passed!
hurrah, i now have an MOT with two advisories.
track rod ends have slight play (he told me to do the steering rack bushes too)
second advisory:
loads of welding done
genius. anyhow, car is ridiculously fast and sounds like the end of the world. that's all i need. no oil leaks, turbo is spot on.
muchos gracias to everyone that's helped me get this far, various conversations and help from people is very much appreciated.
first on the list - new track rod ends & steering rack bushes, then it's time to make it pretty