Andy Cook

Hi Tony, Thanks for posting that. I would recommend trying your method first at SVA, using this and head numbers etc. Then if he wants to see a letter from Vauxhall, you’ll have to pay the price. I am waiting to hear if they have been able date mine. I agree the redtop xe is a great engine. Having driven the Astra I took it out of Im looking forward to what it can do in a car half the weight. Andy

Guys name is Jonathan bell. Found his name mentioned on the locost builders forum. Don’t know if he comes up with the prices but if anyone finds themselves in the same boat as me then I can PM his details. Andy

Thanks some interesting points there, Unfortunately my tester will only accept a letter from Vauxhall stating engine serial number and the year it was produced, no exceptions. At the end of the day he is looking to date the engine block which could have been swapped to a different logbook or had a different head fitted. I have however got in touch with a chap at Vauxhall who for a small fee (£100) will conduct a search. He makes no promises that he will find the number and fee is none refundable.

Hi all, Thanks for the replies. It didn’t actually fail on the rear sub-frame to chassis mountings; he just wants to see some photos of how it fits together. When I say sub-frame I mean the rear axle assembly (he was concerned that the large rubber mounts are cut off for fitment into the Super-Spec). As regards the under floor plate, mine was one of the last S-Specs so has the full width plate. He failed it because it did not attach to any structural part of the car (only bolts up to the floor pan). My handbrake is on the tunnel top but it was a little to far back so was awkward to apply. The lower ball joint problem is the way the joint itself screws into the wishbone (fitted by Robin Hood). The issue is there is no locking devise to stop it from unscrewing. I was going to fit something before it went on the road anyway (I’ve heard the horror stories). Newcastle is apparently a strict station. The bloke didn’t have much to say about Robin Hood kit design and to be honest I agree with him. Andy

Car had its first SVA at Newcastle today. Failed on a total of 34 points Main ones being, • Evidence required showing engine age. • Evidence required to show parking brake cable fittings. • O/S seat insecure. • Parking brake cannot be applied from driving position. • Emissions above limit. • Front lower ball joint not fitted with locking devise. • Lower inner seatbelt mountings inadequate strength. • Evidence required showing rear subframe to chassis mountings. • Steering does not show sings of self centering. Need to modify the rear angle plate that runs underneath the seats, so that it bolts to the chassis. (The design of the super spec just has it bolted to the floor pan). This should secure the seats and give the belt mounts adequate strength. Emissions were way to high, will have to set the carbs up properly. Self centering might be interesting as I put 35psi in the front tires and set quit a bit of “toe in” angle as I have been told this can help. Any other ideas? Engine documentation is a bit of a bummer as I’ve looked into this before and hit a brick wall with regard to Vauxhall engines. I am quite happy with the results as the car was thrown together somewhat to get a test on it before the new regs come in. I can now spend a couple of months and finish it properly in time for a retest. Just like to say a big thanks to all who’ve helped me get this far. Andy

A fantastic achievement of British engineering (apart from the fact the boiler was made in Germany ). Being local my dad and I made a few visits over the years watching it come together. The reason it only cost 3 million is down to the volunteer workforce, if they were being paid the total cost would have been many times that. I doubt any more will be built, Steam powered vehicles of any kind are far more expensive to build, run and maintain than rivals powered by diesel, petrol or electric. Great pics by the way. I am definitely not a train spotter. But I am a steam nut. You might find this interesting, http://www.steamcar.co.uk/index.htm Another example of British blokes in a shed having a go.

Well done, Great news.

