IVA work part four

 This morning started well, AWS seems to be poorly and most of my work is Amazon based.. thankfully this blog isn't so I might as well update from the weekend!

First thing, the brake pedal wiring. This is where I had left it;

I couldn't figure out where to route it that didn't come into contact with a sharp edge or a moving part. So I went for a mounted tube;

It goes from the switch bracket up the back of the bulkhead, secured with a wiring clip. That got the wire into the air, where it was then cable tied to the speedo cable, the chassis and ended up above the steering column with all other wiring. This was swiftly followed by a minor concern when the brake lights didn't operate, but I think I'd just dislodged one of the pins in the connector. 

I also rerouted the main power wires just to get them more out of the way so I could then tie wrap them in place. So now the drivers side footwell is all clean and tidy. I've still got some nut covers to go on for the radius check so that's one thing on the to do list.

This also sorted a binding issue with the brakes. The last few days I felt the car was 'heavier' than normal, it turns out I'd fitted the switch back a little too tight and it was holding the master cylinder on. I backed it off and then found the pedal was loose!! So I needed a bit of trial and error to find out where the switch held enough pressure to act as a pedal stop, not enough pressure to move the master cylinder, but also the correct distance for the lights to come on when they're meant to. That's all present and correct now so I'm happy. 

Next job, ID plate;

£8 from the local market key cutting van and a couple of rivets. It looked so good when it was on though, it was saying that this is my car that I had built.

Next, gearbox wiring. There are four wires that go from the loom to the gearbox. Two for the reverse switch and two for the neutral switch. Up until this weekend they were just loose single wires laid on top of the gearbox and I knew they would fail. Given there was a decent length on them and relatively easy access I just put them in some corrugated tube and pinned the tube to the chassis.

The tube goes all the way to the engine bay and is terminated on another tube so everything is protected. 

What else? Oh, the steering wheel. After a comment on a Facebook post I went back to the IVA to figure out what was needed on my steering wheel. Here's the wording;

• The rim of the wheel should be padded or at least made from a material which when deformed does not splinter or fragment. That's a simple one, I'm using the standard steering wheel so while it doesn't feel padded, it isn't going to splinter or fragment. I'm guessing they're referring to wooden steering wheels here.
• The centre boss should be padded or recessed below the level of the rim. This is the main one, I was working on it being 'padded' but there is the 'recessed' option which it is by default. So as long as I interpret this the same as the inspector I should be fine as is.
• Wheels with a very deep dish are stiffer than flatter wheels and, as such will absorb less energy. Not applicable.
• The centre boss will often be of a collapsible type comprising a convoluted crushable section or a series of metal fingers with a deliberate fold introduced to initiate a collapse. Yep the standard boss is of this design, it's inside a corrugated cover but it can be seen with the horn button removed. 
• Bolts used to secure the wheel to its boss (if exposed) should ideally be flush with the wheel surface but otherwise are required to meet the radius requirements if contactable. Yep, flush mount allen bolts. 
• Bare metal spokes are allowed as long as they conform to the edge radius requirements. This one is currently a fail, I've just checked and I'm not convinced they're correctly radiused. So at the very least I'll need a rounded face on the wheel, a simple 3D print should suffice. I did consider the bodywork edge trim but the wheel is too thick and too close to the boss to allow correct fitment, so a rounded printed edge will have to do.
• Components likely to catch in the driver’s clothing or jewellery are not permitted. Not applicable.

So I can go for less of a padded wheel and more just a cover. I'm kind of glad because the padded face wasn't going well. The only thing I would need to do is label the horn, so I replaced the 'momo' badge with a 3D printed version;

It's not bad, I'll have to wait and see whether I like it enough to keep it after IVA or go for some other button + label. 

I think I mentioned this last update, the fuel pump wires now have the proper covers on them. just putting it here in case there's a problem seeing them at the test.

The reflectors I made earlier in the week are now glued in place so that's that job done.

The seats are now properly bolted in with nylocs and washers. They don't have huge spreader washers mainly because there's a layer of aluminium, a steel insert in a steel tube, two thick washers and the seat sliders between the two ends of the bolt, a wider washer wasn't going to do anything. The seat rails work well, the drivers side is a bit stiffer than the passengers but I suspect that's just old age. Not that either one will be moving very far, I doubt anyone will be driving my car! Oh, apart from the inspector of course, apparently that's a 'thing'. It makes sense, it's not as if he'd be able to pick up on self centring by watching me drive it. 

Last thing is the suspension geometry. So I dropped the front end until the suspension was as horizontal as I could get it (the body nose is now vulnerable to speed bumps but I'll have to figure that one out another time). The tyre pressures are up to recommended values, and I've reset the front toe to zero. It was actually quite a bit out, partly because of my tinkering but mostly due to the suspension lowering. 

So time for a quick review of the job list;

• Lock the wheel axle nuts. They've been done up to torque, I need to give them a clout with a chisel to lock them in place.
• Lock castle nuts. Similar locking needed for the castle nuts, split pins are the order of the day.
• Replacement fog and reverse light shells. A much appreciated comment on Facebook pointed out that the outer shells of my 'IVA friendly' lights are in fact quite sharp edges. It's a little bit annoying but absolutely right. So I've got a replacement drawn up and ready to print. As there was already a printed section to put it at the correct angle, I put that back in with the new shell. I just need to wait for some filament to arrive and then 5 hours per side to print them out. 
• Door roundels to go on. Not really for IVA but I want to get them on anyway. 
• Nut covers for the handbrake bolts/nuts. 
• Securing pin for the boot handle. While the boot does close and lock pretty securely now, the lock itself is only a friction fit on the handle. It wouldn't take much time/heat/vibration for it to work itself loose. I want to back it up with a hole through the shaft and a split pin to keep things in place. Not a difficult task but it needs to be on the list.