample room and good clearance around everything so it may have been very easy.

I can send you the Haynes manual for the zetec engine which has the step by step if you'd like it?

[Tatey]

The trailer has arrived! It is a squeeze to get it in the garage but luckily all of my measurements were correct and it all fits. I need to get a proper winch plate laser cut for it and get a motor mover to help move it on my own as with the car on and my drive being on a slight slope it wants to run away with you.

https://i.ibb.co/2y1DVWZ/20201104-132117.jpg (https://ibb.co/bPMSwQb)
https://i.ibb.co/ccZQ1b8/20201104-132106.jpg (https://ibb.co/27Cdy8M)
https://i.ibb.co/JnvysnB/20201104-181638.jpg (https://ibb.co/fMknxM1)

[jps]

https://i.ibb.co/9yxnLVS/20201031-172015.jpg (https://ibb.co/9yxnLVS)

Out of interest - how did you cover the steering column underneath the brake reservoir? I was thinking to position it like this - but leaning towards putting it offset to towards the middle...

[Tatey]

I fabricated an angled cover over the top of it which is then rivetted in place. It was quite a complex folded piece which it does a good job of covering the column. It then seemed like a sensible place to put the brake fluid reservoir.

[Tatey]

A quick update. I now have a rolling road booked for 9th January and I'm planning to take the car to Blyton Park on 31st January if everything goes well on the rolling road.

My neighbour mentioned to me that there is actually a rolling road 1.5 miles from my house so I have now booked in here. It saves me the 2 and a half hour drive up to Bogg Bros. It is a lot more expensive but I think the hassle saving will be worth it.

[twinturbo]

Trailer looks a good fit in all respects.

[Tatey]

Well the day was finally here!

After the dyno breaking a few weeks ago meaning I had to rearrange my rolling road session again it was finally time! And what a day for it as it was absolutely chucking it down. I do need to drill some holes in my seat and floor to drain the water out!

I really just wanted the day to shake the car down, make sure there were no major issues with it and make sure the fueling was safe.

The day turned into more of a mammoth session that I had hoped as for some reason the engine was running massively rich. Trying smaller jets, different needles and different diaphragm springs got it nearly dialed in, however it is still fuelling a bit rich but it is in a safe running condition now. I will go back again in the future with some 2.0l cams and a full selection of main jets.

Other things I found out from the day were that I have wired up the rad fan the wrong way as it is spinning the wrong way. I need to put a 2x offset in for my rpm gauge and change some settings on my dash to get my temp gauge linked to the right input. It is now also reading the correct road speed.

It was fantastic, although nerve wracking see the car that has taken 12 years to get here finally being run through its paces.

I have my IVA test booked for 28th May so here is hoping that all goes well. I still have a few jobs to complete to get it ready but hopefully there won't be too many things to correct.

https://i.ibb.co/0Ff3ptT/20210508-131015.jpg (https://ibb.co/HxrQLd6)

[Ianr]

Good progress and fingers crossed for the IVA :)

[twinturbo]

Looking very good.

Fingers crossed for that IVA..

There's few cars getting finished these days which is a shame but at least some are still making it over the line.

TT

[Tatey]

So the IVA test at Derby went pretty well yesterday. The only fail points were on emissions, fog light marking and headlight alignment.

My carbs are still massively over fuelling which seemed to get worse during the day, so I need to have another rolling road sessions at someone more familiar with carbs. I am going to get booked in at Bogg Bros. I will buy another set of carbs, buy a full main jet kit and take along an extra bike fuel pump to try and get to the bottom of it.

My fog light is E marked but it needs to have an F or a B on it. I bought my fog light before the new rules came in. So I have ordered a new lens assembly to sort this.

Finally I had done up my headlight nuts too tight so he couldn't adjust my headlights during the test. I just need to loosen these for my retest.

