Summer comes once more

Hi there Kit car fans

It's been a long winter. Too long! Especially when there's an open-top car in the garage waiting to be driven!!

I did manage a few runs out over the winter, but whilst it was as exhilarating as ever to drive; it wasn't comfortable, warm or generally that pleasant.

But that's all about to change because the fine weather is on its way (we hope!)

So what have I managed to do over the winter? If you recall I had a list:

Fuel starvation, fuel breather pipe, rear wheel grumble, dash, cycle wings, M3 engine, Limited Slip Diff.

Haven't done all of that list (darn that real life) but made a good start:

Fuel Breather pipe - looped it around on itself and secured it to the rear tub with a cable tie "pinching" but not sealing the the end  . No pics, just exactly as it sounds.Seems to work now.

Rear whine - turned out to be the nearside rear wheel bearing; which is the one I suspect I didn't fit correctly and mullered in the press. Hmm. Not surprising it failed prematurely. Oh well, live and learn etc. New one was only £20 and a morning's work to fit (correctly, this time)

Diff - Happy to report this was fitted last weekend:

Left old one (open) right, new one (LSD)

Slinging the old one out - was a pain in the backside job, lots of scraped knuckles and a real struggle to get it past the fuel pipe and rear wiring loom; but I did it without disconnecting either. With hindsight, would have been quicker to do that though!

 

Slight / major catastrophe when the new one slid off the bench, hit the floor and smashed one of the mounting lugs off...

then luckily I realised that both cases were identical so I could switch the back covers over... phew! Filled up with LSD fluid and chucked it back in

 

All finished. And the test drive was particularly impressive - what a difference it makes to the handling! More sure footed and great in a straight line (also turns you into a drifting god... who knew)

The next thing was to prepare for the upcoming track day - mostly just basic checks on fluids and that everything was still bolted together etc. But I got black flagged on the last trackday and haven't done anything to the exhaust since. I found an app which although perhaps not 100% accurate was good enough for a guide:

102 dBA - interesting if true.

If it is correct then that's fine, the track I'm going to (Llandow) is 105dBA static and no driveby limit. Just to be on the safe side I've ordered a bung to take with me - was enough to squeak by at Bedford. Longer term might need to think about a re-pack of the exhaust. Shame to muffle the sound because the noise is glorious!

I'll do a report when the trackday is done to let you know how I got on.

Other news in brief:

Met up with Mark Spicer from Mark's Improbability Drive blog (http://infinite-improbability-drive.com/ ) who was a thoroughly nice chap. He's also building a Legend 6 and I'm monitoring his progress keenly!

I've been asked to do a talk at a grammar school in Devon - as part of my work I'm a Professional Engineer and on the local council of the IET (theiet.org)  and once they found out I built my own car they were tripping over themselves to get me to speak. More details once I've agreed a date!

Above all - still loving the car itself. It's the most fun ever. At the moment I'm torn between what was the most fun overall - building or driving. I have to say driving pips it (just) but I'd love to build another just to be sure :)

Thanks for reading,
Steve

Running.... 1500 miles+ update

Hello Folks

Been a while so I thought I would drop in and do a quick update:

Have to say... everything's running really well! I've covered about 1500 miles since the IVA now, and that included a high-speed, flat-out, adrenaline-fuelled track day; so all is very much well.

The cycle wings have been perfect since the last post - haven't budged. Very happy about that, and it's such a relief when you're driving around to know that they aren't always trying to fall off. I do need to get the brackets back on the workbench and give them a bit of "beautifying" now, all those bare welds and sharp edges need taking care of.

With some miles under my belt, another couple of minor issues have presented themselves now. 

Fuel starvation - when cornering hard left (or drifting right) with less than 1/2 a tank, you get pretty severe fuel starvation. And on-track, cornering right, it was leaking a lot of fuel. Both easy fixes, just need to fit a 2nd fuel pump in tandem and lower both pickups, and adjust the breather pipe to not back-siphon. Might need an anti-siphon valve.

Whine - I do have a whine/grumble coming from the back somewhere. I think this is one of the bearings in the diff. I hope it's not a wheel bearing (which is unfortunately what it does sound like) because all 4 were newly fitted. Hope I haven't got a duff one. Have to do some more investigation.

Dash - the standard BMW dash is difficult to see behind the teeny tiny steering wheel, and most of the instruments are reading incorrectly - so need to think about dash options. Dave Rodgling has a pretty sexy digi dash which caught my interest - think I need to start writing to Santa with some specifications.

M3 engine - The car is not slow by any stretch - You'll see in a moment that it was keeping pace with some serious motors on the track day and is enough to give you a massive thrill. But Having an extra 130bhp would be immense.... so I need to get on the case with building this M3 engine I have in various pieces in my garage.

