A few days back I did a job list, I got three or four things done and decided I should do another one, given that every time I look at the bloody thing I spot something else that needs attention. It's good to have a plan so I started at the front and worked my way backwards,by the time I had finished I had identified about 30 jobs that needed doing. Today I finished off the wiring at the front, fitted the side repeaters for the indicators, made up proper steel cables to stop the bonnet opening too far, rounded off the door hinges to IVA spec ie 2.5mm radius and fixed the handbrake light, which had stopped working. Turned out I had knocked off a wire when I was messing about connecting up the aerial the other week, 10 minute job to sort that. Another 10 minute job not on the list was to put cable ties on the track rod gaiters, something I only spotted today but would have been a failure point.
Some of the remaining jobs are quite small, others much bigger, the side steps being an example of the bigger jobs, I suspect they will take a couple of days and half a day of shopping to get all the bits I need for them. I have ordered a couple of rear number plate lights, they should be here in a couple of days, that's an easy job, the wires are already laid in.
I hoped to get a lot of the stuff I needed at the auto jumble at the weekend but all I managed to find was a pair of side repeaters, everything else on the list eluded me. The IVA requirement for side repeaters says they have to be visible from the rear of the car at an angle of just 5 degrees, these work great, look good and are really nice quality, I am told they came off a Datsun but the seller could not remember which model. Not bad at all for a fiver, fitting was pretty easy and they will pass the test, they are E marked and radiused to the 2.5mm requirement.
I started cleaning the engine bay a bit, it was thick with filler dust, I run the workshops on solar and ran out of power to run the 2500Watt vacuum cleaner so will have to finish that tomorrow. I started it up and drove it forward and backwards a bit to make sure everything was still hunky dory, I noticed the clutch release bearing is not as quiet as it was, which is a worry. It seemed to get a bit quieter after a bit of use but I suspect the box will have to come off at some time, I can't remember if I put a new or used one in there, that was nearly 2 years ago. It will be ok until after the test and I suspect once all the dynamat and carpet is in it will be barely audible. The brakes seem to be working fine although the handbrake doesn't seem to have much feel to it, one click and it's off, the next click it is fully on, I can't tell if it's good enough for IVA, I will take it to the local MoT testing station and get them to test the brakes on the rollers to make sure they are all good.
I am still having trouble starting from cold and if I turn the engine off and leave it for say 15 minutes it's a bit rough for the first few seconds, I suspect my non return valve in the fuel line isn't working. I also know for sure that some water has found it's way in to the tank, I suspect it's due to the ethanol content absorbing airborne moisture. It's a massive pain. I will probably have to drain the tank right down and have a look see what comes out.
Another unexpected hiccup happened when I tested the hazard lights now all the indicators and repeaters are connected for the first time, they didn't work. The relay was supposed to be 150 watts and my total load was about 95 so it should have been ok but wasn't. I got a replacement off ebay that looked the same but works, which is nice. It was only a fiver with the postage, no idea how long it will last but it lasted the 5 minute test I gave it, hopefully it will last at least as long as the IVA test.
I did some more body work and have started doing some closure panels at the bulkhead, I couldn't do them until I had rebuilt the area behind where the bonnet shuts as they have to meet up. It's getting a bit boring now, lots of those I don't want to do it jobs that simply have to be done. I am doing the passenger side first, the driver's side is more awkward as I am very short of foot room.
I am also rather concerned about the windscreen wipers and whether I can make them clear enough of the screen to make the IVA tester happy. They only rotate just over 90 degrees and I am limited as to how long the arms can be, there is going to be some head scratching involved with that, they have to park outside of where they would obstruct the driver's vision, I have got them self parking but with the arms far enough out of the way and only a 90 degree arc it's going to be close. I will have to read the rules again ad make sure whatever I do complies.
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