Running in

Typically the weather broke just after I got the registration through but every opportunity was taken to get out on an evening with ever increasing local trips just to build up confidence.

I've now realised that building a cobra replica is a journey and definitely not a destination.

On one of my longer trips, I had steam entering the cockpit - opened the bonnet to find that the Radiator cap had pinged off and the water was boiling out. Fortunately spotted before it ran dry.

To date the longest trip has been 80 miles and I've absolutely loved it. The noise is epic and it really attracts attention - I'm told - I wouldn't know as I'm concentrating so much on keeping the thing on the road and avoiding pot holes!. This is not a relaxed drive as there's so much going on but that's the point of these cars. The seats are really comfy though and now I've fitted the wind wings - they do help.

I've done loads of test drives with friends and family many of whom have helped in one way or another even if only encouragement. A special one was with my dads best pal Bob who has maintained a interest in the project, sort of taking over from when Dad passed.

So I'm developing a list of issues - or as my missus says - opportunities to improve!

My fuel gauge isn't working  - I suspect the sender has failed so I'm planing to swap it for a dip tube type. I've checked the fuel consumption and it worked out to be 16.8mpg which was better than hoped for. So cruising should get us 200 miles.

The suspension needs adjustment, I think its marginally too soft, and the car bounces if hist a pot hole or drain cover. The good news is there's plenty of adjustment so next year will be some trial and error to get this right.

My biggest issue is with the rear end which is clonking a bit when on/off power. Its all pointing to the diff which I didn't recondition, so over the winter I'm planning to remove this and have it professionally sorted.

Oil leaks from the engine. There's a reasonable drip from the bottom of the bell housing. It could be the dreaded rear main seal but on further investigation and advice from Brian at Roadcraft it looks like it could be left hand rocker cover - definitely oil on the fear face of the head. This should be an easy fix and we will see where that leads.

Other things to do include completing the carpeting in the boot, fitting the fire extinguisher, fitting the sump guard and getting some weather gear fitted by AK.

So plenty to do next year!

Registration

So after the joys of finally passing the IVA it was on to registration. There are some complex looking forms to complete but the whole process is documented on AK's website and its worth a call to AK to guide you through to avoid the dreaded Q plate..

In my case, as I have an old engine, I was looking at an age related registration so followed the DVLA procedure for a Kit Converted Vehicle.

So completed the forms, checked and double checked, included the first years road tax and sent them off.

Less than 2 weeks later my new V5 arrived with the car correctly registered as an AKSportscars 427 with a nice little Special Note that Emissions test is visual smoke only. This was a surprise as I had to pass emissions test in the IVA. It may be an error but as its to my benefit i'll await the first MOT and see how that goes.

Armed with the V5 - off to the local car spares place to get my new 'E' registration plates made up, contacted Footman James to change insurance from chassis number to correct registration then hit the road!.  - Magic!

IVA Pass !!!!

My IVA retest was booked for 2nd July - once again at Kidderminster and this time I felt a lot more nervous than the original test - probably because then - I new it would be a fail.

I'd done all my prep, tested, tested and tested again and hoped for the best.

This time there was a different tester and he simply worked off the list of failures and checked there were suitable remedies. This was quite interesting as he had to ask me the precise details of some of the failures and what I'd done about it. For instance - cabling not clipped every 30cm - I just pointed to where i'd added clipping.
Anyhow  - about an hour and a half later - my IAC - Individual Approval Certificate was presented and the biggest milestone in this project achieved - happy days!

IVA

IVA was booked for 2nd May at Kidderminster and I thought I'd left myself enough time to get all the final checks and issues from the MOT resolved however a few sick days, holidays and family do's conspired to pack all the time down to a last minute panic.

One of the main problems I had was with the speedometer not working. I'm using the Tremec Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) wired through to Speedhut gauge. No matter what I tried - I just couldn't get this combination to work - made even harder by how inaccessibly the VSS is with the body on. I decided it was either my cabling ( very likely) or the speed sensor were most likely issues - so faced with no guaranteed resolution I scoured the internet and found the solution on the ETB Gauges web site.
I'd seen that other builders were using speed sensors working off the diff input shaft so next issue was sourcing one.
Now my test was on the Wednesday and it was Monday morning when I decided on the change of plan. A call to ETB and they were brilliant   - dispatching the sensor same day for guaranteed next day delivery. The item arrived by 10:00 am so most of the day went into mounting a bracket and re-cabling the speedo. The ETB sensor is easy to setup and is a 3-wire system requiring +12v. The really useful bit is it has an LED on the sensor that positively shows when it senses a bolt head or lobe.

