I did not have ready access to a test track to shake out any problems in the car. Therefore, apart from a few brief drives "round the block", I submitted the car for it's SVA test virtually untried.
Once on the road, the car needed very little sorting. One problem was a tendency for the car to "skip" sideways on bumps. This was corrected by applying a couple of degrees of negative camber to the front suspension.
When I first drove it, the car wouldn't self-centre - suggesting insufficient caster. Either I've become used to it or it has cured itself. Whichever way, it has become unnoticeable and as it is not a Construction and Use issue, I am content to leave the caster angle as it is.
The rear suspension had a little too much negative camber. So I spaced the springs down by 50mm. The ideal solution would have been to raise the front of the trailing arms but this would have meant too much re-engineering, so the lowered spring solution will have to do.
Cornering has been best described by Katrina, my neighbour, as "like a go-cart". 'Nuf said.
Initially, the fuel consumption was around 20mpg - but that was due mainly to a lot of driving in town in low gears. I've since exchanged the automatic choke for a manual one and adjusted the timing etc. Early signs are that the consumption is improving.
With a radiator from a Volvo 340, the temperature gauge sits comfortably at normal. The electric fan cuts in just at the right point and there is no evidence of overheating in any driving conditions or in a range of ambient temperatures.
I wanted a touring car rather than a sports car - so performance is not something I am particularly interested in. After all, the car weighs 760kg compared with some Lotus 7-types that weigh in at around 500kgs. In the floor and bulkheads I have used welded 1.6mm thick steel panels where riveted alloy ones are recommended. This has given greater rigidity and strength but at the expense of power:weight ratio.