The final to-do list?

 I've now gone through the IVA manual line by line, and these are the gaps I have left;

• 01 Noise.

Must have a measured sound level not exceeding 99DBA. I have actually measured this but it wasn't at the required revs and the engine was cold. I could do with doing this again just to make sure, hopefully the neighbours don't mind. The first time I think was around 91 so I am hoping I'm well within the limit.

• 02B Metered emissions.

The emissions limits must be met. Nothing I can do here, as with regular MOT's I can just hope everything looks fine. 

• 05 Steering effort.

The steering angle must not be limited by any part of the steering, transmission, or suspension system unless the components have been specifically designed for this purpose. Steering components must not foul or be likely to foul other parts of the vehicle under normal operating conditions. Basically I need to put the steering limiters back in, because otherwise the steering hits the wishbone. It's only at full droop, and the test is done with the vehicle at rest, but no point having it do something it shouldn't. 

When the vehicle is driven at speeds above 10mph, there must be a degree of steering “self-centring” evident. This to be retested now I've reset the suspension.

• 09C Park Brake control.

A parking brake lever, actuating linkage, cable or associated component mounting / bracket must be secure to the vehicle structure. I need to make clips to hold the handbrake rear cables to the chassis, otherwise they could be seen as touching and potentially damaging.

• 09D Hydraulic systems

An indelible label must be affixed in a visible position within 100 mm of the filling ports of the fluid reservoirs to ensure that it is possible for the end user of the vehicle to identify the brake fluid used in braking system. I have the sticker design, just need to print and stick. 

• 12 Interior fittings

Handbrake and mechanism to be assessed for contact. The nuts/bolts/edges etc just need the various covers on them. And yes, I still need to protect the wiring as it enters the car.

Edge trim on all edges. See previous post. 

• 16 Exterior projections

Check front grille metal edge is at least 2.5mm. The corner trim has made me paranoid that part of the front grill isn't correctly radiused. If it isn't then an extra bit of trim is required.

• 25 Headlamps

Headlight aim based on dipped beam. This sounds and looks really simple to check and adjust, but my garage isn't square on with the drive, so I actually need to do some rearranging in the dark to get this right. 

• 44 Masses and dimensions

Calculate design weights based on kerb weights plus passengers plus fuel. Measure length and width. This is for the registration form as well. 

In terms of corner weights, I managed to do it properly, so here it is;

Front left: 144.2 KGs

Front right: 144.9 KGs

Back left: 152.8 KGs

Back right: 146.8 KGs

For a total of 588.7 KGs. I am very happy with that, I thought I was closer to the MX5 donor car but turns out I'm 400KGs lighter. 

There are a couple of caveats to that. The tank only has a few litres in it, and it's a 27 litre tank. So based on the IVA values I can assume maybe 20KG of fuel to go in. I also did it per corner, with lifting the other three. Apparently it's a valid method of measuring, but I want to be overestimating the total weight rather than under. 

What I can't figure out is how these numbers relate to kerb weight, axle weight, gross vs max, what is permitted, what needs to be declared etc. I'll have to check the IVA form to figure out what numbers are actually needed.

Corner trim

 One thing I had forgotten was that the interior trim isn't IVA compatible. For some reason I thought about it a while back but then 'stopped', on the mistaken assumption that the aluminium trim would be fine. But now I need to sort out some trim to fix it.

The side trims are 655mm long and are 20mm tall and deep. The middle tunnel is made up of three sections;

• At the back the section is 345 long, starts at 247mm wide and ends at 172mm.
• The middle section is 490 long, starts with the 172 as the first section, then ends at 173. Not sure how that happened to be 1mm wider but there you go. There's a gearstick in this panel as well but hopefully that won't affect things. 
• The front section is then 173 wide, then expanding to 310, 367 long. 

My first thought is to print some trim sections. My printer can do around 250mm diagonally. So each section would have to be done in chunks. The sides would need to be done in 3 sections, the middle section could just about be done in 2 sections per side, the front and rear would fit no problem. 

Now I do have some options regarding material. TPU would be the most sensible, a bit of a rubber like texture would make sense. But it only needs to be rounded off, not necessarily soft, so I'm going to start with PETG as a test piece, and see how it works.

I do need to consider the screws though, they need to be left exposed and the edge trim worked around it. 

(Later that day)

I've made a couple of designs to print. First was a 20 x 20 trim. Apart from it not being able to stay attached to the bed, it's just too big for what is needed.

The second option is a 'hockey stick'. I've got a couple of designs of hockey stick, but I think tonight will be sorting bed adhesion and temperature. I've got some nice matter PETG but it's a 'high speed' filament so it looks like it's being cooked by the temperatures I used for regular PETG. The original setting was 255, I've dropped it to 230 which hopefully should help with the stringing and adhesion. 

And it looks like it has, the surface finish is much better. I just need to check how it looks on the car. 

(the following day...or two)

So I settled on a corner trimmed based on a 7mm diameter (so 3.5mm radius). It's a bit bigger than the hockey stick in both directions but I think it'll stick better. And yes, it will be stuck using double sided tape, although it will be pretty strong stuff that is normally used for holding carpet in place. Because of the size of the printer the six parts above are needed just for the outer edges, I need another ten for the centre console. I've only done these six for now, just in case I can't attach them properly. They need sanding, trimming, gluing together as one piece, then mounting on to the car. 