And - it worked first time so £30 quid well spent.

ETB speed sensor - great bit of kit

So putting all the dash together - last minute systems check  - and no horn or reverse light....
basic checks - 10A fuse blown so changed that - and it blew again! In fact it blew as soon as I turned the ignition on. Cursory checks couldn't find the short and it was 10:30pm  by this time so resigned myself to a fail at the test the next day.

So awoke to an absolute downpour - great!. Fortunately the test centre is only 4 miles away so I didn't get too drowned - but in the spirit of the whole event - on the way to the test centre I had to swerve to avoid a van approaching on the wrong side of the road - and kerbed both nearside wheels!
Arrived at the test centre and fortunately they have an undercover parking area where the tester was waiting.

Given I knew I was going to fail, it sort of changes your attitude to how few failures will I get.

Its fair to say that the tester ( who was very friendly and communicative) examined the car very thoroughly - I was expecting to be there 4 hours or so from other experiences but was actually there for nearer 6! And you don't get any refreshments and there are no facilities other than washroom - so advice is to go prepared.

Every test item in the IVA manual was examined as you would expect. If there were minor items the examiner gave me chance to rectify - for instance I has a wire under the bonnet where a small bit of copper was showing into a connector - just applied a bit of tape and all sorted. What he didn't do was point out every failure as he went - these were saved up to the end.

At the test centre

The highlights:

• Brake performance passed easily - including the troublesome AK Handbrake. 
• Steering self centreing all worked.
• Noise test passed at 98db
• Headlights aim all correct - he was quite surprised about that - normally have to adjust.
• Speedo calibration - the examiner was happy to allow me to calibrate that on the rollers.
• Emissions: - failed initially as had done at MOT - and by some distance on HC which needed to be below 1200. The examiner offered opportunity to adjust things if I felt I could improve matters. My remedy was to increase the idle speed. Originally set to about 650, I raised it to nearer 900 rpm and it then passed easily with a reading around 700-750.

So the disappointment list:

• Horn and Reverse light not working ( I knew about)
• Orange light showing on front indicators below the limit height. ( I'd taped up the inside of the lens but not well enough it seems. Should have used the painted ones in the AK IVA kit.) 
• Rear reflector not mounted with 'TOP' at the top!
• Cable exposed to heat source - one of the plug leads had at some time gained a scorch mark from the headers - so additional insulation needed.
• Steering - N/s front wheel touching inner wheel arch on full lock. I'd had a go at fixing that after the MOT but clearly hadn't worked.
• Steering - coupling fouling Clutch Master Cylinder.( really glad they spotted that one)
• Steering rack - return pipes touching chassis - metal on metal.
• Brake flexy touching suspension arm on full lock.
• Brake flexy banjo's weeping very slightly - possibly down to stress of full lock - not a positive leak so was allowed to drive car home after the test.
• Cable not clipped every 300mm - I'd left one of the clips off when cabling the new speedo sensor.
• Wheel guards not covering NSR and OSF wheels. I'm using Vintage wheels and I knew these were tight - but clearly no latitude given in the test!. This is a weird one as it suggests that the body is fitted at a slight angle - but there is no adjustment as that is how it comes from the factory.
• Radius tests not met - various. The offending items were
• the so called IVA OK Europa overriders.
• the embedded fog/reverse lights in the rear valance. Turns out the black surround needs to be blunted.
• I'd forgotten to fit the bonnet catch key inserts.
• Seat belt fixings not marked as suitable. What this meant was I'd used some Stainless steel bolts in the boot to secure the roll hoops and as they were not marked 8.8 - that was a fail. Pretty sure the ones I used are better than that but easier to change.
• Upper seat belt mounting below reference height. This is a first for AK it seems and as I'm using a standard AK kit and the seats are from AK it never occurred to check this. Essentially the examiner was suggesting the seat base needed to be at least 20mm lower. He also asked me to remove one of the seats to check the strength markings on the top seatbelt mounting bolt. - That was a pain - and annoyingly caused me to accidentally damage the paint on the rear valance!! 