But otherwise, it's running terrifically well. As the winter sets in, the opportunity for ad-hoc drives are less; mainly due to the rain; but not impossible. If you wrap up warm it's actually not too bad.

So the track day:

Dave convinced me to bring it up to Cambridge and have a go at Bedford Autodrome. I dragged the kit car up on a trailer because it would be insane to drive there from Devon in an open-top sports car in November...

We made it to the track and had a couple of laps... well I didn't even get that far before I'd spun! on the parade lap no less! a combination of cold tires, greasy/rainy surface; and nil traction control with a lot of power - totally driver error and inexperience. I got a stiff telling off by the marshalls because they thought it was showboating; but with a humble apology I was back on track.

The car performed superbly - I was thoroughly impressed with how quick it was and how well it handled. It felt so balanced, poised, and quick - and did it ever grip! Like a go-kart!

I had a few sessions and slowly started pushing faster and faster - but that came at a price. I kept tripping the noise meters; and you get a few warnings but if you keep tripping the decibel meter then they kick you off - the track organisers have to obey their planning permission rules; which is only fair. 

I'm sure people were thinking I was driving like a an idiot because I'd catch a few people up and overtake them; only to have to slow down and be overtaken again on the same corner each lap (the one where the most sensitive microphone was!). But it was doable to stay within the noise limits and didn't detract from the enjoyment too much.

Dave also took his car and we took it in turns to go out and drive our own cars and passenger in the others for sessions - that way it saved on either car taking a pounding in terms of brakes, tires and overheating. It worked really well doing that, as neither of our cars showed any signs of track punishment. 

I had a few "on-the-go" repairs, sorting the fuel breather out by re-routing up the roll bar with some gaffer tape and trying to quieten the exhaust down with a bung; but nothing that ruined the day. Not like a few people we saw who dropped out with total engine and gearbox failures, clouds of steam and smoke; punctures etc.

In the end I managed to get a total of about 35 laps when I finally tripped the noise meter for the last time and they black flagged me off - shame really, but I was well happy with what I'd achieved. Some really fast laps and 125mph, in a car I built in my own garage all by myself!!!

If you want to see the video of the day look AT THIS VIDEO


Some pictures:

Great stuff. Thanks for reading.

Running... 500miles + Update

Greetings all!

It's been a while since I updated this so I thought I would give you a quick update:

So since the car has been road legal I've been out in it several times and had much fun. Truly one of the best and most rewarding driving experiences ever!

It hasn't been without its problems though...

First up the cycle wings have been causing me tons of grief. The final straw was when, on the last time out I was 8 for 8 - in that I'd been out eight times and every time I'd had at least one wing fail on me - I was 12miles from home and had to creep back in 1st gear with the wing essentially resting on the tyre scrubbing away!! Recall that you can't take them off the car completely without splitting the top wishbone ball joint - tools required to do that amount to more than a leatherman and a spanner at the side of the road.

I had tried various bodges (see the forum for details) but really I knew it was time for a re-design.


 I went to the steel merchants and bought some lengths of round bar, some hollow tube (to suit M8) and some 3mm plate

And this is the design I've come up with:

Doesn't look that pretty at the moment, but it's infinitely stiffer. I've welded on an extra plate to the upright at the front and picked up on the brake calliper bolts - so now it effectively bolts on at four points that are spaced further apart. And I've combined the plate and the round bar to increase stiffness.

One side completed and took it for a 10mile test drive. Hey presto, much stiffer and didn't fall off!

Eventually (winter) I'll have them back off the car again, run the grinder over them, and tidy / paint (or powder coat) them up.

Time will tell if it's worked or not...

That's been the main thrust over the last 8 weeks or so, compounded by the fact I moved house right in the middle of that and had 3 weeks of non-stop DIY and unpacking work to do!

At the weekend I did a 70mile trip out and the car didn't miss a beat - cruises very well and seems to averages 35mpg.  Although it's difficult to calculate preciesly because the isolator switch deactivates the dash each time I leave the car so I lose the instantaneous mileage and the fuel gauge isn't reading right, so I need to start taking a pencil and notepad on my trips to accurately calculate that figure.

And to top it all, last night I got a puncture. Bit of a pain when you don't carry a spare!! Luckily as I was only 2miles from home I limped home on it at 10mph (getting used to that now) and as the tires are only £35 each not the end of the world if it's trashed the sidewall.

Next time - few more local trips to continue to iron out the problems and tweak the issues, gain more confidence, and then use it in anger on a track day!!

