Road Legal At Last!

Yup - at long last the car is registered and road legal...

Sort of. On the inaugural drive the speedometer cable snapped - which is a known problem with the MX5 based Westfields, one that I was hoping to dodge. It's easy enough to replace the cable but I suspect there will be a high likelihood of this happening again unless I can somehow modify the angle at which the cable has to bend in the transmission tunnel.

I think this well and truly marks the transition from building a kit-car to the overhead involved in owning and caring for one!

I've also got a few immediate modifications to do:

• Get some anti-stonechip film on the rear wheelarch leading surfaces
• Replace the IVA compliant steering wheel with one that gives a bit more legroom
  
• Reinstate the designed side repeaters and remove the IVA compliant ones
• Fit the half-tonneau for the "luggage compartment"
• Check the torque on suspension bolts
• Add in the cargo pockets in the driver/passenger compartments
• Get the wheel alignment professionally setup
• Improve the calibration of the fuel gauge (it accurately informs me of the usage of about 1/4 of the fuel tank at the moment)
• Calibrate the temperature gauge properly (I didn't set it right when re-applying the needles when I switched the gauge backs)

So plenty to do still!

But I've got to say that I'm pleasantly surprised at how well behaved the car is (apart from the naughty speedo cable that is), indeed so much so that I've used it for the 100 mile+ round trip to the office a few times already without any drama. And it is great fun to drive too :D

DVLA Inspection - Completed!

Just had the DVLA inspection, to make sure that the chassis & engine numbers matched up with those from the donor V5, and to check which other major components came from the donor. This determines whether the car is issued with an age-related plate or a Q-plate (or possibly not issued at all if something nefarious has apparently gone one). There is a slight stigma attached to a Q-plate as they are issued to vehicles of "an uncertain heritage or age", and once assigned a Q, you're stuck with it - you cannot transfer another registration number to the vehicle.

Anyway, the major components looked for are:

• Engine
• Transmission
• Axles
• Steering
• Chassis
• Suspension

And of these the Westfield Mazda SDV counts as using the Engine, Transmission, and Axles. And according to the inspector, this results in an age-related plate being appropriate. Result!

The inspection was short & sweet (and the phrase "text-book example" was used - and no, not by me!) and so now there is just a bit of waiting for the new V5 and accompanying tax disc to come through. And then all will remain is getting some plates made up and The Widowmaker hits the road!

IVA - Passed!

Another post that does what is says on the tin!

The trip to and from the testing centre was pretty uneventful - the car handles well, no fan-belts popped off, only got very slightly rained on, and I got there on time.

And then the inspector looked at all the fixes and was satisfied with them - the steering centering wasn't perfect but because it was a noticeable improvement he was happy to pass that too.

So to my slight surprise and great elation I was handed a certificate. Which is now in the bowels of the DVLA bureaucracy in order to get a license number for the car along with yet another bunch of forms. I've hopefully filled out these so that it will attract an age-related plate (rather than a Q) coz it's a single-donor vehicle that uses a lot of the original MX5.

Just one more obstacle that I can see - I've got to get the car down to DVLA in Botley in just over a weeks time. And it has to be trailered otherwise they'll not inspect it, which is a bit knickers seeing as I have neither trailer nor towbar...