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Pit falls of a 1990 build
PeterV - 11/12/13 at 11:12 PM

OK here is a question.
What are going to be the issues with Mr. IVA and a 1990's kit restoration and build?
No problem doing a complete rebuild of a classic, but something that has never been built but yet has kin that are on the road.... mmmmm......

For some fun I'm going to build / rebuild / start all over again a 1990's Carlton Carrera GT.
Seat position and seat belts is one that stands out.
Add radius problems almost everywhere.
But what else can you wonderful gurus of the build think of?


pmc_3 - 12/12/13 at 08:14 AM

Has the kit already been on the road? If it's already got a legitimate v5 its just a case of an MOT at the end of the rebuild


Macbeast - 12/12/13 at 09:39 AM

What part of " but something that has never been built but .... " don't you understand ?


PeterV - 12/12/13 at 09:47 AM

No shes never been near a road. Has only ever seen back yards and front driveways
It's just about a rolling chassis with butchered bodywork. Actuall butchered everything but its getting better.
Chassis has been derusted repaired and painted.
Rear atlas axle is now sorted new bushes, shocks, springs and upgraded to disc brakes, 5 stud for 17" wheels.
Starting to sort out rear tailgate and rear bodywork.
Long long way to go


pmc_3 - 12/12/13 at 09:52 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Macbeast
What part of " but something that has never been built but .... " don't you understand ?


That will teach me to reply when I'm half asleep!


Macbeast - 12/12/13 at 09:57 AM

I would guess that, since you don't have a donor V5 you will probably have to meet the " as new " IVA regulations regarding eg emissions etc. rather han the relaxed age-related specifications


iank - 12/12/13 at 10:20 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Macbeast
I would guess that, since you don't have a donor V5 you will probably have to meet the " as new " IVA regulations regarding eg emissions etc. rather han the relaxed age-related specifications


Not if it has a Ford engine with a number that can identify the manufacture date.


PeterV - 12/12/13 at 10:28 AM

No engine right now although there is a nice one on a pallet in my driveway. Smog test shouldn't be an issue as this pump is a SAAB 2.0 turbo with CAT as per my WLR.

"IVA" Yep that's what I was thinking, just wondering if there was anything scary to worry about with such an old kit?


mcerd1 - 12/12/13 at 02:46 PM

as long as its meets the requirements of the IVA manual it'll be fine

sharp edges and positions of things like lights and seatbelts could issues
so just print off the latest issue of the manual (free download from VOSA) you can check and adjust it as required as you build the car and it'll be fine


I'd check the light positions first as there might not be much you can do to adjust them without affecting the look of the car...


mookaloid - 12/12/13 at 03:14 PM

As above //// light positions - also you will need to do do wipers and heater/demisting etc as it is a hardtop.


PeterV - 12/12/13 at 03:53 PM

Cheers guys, hadn't thought of light positions. with a rough check I think I can get away with it but will have to fit rear fogs. None to be seen on this model!

Heater and wipers ouch! Me had been thinking about that with some trembles and head pains I guess I need to study those regs over the coming months!

Anything else? It's all sounding too good to be true


mcerd1 - 12/12/13 at 04:37 PM

^^^ you'll also need a reversing light to go with that fog light


a lot of the rest will depend on where you source the bits....


the seat and seatbelt positioning could need a bit of fiddling to get right (for visibility, strenght and anchor points)

mirror sizes and visibility can be an issue (depends what you've got with the kit)

it needs 'protective steering' - a collapsible column from a suitable donor will tick that box though


you need a vin plate and vin number stamped in the chassis in the right places with the right size font etc...

things like heaters and wipers are easily sorted with generic setups if you've not got a donor one that will fit (classic mini's and landrovers have wiper systems that are easy to adapt - basically the same as the lucas aftermarket ones you get from all the kit suppliers )


PeterV - 12/12/13 at 04:55 PM

Sierra column to replace this Cortina thing then.
VIN plate will have to be dreamt up as there is nothing at present.
Mirrors are a known, my WLR had a fail on these and needed a serious raising and bending to sort it.
Reversing lights are in the original cluster which is handy.
Seats and belts will have to sourced from someplace that has had IVA passes me thinks.