Thanks for reading

Road Legal Videos!

 Strapped on my Drift Cam and took some footage of my first day out playing.
 
Go here for Exciting Stuff

Few defects to sort out now though...

Rear diff leaking quite badly. Although in the end, this turned out to just be nipping up the drain plugs and other bolts holding the casing together - I took it apart to check the crownwheel during build, clearly needed a final nip on the bolts. Hopefully fixed now.

Cycle wings. Arrgh!! Must be about 5 times they've fallen off now. Think it's partially down to the fact that I've opted for 17" wheels, so they sit much further than all you other boys with 15" wheels and have more "leverage" on the bracket. They keep cracking on the welds. I've welded them up each time, but then the next weld along cracks.

I'm going to have to re-engineer them more substantially at some point, but for the moment I'm just patching them back together so I can have the car available for the best of the weather.

Awesome drive by the way - the power is phenomenal and it handles like a go kart - levels of grip are outstanding. Plus the extra power to weight means it's quite lively at the back end!!!

More updates soon...

Finally... All Finished and Legal!

I've been dying to write this post for about 2 and 1/2 years, but finally, here we are! All finished and road legal...

After a very frustrating battle with the DVLA I got out of them an age-related number plate, a V5, and a tax disc.

It was made doubly frustrating by their inefficiency and seeming lack of enthusiasm for the whole thing. Getting through to the right department is absolutely key.

First off, I filled in all the forms and provided all the evidence:



1.       Covering letter
2.       Cheque for £285.00
3.       V55/4 application for first tax disc and registration of a new motor vehicle
4.       V627/1 Built-up Vehicle report
5.       Purchase receipt for donor vehicle N140 VUP (Hand-written)
6.       V267 – Declaration that a vehicle is new (guidance was unclear as to whether this was required or not,  instructed them if not appropriate to disregard)
7.       V5C for N140 VUP, original document
8.       SORN acknowledgement / correspondence from DVLA with ref. To N140 VUP
9.       Certificate of Motor Insurance with Trinity Lane insurer (Adrian Flux broker letter attached for reference only)
10.   VOSA Correspondence ref. Individual Vehicle Approval, e.g. test booking forms, payment, failure sheet, re-test dates etc.
11.   Individual Vehicle Approval Certificate, original document
12.   Photocopy of driving licence and counterpart licence (Guidance in INF26 informs that photocopies of these are acceptable)
13.   Photographs (234 thumbnails) showing the dismantling of N140 VUP and construction of GKD LEGEND
14.   Receipt from GKD Sports Cars for Chassis and components
15.   Ad-hoc Receipts from other wear components purchased.

Some 150-odd pages. Then sent off recorded delivery. It was sent on the 7th June and tracked in on the 8th. Great so I KNOW it got there safely.

Phoned up around about the 15th. Nobody had seen or heard of it. unfortunately you go through to a call-handling desk which is just a team of people of varying abilities, who write down your details and pass it onto other people.

Same on around 20th. Stil no sign.

After 3 weeks had elapsed, they agreed to "look into it" and raise a case number.

Phoned back on the 25th, still nothing. On the 27th someone from the right department (Kits and rebuilds... formally MASET) phoned me back and said that they hadn't received anything, but would look into it. In the meantime I suggested that I could scan in my application (luckily I'd taken a photocopy) and they could at least start working on it. They agreed, and it was the first sensible thing they had done!

I phoned back on the 1st of July, straight back to the call handling desk. No record of anything. I asked to speak to the named individual in the MASET team and the call handler told me a) there was no person by that name, b) the department didn't exist; and c) any of the other departments weren't "customer facing" and so not allowed to speak to the customer.

I was very close to losing it completely by this point, so I threatened to complain. I also e-mailed the people I'd been speaking to prior, and they called me back.

One guy in particular was absolutely excellent, and in the end, agreed to just process the application for me, and that an age-related plate would be absolutely fine...

In the time of this phonecall, and him phoning me back to tell me the age-related plate had come through; (on about 2nd July) my original documentation had come through to his (correct) department. Unbelievable.

So with that, within 2 days, I had sent through by recorded delivery a V948 authorising use of the number plate, a tax disc for 12 months, and a V5 in a seperate non-recorded envelope.

Hallelujah!!

So the moral to this story? Make sure you send it to the CORRECT POSTCODE in the DVLA. I was originally advised, obviously incorrectly; to send it to the new registration team. DO NOT DO THIS!

Send it to the MASET / Kits and Rebuilds Team, D4, DVLA Swansea, SA99 1ZZ...

