Sva What Can I Ditch ?

[Guest Phil_h]

Hi Guys,

 

I have my SVA date wednesday 13th of September so just trying to finish everything off. This is proving a little difficult as I'm working away at the moment so my time in the garage is being restricted a bit.

 

I booked my car in the other Saturday for an MOT the other Saturday so I've had my first drive which was great. Didn't get to do the MOT since the guy couldn't work the computer and didn't want to press the button about if having a valid registration. But he had a good look around and pointed a few things out. The only thing that worried me is that it was running a little hot it never got to red but since the car was always moving I thought it wouldn't get that hot. It's going back this Saturday for another go. Which means I get another legal drive out.

 

I have two question all about what happens if I run out of time :-

 

The first do I need to fit a bonnet prop for SVA ?

 

The second Is it ok to go to SVA without fitting the windscreen ?. This and padding is the only thing I have left but to be honest between fitting the windscreen, making sure the vents air ok and its demisting and getting my windscreen wipers working I just may run out of time. I dont think the windscreen wipers are auto parking correctly.

 

Any thoughts welcome

 

Phil

[Guest stu205]

Alot of people dont fit the screen prior to the SVA, but Id fit a prop just to make it easy for them nice SVA men, you know what there like when they see something missing everythin gets a closer look!!

 

just an idea but what about a pre SVA party?? bring a tool

[Guest Guy]

Hi Phil,

 

You don't need a bonnet prop for SVA and most people don't fit the windscreen but make sure you don't have any wipers, washers or demister fitted and blank over any holes that look like windscreen fitments.

 

At SVA they will leave the engine running for quite a while so make sure you can keep it cool. I've herd of many a car boiling over during the test.

 

Which means I get another legal drive out

 

Strictly speaking you're not driving it legally because the MOT isn't necessary so don't have an accident

[eddieH]

Hi Phil,

 

I'm currently in the same situation as you - I'm not fitting the windscreen either. My brother found that the demister vents can be filled quite neatly with some of the vents from the sierra heater unit. They need trimming a bit to fit the cut-outs in the bonnet though. We stuck them down with some very sticky double sided foam tape (from Maplin I think). We also struggled to work out a bonnet stay - there aren't many obvious places to fit one in a 2B/4. In the end we found a gate fixing stay in a hardware shop which does the job nicely. The stay is fixed to the bonnet flange through some angle iron and the lower mounting is on the pedal box stiffening strut. The stay is held up with a tool clip when the bonnet is closed. The tool clip had to be spaced out a bit with some M5 threaded rod so that the strut doesn't catch the oil filler cap when the bonnet goes down. Hopefully the pictures below should make it a bit clearer! All the best,

 

Edward

[Guest peter2b2002]

I didn't fit a screen for my sva, just cover the demist vents with some edging, i used a cut down broom handle for a bonnet prop, keep the face cover down on your helmet flys hurt at a 100

pete2b

[Guest Phil_h]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I think my tactic is going to be get the rest of the car ready and if I have time then go for the windscreen. I'm not expecting a first time pass so it won' be the end of the world if I do get the windscreen on and it fails on something like the wipers not auto parking.

 

Certainly food for thought on the bonnet prop.

 

My main worry is overheating. I have the cut down thermo viscous fan on but I certainly won't have time to fit an electric fan. I ran it on the drive for 20 minutes without the bonnet on and although it got hot it didn't go into the red just well over half way on the normal. Maybe I'll just switch the blower on. Something to watch on Saturday the first time I had a drive I was just worried about the car going round corners and stopping - oh and the fact I couldn't see because I forgot my helmet.

 

Guy - On my insurance in says I am covered to drive to and SVA and MOT. I did think if you had insurance you could then legally drive to an SVA and MOT or am I mistaken ?

 

Thanks

 

Phil

[Guest Petemate]

Whatever your insurance says, an MOT is not necessary. A sharp (sorry Enforcer! an extra sharp) policeman could pick you up on that. SVA - OK. But - if, heaven forbid, it bounced during the SVA on something really bad, Mr SVA can slap a prohibition on you and you are then stuck. Legally, IIR, you can drive straight to & from the SVA, but no smile-inducing "detours"!!

Pete

[Guest robin]

thats a nicely tig-welded ally header tank you've got there eddie. scratch built or bought?

a little bit of spam never hurt anyone!!

[Guest chris brown]

MOT is not necessary

Not true Pete once again it depends which DVLA office you go to. There was someone at the Baldock meeting on Sunday who had just passed SVA and his DVLA office wouldn’t tax his car without a MOT. Another case of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing.

[Guest Battery Bill]

Phil

Be careful, if there is any evidence that your car did have or will have a windscreen fitted they could fail it on that. Make sure you cover any traces of any current fittings such as Wipers/Washers or windscreen mounting holes!

 

Good luck on the day

 

Bill

[eddieH]

Hi,

 

I don't mean to hijack Phil's thread but since you asked Robin! I couldn't find a header tank that could be positioned high enough for the water level to be above the top hose (using the huge RH supplied rad) without the cap fouling on the bonnet. I got a whole load of suggestions for various headers that might work but none of them did! So we designed our own with a recessed cap and got a company called Splinter Morgan Engineering to make it for us. Their welder Spencer has done a great job and it fits perfectly under the bonnet. It would probably have been cheaper to just buy the Coolman rad but where's the fun in that!

 

Anyway, I hope your test goes well Phil. Cheers,

 

Edward

[Guest Phil_h]

Thanks for all the responses guys.

 

The only reason I'm doing an MOT is to get a real mechanic to look at the car before I take it for a serious drive to the SVA. When I started the registration process the woman I spoke to at DVLA swansea said I would need an MOT. Now from the research I had done I was under the impression that I didn't need an MOT so I questioned it. It soon became obvious that the lady in Swansea was just reading text off a screen and didn't really know what it meant .

 

So I moved onto the local DVLA at beverley and I have to say they where great. Told me everything I needed to know - their view on the MOT was that I didn't need one for three years. They took my part completed forms and said we would sort the rest once I have my MAC I just need to pop in. They arranged for the Build up inspectors to visit and they even called round (before having contacted me) on the off chance because they were in the area

 

Bill the only evidence of the windscreen (at the moment) is the pre cut wiper spindle holes and a home made heater matix holder that looks suspicously like it buit to accept flexi tubes for the demister Still I have a day off on Friday and am back from Reading early so you never know I may get it all done

[Guest Ian & Carole]

Hi Phil

Off thread slightly, hope your test is also at Beverley, ours was and we found them really great, tried his best to pass the car and said sorry for having to fail it.

All the best on the big day.

 

Ian J

[Guest Phil_h]

Thanks Ian. Yes my SVA is at Beverley from what I have read of previous SVA's at Beverley they do seam a good bunch. I spoke to one of the guys at the SVA centre last week he was very helpful.

[Guest superspec]

Whats the matter with you lot !! Finish the car properly with windscreen, wipers, demisters etc and shoe=w you can do a proper job. the inspector will respect you much more for producing a complete car. none of this crap about broom handles to support bonnets and tape. do it properly, pass test and enjot=y the car not spend another 3 months finishing it.