PeterV - 12/12/13 at 05:04 PM

As there is no anchor on one side of the sest coz this wss designed as a possible 2+2 or big hatch I guess I'll have to go for a three point harnes?

[Edited on 12/12/13 by PeterV]


mcerd1 - 13/12/13 at 10:19 AM

^^ 3 point will be fine as long as you fit them right

you can use the inertia reel ones out of a donor car as long as they are in good condition and you can mount them at the correct angles / locations so that they work - basically just mount them the same way as the donor car they come out of

(if you were to fit them at a different angle/orientation they may not work - so best to find donor ones that suit they way you want to mount them)


mcerd1 - 13/12/13 at 10:30 AM

is this the beast:

http://www.polarityservices.co.uk/carltonownersclub/useful/Sales%20Literature/Carlton%20Carrera%20Sales%20Flyer.jpg


not that bad looking for a 90's kit - sort of like the offspring of a capri and a GT6 :lol:
the right lights and a wee tweak/tidy up here and there and that could make a nice little car


PeterV - 13/12/13 at 12:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
is this the beast



Yep that’s the one and yeah I have plans to upgrade the original quite a bit without losing too much of the original looks. It's a bit of a Heinz 57 between a Z280, 964, GT6 with some Esperante touches, all of which I quite like.

Should make a great support car for the WLR especially as it can tow

I’ve set up a build blog here if anyone’s interested
Carrera GT Build


As wifey will be driving it she's gone for this colour.....



.....me wanted black but hey ho out voted by wif & sprog. But a happy family helps with funding


mcerd1 - 13/12/13 at 04:42 PM

that's not a mile away from the mk1 focus RS which is a very nice colour


PeterV - 13/12/13 at 04:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
that's not a mile away from the mk1 focus RS which is a very nice colour


Tiz just a tad darker but very close to that. Can't complain to much with thier final choice (Bagpuss pink was getting very scray!!! )


sjmatthews - 13/12/13 at 06:59 PM

'E' marked windscreen?


PeterV - 13/12/13 at 07:11 PM

Doesn't all the glass have to be E marked?


James - 13/12/13 at 08:02 PM

Really like that!


PeterV - 27/4/14 at 11:30 AM

A quick update on the project and repost of the car pic (coz the website moved)

Most of the work so far has been restoration work on the old chassis and running gear. Suspension and steering refurbishment etc. Add in the upgrades from 4 stud rear axel to 5 stud with the manufacture of wheel spacers. Then the conversion from drum backs to disc brakes at the back, which I had to be custom manufactured as I wanted 5 stud. Both the refurbishment and upgrades to the project have all been great fun but have added loads of time to the build.

4 to 5 stud conversion

Disc Brake Upgrade

All that work and only this to show for it


Slimy38 - 27/4/14 at 11:46 AM

quote:
Originally posted by PeterV

Should make a great support car for the WLR especially as it can tow



Make sure you check the IVA regs for towing capabilities, I vaguely remember a kit car magazine talking about the changes and how they make towbars on kit cars virtually impossible to get approved.


PeterV - 27/4/14 at 03:01 PM

Shall not even attempt to get an IVA with towing setup. Will do that job once everything else is set up, legal and well sorted. As with the WLR, what passed the IVA was a long way from what became a safe, reliable and comfortable car 18 months later. Can't see this one being any diffrent


Slimy38 - 27/4/14 at 04:11 PM

quote:
Originally posted by PeterV
Shall not even attempt to get an IVA with towing setup. Will do that job once everything else is set up, legal and well sorted. As with the WLR, what passed the IVA was a long way from what became a safe, reliable and comfortable car 18 months later. Can't see this one being any diffrent


Might still be worth checking it out though. Don't forget most production cars have a rated towing capacity, those figures are used during spot checks etc. I'm not sure how a kit car could get a rated towing capacity (or how you'd actually prove it?).

I agree it would make sense to sort it after IVA (I can't imagine any kit cars that remain IVA compliant!), but I do wonder whether it might be a lot more than just welding up a towbar...


