On The Road!

Well, that's it. She's on the road. Got all the paperwork today. I then got the plates made up and fitted them, and that's it.

Here she is:

Also had a short drive in it tonight. Seems to be a great little car to drive. Very, very powerful, though, so I'll have to take it steady at first, especially in the wet.

The completion has been a long time coming. I didn't think it would end up taking 5 years, but I've thoroughly enjoyed it and have learnt a great deal in the process, not least skills like MIG welding.

This is not the end of this blog though. There is always more work to do on these cars. The next step will be to look at fitting a windscreen and some wet weather gear.

Re-Tests and Inspections

OK, so the car went in for it's re-test on the 5th, and passed :-)

Very relived. However, we are not quite on the road yet. Had to take the car to the DVLA today for an inspection. Everything was OK, so they should be sorting the paperwork for me in the next couple of days - Keep Watching.........

Fix Days 3-4

So, got my new alternator - fitted it and it seems to be working now I'm pleased to say.

Re-assembled the car and took it to the local garage for a new emissions test - it passed with a perfect lambda score of 1.00.

This all means the car is now ready for it's re-test. Had hoped to get it in tomorrow, but no luck, so it's now booked for next Thursday May 5th.

Watch this space......

Fix Days 1-2

So, cracked on with the IVA fixes. Pretty much all done now, however looking at the problem with the battery not charging, after tracing all my wiring I found the cause was in fact due to a faulty Alternator. I have one on order to come Tuesday, so I will fit that then and we are ready to go.

I'm pretty sure the emission issues were down to the joins in the exhaust system not being very well sealed, so air was being sucked in and effecting the readings. I've sealed this all up, so will take it to the local garage once the alternator is replaced to double check the readings, then it will be time to book the re-test.

Here's a pic of the location of the new side repeaters:

IVA Today!

Phew, glad that's over - been bricking it for days.

Had my IVA at Nottingham this morning. Chap called Martin did the test - top bloke.

Fail points are:

> Brake Warning Light Symbol itself needs to light up rather than having a light next to the symbol - Doh!, but easy to fix.

> Obligatory Exterior Projections Issues - Nothing major, just a few more bits of trim etc to attach. Should get most of this done this afternoon.

> Side repeater locations - I tried so hard to get these right :( oh well. Martin was very helpful in working out an alternative place for them

> Rear Fog lamp tell-tail comes on when you turn switch on, even if fog light itself is off (i.e. when main lights are off). Again - Doh!

And then the biggy:

> Emissions - Lambda is too high (1.180). I didn't expect this as I'm using an untuned engine with the OEM ECU. I'll have to get this look at at the local garage.

So, all in all, I'm pretty happy. Provided I can sort the emissions, I should be good to go for the re-test soon.

Had to drive 22 miles to the test centre. No serious issues with the car except it wasn't charging the battery - but I think I know why.

A real hoot to drive :) and seems very quick. I was a little careful and rationed out the beans, but I'm happy with what I see

I can relax a little now

Build Day 238.....DONE!!!

I can't quite believe it, but the car is finally ready :)

Had a very productive day today:

• Final fit of side repeaters
• Final fit of harnesses
• Completed tracking
• Completed headlight alignment
• Final tidy up of plumbing and sharp edges
• Started car and ran engine for extended period to burn in new cat and to let oil leak additive take effect

So here's how it looks (minus the harnesses):

So next step is to start the paperwork to get an IVA test booked. In the meantime, I'm sure I'll keep fiddling with the car to improve bits, but it is ready now.

Now, I sure I will have to have further build days after the test as it's bound not to pass first time, but we can always hope.

Watch this space....

Build Day 237.....Back on it's Feet

So, handbrake has now been replaced. I also took the opportunity to improve the way I clamped the ends of the cables so they are more secure.

I also cracked on with the side repeaters now I have new LEDs. These are just about ready for final fitment.

I've also now been able to put the car back down on the ground and it should be ready to start as soon as I have the time.