IVA work part four (brake pedal wiring, ID plate, gearbox wiring, horn button, fuel pump covers, steering alignment)

 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. 

Photoshoot

 Decent weather plus 99% finished car means photos!

MX5 NA fault codes

 I'm putting this here as I've finally found an appropriate collection of information that will help now I have reinstated the diagnostic port. I originally removed the port because I thought it just gave the ability to check various voltages in the circuit. Given I'm not working on an original MX5 I figured I could just check the actual wiring. Unfortunately it's got a couple of extra pins that aren't replicated anywhere else.

First option it gives is setting the base idle. Given that I have a slight idling issue I thought this could come in handy.

Connecting the TEN pin to Ground using a piece of wire removes the ECU control of the idle speed and leaves it entirely up to the throttle body. On the throttle body itself there is an idle screw, it's in a short cylinder and sometimes covered by a rubber bung (mine isn't which is a bit worrying as it suggests someone else has already had a go at it). 

With all electrics off, the engine running and up to temperature, connect TEN to Ground, then adjust idle to get to 850-900 RPM. Then remove the connector. Nice and simple

The second is some fault codes of sorts. It's not a posh OBDII interface that requires a dongle or similar, it's more like the old Vauxhall option that I remember from when I was a kid. 

With the engine off this time, connect an LED (with current limiting resistor) from the FEN pin to the battery. (Or in my case as I don't have a battery connection immediately available, spend at least ten minutes trying to find an accessible positive which could be entertaining as the IVA required them all to be covered and protected!). Turn the ignition on and look for the LED lighting up for five seconds (if it doesn't, it's backwards, however considering I'm connecting one side to battery I'm going to assume that's the positive on the LED).

After the initial check, it should flash any error codes as below;

• 1 Ignition pulse
• 2 Ne signal [Crank angle sensor]
• 3 G signal [crank angle sensor ground?]
• 4 SGT signal (1.8L)
• 8 Airflow meter
• 9 Water thermistor
• 10 Intake air thermistor in airflow meter
• 12 Throttle position sensor
• 14 Atmospheric pressure sensor
• 15 Oxygen sensor (output too low)
• 16 EGR function sensor (1.8L)
• 17 Oxygen sensor (output not changing)
• 25 PRC solenoid valve (1.8L)
• 26 Solenoid valve (Evaporative canister purge)
• 27 EGR solenoid valve (vacuum)(1.8L)
• 28 EGR solenoid valve (vent)(1.8L)
• 34 Idle air control valve

For the two digit codes, it flashes the ten's digit first with longer flashes, then pauses before flashing the one's digit with shorter flashes). It loops round the codes so it can be double checked. 

For my car I'm expecting at least some codes, for example the evap canister isn't there anymore so '26' is almost guaranteed.

Lastly the diagnostic plug pinout with the relevant coloured wires. This was built up from various sources on the assumption that I had binned my diagnostic plug and I was going to have to come up with another solution. As it turns out, I still had my diagnostic plug with at least the important wires still attached, but at least this list would have given me an alternative;

• 2. LT GRN-YEL to Conn#1 K (ignition adjustment connector) (TEN terminal) Test
• 3. WHT-GRN to Conn#1 D (Data link) (MEN Terminal) Monitor
• 4. WHT-YEL to Conn#1 F (Data link) (FEN Terminal) Faults
• 15. BLK to GND
• 17. WHT-RED to Conn#1 B and Power and Fuel injectors (engine control relay)
• 18. GRN-ORG to Horn Relay
• 20. BLK-GRN to Cooling Fan Relay
• 21. BLK to GND
• 22. YEL-BLU to Igniter
• 23. RED to airbags

In my case I've only got the first four, as mentioned the fifth wire for battery might have been useful but I can live without it. 

So that's a task for this weekend (or maybe one evening this week). Work has been ridiculous though so I've not had chance to do any work. I'm even typing this while watching something process at work, just because I've not had any other time available. 

IVA work part three (bonnet catches and covers, diagnostic plug, wiring loom clips, fuel pipe supports, headlight chrome trim, reflectors)

 A few more jobs ticked off this weekend. The bonnet catches are now installed with a cover on the outside;

The diagnostics plug has been wired back in and is ready for use. (OK, not strictly IVA but checking the engine is running properly will help with emissions).

A couple of sections of wiring loom have been fixed better;

In both cases it was a cut strip of aluminium with a hole in one end and a couple of layers of heat shrink tubing. Bolted in place in any convenient location then bent around the wiring loom. It's a similar approach to what car manufacturers do so hopefully it's IVA compatible. 

The loose fuel pipes are now on a secure bracket;

Although I now need to bind and route the cables that go over the top. 

The chrome trim is on the headlights;

I think these look amazing and really finish off the front. No more spiky screws showing!

And for the rear, I've made up some reflectors;

I couldn't find any that fitted the space properly, the ones that I ended up buying were way too small to look good or pass IVA. These are a couple of trailer reflectors, cut to size and trimmed with a 3D print. The flash picture shows they do their job, and I preserved the E marking as well (although I think cutting them down would have invalidated the marking).

The fuel pump now has covers over the connectors, I had some that came with the pump and they turned up on the weekend so I fitted them. No pic though, it was dark. I had planned to 3D print a cover but using the proper ones made more sense. 

