KVA Type C Mk1 Build Log 943motorsport.

[Robin Little]

yip

Thanks for that , sides did bulge a bit, had one pin hole in each tank, one at the end of a weld where i cleaned the tip and the other at a corner which seemed to have a bit of contamination, ground it out then re welded and seemed fine. fitted now so one step further on, still not had the courage to start engine for the first time but will need to bite the bullet soon, just need to get all my gauges working before i do it.

Cheers

 

[Robin Little]

Tanks in situ. still got some tidying up to do though.

 

[Murray Cowley]

Robin, you have been doing some hard work on the old girl, looking really good, well done. Best of luck with the engine start up, always a decisive moment, and pretty scary.

 

[Robin Little]

Thanks Murray. Its getting there. Engine up and running. sounds superb. Taken a lot longer than expected but had a couple of prolonged holdup with other commitments and a change of job but started on it a couple of months ago and need to finish for March as have to build a horsebox for the start of the season. Changed over to electronic mappable ignition and a variable speed electric water pump so changes to wiring loom were interesting. Engine has had a complete strip down and rebuild with different cam etc etc.

Will drop you a post when it is finished if you are up this way anytime.

Hope all is well

Cheers

 

[Robin Little]

What is the best way to post a video of engine start-up?

GT40 First time start-up - YouTube

Does this work??

Phone sound does not do it justice!!

 

[Robin Little]

Well think this is possibly my 4th version , Think I will stick with this, rough fit at the moment and panels to clean up but think it will be ok. can remove the front panel to access the filler hose and this is also sealed from the interior so hopefully ok for the IVA

 

[Murray Cowley]

:laugh: Robin, sounds awesome!! Good job, what sort of power are you looking at from the engine, and when do you expect to be finished for IVA?
A Happy New Year to you and yours, all the best for 2014.

 

[Robin. L]

KVA Type C Mk1 Build Log 943motorsport
so after about 7 years of build inactivity I am looking to try And progress . Started this 10 years ago and personal situation changed. Now married 2 young kids and just finished building a new house and garage. Car has been tucked away in my garage since then. Old email address was no longer supported so re registered on this site under this user name. This is where I am looking to find out if there is anyone up in Scotland or northern England that has previously had Experience of building a KVA or similar. Car has been running but struggling with time and experience to try and sort out the body panel fit etc. Potentially looking for someone who has more time on there hands and would be interested, in exchanged for a suitable fee, working Through the bodywork fitting challenges. Anyone out there got more free time than me and looking for a challenge but without the financial outlay?

 

[Randy V]

Welcome back Robin. If you wish, we moderators can hook you up with your old ID. I will send you a PM..

 

[Robin Little]

So after many years and currently 3 Children under 6 years old .( mad I know ) I am starting back on a project that I started many years ago. Engine initially recommissioned for a second time . Carb fully overhauled again and engine running like a sweetie. Many things still to do an actually having to replace things that were already new but either perished or dried out . Anyhow lets go again What’s all the thoughts on the PCV piping . My initial piping is from one rocker cover with PCV on top piped to the inlet manifold tapping point . With a t to the brake servo . And then a ported cap on the other rocker to the bottom of the air filter . That see, sensible ? I installed a temporary wide band lambda to check initial runs and when connecting the vacuum pipe up to the PCV it has a large effect of the fuelling at idle. I did expect it to have some effect but not as much as It did? Anyone know if this is normal ? . Also looking to wire in the wideband Lambda into the megajolt ignition controller , not that I can do anything dynamically with fuelling but so as I can see all the data on the same display to assist with tuning etc.
on the look out for a few things if anyone has surplus they are looking to move on after a build
1. Air filter for Holley 4 Barrel . Prefer the cobra aluminium but need to confirm sizing .
2. Dummy distributor. Just as an oil pump drive really and will be cut down so any old/ faulty units considered .
3. Oil filler cap with vacuum hose port for a Mickey Thompson rocker cover .
4. Anyone in Scotland or North East England who has a KVA that would be open to discussions and a visit to see how they have done some of the bodywork fixing and general inspirations!

 

[Dave]

Day 1 . trying to work out where to mount the engine.? sump at the moment is sticking out under the car by about 35-40mm , are sumps available for the 302 that are not as deep to keep it within the chassis level? as if I move the engine up higher at the front the distributor will be touching the crossbrace on the bulkhead. Could move the full unit back a bit but will get tight around the drive shafts. Any ideas?

Hi Robin, don't know if this would be interesting to you, but here is a friend's SPF GT40 MKl with the same issue. Robert built this skid plate for his sump that is lower than the belly pan. If you look closely you can see some witness marks where this skid plate has already likely saved the engine sump. Hope this helps, Dave.

