BIRTH OF A BUGGY CONTINUED

[Paul1953]

Hi Keith.....   Roof up for checks with the usual radii checks. bolt heads\nuts screws and so on.  Support structure integrity and protection for yor head.. ie round supports for hood.  This is an area that very few that I know of have  who have been prepared to tackle..

The ideal position for exterior mirrors as I see it is in fact the side uprights of the screen frame. This allows you to sit back in your seat and be able to see above the rear sweep up of the Manx body tub. (I am a short guy so maybe for somebody somewhat taller the position my mirrors are in at the moment would be ok. There are many mirror types available but a lot of them are single stud fixing and long thin stems. These have a tendency to give a wobbly view with the engine running.

As for interior mirror with a roof\hood up  I am not sure if you could meet the 70% rearward vision criteria.

MATHEW..... An opportunity here mayhaps.....  An adaptor for exterior mirror fixing for ALL kit cars not just buggies....  Billet section for base. A rod section in two parts for the upright to which the mirror piece itself would attach. The upright to be in two sections where by the upper could slide up and down within the lower section.   Some means for mirror bit to rotate as on a ball as example   

[Dave DND]

Hi Keith.....   Roof up for checks with the usual radii checks. bolt heads\nuts screws and so on.  Support structure integrity and protection for yor head.. ie round supports for hood.  This is an area that very few that I know of have  who have been prepared to tackle..

Does the wet weather gear also come under IVA scrutiny?  Not the hard tops, but the soft roofs we use?

I guess any fittings on the car must also meet with some approval of some kind   

[Paul1953]

It does Dave.  Nothing covered per "manual" so open to Vosa examiner approval.  Any nut bolt fixing can meet radii checks by adding the plastic dome type covers which fit surprisingly well. Any pram style hood supports would need to meet radii checks and may require soft covering.
Support points need to be structurally sound.    I have deliberately not spoken to the Vosa tech regarding the fitting of hood\hard top as I won`t be fitting one prior to examination. I have thoughts of how I can fit a hood post examination pass and retain approval.  I am not sure what is meant by 70% rearward vision. Does this mean 70% of rear view mirror vision or does it mean all it`s possible to see should you be looking rearward.

soft top fitting is the one area I am deliberately waiting until I visit in person and it is on quite a list of queries.  I have tried to find someone who had gone through IVA with a detachable roof or hood fitted but have failed so far.

I have had a trying year with regard to progression of my build. As a grandparent, and because my wife works full time, I am the only individual who can do school runs, looked after them both during the long lockdown, and am currently indoors for two weeks with my grandaughter as the primary school she attends closed when one pupil tested positive. Her other granparents have had to shield due to their health issues.

I asked Mike H to create me a bespoke exhaust that would clear the Flatlands rear cage and for advice re excluding engine noise from the 99db level requirement. He has shown me how to take engine noise out of the equation as much as is possible.This back on the 1st of May. Exhaust system I am still waiting for as Mike has, in his words, had a "horrendous year" regarding work and other things so I am being patient. It may be that I have to look elsewhere.

Chin up and all the best to you and yours for the festive season . Stay safe.. Paul

[Dave DND]

Nothing covered per "manual" so open to Vosa examiner approval.

I guess by that stage you should have built up a good rapport with the examiner, so common sense may actually prevail on that one then - fingers crossed.

Another daft question then. . .
Once the Buggy is built and passed IVA, it is my understanding that it cannot be messed about with and that your vehicle must comply and be the same as the vehicle that was submitted. ie, no retrospective modifications. So . . . . (and I realize this may be open to interpretation, I am just trying to learn the technicalities of this)If your vehicle was passed WITHOUT a roof fitted and you decide to fit one at a later date, then if I am correct, then there must be some additional testing that needs to b done to accommodate this. Is there the ability to "update" or amend the IVA with just the new bits being inspected, or do you have to subject the whole vehicle again at full cost for a new test - and does that mean that you may inadvertently open a can of worms complying with any new legislation that may have been introduced since the last test?

[Paul1953]

Dave... good questioning here...  Rapport with IVA examiner.  Yes and this is probably the single most viatal bit of aid that you could get.

My aim now is firm... My buggy will be going for it`s first IVA test very early next year assuming VOSA will allow personal visits still.
When I get through the test I will explain a second reason that I have persevered and taken the IVA route.

You are 100% correct. Just like an MOT the examination is, just like an MOT, "as presented" and yes any addition\change nullifies the vehicles IVA compliant status.

Add a roof or a hood post IVA and the vehicle is no longer roadworthy and DVLA can revoke the registration.