Talking about 3D printing, the brake pedal switch cover was a mixed success. The first cover looked good but it put the wire into the clutch pedal so that was useless. I reprinted it with a tighter bend so now it avoids both pedals;

But I'm having trouble routing the wiring up and out. Because of the gas pedal swinging from the top, I can't route the cable directly to the exit. I've printed a tube to get it up above the pedals, but I still need to consider where it's heading after that. 

And I've still got to deal with this;

I can see a few different things here. First is the run from the chassis to the rear bodywork, it's a connector in free space so I need to support that somehow. The curve on the left is self supporting so that can stay. The hoop in the centre of the picture is just the brake pedal switch wire so that will get sorted when I figure out the routing above. Then it's just the main block with the two connectors on board, they need a support of some kind. If I build a 'shelf' for this and the rear bodywork then that should take care of both. Then I want to think about panelling it in, just so it's not exposing the driver to road debris. 

More IVA work (wing mirrors, roll bar covers)

I could have added these to the previous one, but I didn't want to have the post too long so here's a new one. I'll add a few more points as I go round the car.

First one, wing mirrors are now on;

They look 'fine', I'm starting to wonder whether three mirror looks a bit cluttered but that's the IVA for you. To be fair they do show distinct rear views so they could be useful (I certainly don't want to be changing lanes into some random SUV that I didn't notice because I'm six inches off the floor!). 

Roll bar fixings are now covered;

They do look a bit bulky to be honest, but given they need to cover the edges of the nut, bolt AND the mounting plate on the roll bar it was easier to do it all in one. If I understand the regs correctly the remaining lock nut on top of the strut cannot be reached so would not need a cover. I want to dab some superglue on them to make things a bit more permanent, as they are they're tight but I wouldn't want them to fall off due to vibrations. 

Bonnet locks and brake pedal switch are next. The above are the last exterior projections that I need to deal with, but the bonnet locks actually add an exposed bolt so I need to resolve that once the lock is back on board. It'll just be a resized standard nut cover, I might make it a bit more 'streamlined' given it's location on the car. 

IVA work (VIN plate, boot lock, edge trim, brake pedal switch)

 I thought this weeks update was going to be a bit thin on the ground, but actually there's a load of IVA work done so I've titled it appropriately. On to the good stuff...

First was the VIN. The original idea of having it bent round three sides so the welds weren't on top went out the window when I realised the number needed to be on the drivers side not on the passenger side. Nowhere near enough space to get a welding torch round the back. So I trimmed it to be only two sides so it can be fully welded.

And on that note, since I was planning to make it pretty smooth I didn't want it to look like it was bonded rather than welded, so here's a suitable pic showing me halfway through welding it on;

It was lucky I did take a photo, because after it had been painted and clear coated it did look like it had been stuck on there! 

I'm happy with the result though, and it's got suitably straight lines and edges. 

Next the boot lock. Not strictly IVA, although having a loose boot wouldn't be good for the inspector. As mentioned before I had the original plastic piece printed with some slots in;

Then I filled the slots with an offcut of stainless steel (which is very rigid and perfect for this). Once the inserts were inserted I put it on the car and drilled two holes all the way through for some bolts. 

I think it looks really good yet simple, and should be strong enough to hold the boot down. Of course, with the inserts it's now stronger than the fibreglass it's attached to, but I can't have everything!

Next job, edge trim. This took a bit more work than I thought, mainly because the edges of the fibreglass weren't consistent. I've mentioned before that the layup wasn't perfect, but that's probably reflected in the price. That reminds me, I need to see if the bonnet is still transparent now it has paint on.

Anyway, I had to sand some areas down, which meant reapplying the paint and leaving it overnight. But eventually I got to the point where I could add edge trim to all the relevant places;

Even so, it was certainly a challenge and my thumbs are raw from having to press it in place. I'm not overly happy with the one across the bonnet, I may have to revise that one. I like the idea of edge trim, just not that particular one. Around the arches and inside the cabin it works well though. 

Another bit of edge protection was the rear view mirror. The mechanism was almost guaranteed to fail IVA, so I 3D printed a rear shell.

Not my finest design work, but definitely compliant. 

Last on the IVA list was the brake pedal switch. Where it's located on the brake pedal means that the wiring is basically under my heel. That's not just an IVA fail, that's a 'not going to survive' fail. So as well as extending the wiring I need to protect the connector. I went for a cover that redirects the wire back to the firewall, which can then be pinned to the firewall and routed correctly.

Again, not particularly attractive but definitely strong enough to protect the connectors. I'm using two spade connectors rather than the connector block purely to keep the size down. Of course, getting to the footwell now is literally painful, I'm not looking forward to putting that back in. 

So that's all the IVA successes, now for one fail. I can't get the self centring to work. I may have mentioned it before, but with a caster angle of 6 degrees I should have more self centring than I have. I do have a few things to try though. In my trials I've managed to have toe in where it should be neutral or maybe a fraction of a degree toe out. I think my tyre pressures are just letting the tyres be too squishy on the road, thereby increasing traction and reducing steering feel. And finally my camber settings also need adjusting, which will help the king pin inclination. So yeah, I have a plan, I just need to get in there on a dry day to tweak things. Just looking at the calendar it's not far off the end of BST which always makes things a bit more challenging. I did see an interesting test on my travels though. The idea of caster and KPI is that the car lifts as the steering is applied. Not much but enough to want the car to settle back where it was, IE straight ahead. So while I'm testing all the settings, rather than driving it to see whether my changes have helped I can measure the car right height change as I turn the wheel. I'll test the theory first though, I am expecting the car to not lift up at the moment. 