Oh and after everything I didn't get my IVA certificate back. I phoned up to complain, but they said it wasn't DVLA policy to send this back (even though they sent through my photographs back, which they really could have kept as grainy ink-jet thumbnails). Thought about complaining, but then I dont' really need it, I've got a photocopy, and I can always get one from VOSA if required...

Happy now, and watch this space for a video update!!

Cheers,
Steve

So now we wait...

Hello everybody

So the application for a first licence / registration certificate has been sent off... just over 2 weeks ago now!!! Given the weather at the moment (which if you're not in the UK, is glorious sunshine and warm, sunny all day every day) it's incredibly frustrating to just sit there and look at it!!!

In the meantime I decided to have a look at the few post-IVA mods I wanted to do. Largely driven by the ignition barrel failing spectacularly and the key getting jammed in the lock. I'd left it in permanently whilst I was going through IVA because it started to get a bit stiff - lucky I did because it failed completely on the way back from the re-test. When I tried to remove the key I just heard a "crunch" and a "snap". So the first job was to get the wretched thing out.

There's a neat trick with a bobby pin that allows you to get the ignition barrel out in about 10seconds (if you have the key); Steve from Tullinge has literally just done the same -  but alas, that just wasn't working for me, something was pretty badly broken in there. Therefore, the only option was to drill, hammer and chisel it out. Made a right mess, which will have to be covered up at a later stage.

no pic because it took forever and left me hot, bothered, and looks a complete mess! I also removed the steering lock in the process, as once the ignition barrel is deleted, you have to be careful the lock doesn't engage accidentally whilst driving. I'm not going to post that here because it's alarmingly simple to defeat one of the OEM security features - but there are a scary number of youtube videos which tell you how to do it!!

I wanted to fit a kill switch as a matter of urgency - these things have saved my skin on a number of occasions over the years - Once stopped some car thieves dead in their tracks (because there was no power) and allowed me to save a Land Rover that developed an electrical fault and was half on-fire! So I set about getting all the bits:

 I re-used the original battery cable from the E36 (there's tons of the stuff, the battery was in the boot) and went to a local battery place who crimped on some ends. I also bought a "MEGA FUSE" (awesome name) as I didn't like the idea of battery cable with unlimited amps crossing back and forth through bulkheads without any protection. Now it will blow at 225A.


Stuff from the battery shop - crimped cables, isolator switch and mega fuse

I also sourced a switch with a "top-gun" style missile flick cover - you'll see that in a minute. I already had the Engine Start switch on the scuttle switch panel; but not wired in.

So that's all the bits, next I had to work out how to wire it all in.

I wanted the kill switch to provide +12V power, the ignition to be switched on the "missile" switch, and the engine to start on the button. I'd also need to include the AM antenna from the original key housing, and have the key present to authorise the EWS each time you start the car.

With the ignition switch dismantled, and looking at the wiring diagram I figured it out:
 

Red is +12V live, green and violet go together and they operate the iginition and the car accessories, the yellow and black sends a signal to the EWS module and then onto the starter motor. Other 2 wires are redundant and related to ignition position 1 (not used, e.g. for radio etc.)


So having figured that out, it was time to design and make something. First, mocked   in card:



 

 

 

Looking something like it. Next, get the manly 12" grinder out and go nuts:


 

After much metal bashing later, transferred my card design into steel:

 

And tested all the components for fit (which they did).

 I used steel for two reasons, basically it was what I happened to have in the workshop; plus I thought I might have to weld a few features on to attach it to the  car. As it happens I could have used ally because I riv-nutted them and they worked fine. A bit annoying in the end because it's actually quite a lumpy weight, but not to worry. Can always change it later.

At the same time as this process I decided to lengthen the wiring to the switches - the loom is a bit short and at the moment you have to connect 21 delicate wires to the dash switches with the scuttle virtually fully installed - it's akin to painting your hall stairs and landing via your letterbox... time consuming and fiddly. So I took it all apart again

Annoyingly, at the same time I managed to short out the indicator flasher unit (which was very annoying because it's a gucci electronic LED version and fairly 0xpensive for what it is) and the LED on the switch for the headlight. Expensive (£40) mistake all for the want of unplugging the battery. (another reason why kill switches are brilliant!)

Taking shape - the blue wires are the switch extension leads








So next, spray painting the console. Now, I haven't actually picked up my spray gun for just over a year, so what follows next is perhaps not surprising. I left on the Sunday evening with the 4th and final coat of orange (8 in total including the primer) and everything was looking hunky dory. But on Monday evening I arrived to this: 

err... oops?

