Small steps to IVA

A few days ago, I sent off the forms for IVA. I've asked for Jan 24th, but I suspect they won't process my application in time for this, so it'll probably be after I get back from snowboarding (I get back mid-Feburary). The pressure, then, is now on to cross all the T's and dot the lower-case j's and get all the little details sorted for IVA.

As part of the final push for IVA readiness, I've prepared a long checklist. I spent the entire weekend from Friday through to Sunday working on it, and managed to tick off exactly one item (although admittedly the most time-consuming - the other will take less time, or the car won't be ready until 2012). I didn't realise that I needed grommets on the rear panel and wings to protect the wires to the rear lights, so had to retrofit them. Unfortunately, with the fuel tank in place, this is an unbelievable awkward task. I'll spare you the tedious details, but for the people just getting started with their builds, I would recommend getting the grommet in the first time.

I also took advantage of this to make sure the lights are totally level, and to replace the damaged driver's side wing. The lights are now lined up with the chassis to within about 0.1º, which should satisfy IVA people. Whilst putting in the new wing, I installed one of the wing protectors, and sadly got it wrong:

Wing protector not flush with the wing.

Due to the curvature of the wing, the protector needs to be installed flush against the chassis to avoid this gap. Consequently I had to drill out the rivets and move it over. It covers most of the holes from its original position, but not quite all, so I will have to fill the holes and paint over them. Very annoying and completely avoidable, but I think once I've covered it up it won't be noticeable.