On a lighter note, the roundels for the side of the car have arrived, a bit creased but ready to go on the car. I did get three but I think the one on the bonnet won't look right so it's just the two doors for now. Then I need to make the small information plate, which needs the kerb weights so I need to get the scales out again.

Oh, and I also noticed all four hub nuts have not been secured, they all need the enthusiastic application of a chisel. I'll retorque them first just in case, then go to town. 

As well as the roundels, I'll be fitting the wing mirrors one evening this week. I do also need to replace the roll bar bolts, I keep forgetting they're technically too short for nylocs and need to be replaced with longer ones. 

Nearing the end (water leak, paint finished)

Not much to go now, but I suppose enough for a blog post. Not many photos though, despite having the car out and about in it's final form I completely forgot to take pictures!!

Unfortunately the absence of pictures is due to a couple of distractions that have popped up. The first is the lack of self centering. I was wondering about this a while back after my first run, but a second (and third and fourth) runs confirmed it. The car stays travelling in whatever direction you point it. That would make it extremely tiring, and a little bit unsafe. I tried some toe in but it's made very little difference, I don't want to adjust it too much as I think it'll make other things worse. I'm going to need to figure out what to do there. It was well known that the front wishbones were designed with not much caster, I think the MX5 hubs have made it worse. I hope I don't have to replace/redo wishbones to fix it. 

As a side note though, the removal of the steering limiters has made a huge difference to the car, it can now get round corners and do a three point turn like a normal car. And I've been able to properly test the brakes, while they do need quite a shove due to no assistance I can confirm they will stop the car in an emergency. Whether they'll pass the brake test I'm not sure, I won't know that until the test. I didn't make the car skid, but then I only got it up to 20mph before I ran out of road. 

The body paint is now all done, I could probably get another layer of ceramic coat on it for good measure but it's a 'nice to have'. All the lights and bits are going back on, which brings me to my rear view mirror;

It appears to be double sided! I'm not sure why I didn't notice it before, but it is a little unexpected. I don't know whether it would be an IVA fail, but to be honest I'm a little unhappy about the clamp protrusions so I think a 3D printed back cover would be appropriate. I need to put the wing mirrors on as well but I've been looking at where the nut needs to go and it's not pleasant! I thought the seat bolts were going to be challenging, I think the wing mirrors might be harder. Unless I manage to find a nook or crevice to get my hand into. 

The second distraction was wet feet. Literally. Despite this never going out in the rain, as soon as I pulled away I got a nice puddle of water into the cabin. 

It seems like dirty/rusty water, and it's come in on the sides that are open. The spray pattern suggests coming from up above, and the flat area under the bonnet is the main location that got a bit of water when I was polishing the car. I've cleaned it up and no more has landed, so I'll keep an eye on it. It does raise a question on whether I should cap those two sides, particularly where the wiring comes in as well. I'll look into perhaps printing something that integrates some wiring support as well. It's mainly because there is a semi-direct route from front wheel debris to the inside of the cabin, it's going to be a fair weather car but it makes no sense to invite in-car water, mud etc.

(Quick distraction... I wonder if the dirt/rust is coming from inside one of the chassis tubes, via the holes I drilled for rivets. I have my inspection camera somewhere, I might have a look down the open tubes. If it does happen to be coming from those tubes I can use waxoil or similar to fill them up and coat the inside. I could then print some end caps to keep them sealed)

So what is left? The list is getting awfully short;

• Roundels for the side of the car. Ordered, to be stuck on now the paintwork is sorted.
• Wing mirrors. As above, can be fitted now the body is finished.
• Edging for the wheel arches and inside cabin edge.
• Edging round the bonnet? If I have enough left I might do this, partly for IVA but partly to stop the squeaks and bangs I was hearing while driving. The rubber bonnet catches will hopefully hold the bonnet down but I'm thinking some edging might make it particularly tight.
• Refit rubber catches. The fitting isn't too bad, what is an issue is the protruding screws on the outside. I need to cut the screws to an exact length then print an IVA compliant cover. 
• Brake pedal switch wiring extension and routing. It doesn't quite reach as it is so I need to extend it and correctly route it out of the way. Same with the handbrake switch wiring, it doesn't need extending but it could be routed better. Then one last check under the steering wheel to confirm no IVA unfriendly bits.
• Sort out the self centering. Really don't know about this one, not thinking about it just yet.
• Tighten seat belt bolts. They're all in place and the runners work, I just need to figure out how to get a spanner underneath the car while I tighten the nut on top.
• Split pins for the ball joints on the front.
• Corner weighting, and get the vehicle plates made up. 
• Brake fluid warning label. Already designed, just need to print on adhesive paper and get it stuck on. 

Oh, one more task that should have more of a paragraph than a bullet point. The boot lock. I think I talked about it last blog post, I printed a lock catch and striker for the boot. They worked quite well... until I applied some force, then the striker plate just broken in half. It just wasn't strong enough in the orientation I had. So the plan is to stay with the printed option, but remove a 'slot' in both halves where some thin sheet steel can be bonded in. That should provide enough resilience for it not to break instantly. It's still not 'Fort Knox' secure, but at least not breaking when I give it a strong stare will be an improvement. Edit: A quick update after checking my current metal stock, the 1.2mm stainless steel pieces will work really well. It's really strong and as long as it doesn't break elsewhere I think it'll be fine. 

