My Libra has passed it's SVA test! :-)
The test took place in Gillingham, on 9 September in the afternoon. In the morning the car already got it's MOT test. The SVA took about 2 hours and the inspectors were very friendly and also very interested in the car. We arrived just before lunch, and the complete staff was all over the car not long after that! The SVA trip to the UK was made with 2 kit cars and Eric Wouters of Oracle Cars. The other car was a very nicely built Tiger and it also passed. Congratulations, Benny!
Erics experience in getting cars through SVA surely was one of the contributing factors to this success! He and his mechanic Peter did a thorough check up of my car at my garage a few weeks before to be certain that I hadn't overlooked anything. Oracle also made the arrangements for the MOT and SVA tests, and for the trip. This meant that I only had to think about the car, which made the trip a lot more relaxed for me!
The car ran a bit hot during the end of the test, perhaps caused by the very fine mesh grill that I fitted for the SVA test. The inspector allowed me to drive around the building a few times to let the car cool off somewhat. After the test one of the rear reflectors fell off, probably due to a combination of engine and solar heat!
The week before the test everything didn't go as well as normal, since I was very nervous for the test. When I was checking if the steering would self center, I totally forgot that I hadn't bolted down the rear clamshell. I managed to flip it open from on my 10 meter long driveway. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I know. Even 2 straps cannot hold the rear clamshell and so my boot lid landed on the pavement. Luckily there was very little damage to the clamshell (just a small crack next to one of the hinges, which I could fix fairly easy). The boot lid was badly damaged at the top edge and I made an emergency repair with polyester body filler.
After the test Eric returned to Belgium with the Tiger, while my dad and I drove to Sutton Bonington, where we stayed at the Star Inn, just around the corner from the GTM factory. We found that it's a very nice place to drink a few pints and celebrate. The manager even offered us a private parking place on his own driveway, so the trailer would be safe for the night.
The next day we visited GTM to get the car registered and to pick up a few parts, and to order a new boot lid! After loading up the parts (headlamp covers, a pair of seats, some other small bits and a box with bits for Bertram's car) Stuart Clark came with us to the DVLA office in Nottingham to have the car registered. They needed to see the car and also wanted to check the engine number. It can only be seen from underneath the car, but luckily it started to drizzle a bit, so the inspector took our word for it.
Sadly, it'll be some time before I can drive it on the road in the Netherlands. First, it will take about 6 weeks before I get the British export papers (GTM takes care of this part). When I receive the papers, I can apply for a Dutch import test. If that goes as planned, they'll send me off to the Dutch tax people to pay a bundle of Euros, after which I can get my license plates made!
Libra anxiously waiting for the test
Libra shining brightly after passing the SVA test
Waking up at the Star Inn the next day
Libra #93 back where it all began
18-12-'04
It's been a very, very long wait, but the Dutch import test should be very shortly now! In the meantime I've hardly done any work on the car, but today I finally managed to get the clutch to operate much better. I designed a bracket that shortens the effective clutch arm length on the gearbox by about 20 mm. To realign the slave cylinder, I elongated 2 of the holes of the cylinder mounting bracket, so that I could rotate it a bit around the upper right bolt. At the upper left bolt the bracket was spaced off the gearbox by placing a washer behind the bracket.
Clutch operation is a bit heavier, but not too much. But the big improvement is that I now finally can disengage the clutch easily without pushing the pedal through the floor!
Clutch arm shortened
Slightly modified cylinder mounting bracket
Last Tuesday I took the car to the RDW for the import test, which went very smoothly, except for the paperwork. On the UK registration the axle loads were left blank. Eric Wouters quickly sorted this matter by providing the necessary data. After paying the BPM tax everything was sorted. 2 Days later I received my registration documents, with which I could order my license plates. The RDW inspector had decided that only an American size license plate would fit at the rear, so I got a special remark on my registration, permitting me to use these smaller plates.
It's been a little bit over 2 years and 2 months, but today was finally the day I've been looking forward to all the time during the build. I picked up my license plates and quickly fitted them so I could go out and enjoy my first (legal!) drive in the Libra. The weather was awful, so I had to take it easy, which is just as well, since I'll need to get to know the car a lot better before I'll be able to enjoy it's full potential.
First impressions: remarkably quiet, plenty of torque, firm gear change, very forgiving suspension, light nose at higher speed (60 mph+). I'll need to experiment with the track and damper settings but I'm sure this will be easier once I get to know the car better!
2004 couldn't have ended any better for me!
Zita wanted to come along for my first drive!
Dirty car after the first drive
