A few more post IVA additions

Seat pads made from an exercise mat fixed onto seats, the idea shamelessly stolen from someone else on the locostbuilders forums!

Small cargo net for storage attached to panel behind the seats.


After the drive to the MOT I noticed a few splash marks on the rear arches which is likely spray coming from the front wheels. A pair of rally mudflaps arrived this week and I found I only needed to cut down one to fit onto my front cycle wings. I used a two 4.8mm rivets per side with a stainless M5 spreader washer on the end of the rivet for support inside each wing.

DVLA inspection

I received a letter from the DVLA today asking to inspect the car on the 10th of May. Looks like I won't be able to drive the car to the Stoneleigh kit car show as I was hoping...

A few post-IVA modifications

Indicator extensions removed, should make them less likely to get snapped off (nearly snapped them myself on quite a few ocassions)

New steering wheel on

Wind deflector attached to scuttle. I was thinking I may need some sort of supports along the sides but it feels quite rigid just with seven M6 bolts holding it on along the lip in the scuttle.

I also noticed a vibration noise on the way home from the IVA test and I was worried this was coming from somewhere in the drive train. I think I've located the source of the vibration which has turned out to be the nearside side panel touching slightly against one of the front wishbone bolts. This seems to reverberate through the chassis making it sound like its coming from everywhere. For the moment I've sandwiched some foam in between and will see if this has cured it on the drive to MOT. If this does solve the vibration, I'll use the dremel on the side panel just to give a bit more clearance instead of using foam.

IVA Passed!

IAC secured! A few of the areas I was worried about turned out to be not an issue, things like fuel & filler hose markings, cycle wing bracket radii, tidiness of wiring under dash, radius of seat edges, self centering etc..

On the drive over, the speedo reading seemed to be in the right ball park but was fluctuating quite a bit so I knocked off three of the four pickup magnets on the drive shaft and changed the koso settings to suit. During the test the speed readings were then just over the minimum limit for the speeds tested on the rollers so passed overall.

One of the headlamps needed to be rotated slightly, a 10 second job , so this was passed.

The emissions failed to begin with after a CAT test but after I pointed out the engine age is 1994, the emissions were retested using the Non-CAT test levels and passed which was a massive relief for me!

The whole process took about three and a half hours, I felt very nervous to begin with but the examiner was excellent and soon made me feel as ease.

I've since been to Norwich DVLA who say they need an MOT certificate which conflicts with everything I've read about the registration process. Frustratingly, I was at an MOT center last week but deliberately didn't put the car through a full MOT to AVOID complications with the DVLA. On the plus side it gives me another opportunity to drive the car legally as this MOT is a required test. At least the ball is now rolling and I'll just have to be patient for my registration plates.

I enjoyed the drive to and from the IVA test and I'm still grinning....

Few photos from the day. For some reason my camera phone makes the blue on the car really stand out.

Funnily enough, a lot of the IVA trim has somehow fallen off and my steering wheel now says OMP, I'm sure it used to say Ford.....

Silencer bobbin continued

New bracket made to support the back end of the silencer using some stainless plate, the edges covered in U trim. Just need the M10 fine nuts to arrive so I can finish this off.

Car given a polish today ready for IVA on thursday