Well, back to work for now, I'll spend my lunchtime redoing the lock. Oh, and a bit of research on No Mans Sky, as I got back into it last night and it's very different to the game I played a while back! 

Blog update (paint flattening and finishing)

I was thinking over the weekend that I'd not updated this blog, and judging by the post dates I was right!! I think it's because the last few weeks have just been the same thing, paint. I knew it would take a while, both to apply it and to finish it. 

Each weekend that passes by I do question my approach of coach painting. However this weekend I finally got to a point where I could see what it was going to be like. 

As with previous steps the boot lid was the first view of what will be. A nice matt surface ready for final compound and polish. It's not absolutely perfect but it's a load better than it was. This was 3000 grit, after having 600, 1000 and 2000 applied first.

This is midway through the process, with the right side of the seam up to 3000 grit and the left side still at 600. This photo also shows the main drawback to fibreglass bodies, they just don't get as flat as metal can. The wing is really flat as you might expect, but the ripples in the body are not going anywhere.

Taking a step back though, at 600 grit I had brought the car out and checked for issues. The main issues were bits I've missed, but thankfully by the time I'd taken the front through the various grades it all flattened off well. 

I guess I just need to carry on going, I've done from the bonnet edge forwards up to 3000 so I just need to work backwards now. With the 600 grit it was certainly easier, the bonnet is actually a decent percentage of surface so I'd estimate I'm passed halfway. Once it's all at 3000 I'll get the compound out and go all over it again. 

My neighbour asked me about waxing it, and it seemed like a sensible last step. However a quick check on the internet suggests wax is very old fashioned! The current gloss of choice is a ceramic coating. Given that I'd be buying some wax anyway I might as well embrace the future and get some of this posh new stuff. It's not overly expensive for the 'middle ground' stuff, I'll probably stay with Meguiars as it reviews quite well. Alternatively I do have some GTechniq left over from a previous task and while it's not enough to do the whole car I could give it a go and see if it still works.

I also made a boot lock and striker plate, a drawn and 3D printed mechanism that does the job. It wouldn't stop anyone from opening the boot and taking whatever was in there, but it at least keeps the boot shut and tight. I just need to fix it in place. I did find an interesting thing on the internet though, someone had put a lockbox in their car, chain locked to the chassis. That seems like a sensible thing to do, just to have somewhere secure. If I ever take the car to work it would be nice to have somewhere to stow my laptop.

Finding my horn...

 All the way through the wiring I couldn't tell why my horn didn't work. It was so bad that I thought I'd have to undo the loom to fix a broken wire. It turns out the solution was far simpler! While I was fault finding I unplugged the relay, and realised there was only three out of four connectors still in the socket. Replacing the wire and reinstalling the relay got me a very very loud horn Well, I was sat right next to the sounders so it's not surprising.

I've also had another look at the wires, a lot of them are now better fitted behind the steering column, and I can find a tidy place to route the handbrake switch wire. Problem is that I couldn't say the same for the brake pedal switch. The wire was too short to route properly. Still, I was only in the garage for an hour or so, so really I didn't expect to get everything sorted that quickly. 

As ever, a couple of fixed snags showed up a couple more. Along with the brake pedal wiring, I also found one nut that was regular rather than Nyloc so I'll need to replace that. I then have a few wiring brackets to print/attach. 

Once that's done I'll be able to permanently fix the cowl back in place, and that'll be finished. 

Last night I was also thinking about paint. I don't think the dashboard will come off easily as it is, but I think it can at least come away a little bit. So I'll do that, but still have to cover the dash with masking tape or plastic. The seats will have to be covered as well, although that's where my imagination failed me. I thought the seat side would rub against the freshly painted bodywork, but actually thinking about it now the seats don't come anywhere near the fibreglass. There's an aluminium arm rest between the seat and the body. That does make it much easier to paint the side though, and it only needs the aluminium masking off. 

Bank holiday tasks (wiring secured, seats fitted)

 I'm not sure what significance the bank holiday has, but I needed a page title. More tasks done off the snag list;

• The wiring on the bulkhead is now secure with the 3D printed brackets.
• The wiring down the side to the back is now properly secured, as is the boot wiring.
• The fuel relay wiring has been extended, rewrapped and installed correctly. 
• (The fuel tank is now properly bolted in, that was another snag I missed)
• The passenger seat and seat belt are bolted in. That ended up being the last job of the day as it was such a horrible job I didn't want to carry on!

And more jobs added to the snag list;

• One more earth lead needs a fixing.
• The brake fluid wiring needs fixing. I'm not sure about this one, it's a bit 'dangling in free air' so I need to figure something out.
• Wiring going from the fuse boxes to the dash needs bracing. Admittedly this was an old job but what I had planned isn't going to work. 
• Why doesn't my horn work?
• New tyres. Not for me to do but still a job to do.
• Bleed the brakes more. I'm not happy with the pedal, even though it's not assisted I still expect there to be more braking effort. The clutch pedal was ok but that's a much simpler circuit.

I also managed to get the car moving, which means the clutch is alive. Unfortunately the steering rack limiter are far too aggressive, I was doing fifteen point turns where any other car would do it in three. So they need to come off. I also need to check the self centring, it needs a bit more space to test it. 

