nelmo

I'm no expert but I'm doing my dials and switches at the moment and it really helps to have a diagram of what you're doing - maybe create a schematic for what you've got at the moment and it will either become clearer about where you're going wrong or you can at least post the schematic here for wiser heads to stare at?

Ah, a man on the inside...can you give us any stats (number of thefts in last year, for example)?

I'd need some pretty major changes to my kit to take part :-)

Stencils for brake calipers - had to get them from the US off eBay...

Decided a Zetec was a bit dull for my kit so upgraded to something more exotic: https://goo.gl/photos/QBVtRa1y8wFuM1Ev6 Yup, it's the new 2L, 4-pot Ferrari engine... strangely similar looking to the Zetec, I admit...

I sold my first ever RC plane (weeks after finishing building it and never having flown it) to make room in my garage for the Zero Great looking model, that...good job.

And that's a huge plus, considering the difficulty some have had getting through an MOT. My car will be eligible for a new plate but I'm considering opting for a Q plate just for future MOTs.

Thanks for the ideas but basically, apart from 2 thefts years ago heard 3rd hand, it's not a major issue?

Do kit cars ever get stolen? I've never seen an online post on any forum mentioning it and a quick Internet search brings up nothing. I ask because I'm at the electrics stage of my build and was wondering if it's worth building an immobiliser of some sort in.

Does anyone know if a main beam flash function is an IVA requirement? I can't see any mention of it in the IVA manual. I'm not going to have stalks so I might add a button to do the flash - if I do that, does the button need to have a label/graphic on it to say what it does?

That is one great looking car - replica or not.

I partly chose that route because I couldn't find any Sierra stalks with wires and I didn't want the difficulty of trying to fit another make to my Ford steering column. I'm sure they're better ergonomically but I like the idea of something different.

Thanks longboarder - and yes, I see what you mean now that Park must be to pin 5. Yes, the hazard switch looks darn complicated but there is a decent diagram in the CBS catalogue, so hopefully that will be OK. The fog light looks very simple - only 2 pins so isn't that just output from the dipped beam switch to one (so fog only comes on when dipped is on) and the fog signal to the other? What I can see being tricky is the main beam switch (I haven't got stalks so all switches on the dash, in case you were wondering). The main beam rocker switch has 6 pins which seems weird for a one position switch but I'm guessing it has to link up to the sidelight switch so that it only comes on if you've also got dipped beam on? Strangely, no diagram in the CBS catalogue for that...

Ah OK, I think I've got it - I've been trying to get power in the park position but I get it, there shouldn't be any in park. So it think it should be like this: Loom Switch ===== ====== + ---> pin 2 Slow ---> pin 4 Fast ---> pin 1 Park ---> pin 5 (or 4 - doesn't matter as long as it doesn't involve pin 2 which has the power). If anyone could confirm, that would be great...

Why is the motor an issue? Surely a switch is a switch? I used the wiper switch just as an example - I have other switches I also have to wire up (lights, hazards etc) and I thought it was just a matter of the principle of how how these rocker switches work. Lots of people use them so there must be a method of connecting them up, no?

OK, that's sort of what I hoped 'made' meant...but I assume that means you need the '+' to one pin and the signal to the other and I can't work out a way of doing that. For example: Loom Switch ==== ====== Wiper + ---> pins 2 and 5 Speed 1 ---> pin 1 Speed 2 ---> pin 4 Park ---> pin 4?? Hurting my head...

OK, I thought I'd be able to work this out but I can't... I've got a 3 way rocker switch (page 142 of the CBS catalogue) for the wipers which has 4 pins on the back and 2 side terminals for illumination. Switch position 1 (slow speed) = pins 1 and 2 made (I don't really understand what that means). Switch position 2 (fast speed) = pins 2 and 4 made. Switch position 3 (Park?) = pins 4 and 5 made. I need to connect this up to the GBS loom which has pins labelled: Wiper + Speed 1 Speed 2 Park Can anyone explain how this works?

Washing machine drum, yeah? My sister has that (without the high-tech legs) and it works amazingly well. I bought a cheap item which is just a big bowl on (wobbly) legs. Works OK...biggest problem is me, I'm useless at getting a fire started..

I'm surprised the testers will let you get away with that - pretty darn obvious you're gonna rip it off on the way out of the test centre :-) I've got a wheel (not IVA compliant) from GBS and they never mentioned you can just stick a pad in the middle - I've been planning to borrow a Sierra wheel for the test but that's annoying because the wheel I've got has got a horn button in the middle which I want to use. But if I replace with a Sierra wheel, would have to put a button somewhere else... If yours gets you through IVA, first dibs to buy it off you... :-)

What's the IVA pad from Westfield about? Can't see it on their website...

Thanks Richard... good to know that having cable ties used at all is acceptable.

With no water rail, I have a lot of coolant pipes just floating in the bay. They seem pretty stable anyway but I should really have some sort of support structures for them. Is there any recommended technique for this? I really liked the technique I used elsewhere - a cable tie through a piece of fuel pipe and then round the supporting structure and the pipe to be supported. However, not sure if that is OK for hot coolant pipes? Although they're only going to be a max of 100degC and I imagine a cable tie is OK to that temp?

True - have to wire and crimp 38 pins...if I'd done it myself, the plugs alone cost £25 and I would have then had to wire and crimp 76 pins!

Well, GBS have also offered to make up a wired plug for the 18-pin plug as well. Not cheap (probably about £50 for both plugs wired up) but I'd rather not have to hack off a professionally wired plug and replace it with my home-made effort, especially considering I've already done my own engine loom which is a potential snakes nest of problems - be good to be fairly sure that I shouldn't have to worry about the dash instruments.