PeterV - 27/4/14 at 08:54 PM

This chassis comes complete with the towing sub frame and tow bar mounting face plate already built in. You could pull a Landrover out of the mud with this massive box section sub frame attached to the OTT back bone chassis. They really over engineered the chassis back in the 80's

On the tow weights, most cars have them but I can't quite see spot checks by Police ever happening, not sure where they would get the trailer gross weight from without a weighbridge. Been towing for 30 years and only been visited by the police once (in a motorway service station) and that was a general maintenance and tyre check no mention of weights. Towed a pop up trailer tent with my Suzi GS850 shaft drive bike and that certainly never had any towing spec, doubt if it ever crossed a Suzuki engineers mind. Not sure if Honda Gold and Silver wings have tow weights or specs but there are a lot of them towing stuff.

There were legal restrictions 20 odd years ago in the UK. Use to be some sort of kerbside weight versus trailer weight calculation. Was an attempt to stop Triumph Spitfires towing 30Ft Gypsy caravans down Cornish lanes. Those laws have all been scrapped. As far as I can tell we are left with the speed limit restrictions as the UK's only difference to EU law on towing.
There are restrictions based on when you passed you driving test. If, like me, you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes.

Other legal requirements:
If the towing vehicle weighs 3500kg or less (Gross Vehicle Weight or GVW) then max Length (excluding the coupling and drawbar) 7.0m and Width Maximum 2.55m
Since 1982 all trailers, including unbraked ones, must be clearly marked with their maximum gross weight in kilograms.
Since January 1, 1997, all unbraked trailer plates must show the year of manufacture.
Department of Transport Code of Practice states that it is desirable for trailers less than 3,500kg gross vehicle to carry a manufacturer's plate clearly showing manufacturer's name and address, chassis or serial number, model number, number of axles, maximum weight per axle, nose weight or coupling, maximum gross weight and date of manufacturer.

There is government advice on towing "only towing in accordance with the manufacturers VIN plate information", but it's advice and does not seem to be a law as such. Maybe manufactures only put weight limits on to protect themselves from claims on chassis bending and clutch destruction etc. Me thinks dead pull weights are not the only issue as the nose weight of the trailer is just as important to save the rear end.

Found lots of detailed towing info in my 2008 SAAB 93 AWD V6 handbook and only max weight info in the 900's handbook so I guess things have changed over the years. IVA forms do allow for towing mass data to be stated and there is a lot of info in the IVA manual about tow weights, tow ball heights etc. that I will need to study but at first glance nothing seems to say you can't have a tow weight specified even if it has no tow ball fitted.

This looks like a interesting subject that must have turned up on 4x4 kit car builds so I'll have to do some searching.
Anyone else been down the towing route?


SteveWalker - 27/4/14 at 11:00 PM

I looked not long ago and all the rules concerning manufacturer's declared towing weights (including requirements for type approved tow bars) and hence some cars not being able to tow at all seem only apply to type approved vehicles and not individual ones. I could be wrong, as I've not had to IVA anything, but it may well be that the IVA forms only mention towing weights for imports of non-European type approved vehicles?


PeterV - 28/4/14 at 10:47 AM

IVA application just gives boxes for axles 1,2&3 then Gross KG followed by Train Kg and Towable Mass. My reading of towing guidelines is that the Tain Kg should be the Gross Kg + Towable Mass. This info goes on the VIN plate and the car is then able to tow.
On the IVA pass certificate there are boxes for
16.4 Technically Permissible Mass of the combination
18.0 Maximum Towable Mass or Maximum UK GTW (tractor units only)
Quiet how anyone is suppose to work these figures out is a bit of a mystery??
My WLR pass cert has both of these as N/A so therefore can not tow anything. This is most probably because I filled out the application form with both as N/A. Everything else I wrote on the app form just got copied onto the pass form and then the log book. The only entry taken from the test was the Kerbside (fully fuelled, watered and oiled) weight measured on the day. This meant running down the road to a petrol station to by an extra gallon because we used lots messing around before and during the test and the tank needs to be maxed out at weighing time. Next time I'll take a spare fuel can with me!! Having established the (totally dry) corner weights some months before the test, it was a surprise to find my beast had put on 65Kg by test day.

And there was me thinking "IVA, simples. I'll just do the same as last time without the mistakes"
Glad I've got a many many building months ahead to figure this towing bit out!