Snag list part 1

 Yep, I'm officially on the last few steps now, and the biggest 'job' left is to go over all of the other jobs and make sure I've not missed anything. This will still take a while as I reckon there's all sorts just waiting for me. Here's a few examples that I've completed today;

• The battery isolator switch is installed, and now the battery can be properly secured. I'm happy with the routing of the big cables, they go behind the battery but need to stay loose so I can pull the battery in and our. It's not affecting the security of the battery, and I still printed and used battery connector caps. 
• The spark plug ignitor and some random resistor are now both bolted to the bulkhead. That was a fun job, I was just going to screw them into the metal but then realised the ends of those screws end up in the passenger compartment!! If Mr IVA is really fussy about being able to get to them, they're as pointy as they can be. I replaced them with regular nuts and bolts, now the only thing visible in the cabin are bolt heads. And probably just to be absolutely sure I'll print out some caps and stick them on.
• Similarly I've bolted down one fuse box and one relay. The flasher relay still needs some sort of bracket before it can be bolted down, and the other fuse box would block access to it so I have that to do.
• I've replaced many of the temporary loom ties with zip ties so again everything is a lot more 'fixed' now. Of course, I also found a broken joint. In this case it was with the expensive connector blocks I bought for the front and back. The cheap Chinese ones seem to be ok, but the expensive ones are causing me trouble. Ah well, live and learn and all that. I've still got a few more loom clips to secure, but they're inside the passenger side wall and I need the car out to get to them.

As for things 'yet to do', I have the following that I know about;

• One of the rear lights isn't behaving itself, I might need to print a new housing for it. The bulb doesn't stay in place, it's another issue where the bulb 'nubbins' aren't pronounced enough to fit in a plastic holder. Having said that, perhaps the new printer will be able to offer me tighter tolerances. I'll have to see where I left the design, hopefully it's not in Fusion because it's been a PITA to get things out of there and into Onshape. 
• The fuel pump wiring needs extending and repairing.
• Seats and seat belts need bolting down. 
• I have a few 3D prints in progress for wiring clips and holders, they'll need screwing on to the firewall so the loom is secure. 
• One last scan of the cabin to make sure it's all compliant
• Painting (again!)
• Edge trim in the cabin and on the wheel fenders
• Front suspension castle nuts need split pins. I doubt I can remember where the proper ones are, but I've got a box of split pins that will do nicely. I just need to find the box.
• Boot lock. 
• Test drive... Yeah OK, probably getting a bit ahead of myself there!

Rear suspension

 It's been a very busy week and weekend, so I think it's time for 'updates' rather than 'update'. first off, rear suspension. The driveshafts were a bit more of a headache than I thought.

I have the original driveshafts from the donor, but removing them from the uprights killed the ends. Even if I could have got a nut back on, god knows how long they'd have survived. So I bought some new CV joints, not a big deal and not that expensive (£13 each plus postage). Then a fellow builder passed me an entire drivetrain, so shortened propshaft, a diff and two driveshafts. To make it easy on myself I decided to use the entire driveshafts as is, and keep the new joints for later servicing.

Unfortunately that's where I came unstuck. Turns out the CV joints I had use a larger nut which doesn't fit the donated driveshafts. And of course there's no way of me finding a replacement nut. So it was back to the original plan, reassembling the donor driveshafts with new CV joints. And of course, just as I was mid-job, I realised I had no CV grease...because I wasn't going to need it, because I would use the complete driveshafts!!

Anyway, long story short the driveshafts went in perfectly, and that meant I could tighten up all the bolts on the rear suspension. That took about an hour and absolutely killed my shoulders, but at least it was a job done.

That's when I realised my brake cables were not good. I'd fitted them as I had planned, and it looked to be nice and clear. But it turned out it was a bit too close for comfort, for no real reason. Routing them above the wishbones left them much more in free space and better for inspection. Of course, rerouting them required another caliper removal and bleed, but I'm much happier with the routing now. As it turns out the brake pipe and the handbrake cable follow a very similar route from start to finish, so I'm going to clip them together. Hopefully it won't cause an IVA issue, if anything having both cables support each other and stay clear of moving parts should work in my favour.

Oh, and the last snag for the day. The roll bar screws that go into the top suspension mount were too long. So I came to tighten up the suspension mount and found I couldn't get the nut in there! So I've had to shorten the roll bar bolts, and now everything can exist in the same space in time. 

And now, it's on to the snag list... all the big jobs are done, it's time to go over everything with a fine tooth comb and get it ready for testing. Cue next blog post...

Working pedals and injectors

 It was another good evening yesterday, with many jobs completed. I guess the first job was the brake bleeding. As expected when I took the rear calipers off and turned them upside down I got so much air out of the nipple. With both sides done the pedal has really stiffened up, I can't get it to the bulkhead anymore which is basically the aim of the pedal. I've yet to try it in anger basically because I wouldn't get the car moving to be able to stop it yet!

While I was there I also got the clutch pedal sorted. It didn't have the plunger installed initially, I'm not sure how I'd forgotten about it but there you go. One thing I did have to consider was the security of the plunger. On the brake pedal it's actually retained in the master cylinder, but the clutch is a simple push. I need not have worried though, given I had to have the pedal at full travel AND push the clutch cylinder in just to get the plunger to fit, I don't think it's coming out on it's own. With the plunger in place and the required pin and clip to secure it, I had to adjust it pretty much all the way out so the clutch cylinder actually closed with the pedal all the way back. 