So there you go - the expected failure notice.

At the end the tester said he thought the car was really well built and not to be too disheartened over the failures.

At least the sun came out on the way home so not too depressed - and funnily enough knowing what its like to drive with the sun out gave me a boost towards getting it fixed and on the road.

Next day I called VOSA for a retest appointment and was given 12th June. ( which incidentally was subsequently cancelled by VOSA and rearranged for 2nd July :( )

Stripped off the IVA kit and returned to AK for the next victim! 

I called Jon at AK the next day to discuss the list which he'd already read as I'd posted it on the Cobra Forum. To be honest most of the fixes are straightforward and Jon was chuffed about the handbrake performance as that often gets bad press on AK's.

From the IVA manual - reference height is 450mm

Here's the bit of string used to check the height  - this is from actual IVA test. You should see the rest of the gadget used!

The key issue was the seat belt mounting height - this is first time this has been challenged at IVA. Jon explained that the AK setup was developed with a safety organisation who signed off the solution, including the triangulation design for the boot mountings. He did admit that the top mounting is right on the limit - this because AK try to keep the seat belt mounting within the cockpit.

The only viable solution is to lower the seat base. taking the carpet out below the seat wouldn't gain enough. Jon suggested possibly taking the fibreglass floor section below the seat but I thought that was a bit too aggressive and would cause me other issues. In the end I made my own seat bases out of plywood covered with thin padding and carpet. Not very comfy but needs must. Took me about half day but result is I gained 5cm so am now below the reference height by 2cm - I made my own gauge to check and double check this.

My thinner seat base

Doesn't look too bad

For the remaining items that aren't obvious:

Wheel guards - I obtained some stick on extenders from the internet. They don't look too disastrous and cost about £30 from China. They might accidentally fall off in near future mind.

Horn - I completely re-cabled this and that solved the problem.

Steering fouling the Clutch Master Cylinder: - this was interesting as I'd noticed previously the steering seemed to catch then all freed up. What had happened was the steering coupling bolt had contacted the cylinder and machined a slight groove in the cylinder. Not enough to weaken it or leak - but was far too close for safety. I removed the steering assembly, opened up the mounting holes for the steering bearing and generated better clearance..

Steering lock: I tried using some nylon clips to restrict this but the hydraulic system is way too powerful and just mangled them up. Others suggested using Jubilee clips - but that looks like a real bodge. I couldn't easily source a metal two-piece collar that could be fitted to the rack - then I had an idea to make a set of aluminium washers. These are 1.5mm thick and split - and are flexible enough to spring over the steering rack shaft, then they compress up into a solid stack. Works a treat but took several hours to fabricate. I didn't take a picture but imagine a normal washer with one cut - bit like a spring washer - then you will get the idea.

Pre IVA MOT

I have an IVA date for 2nd May at Kidderminster so thought it best to take the car through a dummy MOT test in advance.
And what a nice sunny day to pick!

The guys at F1 Autocentre in Kidderminster were really helpful and gave it a good safety check.

The good news is the brakes - including handbrake which seems problematic on AK's all passed easily. I'm using the latest pulley system design
The emissions on the SBC 350 ended up OK - well under on CO, very close on HC. They were good enough to test this several times and each time it improved - suggestion is  as the engine beds in it improves but would certainly benefit from an expert tune - if I can find one!

On the to do list - 

Slight leak from front brake flexy. - easy fix
Rear brake flexies need re-routing to prevent touching body on compression. - Looks straightforward.
Nearside front wheel touching inside of wheel arch (engine side) on full right lock. Left is no problem. Not sure whats happened here as I checked this previously and didn't seem to be a problem. I guess I'll need to insert a rack limit restrictor. The other thing I noticed was on full right lock - the steering seemed to over-steer - i.e. not self centering. I'm thinking the lock restriction should sort that out.
Headlights - tester said he would pass them at MOT - but they are right on the limit - bizarrely for rotation. In other words I've somehow mounted both headlights about 5 degrees clockwise. Easily solved!

Things I noticed on route to MOT station - car was quite jerky/snatchy at low speeds but I'll put that down to bedding in and me getting used to it.
Very soft and bouncy at the back end - so I need to study up how to stiffen up the GAZ adjustable dampers and will probably raise the rear ride height a little.