 

[Mike Pass]

Just a thought related to the IVA test. As the emissions level to be met depends on engine block age it might be useful to check on the block code. This can be found in raised letters cast into the ledge above the starter motor. The first letter is decade and the second is year. C is 60s, D is 70s so D2 is 1972. This is why pre '75 blocks are wanted as the emissions requirement for this period is "no visible smoke".Check what clearance you have between the carb top and rear window. Many air cleaners don't fit as they hit the lower slope of the window. You can get "drop base" air cleaners which give a bit more clearance. I use a 14" one.
Cheers
Mike

 

[Steve Dean]

Hi Robin,
Interestingly you are the second person that's submitted a post about old KVA's recently. I presume you have a copy of the current IVA manual. Since the "goog ol days" of the KVA there have been a staggering number of amendments to the IVA test and many parts on an old kit would now be a 'fail'. As Mike Pass has stated, check the age of your engine and then get an engine dating certificate for it. It will then be tested to be compliant with the emissions requirements for it's age. If you don't it will be tested to current standards and it will fail.
Some areas (and there are many) that you need to check are as follows (I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg) ..... make sure all the lights have the correct 'E' markings on them and that the reverse light is wired to meet the current requirements (it must only be able to be turned on when the headlights are).
As you probably know the examiner will crawl over the whole exterior and interior of the car with a pile of radius gauges. Typical failures are the exhaust pipes, windscreen washer jets and some old wiper arms. On the inside, forget a nice row of Smiths gauges and prototypical toggle switches .... they are a fail on the radius gauges. Also beware the handbrake lever and some seatbelt metal parts. A steering wheels with nice alloy spokes with holes in them will be fail.
Let's talk side windows. Old kits had perspex side windows. That's no longer permitted, They now have to be a certificated grade of engineering plastic. You can no longer submit the car without the windows fitted. The window in the rear deck can also be a problem. On many cars this is perspex but recently there have been failures on this. I recommend that you talk to Andy Sheldon at Tornado and John Freeman at AK Sports Cars who both got cars through recently and they will be able to give you a 'heads-up' on this.
Befriending Andy & John will be well worth while .
Make sure that the brake master cylinder is correctly labelled and has a compliant low fluid level warning.
I could type many pages ....... however, you need to spend many hours going through the IVA manual and then check, check and check again.
When you are close to booking the IVA test, book a voluntary MOT test at a garage that the classic car guys in your area use. This will pick up any major issues BUT will not come close to an IVA test.
I hope some of the above points you in the right direction.
Very best regards
Steve Dean.

 

[Michael]

Wow, government regulations run amok…

 

[JP Verweij]

Wow, government regulations run amok…

And not only in the UK, even in the EU.

 

[Steve Dean]

Hi Michael,
You are absolutely correct, the amount of regulation here in the UK (and as JP pointed out, across most of mainland Europe) is ever increasing. In reality, the so called 'Kit Car' industry will die over the next five years. You may not be aware, that as from 2030, here in the UK you will not be able to register a new petrol or diesel car. In the meantime we are being slowly priced off the road. Insurance premiums have rocketed in the past 12 months and the current Labour Government is increasing what we call 'Road Tax', technically called VED ( Vehicle Excise Duty) by large amounts in April.
I've been in the car enthusiast game since a teenager and have owned many nice toys over my many years. I've certainly enjoyed the 'best years'. I find it all very depressing. All this talk of global warming and saving the planet and yet great chunks of the world are bombing and shooting each other. I often tell the story of two aliens looking down on the earth from their distant planet and one turns to the other says, "On reflection I've concluded that the human experiment is a failure."
Cheers
Steve.

 

[Michael]

I hear you Steve. Like you, I’ve been a lifelong car guy since the 60s and witnessed the crushing growth of regulation over time here in the US as well, but clearly not what you folks are dealing with. Fortunately, we have a shot at repealing a good bit of it with the incoming administration.

I am aware of the EU mandate to ban the sale of ICE vehicles, similar to what California has mandated here at a somewhat later date. It makes no sense to force a change prematurely rather than to allow change to occur organically as technology evolves.

Don’t lose faith my friend, perhaps things can yet turn around for you guys too.

Jerry Seinfeld in his stand up routine said if aliens are watching from space and they see a guy walking his dog and picking up its poop, they’d assume the dogs are in charge…

 

[Ian]

One reason for buying mine was the dreaded "Q" plate. 30 years ago seen as a symbol of all the kit, in a kit car. Now it means the opposite, free to do as I like as it's registered ...
If only I hadn't gone so mad with the rebuild