Fuel tank checks, interior padding

 As I've mentioned before, I had a fuel tank issue and traced it to the earth connection. This is what tracing a leak with flourescent fuel looks like;

Doesn't it look pretty?  As mentioned I removed the bolt, cleaned it up and just smothered it with Sikaflex to seal it;

I'm still a little frustrated that I didn't remember the earth lead when I was welding it up, then I could have added a proper tab. Actually, even when I repositioned the filler I could have added an earth tab! Ah well, 20:20 hindsight and all that. 

It's fixed the issue though, I can open the boot, stick my head in and smell nothing but fibreglass and tyre rubber. And Sikaflex.

Back to the interior and I've added a couple of pads to the required areas. One for the shin-basher;

And another for the steering support;

They're not my finest work but they will do the job. It turns out that velcro wasn't just a good idea, it was essential. Those pads need to be removable in order to remove the front panel and get to the gearbox. 

As ever I've got a few more jobs to do this weekend;

• Retest and refit the fuel tank. I want to do one more pressure test but given there's no smell I'm not expecting anything. Oh, and I've bought some longer bolts for the straps, as I noticed the old ones didn't go through the nylocs far enough. That would have been a daft mistake.
• Check the rear gearbox mount. I'm sure I've checked it before but I just want to reach under and check it's got nuts top and bottom. Again it would be a silly mistake to have one missing and I'm 99% sure I've checked it multiple times already. But two seconds with a screwdriver (or even a jack to go underneath) will be enough to check it.
• The wiring issue behind the dashboard turned out not to be an issue, basically when I tightened the sleeve around the cables I accidentally dislodged the ignition switch plug. Once it was plugged back in it was fine. 

I need to start gathering paperwork as well. I've found the V5 from the donor vehicle so that's coming with me. There's the IVA4 declaration, which itself talks about photocopies of detailed receipts for the major parts. Given most of the major parts came from the donor I'm hoping that eBay receipt will be sufficient. The one thing that was a 'cash' deal was the steering rack, no receipt for that one. 

I also have receipts for the steel and the body itself, so apart from the seat fabric, consumables and 3D printer filament I think I have everything covered. And yes, given how much 3D printing went into this car I am tempted to describe it as a major part!!

Actually, while I look at this the one thing I'm missing is the nuts and bolts, I have receipts for those. It talks about 'original receipts may be requested' but given most of these are electronic anyway I suspect the intent is a little out of date. 

Carrying on with the IVA4 doc, it talks about photographs depicting the various stages of build. Now I was aware of this when I started building, and that's partly/mostly why I started this blog. What I sent to the IVA people was a 'build diary', showing photos from each stage. I'll print that out and take it with me. 

Less than a fortnight to go.