A couple of other things that I need to tweak is to remove the dB killer from the exhaust as with it fitted it is very good on noise but you can't get an emissions probe down the exhaust.

I also need to make a heatshield for my exhaust manifold as it is getting my bonnet very hot.

[Ianr]

Not a bad fail - well done! To reduce heat I wrapped the exhaust manifiold and cat completely in exhaust wrap about 50mm wide, worked a treat and simple to do. I got some stainless steel ties to keep it in place, don't think plastic would have worked.

[twinturbo]

yeah i would be happy with that, I think my fogs is correct. Fuelling is always a bugger .

Will you get it back there in time for the restest?

[Tatey]

So my new fog light is here and just needs fitting. I have ordered a set of carbs which should be arriving soon. I am booked in at Bogg Bros on 12th June and I'm hoping to get another IVA test at the start of July but I will ring up to book this next week. So hopefully I will be on the road later this summer.

[twinturbo]

Fingers crossed, been a long haul ;)

But if the weather is like this ( assuming you have the baking sun) summer could be fun

[Numplumb]

Good luck with IVA retest.
Car looks real nice.

[Tatey]

So I had a very successful day at Bogg Bros today. I changed my fuel pump for a brand new pump I had in stock. My pump was behaving weirdly after the IVA test where it was running constantly at times when it shouldn't have been. The new pump seems to have resolved my issues.

One getting the Bogg Bros the car was running very lean, after trying a few different jets, balancing the carbs and adjusting the floats it was all nicely dialed in. The car is now making 120bhp and weighs in at 630kg so it should be pretty pokey to get started with!

I have fitted my new fog light but I need to order a new electrical connector as the new fog has a different connector annoyingly.

I will be booking my IVA retest this week so I will keep you posted on when the new test is.

[Tatey]

So good news! I had my IVA retest today and it was a pass!

It only took 20 minutes to check the fog light, set the headlights up and check emissions. There was a lot of discussion about emissions as he had tested me on the stricter 0.5% CO limit and said I had failed until I pointed out I should be tested on the 3.5% as my engine is 1993.

I need to wait for a cheque book to arrive before I submit my registration paperwork as the DVSA only accept payment through either cheque, postal order or shillings :D.

I have Blyton park booked for Saturday 14th August so I just need to fit a new gearbox output oil seal, refit my proper steering wheel and refit my dB killer this weekend.

Thank you so much everyone for your support over the past 12 years. I really couldn't have done it without you and this forum.

[Ianr]

Congratulations! Well done! Passing IVA is an achievement - but now the fun starts :)

[Tatey]

Well the car has now been hooned around Blyton Park! There were no issues with it at all, it was absolutely fantastic to drive. The track was lovely and dry, it was quite busy at times but it was a really good day. I did around 25 laps to give it a good run in.

I'm planning to go back to Blyton Park in October for another day out.

https://i.ibb.co/9nD3Csx/IMG-20210815-WA0015.jpg (https://ibb.co/9nD3Csx) https://i.ibb.co/rpx1KZb/IMG-20210815-WA0013.jpg (https://ibb.co/rpx1KZb) https://i.ibb.co/0XXS67m/DSC07917.jpg (https://ibb.co/0XXS67m) https://i.ibb.co/pyQhhpD/DSC07909.jpg (https://ibb.co/pyQhhpD) [

[Ianr]

Blyton is a really great track. I've been round in a 2.0l Zetec powered GBS Zero and thought it brilliant but then went round driven by a professional race driver in a Honda S2000 engined Westfield. So much quicker. I struggled to figure out how he was getting the car through the sequential bends just before the last right hander that takes you back to where you join the track. Thoroughly recomended to all :)

[twinturbo]

great news, enjoy it ;)

[jps]

So good news! I had my IVA retest today and it was a pass!

A bit slow on the uptake - but congratulations! I've started reading your build thread back over again, for more inspiration, but it's already been a great source/inspiration - along with all the others of completed cars. It looks great, well done.