However there is a scenerio that has been discussed but to the best of my knowledge was never finalised. This was a hypothetical query from the guys who attend "race days" with a IVA compliant vehicle.... Basically.. should the engine suffer damage sufficient to render it "beyond repair" would fitting a replacement engine result in the owner then having a vehicle that was no longer iva compliant ?

This is a scenerio I would be willing to pursue through the channels if allowed in order to create what I can only call a "hypothetical precedent.

There is another option for me assuming I had the fortitude to embark upon the task....  I want a buggy with a hood, basically so I have the choice of taking up your offer of a cup of tea   .  This option is that I would like to start from scratch with another buggy having all the experience of actual build and hindsight and add a hood pre iva inspection,

There is one thing to mention and that is I am sure the tech I have talked to via mobile is probably typical in that their enthusiasm to help is always evident during conversation. My "local" station has not had a buggy through its system so it`s going to be new ground and I am hoping that when I meet the examiners in person I can arrange further consultation .

[snoopy]

Hood wise search the web for The Guv vulture beach buggy as John Claydons top was nearly all clear film with strips of hood material around the perimeters so visibility was good.
guessing if you have  2 wing mirrors the vision out of the rear is not important but will they require demisting on the front side windows as production cars do through the dash vents.

There must be loads of kits on the road presented for test and modified after passing to get the right look especially period cars like cobras and old jags where a modern compliant steering wheel looks out of place.

[Paul1953]

There are many on the road adapted\modified post inspection Keith. Cobra is a good example. They go through iva with landrover style rear lights and then the original cobra style are fitted.  One of my long lasting memories of my GP was the immense amount of condensation in the damp winter with two people aboard.

Have a great xmas and stay safe P.

[Paul1953]

A photo of what just turned up on my doorstep from Mike Haussman..... Hope to fit it as soon as I have no1 cylinder issue fully resolved.

If you see this Mike.... Many thanks 

 

(ps... local tip is closed again so I don`t know where the mountain of cardboard and packaging is going to go    )  )

[pepsi81]

Spot on Paul. Very similar to mine. Top notch quality. Mike is the man

Oaul

[Roadrunner]

When I went to Mikes to collect my exhaust, he said yours was next and showed my your cans.

Is a catalytic convertor (or pair) not a requirement for your IVA build?

[Paul1953]

Ah.... Wondered who it was that Mike was building the other set for.   One of the things, looking back over, that I regret is taking so long over my build. When I first started IVA was at 2013 stage. Then it progressed to 2016 and currently stands at 2018. The IVA requirement is equivalent to mot emissions checks, (iva & mot Vosa overseen), and the original  build date of the vehicle chassis coupled with the engine build date is the deciding factors of what stage of emission checks you are subject to at iva inspection.
Ideally the engine number should match the chassis vin number and both on V5C. However the problem with a build such as a buggy is that so many beetles, their chassis and engines have been swapped about over the decades.
Assume your engine is original at say March 1975 as mine is per V5C. As of 2016 the accepted  build date is January 1975 . Prior and up to Jan 1975 only a visual smoke test is required. Engine at temperature, throttle opened to 2500 revs, then back instantly to idle. No smoke and steady return idle and you have passed. Jan 75 onwards you have to meet the original gas checks that existed in at the date the engine was manufactured. Post Jan 75 Co2 etc came in. Then gradually the Co2 etc was tightened.

Sorry to waffle on... to your question. If you can meet the emission checks without a cat you are ok. It becomes progressively more difficult for later years and a cat will become essential. 2 off if you have twin outlets.

Back when I started EU certification was required. Either stamped on the silencer can or as in my case TUV certificate for each can. Rolled outlet essential as you would have seen on mine.  Got the two Remus for half price at £450 because the attached Remus sign is different on each can.

Now you don`t need EU certification but it does help to have it...    Mike may have told you that my issue is that the DB meter which will be placed first at one can outlet and then the second must not flicker past 99.99db to 100db. 99.9 passes. 100 fails.

These two silencers will cut exhaust to 99db or less but there is so much additional mechanical noise from an aircooled engine that this is picked up. Mike has passed on his experience to me that he has had with the FIA lap day guys. They have very strict noise limitations.

[Paul1953]

Flowchart from page 1 of Emissions in iva manual...   Chart indicates Aug`75. Somewhere I thought this had been pushed back to Jan 75 but for the moment take the chart to be as it is at the moment...



Go to BET refers to the subsequent years and requirements and covers several pages..

[Roadrunner]

Interesting that Wankel engines have no metered test up until 1987.