Well done! Glad to see the engine date wasn’t a problem hopefully mine wont be either come February. Andy

That’s what I’ve used on mine. (From Merlin) From my understanding, for SVA the pipe must be correctly marked or come with a recite stating brake fluid resistant. Andy

I look back at photos from earlier stages of the build, that way you see how far you’ve come. Also got my engine going today which is a big

Thanks guys, From my understanding the redtop XE entered production in 1988, these were stamped 20XE. In 1990 Vauxhall started fitting cats and stamped them C20XE before it was replaced by the ecotec around 1992-93. Mine is a 20XE which makes sense as it was removed from an 89 Astra. The important point is all XEs were made before 1995. I believe the above is accurate but I have no evidence to back it up and as the SVA form states; “At the time of test you must present a letter from the manufacturer or acceptable information that could be linked to the manufacturer, giving the year the engine was made.” Tony, best of luck with the SVA I will see how you get on. Andy

Hi all, Has anyone SVAed a car with a Vauxhall engine? The reason I ask is because I need to confirm the age of my engine. After reading previous threads on this matter regarding ford engines it appears there is an address you can write to. Is there one for Vauxhall? Any ideas welcome, Andy

That one on eBay doesn’t have the push in block connector so you’ll struggle to wirer it in. I got mine from a breakers yard only a couple of quid and you get the whole lot. Any model focus should do. Got a diagram somewhere if you need help wiring it in. Andy

I’m with flux, £63. That includes accidental damage so if it falls of its trolley I’m covered. Andy

The box will fit (with a pinto bellhousing). But you may want to look for something else as there are a number of problems. • Input shaft length – Is 32mm longer than a standard type 9 so you will need a 32mm spacer to go between the bellhousing and box. • Thrust bearing slider – this is the shaft that the thrust bearing runs on and is too short to match the input shaft. (So you will need one from a v6 box). • Ratios – Very low first and second gears but a very high fifth. A standard type 9 will be an easy fit or a v6 box has better ratios but will require the spacer mentioned above. I’ve fitted a diesel box but had a scrap v6 box to rob bits of and am using a matching diff to help the ratio problem. Hope this helps, Andy

Thanks guys, yep a chilling scenario. Unfortunately my sierra was a diesel so hade a mechanical pump. Off to eBay I think. Andy

I am fitting a solid state fuel pump and wondering about safety cut offs and what the SVA requirement is. I’ve seen two types, the ones that work off the oil pressure, and the impact type. Also are they really necessary or just an added complication. Thanks, Andy

The super spec comes with the floor pan and tunnel sides welded in place. The floor is also recessed by a couple of inches to fit taller seats. (This means you have to cut of the big rubber mounts on the back axel tube before it will go in). The front suspension is also slightly different. A lot depends on what engine the car was specified for. Andy

Thanks Nigel, I’ll try that tomorrow. Andy

Hi all, I am using a Cavalier 8v coil and dizzy on my redtop but am having trouble wiring the coil in. Obviously the main HT and LT wirers plug into the dizzy. But there are three others. • A twin black wire, one from the coil and one from the amplifier module. • A twin green wire, again one from the coil and one from the amplifier module. • A single brown wire from the amplifier module. The pics should give a better explanation. I know I need one positive connection from the ignition and one to go to the taco but I don’t know which ones which or what the other one is for (earth maybe?). If anyone knows that would be great, failing that is there a way of testing it to find out. Thanks, Andy

Actually I managed alright. Sent of all the paperwork I had including some photos. No mention of a different tax band. Andy

Evening all, Thanks for all the help/ideas and pics. Been busy in the garage grinding and re-welding. Got them the right way round although it appears they were the same as yours Gavin. Seems much better now and the brake pipe is well clear. Just got to paint the dammed things again. Cheers, Andy

Right got my camera working (well found the lead to plug it in with ) so here are a few pics showing my problem. As you can see the brake line rubs on the bracket (Its worse on full lock) and, as mentioned above I can’t swap them round because the angle on the top ball joint will be wrong. Any ideas before I fire up the grinder? Andy

Hi Al, That’s great, that’s how I want mine. Don’t want to be rude but any chance of a pic from the front to show what angle the ball joint pins go into the struts. If it’s the opposite way to mine then I will have to grind off the weld and spin the bracket round 180 degrees and then swap the complete assembly to the other side of the car. Cheers, Andy

Hi Dave, Forgot to mention that if I swap them over the pins in the top ball joints will not be square to the top wishbone but point towards the outside of the car. Andy