[Car_Overhaul] My Reshell Project

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Hi,

 

That's very kind of you and something I may take you up on in the future once my ideas are more permanent, the wall tie was a quick fix.

 

I've already experimented with the front panel ears - 35mm 'hole punched' through one side for the radiator overflow pipe. They are incredibly malleable!!

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Well I had a couple of hours spare this afternoon so got on with it.

I wanted to get the plate marked up and cut so that I can progress with fitting the bodies.

Measure 34 times cut once!!

I bought a 45mm hole punch which means I can cut a perfect circle and no need to de-burr.
On reflection a 48mm would have been better.

Nice clean hole.

 

Repeat four times!!

Offering up - a little bit of tidying up - dinner was ready so had to go.

Next job - fitting vacuum take off to manifold.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Another few hours to spare and firstly thanks to Mad Professor for cleaning, testing and servicing my GTI -6 injectors. Very quick turnaround and incredibly efficient, they came with the test report too.
They weren't in too bad a shape but still it's good to know that they now work as intended.

Decided to start assembling the bits and pieces together. I needed to tap a thread into the manifold firstly to get the vacuum take off in. 1/8 NPT isn't a very common size in my metric set of taps and nor is a size R drill bit. Popped over to a friends who does have these bits and got to work making holes. (Daunting)

Lining up for the initial hole to be made

In for the kill

Tapping the thread.

 

With that all done I could start the assembly.

Meccano kit!!

 

Next job - fuel rail.

Edited June 12, 2013 by Simes

[timmsy19 3]

Top job Simes,

love a nice pair of bodies

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Well not much time today, lots of other work to do etc etc.
Managed though to build up the fuel rail and injectors etc.

Then added the trumpets

Hopefully tomorrow these will bolt on and I can start working out where the FPR and oil filler will go.
I also need to order some new fuel hose and dash 6 fittings before going any further.

One thing that has recently crossed my mind is the need for an oil catch tank. I'd completely forgot about this and have since been researching them.
There appears to be lots of opinions on ways to plumb them in.
My thoughts are just to take the small vent (used to go to TB) from the top of the oil filler to a catch tank, catch the vapours and vent the fumes and not recirculate.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Well after a nice 25 mile cross country ride I though I could get away with a couple of hours on the car.

First up - I ordered some AN-6 fittings and new stainless fuel hose from Torques. Arrived really quickly and therefore that fired me into action. My fuel rail needs screw on fixings so I thought I'd make an effort for the fuel side to look nice.

Fairly straight forward to make these up -
I wanted to get the FPR in place so that I can then measure up and fit the hoses. I want to keep the jack in the engine bay and therefore it seemed best to put the FPR at the other end.

The Weber one comes with a nice bracket but there aren't many places that it can actually go.
I got creative with the vice and a levering bar

 

Where it was going to go I needed to make sure it didn't get in the way of the TPS and dipstick so hatched a plan to fix it to the thermostat casting.
How??

Well I needed some M6 threaded rod but couldn't find any at home. Too lazy to go to the shops I found some M6 rod.

and then made some threaded rod to my own specs.

then with the left overs of the fuel rail made this...

Hoping with a bit of loctite and some tightening this should stay in place.......anyway

I finished off the remainder of the fittings, just need to get a 'matching' banjo for the new fuel filter, and then installed.

I then needed to sort out the oil filler. Bracket needed making...but why make one when you can adapt - prizes for where it comes from...

Another nice Saturday afternoons work.


Electronics next week.

Edited June 12, 2013 by Simes

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Sorry to piss on your chips but I've a feeling that pressure reg bracket won't last long, it is an awful lot of weight hanging off that one M6 stud, add in engine vibration and the thermostat housing isn't the finest qualty casting either, and you could have a problem. Can you not make something that comes up from the oil filler pot lower mount, that looks like a sturdy M10 into the gearbox.

 

Oh and the bracket is a caliper locking plate doobrey

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Thanks for the tip, although it's rock solid I wasn't too sure about it myself for a long term idea.

 

Correct about the caliper locking plate!

 

EDIT: Time to call in a welding favour.

Edited March 4, 2012 by Simes

[maxi 36 1 Cars]

Looking good mate! One thing I would mention is to take two vacumn take offs from the manifold, one from each "pair" of bodies. If you only use one im pretty certain you will experience pulsing on the brake pedal.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Maxi

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Well......

since my last update I've reviewed that dodgy bracket and come up with a solution

combine the lifting eye with the bracket

Braze welded together

It's since been painted but will get it powder coated later on with some other bits and pieces.

