Over the past few weeks I have spent about 70 hours in preperation time for the spraying of the car. I have encountered a number of minor problems that needed resolving but the bulk of the time has been spent in bringing rough edges up to a nice curved finish and flatting down the main bodywork. The two biggest problems were the top edge of the windscreen which had been pulled slightly out of true at the early stage of adding the metal support and on the top of both doors I found the Gel coat had cracked in parts and I had to remove down to the fibreglass and refill and shape.

Choosing the spray company has been a trial in itself with various quotes being given and a number of recommendations. After visiting a few and after several telephone conversations I finally settled on a company in London. Once I have the car back and finalised my dealings with them I will rate their performance...until then my fingers are crossed. I think this is one of the most important aspects of the build process and a car can live or die by the paint finish.

Many months have gone by and the car has been put back into shape with all the chrome work and accesories bolted on. No major issues with any of this wilth the exception of trying not to damage the paint!! Overall I was pleased with the results but in honesty it could have been a better paint job..... you do get what you pay for !! The interior trim was reasonably easy to complete with the fitment of the alarms coming first followed by cream trim with blue piping, a sunburst effect on the door cards.... rather tha the normal chrome trim door pull handles I went for a softer approach and used curtain tiebacks to pull the doors closed, I was concerned at how the chrome handles would get through the SVA! and I like the effect!

The SVA itself was more nerve racking than you can imagine.... not one to take any kind of critisism lightly the mere thought of having the car and my work inspected was sending me into panic!! However I filled out the form and duly sent off my cheque. I eventually got a date back for the test in August 2003. I got a new cover note for the insurance and checked with the SVA helpline that I was legally ok to drive to and from the test centre.... they asured me all was ok. Over the remaining time I checked the car thoroughly and believed the car ok to pass the test ... with one exception! my rear fog light under the stipulated 250mm from the ground but at 230 mm was borderline ..... the work involved in moving it was considerable and it had to be at least 100mm from the rear brake/side lights which made it even harder. I decided to chance it and leave it were it was!. On arrival at the test centre I was greeted very formally by the man in white coat who having dealt with many enthusiasts such as myself soon began a little small talk to help alleviate the stress!! The test itself followed a set pattern with the car moving through each stage as though on a conveyor belt. I had expected all the various cones and measures to be used but with a couple of exceptions most projection tests were done by eye. The inspector noted some minor points which he advised were not failures at that stage..... I think in all honesty he was ensuring there was nothing of a major issue first. The car went onto the ramps and tests on the mechanical and electrical systems were made. Next up came the rolling road with the speedometer checking, the weighting and braking ability of the car..... all was ok in this area. The inspector gave me copies of all the test results for my records which you can find here
The last tests carried out were the noise test and the general drive and breaking test which were both ok. The final test was with the roof up as the inspector wanted to ensure all the roof struts angles etc were within the regulation size. Prior to the test I was under the impression that the vehicle had to be tested as presented ie if roof folded away then this was not checked, not wishing to upset the inspector I duly abliged and put the roof up. There were some minor issues that could easily be put right. At this stage I was informed the car would fail the test based on some minor issues which I could have resolved there and then with the exceptioon of ..... you guessed it the rear fog light being to low! So I decided to swallow my pride and book for the retest the following week.  The list of points 1)  Internal roof side ribs have contactable edges not radiused to 5mm     2) Top heater control protruded to much (slider knob)    3) Rear fog lamp below 250mm     4) Rear reflectors and wing mirrors (although SVA approved from Royale!) had contactable edges less tha 2.5mm     5) Fuel pipe along prop shaft needed additional clip    6)Fuel tank strap bolts had no locking device ie nyloc nut.

As can be seen from the photos a smaller fog lamp was purchased and fitted which just made the 100mm distance check! The remaining items were completed over the weekend and the car again made ready for the inspector. On arrival I met a new inspector who took the failure sheet and went around to check, he picked up on different faults!!! ie the nuts holding the mirrors to the wing stems were not radiused enough and my rear reflectors which I had raised to pass the height test were on stems not rigid enough .... in his opinion!! Although both had passed the previous time!! Fortunately I had taken a comprehensive tool kit and enough spare parts and bits and bobs to make new stems for the reflectors and to file the nuts on the wing mirrors, all of which took about 3/4 hour! The inspector allowed me to complete the work there and then despite the sign saying "no roadside repairs"!! So perhaps their not that bad after all!! With little ceromony I was passed my completed SVA certificate to which the Inspector said " take a copy for your records... you lose it when you get the car registered".... I thanked him and smiled all the way home..... the very long way!!

The registration process was almost as traumatic as the SVA!!... I contacted my local office and had a new registration pack sent to me.... after some time reading and rereading I completed the form V55/5 gathered the neccessary documentation required completed the proof of build form and set about going to the local office to get the car registered and taxed. I duly got seen after about 45minutes waiting and explained to the clerk my intentions, she advised me that Kit cars are normally dealt with by someone else who was not on the front desk that day but that she would take it to her to find out what to do..... 15 minutes later I was told that all was in order aexcept that I had a photocopy of my cover note and not the original so they needed the original!! Then she said that my vehicle needed inspecting and that a date would be forthcomming within the next week or so!!....... now given that I was expecting to get the car registered that day and I had not heard of any other form of testing I was mightily put out to say the least....... after quite a discusion I left the offices feeling somewhat deflated.... but at least I knew what was going on ... even if I didnt agree!! I finally took the car to the DVLA inspection in October 2003 were after about 3 minutes checking the inspector asked me if all the parts were from the same donor to which I responded "Yes" and that was that!! A report would be sent to the DVLA centre and provided the forms were in and fees paid I would be sent a tax disc and in due time the Log Book.