Not great! Suffice to say there was a bit of a rookie mistake. After much soul searching I realised that what I'd done is mix the wrong activator for the primer - using a polyurethane activator on an epoxy base. D'oh! Only answer was to rub back to bare metal and start again:





First 3 coats of primer, with the CORRECT activator this time

Much Better this time! After 4 coats of orange gloss

24hrs later, all dried and edge trim installed

What you can't see is all the wires (particularly the high-power ones) are wrapped and double wrapped in industrial-grade anti-chafing insulation, and lots of thick rubber is stuck to all the pinch and chafe points. Whislt the fuse is there to stop any major disasters, I'd rather not have one in the first place!

And finally, the finished product:

With the keys in and switched on and working - note the green LED next to the ignition switch









So all done - very happy with the result. No dodgy ignition barrel to go wrong, increased security (removable steering wheel AND 2 keys required to start) and the safety of being able to cut power if required. Plus the little ceremony of button presses and key turns required for each engine start also makes me smile. 

One of the other finishing touches was the stick-on rubberised foam for extra "comfort". They certainly look the part and do make the seats marginally more comfortable; but they rob me of valuable leg room; so we'll have to see how I get on with them.

 

So there you have it... keep checking the doormat and hoping!!!

The Post We've all Been Waiting For...

That's right - IVA is now passed!!

I took the clockwork orange back for its re-test earlier this week. After all the hard work involved in getting to this stage, it's fair to say I was a bit nervous. I needn't have been though!

I knew from my appointment that it was going to be Keith from the Kidderminster VOSA station; so like any good "enthusiast" (that's right... not stalker) I did my homework on google. I discovered that he had been quite fair to other builders of many different kits over the years. In my opinion he certainly was that!

In typical fashion it was absolutely chucking it down when I got there, so as soon as I pulled in he came bounding over to me and another chap with an MEV Exocet on a recovery transit who had pulled up for the re-test slots at 4pm (him) and 5pm (me). He was extremely friendly and helpful and told us to both to bring the cars inside quick so we don't get our beloved machines too wet!

After a quick intro I decided to let the other chap go first, as I suspected my test would take a bit longer as It would have involved a brake test, and his was mostly just edging trim and such like.

I was still unloading mine from the trailer when he wandered over and said "all done" after only  5minutes! Crikey I thought - he's had it easy... So I pulled mine in, not before adjusting the handbrake up a few turns and testing it against the slope of the trailer...

Pulled in and waited... Looking at Mr Exocet driving off into the sunset with his glorious bit of paper

Waiting...

Still waiting...

After what seemed like hours, Keith emerged from the office and grinning handed the other chap his IAC giving him a well practised "well another deathtrap on the road"; and so he skipped off laughing into the sunset. Then it was onto mine...

I had taken the liberty of printing a little portfolio of "before" and "after" pictures for my failure points, which I took him through. I think he really appreciated that - not least of all because a) I was the last appointment in the day, b)he was clearly desperate to get back on the road for the 200mile journey home as most of the station was already partially locked up and he had his coat on and c) they were relatively trivial points in the first place. He looked through the book and seemed delighted I'd taken the time to do this and thanked me for saving him the effort of putting it on the ramp or having me dismantle loads of panels so he could see.

I was just about to offer to put the car on the brake roller... when he said "alright, all done then!"...

I said, rather sheepishly, "handbrake OK then"? 

He said "yeah it clearly works I saw you got out of the car when it was on the trailer with the engine running"

Hooray. A degree of pragmatism from a VOSA employee. I could positively hug this man. Of course, I refrained.

So that was it! £90 re-test, over in less than 5 minutes. Most definitely NOT complaining, but it does make you wonder about the whole process. I then put the car back on the trailer (seriously, putting it on and off the trailer took about 40minutes, test was less than 5... crazy) And just when I'd finished with the last strap he came bounding over with a big grin and without even flinching said "oh well, another death trap on the road then"

So after just over 2 years of building... I've done it... Built a safe and road-legal car in my own shed, with basic tools, and I have to say - enjoyed every second of it.

Individual Approval Certificate - Exceptionally happy

Still happy, despite various onlookers

So there you go - one hurdle down... albeit the biggest and toughest one! Just need to start wrestling with the DVLA paperwork now - started that today but yet another quagmire of bureaucracy awaits me. Does make you wonder why all this couldn't be joined up into one process!! Dangerous thinking there... might be far too efficient for a Government department.

As a footnote: I decided to leave the ignition key in for the last couple of weeks just to get me through this test, and lucky I did - when I got back to base I took the key out and went to move the steering wheel and it looks jolly like the ignition barrel/lock has finally given up the ghost as the lock went "crunch" and the steering is now jammed.... Marvellous. But fear not, I have a plan for this.

Soon be on the road!!