On the problem list - 

I failed to calibrate the Speedhut Speedometer on the way to the test so need to sort this out as a priority. Most likely a cabling issue.


So at this point I've got plenty of boxes ticked for the IVA but panic will soon set in!

IVA Booked!

So - I've finally felt confident enough to book the IVA test and the date is 2nd May!
The next 2 weeks will be fraught with last minute panics and tweaks I've no doubt and I'm hoping to slot in an MOT test in between. I don't actually need an MOT test for legal reasons but the test will confirm (or not!) that the basics are all OK such as headlamp aim, brakes and emissions, plus I'd be looking to get a proper tracking alignment done at the same time.

Completing the forms for IVA is a bit of a chore but you can now download and submit the forms on-line from the DVLA website.

The forms are IVA 1C - Application and IVA 4 - Amateur Build declaration

The process is you download the forms, complete them and submit them.  You also need to submit copies of your build receipts ( major items such as Kit, Engine and Brakes , your engine age certificate ( if you are using a re manufactured engine) plus photos of your build process.
If you use the on-line system, be aware that its fussy about file types and has maximum file sizes.

The DVLA then apprarise the information you have sent and - if all ok - they send you an e-mail requesting payment (£450) and the opportunity to book a test.

This took about a week, then I called up and paid by credit card and booked an appointment at Kidderminster quite easily.

So I'm now putting together the full pack I need to take with me to the IVA  which includes originals of all documents, more build photos, certificates for fuel hoses, imobiliser etc.

Next couple of weeks will be busy!

General fit out

So, spurred on by the impending IVA changes there has been considerable progress!

I've refitted the windscreen and roll hoops - hopefully for the last time.
One thing to note is that when the interior door/side finishers are fitted, you can't get to the screen pillar bolts - certainly not easily. If this ever has to come out there's a good chance of having to remove and refit the finishers and redo the carpeting - so keep some spare.
Before fitting the screen I attached the centre stay I got from Brasscraft. This simply hooks over the top rail of the screen, attaches with a small bracket at the bottom with two small grub-screws then you can tension it with a nut under the bracket. One problem I had was once the screen was fitted, the assembly became slack and needed the small nut tightening. I challenge you to have a spanner that can get to it! I ended up making a special tool out of some scrap steel sheet.
One other thing to consider is the  bracket offers two holes that can be used to fix to the body. I fitted a couple of slotted screws and nylocks to hold this in place . Its difficult to drill the holes with the windscreen in place so I managed to drill them from below. Its well worth fixing the bracket to teh body as it increases the solidity of the screen a lot.

For the roll hoops the biggest issue I had was with the escutcheons.i elected to drill through the body and fix them with raised-slotted stainless steel screws with nylock nuts. In hindsight this would have been easier with self tappers. The other thing to consider is the orientation of the 4 holes relative to the body. I arranged mine in a leading diamond pattern - i.e. with the diagonal in the direction of the car. This caused some problems in getting a screwdriver in due to the curvature of the rear hoop leg and made it really hard to fit the retaining nut on the front of the two forward legs as its in the small space in the body roll. So my advice would be use self tappers and orientate the hole pattern two either side of each hoop leg.


For both the screen and the roll hoops I've sealed them from underneath with silicon to prevent leaks.

I've also fitted the rear view mirror I got from S&J Motors. I think theirs looks best as some others have agricultural looking joints. It also comes with a soft surround that works for the IVA.





Now once I'd got these fitted its was time to try out the swanky new cover we got at the Classic Car show at the NEC. It was a bit dear but the missus picked it so all her fault!

So the next thing I did was plumb the car ready for a fire extinguisher system. I've read a few horror stories recently where some guys have been caught out with electrical or engine fires so having spent a load of money already it seemed a good investment to spend another £200 or so on a fitted system. After some research I bought a 4 litre SPA system from Merlin Motorsports. Its a AAAF water/foam based system that fits in the boot ( between to roll hoops) and is manually operated with a toggle handle and cable. There are automatic versions but too risky for me - I like to be in control! The key actions at this stage of the build were to run the pipework from the boot to the engine bay and to fit the nozzles. Ive run the pipework from the boot via the offside wheel arch then through the sill then up behind the dash. From there I've aimed one nozzle at the fuse box then two nozzles through the firewall into the engine bay - one each side of the engine. I'm not fitting the release handle or cylinder this side of the IVA as I doubt the T-handle will pass the radius test.