Once I'd finished inside, I added some fluid and used the Gunsons to push it round the loop. As I posted quite a long time ago, I retained the loops in the pipe that the MX5 uses, just so the engine can move without damaging the pipe. But of course that meant it wasn't going to easily bleed. The gunsons sorted it out very quickly though. 

And then the interesting bit came up... This clutch had basically been sat for a decade without moving. So initially the pedal didn't move! It took a bit of pressure to get it to open, but once it started moving it was good. The only concern I've got now is similar to what I used to get on the bike, in that the clutch may be seized shut. Not permanently seized, but enough to cause an issue. Again I won't find out until I try and run the car with the full drivetrain. Essentially I need to have it in gear with the rear wheels in the air, get things moving (slowly at first) then with the clutch pedal in I need to stomp on the brake. That should cause the clutch to open, and assuming that's successful I can then start using it like a standard clutch. 

As a side note, now that both pedals have resistance I can definitely tell why things are normally servo assisted. The car will definitely go and stop, it's just my leg muscles will get a workout doing it! 

As a last job I also fitted some new rubbers to the pedals. The gas pedal didn't get anything, but then again it doesn't need it. Strictly speaking the clutch pedal doesn't need one, but as I bought the rubbers as a pair I put it on anyway. I can see why there has to be a non-slip surface though, even with the car not moving I can see it's so much easier to use the controls when your foot doesn't slip off.

Now that all three pedals do something, I moved back to the injectors. The seal kit had arrived so I removed the old o rings and filters, then set about cleaning them. After some thought on how I get the carb cleaner from the can to the injector, I came up with a contraption to manage it. Having a twelve volt source to open the injector on hand, I got started. And swiftly realised a can of carb cleaner can apply quite a bit of pressure in terms of the solvent released. After a few repeated attempts and patch repairs to the pipe, I managed to get a good stream from each of the injectors. To be fair I couldn't tell much difference between before and after, but I'm confident now things will be at their best. With new seals I could put them back on to the rail, and I could tell things were a lot more secure so I'm optimistic it'll help with fuelling. There may still be a leak on the inlet side causing things to run lean, but at least the fuel side will be good. 

What's next? I think the drivetrain can be installed now, then I can bolt up the rear suspension. More paint of course (I got some thinners for the remaining paint to see if that improves how it flows). The battery isolator arrived so once that's installed I can then permanently install the battery and not have to worry about disconnecting it. I need to tidy up the wires behind the dash so they look good for IVA (and the brake pedal switch doesn't get bashed while I drive). Once that's done I can fit the cowl and permanently install the steering wheel. 

Oh, the boot lock is required. That's a bit of design and some 3D printing no doubt. It's never going to be a properly secure boot (a bit of a pull and the fibreglass will bend enough for any lock to disengage) but at least I can get it tight shut while it's driving. 

Then I'll cover VIN numbers and plates, but I'll need to do a proper corner weighing again. I'll try and do it with maybe half a tank of fuel but also add a few kilos as I want to err on the side of caution in case I don't weigh it right. 

A quick check on the 'common IVA fails' I can see that wiring in conduit is favourable, I'll get some suitable conduit and get it covered. It's mainly around the engine which I was going to cover anyway. 

Anyway, that's enough update for today, time for me to go draw a brake fluid warning sign. 

Brake bleeding

No posts for four weeks then two in two days... cue some random bus joke...

So just to feel a bit more positive after the paint fiasco, I thought I'd have a go at brake bleeding. As I mentioned yesterday, brake bleeding an entirely empty system is several degrees harder than just changing fluid, mainly because the idea of pumping the pedal to build up pressure and then opening the bleed valve doesn't do much when the 'pressure' is all air instead of fluid. I managed to dig out my Gunsons Eezibleed but of course the cap was nothing like anything I had. A quick check online showed the universal cap was still available, but £25! Given that it was just a plastic plate I thought it ideal for a 3D print, so I did that. 

The newly printed cap wasn't 100%, and there were still air leaks, but I remember that with the real caps as well. It's usually to do with the pressure being too high but even with the leaks I was able to provide some pressure to the fluid. First sign of it working was the front right, with a few drips coming out of the bleed valve. Tightening that up then showed the front left doing the same. 

Unfortunately that's as far as I could get, because while the front ones were accessible without having to take the wheels off, the rears aren't. Having said that, I have the tunnel cover off at the moment, and I can hear gurgling at the T joint between the two rear calipers. I take that as a good sign, while gurgling suggests there's air still in there it also means some fluid has managed to reach that position. So next job will be to raise the rear of the car, remove the wheels and open the bleed valves. Then repeat the process.

Once I have fluid to all four wheels I can then start refining things, or more specifically looking for leaks. I do already have one weeping joint that I need to resolve. On the master cylinder there is an adaptor thing that connects one of the brake lines to a banjo joint. That seems to be leaking ever so slowly. It looks to be a fairly small part so I could replace it, however a bit of Googling suggests I'm missing copper washers either side. I'm not sure why I'm missing them as I didn't take that apart at any point, but then if it hadn't been apart I also wouldn't expect it to start leaking now. So first job will be to add a couple of washers to see if it resolves the issue. Touch wood there aren't any other leaks, so it looks like my flaring technique is up to scratch! No doubt once the pressure gets up I'll find some more but that's another day. 

