I don't understand why people feel the need to build their "dream" car before SVA. Surely the best way to do it is to keep it simple. Once the car is SVA'd and registered then is the time to start putting all the "nice bits" on.
ie. If it aint there he can't test it.
There are loads of bits that people fit pre SVA that they don't need to and cause themselves grief. those that come immediatly to mind are: windscreens/aeroscreens and associated gubbins and reversing lights. Also if you keep dashboard switches and gauges to the bare minimum and preferably in the exempt area until after the SVA it must make passing easier. Likewise although a Sierra steering wheel is not what you want to end up with, if you fit it for SVA you know it wont be a problem, then swap it afterwards.
IMHO.

[Edited on 13-9-05 by BKLOCO]

i think part of the reason is that people dont want to strip out the dash etc after its 'finished'. But you're right, a lot of stuff would be simple to just add afterwards.

Maybe some people just enjoy the build too much!

I'm with you BKLOCO. I am building my 2nd Indy and intend to build it the most basic way i know how, just enough to get it through SVA. Then when i get it back i'll sell it..oh no sorry i mean put on the screen, wipers and washers, trim the interior and get some nice wheels and anything else i can think off!

If its built right in the first place there's little reason you can't have both,
some of the radius rules etc are there for a reason, and sharp edeges etc rarely look nice,

Admittedly some rules are stupid.

Also if it looks right for the test then your more likely to get away with minor things than something that looks rushed together covered in foam and pipe lagging!

And you don't want 2 park it up and take it off the road for long once its all legal and the weathers nice!

SVA is there for a reason. Not only is it for your own safety but also the safety of others. Some of them might seem daft but they are still there for safety (even if not all of us can see it).

Personally, I think its the interpretation of the SVA regulations by some Jobsworth Inspectors which make some of them seem daft (such as failing a vehicle because radius on handbrake release button isn't in accordance with rules)

Whats the point in trying to decieve the Inspector to get a pass, only to strip it all out and remove it afterwards - Maybe even making it dangerous in the process....

Absolutely, and don't get me wrong I think that the SVA test has done a good thing for the kit car industry as a whole. However this is my second car and it's now "on the road"

Funny how it's still in bits in the garage.

I've had the number plates for just over a month and still haven't got round to fitting them.

Too busy fitting the bike engine ;-)

Have to agree, SVA is there for a reason and if you get a human being for an inspector (which we were lucky enough to) it's not all that bad.
We managed to get the car we wanted through SVA by planning things up front and carefully, without changing things after. With one exception the steering wheel, purely because the horn buttons would fail. Other than that it's perfectly safe and the the horn buttons wouldn't cut butter.

I s a build ever finished?

I agree with just about everything that's written above:

- Keep it simple for the SVA and leave off the gimmicks until later.
- Make sure that the car is clean, polished, neat and tidy for the test - first impressions really count and can make all the difference. If it looks a bit tatty, sort it out.

rgds,
David

Coovey, what was the issue with the horn???

I'm Glad some people agree with me on this point.

I am not saying that post SVA you should have carte blanche to do what you want and possibly compromise the safety of yourself and others. I am simply suggesting that worrying about things like "angel eyes" pre SVA, fitting a reversing light at exactly the right angle and worrying whether your switch bezel is exactly the right radius is crazy when you don’t have to.

Lets be realistic here I doubt that anyone has died because a reversing light was 10 degrees of the vertical!!!!
And why oh why should you be forced to fit a screen demister system on a vehicle that you have no intention of ever putting a putting a hood on and even if you did it would be so draughty, misting would be just about impossible anyway!!!

If we are really talking about the SVA making cars safer then perhaps we should be looking at something similar to the Australian system, where cars have to be inspected by a registered automotive engineer during construction and ALL chassis have to be tested for rigidity and torsional stiffness. (That would show up a few peoples welding abilities I'm sure.) As well as this all components have to conform to ADR's (Australian design rules)

If were totally honest a Seven style car and most home built cars are inherently unsafe compared to any modern day production car
If we think gaining an SVA certificate proves its safety then we are seriously deluding ourselves.


IMHO. LOL

See you all on Sat at Brands, hopefully.

Jos,

The horn buttons on my new steering wheel are not 2.5mm radius so would have failed the sharps test, even though they couldn't cut anyone.