One of the fire extinguisher nozzles in engine bay

Extinguisher nozzle aimed at fuse box. 

Next up was finishing the heater.

Heat shield fitted

Now after the last engine run I noticed there was some leakage from the heater hose and as I'm using an internally mounted heater from T7, this means any leakage drips onto the tunnel and potentially into the interior. So I removed the heater and found a crack in one of the hoses I'd fitted - easy fix. To deal with the potential for future leaks I mage a drip tray out of aluminium angle and sikaflex to seal it, then drilled some drain holes in the top of the tunnel in case of future issue.

While I was at it I fitted a heat shield on the front of the heater matrix to protect the instruments and cabling from direct contact with the hot matrix. The heat shield is perforated and spaced from the matrix to allow decent airflow.

Drip tray and drain

So then onto the job I've been putting off - the carpets!

The build manual suggests a fitting order and I'd say it'd definitely the way to do it. i borrowed another idea from Andy Menzies and cut some 6mm MDF to fit on the floor rails to eliminate the bumps in the carpet you would get. These were treated with varnish to help when ( not if!) I get rained on in future.

Once done the first bit is the rear cover. I must have measured this about 6 times before I was brave enough to cut it as its about £200 quids worth.In the end I made a paper template to use as a cutting pattern and all was well. To fit it I used acetone to de-grease both the fibreglass and the material then used the supplied contact adhesive on both surfaces and waiting until its nearly dry before offering up. Now this glue is pretty powerful stuff - both for sticking and for causing hallucinations! reminded me of my old Airfix days! So you have to place it perfectly as there's no adjustment. Now I recon that those guys who chose to fully carpet the rear valance must have one heck of a game doing this as its a big piece to manage.

Showing MDF spacers and rear cover

So once done I cut and fitted the bits of carpet that finish the rear valance and all starting to come together.

One of the awkward bits was fitting the tunnel cover. My missus had elected to pay extra and have this leather topped - I have to admit it does improve the finished look.

The technique I came up with was to glue and fit one side initially the stretch it over the tunnel, trim to size then glue and fit on the other. If you try to do it all in one pass - its likely to be a sticky mess.

fixing second side of tunnel cover

Once all carpets in I have to say it really moves the whole job to another level and I couldt help but do a test fit of the seats and dash!

So to make it even better I fitted the gear lever gaiter and trim ring I got from S&J motors. This is fixed with self tappers. The gear knob was £10 from E-bay.

 Next job was to finally fit the handbrake lever. Now I'd always had a problem with getting the handbrake warning light to operate correctly. What was happening was that when the handbrake was applied, If you fold the lever down, the handbrake warning light went out - which is not correct.
To prevent this i fitted a small bracket ( the silver bit in the picture below) This stops the lever from going too far down so it doesn't depress the switch and has the added benefit that the handle is held just above the carper - making it easier to grab.

showing handbrake lever stop (silver bit at front)

Next up was the seat-belts. I went for Willans Short Tails ( suitable for Westfields) and I'm very happy with them. AK provide some neat finisher covers for the top mount.

Panic Stations

Well it appears our friends in the government are planning to wipe out a large swathe of the UK kit car industry by changing the rules for emissions testing. As it stands, your engine is assessed for emissions based on its original data of manufacture. This allows us to use a period-relevant engine when building our cars, thus avoiding fuel injection and catalytic converters. The government proposal is to require all kit cars presented to IVA to be assessed to current emissions regulations. Now it might be possible to get a carburetor engine through the current Euro5 regulations, but only by adding catalytic converters at some additional cost. When Euro6 comes out - its a bridge too far for carburetors. It seems the government are 'consulting' on this proposal but it looks like a done deal from what I'm reading. Hopefully the kit car community, manufacturers and supply chain will rally round and lobby to prevent this from becoming law. In terms of emissions, I'd bet our carburetor motors are a fraction of 1% of the total and I recon my neighbors bonfire is a worse culprit than me!

Anyhow I guess I'm one of the lucky ones as I'm nearing completion and there's a good chance I can get to IVA under current rules  - as long as I get my finger out!