As with all jobs, getting started on one has highlighted a couple more. First issue is that I've forgotten to put 'anti slip provision' on the pedals. IE rubber covers. Some builders have used sandpaper as an anti slip surface, given the pedals are flat that may be an option but surely that must wear out over time. Then again, rubber also wears out, over a much longer time of course. Unfortunately when I got the car it had some horrible metal ones that are meant to look nice but would never pass IVA. To be honest I didn't like them at all, I still have them but I really ought to just throw them away! 

Catchup, painting and 'little bits'

 And another month gone just like that. To be fair, two weekends were taken up by being on holiday so there's not a lot I could have done about that. Pesky family life getting in the way of important car goings-on...

So there really isn't much left now, hence the 'little bits' in the heading rather than anything substantial. I turned the car around and reversed it in the garage, there seems to be less room now but at least I can get to things on the passenger side now. And as expected it's a bit easier to reverse into the garage given the angle of the drive vs the garage door.

I guess the first thing is the great big green elephant in the room. Paint. Oh boy do I hate paint. I did some trials on a small panel, and everything seemed fine. It went on well, the biggest issue was dust and thinners. The former was just my mistake, I moved a box just after doing the paint and managed to get some dust into the air. The latter was interesting though. The white spirit did not mix with the paint at all, even at only 10% mix it didn't actually thin the paint. The panel was covered in voids and was not going to work on the actual panels. 

This is the test panel, the bit on the left is dusty and the right hand side is thinned;

The first test was to paint the boot panel. It seemed to go on fine, although there was yet more dust. The paint didn't float as well as it did on the first test piece which was a bit disappointing.

I flatted it back ready for the second coat, and realised a couple of things. First was that painting green on green is actually quite challenging, I'd missed a few square inches in the corner were there was no paint! The second was that it was still not cured, so there were a couple of points where I caught it with something pointy and scarred the paint. 

On to the car then, admittedly I probably jumped the gun a bit and in hindsight perhaps should have done a bit more work. But then again, what other work could I have done, it's not as if there was an issue with panel prep and the thinners experiment failed. So I went full in with the bonnet, rear arches and more coats on the boot.

As with most paintjobs, it definitely passes the twenty feet test, but fails when you get closer. The arches do look better in the correct colour so I'm happy about that. There's just a bit too much texture visible. It also didn't cover the filler, as can be seen on the arch above, and in this example;

A second coat was never really in doubt but this just confirmed it. I have now done the second coat, I've not taken pictures as it really went pear shaped...

Warning, rant ahead... So as mentioned I hate paint. I did the second coat yesterday, and it just went from bad to worse. Rubbing down the paint again, the same thing happened and I managed to get back to the base surface. I also scratched it on a few points, and the orange peel is even more pronounced. There's also runs, dust marks, and to cap it all off when I was closing the garage and giving up for the day, I heard something drop on to the car which was the final straw. To say it was a low point in the build was an understatement, I still haven't ventured into the garage but I guess I'll resign myself to it at lunchtime and get some pictures. 

What I have done is order some thinners. I'm not sure whether it's the paint or the temperature here, but the paint is far thicker than what I would expect. It doesn't run, which means it can't flow, which means it won't flatten. I've gone for the proper thinners, I don't know what it's made of but it was clear white spirit wasn't appropriate. Once it arrives and I've thinned the paint I'll have one more go (still on the bonnet obviously, I don't want to venture on to the body until at least the bonnet is sorted).

So that's it for paint for now, the documents suggest 7 days to fully cure so it should be good for next weekend. Of course, when it's fully cured it might be too hard to sand but I'll cross that bridge next week. 

What else is there? Oh yeah, the poor running. I finally managed to get the injectors removed and measure the seal, so I have a kit arriving this week to overhaul the injectors. I also have some carb cleaner and a 12 volt supply to open the injectors and get the internals cleaned. It'll be interesting to see the jet pattern, given that the injectors were the things stopping the engine from running in the first place I reckon they're going to be horrendous. At least this way I don't have to buy replacements though (which at the last time of checking were several hundred pounds even for a second hand set!).

I reprinted some new hub caps, I stopped trying to be clever and just went for a straightforward flat cap. They look fine, they fit well and I don't have to fill, sand, fill, sand, paint, fill, sand etc. 

The seatbelts run smoothly now they're at the right angle, that was fiddly to get them in and out!! There was me thinking that I was being clever not relying on captive nuts, instead I had to contort myself into a very unusual position to get to both sides of the fixing! I've got to do the same three more times to get the other mountings in place, the transmission tunnel side should be fairly simple but the outer one will be a pain in the proverbial.

The seat risers worked well, they now clear the seat belt bolts when sliding back and forth. Again, I need to bolt the seats in place and be in two places at the same time. I think I mentioned before that I had at least 20mm or so before the seat was too high for the seat belt, and the spacers were only 5mm.

Other little bits... battery covers are now printed and clip in place, I haven't permanently added them as I still want to be able to disconnect the battery. Having said that, being able to disconnect the battery is a good long term goal so I've ordered a battery isolator that I'll mount on the bulkhead somewhere. 

Ah, brake bleeding, that's another big topic. So I've tightened up all the connectors (I had forgotten how many I'd just left finger tight), filled up the reservoir and pumped the pedal. As expected, nothing happened. I've bled a completely dry system before (on my bike) and normal bleeding approaches don't seem to work. I need to dig out my Eezibleed and hope it's not degraded over time. It was hard enough to use when it was brand new, all bets are off now it's at least 20 years old!

But I want to get the brakes bled before I add the driveshafts. I always prefer to know that I can stop before I know I can go!