Zen and the art of SVA.

Building a Hawk 289 FIA replica to my own specifications was a bit of a challenge and getting it road-legal just added to the challenge. All the SVA info I needed came from a combination of http://www.via.gov.uk/vehicle_testing/sva/sva_manual_draft.pdf and the TKC site via http://www.totalkitcar.com/tech_registration.php.

At this stage the car is 99% finished, and I ‘just’ need to get it through the dreaded SVA process. The dash layout and switches need to be altered as it comes from one of the original track cars, and although mostly correct it will fail SVA as it is. The MPH gauge needs to be in view of the driver, so the rev counter and speedo gauges were swapped around. Hazards, washer and horn push buttons are OK for two reasons - they are within given radius of the steering wheel and they can retract on impact. However, the lights dip and main beam and cab blower switches will fail since they are too long and the edges do not have a radius of 2.5mm or more. Also they will not retract on impact and the material they are made from is too hard.

Top - an image of the dash as I would like it and at the bottom an image of the

Amongst other things there's also a problem with the bevel on the Stewart Warner gauges since they protrude more than 3.2mm and their profile is not radiuses. The four gauges behind and surrounding the steering wheel are exempt. To add insult to injury the steering wheel is also an SVA since the aluminium centre boss does not have radiuses edges. The problem of the incompliant switches was solved by making a centre console and covering it in cheap PVC and this will have SVA-friendly rocker switches mounted in it. These switches will operate the sidelights, headlights, fog lights, dip, main beam, cab blower and wipers. The centre console is secured via self-tappers to the bottom lip of the dash and the top of the transmission tunnel. The hand brake, low fluid level warning light is fixed above the steering wheel, as is the dip and main beam telltale light. The bevels on the gauges have to be either filed to a radius or a cover placed over or around them so they are not contactable. I chose to place a separate dash around the gauges. The centre gauge is a fuel pressure gauge and is not hooked up to anything and this can be removed and the hole used to secure the separate dash over the two remaining gauges.

Front and rear view of SVA dash.

The last problem in the dash area was the steering wheel. This was solved by replacing it with a Metro steering wheel and needed a bit of trimming to miss the indicator stalk switch, but fitted the steering column nicely. The rear view mirror was too small so I borrowed one from a real AC Cobra Mk4, which I stuck to the windscreen with double-sided tape. The gear stick has a T-bar in it and imitates the original top loader box that the 289 had. This has to be removed, as the edges are not radiuses. Finally, the underside of the dash and the sides of the centre console have to be blanked off using 3mm MDF cut to size.

Dash and interior SVA-ready, spoils the original looks.

On the exterior of the car, I made sure that any sharp edges were either sanded to a radius or rubber beading was applied to them. Both brake ducts and the front of the bonnet scoop needed to have their sharp edges covered by beading. The rear brake/ and sidelights needed their edges sanding to a radius and then polishing to a high shine. Both supports that secure the soft and hardtop need to have a radiuses insert in them. Another SVA fail are the ferrules in the door and these are used to hold the side screens in place as the bottom of the ferrule protrudes through the door and the sharp edges then become contactable. The options were to blank off the end with a rounded nut, or to remove the ferrules and in their place fit rubber grommets. Flat plates replaced the bonnet and boot lock-down handles so that a T-bar could be used to lock and unlock them. The exhaust pipe ends were tackled by a radiuses piece of pipe that fitted over the top. The fuel cap was substituted for a normal screw type. Finally, a large modern fog light was fitted. I made sure the fog light's lowest point was no lower than 250mm from the ground.

Top left, rib locators for soft-top and hardtop. Moving from left to right the top oblong light needs the edges radiused. Far top right - front indicator light has fins

The boot interior was covered using three pieces of 3mm MDF to hide the wiring, fuel tank and any other sharp edge. I had previously fixed an anchor point for the seat belts in the wrong place, and the end point of the belt was fixed to the base of the belt reel, using the same bolt that fixed the reel to the SVA frame. The end points should be fixed through the floor and into the chassis where there is already a pre-threaded hole, which is also used for the prop guard. I have another problem with the MG rear axle, the axle sits over to one side by 1in and this means one of the wheels protrudes from the wheel arch slightly. This is an SVA fail, and the only way round this problem is to install a Panhard rod.

Panhard rod made by Hawk Cars. It works by a friction grip on the axle while the

One end clamps around the rear axle while the other bolts to a chassis mount already fitted as standard, this bar insures positive lateral placement of the rear axle. Once fitted and correctly adjusted the problem went away. The only thing left to do pre-SVA test was to lock the brake bias bar into place, as anything less than a roll pin will fail. The adjustable nuts at either end of the bar can be drilled and pinned but using a pair of lock nuts either end and drilling and pinning them means the original nuts won’t be damaged and it will also comply with SVA.

Insurance and the Test

The law states that a car can be driven on the road even if it is not taxed, registered or MOT’d as long as it’s insured and is either being driven too or form a place to be registered, a place that will prepare it for MOT or SVA, or for the purpose of being MOT’d or SVA’d. I tried quite a few insurance companies and found none of them wanted to touch my car for less than £1000, one reason being it was not a registered car. I eventually found MSM insurance, and visited http://www.msminsurance.co.uk/ and applied for a quote. When it came back it half the price of nearest quote. I sent them a cheque and they promptly sent me a cover note. If insuring an unregistered car, they will only supply a cover note for the minimum amount of time needed to get the car registered and the SVA’d, so if your SVA test is a month before getting it registered you will have to get the cover note renewed.

