SteveB MDA MKII Build Diary

[Mike Pass]

The adjustable "gurney flap" at the rear of the clip looks great. Should frighten a few cyclists as well! Sorry to hear about your injury. If you need some muscle (but not brains) give us a shout.
Cheers
Mike

[Ian Anderson]

Hi Steve

At SVA you will not have a number plate so the question should not arise, however the latest Kit Car mag has a long article about upgrading the tests and there is a requirement for a full size number plate to have a suitable space for the specified size.

I also checked on the Number plate lights and there is no specified heights etc for these - just they myst adequately light the number plate

Ian

[SteveB]

Mike
Thanks for the sympathy and offer. I am just doing the small jobs that can be done left handed and a little help from the right.

Ian
Thanks for the confirmation, it looks like a square rear plate can be mounted to the side in the rear grille. I am not certain the lights will pass as reflectors so I have fitted some 'e' marked items just in case.

The Mustang indicators are in place temporary but will have to come off for the SVA probably also the driving lights. I have made up some blackout panels for the lower recesses. A small 'e' marked indicator can be fixed at the very top edge to gain the minimum height required
The side indicator repeater lights are now fitted after lots of thoughts on how not to have them, I gave up on fitting them in the outer edge of the door mirrors ( too modern) and drilled the nice paint!

Steve

[SteveB]

The rear clip spport is now in place with a couple of mounts for the security pins that I will fit after SVA. I have seen the pins as a central single one and also as a twin layout and opted for that.
For the SVA the rear clip needs to fix in the open position in a way that allows the rear lights/hazards to be visible from the rear (according to the manual).
The small final jobs seem endless!

Steve

[Dave Collins]

Steve,

Based on the following SVA note issued 24/05/04 (but not in the current version of the manual!!??)

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repo...bstruction.pdf

my take is that it does not matter if rear lights/reflectors are obstructed if you have a suitable warning label on the dash.

I would be interested to know if others have found that this is OK recently.

Car looks like it s coming together very well.

Dave

[SteveB]

Dave

The way the clip is locked in the open position avoids the need for the warning sign and also the warning triangle or simmilar that would I believe have to be available / present in the car when tested.

Steve

[SteveB]

I now have the answer to the ground clearance under the engine. The engine is set very low due to the under diff engine centerline. This had resulted in the Canton sump protruding 35mm below the chassis.

The new low profile Armando oil pan arrived today, problem solved. The dipstick and the oil temp probe wil have to be moved but it looks an easy fitting job.

Steve

[Mike Pass]

That should do the trick. It also looks very similar to the original GT40 sump but a bit less battered! Pic attached.
Cheers
Mike

[SteveB]

Today is a milestone in the build process.

Mark at MDA has offered to present my car for SVA at Exeter while we take a break overseas. I am taking this opportunity to have him bond in the screen and rear window glass also gas up the A/C system.
Quite a number of MDA's have been through the local test center and passed, so hopefully they are familiar with the construction and components.

Filling in the application documents is a bit longwinded. I first downloaded the application form, however there is now a new one from July. This asks for the 'amateur built declaration' that can be downloaded from the VOSA site, trouble is you can't, its not there. Contacting the SVA section at VOSA ended with them emailing the document to me.
Then you need to enclose 'certified' copies of various documents , the invoice for the parts, certificate of newness etc. Just in case VOSA think the car has been built by a 'professional' you need to send some photographs showing the build progressing in your home garage.
You need to think like a civil servant, to fill and double check that you have all the parts or it will not be processed.

Here are some photos of the car loading into the trailer this morning.

The garage looks very empty!!

Steve

[Mark Clapp]

Steve, the car looks superb.

[Randy V]

Sweet!!!

Looks like a rather tight fit in the trailer.. And that is a rather unique trailer as well... I've never seen a tilt bed enclosed trailer like that!

[SteveB]

Thanks for the compliments.

The car went in nice and easy, the trailer has a very shallow angle, we just had to get the car lined up first, but with the side doors you can get out when the car is in place. The big lift up door provided protection from rain that came as we loaded. Nice bit of kit
I have attached some details of the trailer, it is about a large as you can go with our narrow local roads.

Steve

[Steve C]

Steve,

The car looks great. Good luck at SVA.

Could you tell me something about the CV's, half shafts and CV boots you used ( I'm especially interested in the CV boots ...source, PN's ect).

Thanks in advance.

Steve C P2125

[Jean-Paul Reckinger]

Hi Steve,
good luck with the SVA , with such a perfect (looking) car they shouldn't give you trouble
JP

[Chris Headon]

Steve
Mine was back at MDA last week for the "final fit" (just a few mods still to do as afterthoughts now) and I saw yours there, you really have done a great job and I look forward to the first show where we can put them side by side on display so that the flyers showing the cars can be translated to the real thing, that should get Mark a few more orders. Good luck with the SVA, I'm sure Mark will help get it through, if only these civil servants could get some stability in the test for a while but they do keep changing the goalposts, so you never know whether what was OK last month (or even last week) is still acceptable.

[SteveB]

I have been a bit diverted from the car recently.
The seat bases have now been upholstered and installed, here is a picture of the seats installed.

Steve

[SteveB]

The SVA milestone has been achieved, yes the car has passed...Yippiee!

After quite a bit of question and answer with the details on the documentation sent in to VOSA resulted in delays, the initial test was in December, unfortunately not a pass.
This raised a list of issues , some problematic others plain trivial.
Noise level was out by 2db we had tested it and expected it to be OK, with this and some other points bear in mind the 'Ministry' kit is very expensive and equally accurate. Headlamp alignment fits this category, we had done a full MOT the lights passed that however the SVA is more exacting.
The emissions test was borderline as we passed on CO but the Hydrocarbons went over the limit. The day of the test was very cold and the frozen jet caused the pipe to blow off the union under the dash, stronger screen wash mix next time. Added to the list was the door weatherstrip that came adrift after the tester had been in and out many times.
The mirrors were a problem, again the test had been simulated per the SVA manual however the big air intakes on the MkII makes the blind spot worse and we collected another item to fix ( a 2" block under the mirror base to raise the mirror and set further out).

Christmas and the New Year the test station was closed and in January the next available test date was the 4 Feb.
The various items had been fixed and we Passed

Just the registration next, a close scrutiny of the application documents required I think, as it's on to a new group of civil servants with a fresh rule book.

Steve

[Brian Magee]

Congratulations Steve, look forward to seeing it around this year.

Brian

[Dave Bilyk]

Great news Steve, congratulations. I just looked back at your first post in June '06 - you said 'There will be thunder in the hills' I wondered what that noise was the other day, now I know!

regards
Dave

[Paul Anderson]

Congratulations Steve on passing the SVA, Pleased for you. The SVA seems miles away for me, just came in from the garage, (bit cold out there) Well done again.

Paul Anderson