I booked into a local garage for an MOT and the day before I drove it, I removed all the wheels, checked suspension was tight, the brakes didn’t leak and checked everything else that I could. Finally it was time for the first drive, and I was nervous and excited. No matter how long I've spent checking there is always that feeling that maybe I had forgotten something. Anyway, gates open, engine running, in gear and I was off. The car seemed very stable at slower speeds but wandered a bit at 70mph which didn’t take long to reach (!) The journey there and back was only seven miles but was long enough to find a few problems. The wandering turned out to be the U-bolts that hold the axle to the springs, and these had settled and needed tightening. At one point during the trip the oil pressure gauge registered 0psi, and this was a bit nerve racking. I shut the engine down and pulled over and luckily there was still a full set of tools in the boot and I loosened the oil pressure gauge feed pipe, and on starting the engine, oil squirted out the side of the loose joint, this proved there was still oil pressure. So I drove the remaining two miles home. The problem turned out to be a bit of sealant blocking the oil pressure gauge input.

You can download an SVA test form via http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/forms/forms.htm  (the form to down load is SVA1). The test costs £150. You will need evidence that will prove the age of the engine, as this will allow the SVA tester to use the appropriate emissions guidelines such as the year the engine was manufactured, I used this URL to date my Rover engine via  http://www.heritage.org.uk/index.htm. and it costs £15, they supplied me with a letter, which will date the engine and most importantly will be accepted by the SVA tester.   The speedo needs to be calibrated correctly, and I used Speedy Cables (www.speedycables.co.uk) who did a good job.

Make sure your engine number and chassis number have been stamped on to the chassis plate and the plate riveted in a place the SVA tester can clearly see it. I would also make sure the chassis number stamped into the Hawk chassis is clearly visible, as the Hawk chassis are powder coated after they are stamped and can be a bit hard to read. If the SVA tester or VOSA can’t read it, they will want you to re-stamp it.

The morning of the SVA test and I’m ready to roll.

For SVA I opted to trailer the car, since the car had only done very little mileage, the test centre was situated in Gillingham one hour away. At the test centre the car was unloaded from the trailer and the tester's first instructions were to lift the bonnet, so he could check the engine and chassis numbers from the chassis plate and from the engine block. The second question was to ask for proof of engine id and age, and the letter from the British Motor Heritage Centre was handed to him and did the trick. He then checked that the brake fluid, low-level warning lights and handbrake warning lights, were working correctly. At the same time he surveyed the engine bay for loose wiring and made sure any fuel lines were securely tied down and away from any danger. The steering assembly was inspected to see if would collapse on impact. Since the steering assembly on Hawk is staggered the impact energy from any crash would not be in a straight line this is considered to be collapsible. The next task was to drive it into the SVA bay and the tester inspected the lights were working the height of the individual light units. All was found to be OK. 

He checked various other details and the car was lowered to ground level and then driven off the car lift and onto a rolling road where all the brake tests where carried out. Finally the car was driven into the yard where all the rear view mirrors where tested for rear visibility the seat belt anchor points were inspected. The tester was adamant that the anchor points for the inertia reels had to be inspected. I had brought tools with me for such an event and I removed enough of the aluminium panelling to satisfy the tester that the anchor points were structurally suitable. After this he asked me to drive the car round the front of the test centre while he did the paper work. I really thought I had passed, however when he came, he shook my hand and said I made a nice job of the car but it had failed on three points. Doh! These points were the two front flexible brake hoses as they where chafing on the front tyres and the   rear hinges for the boot lid since they had contactable areas that had a radius of less than 2.5mm. I was not allowed to fix these points at the test centre, and had to book a re-test. I was a bit disappointed but at the end of the day none of the points were very big and did not take long to overcome.

This is the failed hinge. The arrows point to the contactable areas with a radius

The chafing flexible brake hoses were moved slightly by bending the bracket they sit on by 15 degrees and this gave them the required clearance from the tyre, while the hinges were tackled by removing them and filing the offending areas into a radius. They were then polished back up, to a high shine using Autosol metal polish on a buffing machine (the name eludes me) within a week I was back at the SVA and passed. Hooray!

Registration

The next task was to register the car, and again TKC http://www.totalkitcar.com/tkc_article_123.php helped me clarify what forms I needed and how to tackle them. To get age related number plates I needed to use a certain amount of parts from the original donor, which I had done so no problems there.  The forms I needed were a V55/5, V627/1 and V355/4. I also needed all the invoices for the various parts and a reliable form of ID, the log book of the donor car or a photocopy if it’s already been scrapped, proof of insurance, chequebook or cash for the road tax, also cash for registration fees and the SVA MAC certificate.  I presented this lot at the VOSA office in Maidstone and crossed my fingers. After much filing and processing they booked me an appointment for viewing the car and gave me a receipt for my road tax.  The car was driven to office for the appointment and the chassis plate, the stamped chassis and engine numbers were all inspected. The paperwork was processed and after 10 minutes or so all my invoices plus the rest of the paperwork were handed over.  Maidstone has got to be the worst place I have ever driven around, but on the way back home after having registered the car, the drive through Maidstone had to be the best of my life! The car handles very nicely and is insanely fast, I will need a few hundred miles just to get used to it, as my normal road car is a 1.2-litre 1980 Toyota Starlet and the difference between the two cars puts a smile on my face.