Once that was all back on I could get on with installing it all.
Connected throttle cable.
Fitted large airfilter.
Wired in and set up TPS
Connect the air temp sensor and injectors.
Tested all sensors
Tested for fuel leaks.

Went to start the car.

click, click clickety click - flat battery!!!

Charged it for an hour and then the moment of truth.
Started easily and almost immediately.
I hadn't set the cold start up properly before but it still idled ok / tractory!!
Once warmed up it smoothed out a bit - Once of the bodies is slightly open on idle, you don't need a hosepipe to tell which one it is.

Couldn't resist a short test run.........the summary of that was that it needs mapping properly.
Luckily my current map is good to get me to the mappers which I'm booked in for 11th April,

in the meantime the list of jobs to finish it properly is quite lengthy!!

 

[Andy_C 50]

Excellent work mate. Well done!

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Forgotten to update this but here goes some recent activity

Needed to make clearance for the air filter - i meant hacking into the slam panel

and this is the trial fit

some work still to go on making this look nice

I need to make the radiator brackets a bit tidier and serve a dual purpose to add some metal for some aluminium ducting to stop direct heat from rad entering the bodies.

There's some welding and bending to do before this is finished.

Meanwhile - this little beauty, won on the 'bay - custom made polished catch tank.

I've made a bracket up for this - but not taken pictures .... doh!

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

So since the last update the catch tank is installed and I've treated the 'normal' rust on the inner wings.

I decided that as the air filter rubs on the bonnet that IU should do something about the engine moving so much. So I got and installed a BBM top mount to - after 12 years or so in these cars I now have a full set of 'group N mounts'.

I've also got my bits back from being TIG welded (Thanks Tom Fenton) so I could get on with my next idea.

I'm concerned that with the rad being close to the bodies, when in traffic it will be sucking up a lot of warm air. Now I'm not sure what sort of effect that may or may not have I've decided to try to divert some of the hot air away by making (bodging) an air deflector. This should stop hot air rising into the the trumpets and also direct cold air straight in at speed.

It looks a bit messy at the moment but it was just a lash up prior to mapping. We'll see how it goes and how long it lasts!

The filter can now go on

The slam panel has been trimmed and I've protected the edge with some rubber tubing. (looks nice) Also made up some small brackets for the grill to sit in to avoid it flapping about.

Finally

I've done a couple of shake downs on my base map and it seems to go ok.
It's being mapped on Wednesday with Dave Walker so we'll wait and see the outcome.

(apologies for picture crap quality - too lazy to get DSLR)

[welshpug 1,661]

if you've got a laptop you could hook it up and see what the IAT sensor is reading when you sit in traffic

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Back at Emerald today, drove there on the old base map which was largely entertaining in a nail biting way.
They were impressed with the balancing I'd done with the bodies, not far out - amazing what you can do with an ear and and a hand.
No major issues considering this was the longest journey I'd done in this car since last summer - in fact this week I'd worked out I've did 2500miles last year, 1800 were done in 20 days!

Anyway I digress - we got 194bhp and 151 ibft torque which is an improvement with much more torque generated in the mid range. Of course you could always have more and we could of tweaked for hours and got another 2 bhp or similar. TBH it's all about the torque and on leaving Emerald this afternoon I found overtaking and flooring it to be very amusing.......oh the noise!! It's smoother, and much so at lower revs , more responsive (Throttle response Dino lol), when changing gear and then reasserting your foot on the throttle it is off.

Unfortunately it highlighted the fact that I need to replace the bushes in the wishbones!

in case you can't read the smaller print, the 'marked' lines are from my map back in Jan 2010 when the GTI-6 plenum was just installed.

On the drive home I calculated my spending over the years on making this car gain the extra 65bhp from the 130 it once had when standard. It's not something you want to do too often, but it's been worth it.

:D :D :D :D

Edited June 12, 2013 by Simes

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

I can't believe it, in all the years I've been on these forums I think this is the first time a dyno readout has not been remarked upon.

 

Perhaps it's perfect?!!

[BusEngineer 7]

Its that good I liked it!!!

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

As said on the phone a nice little result and what I would expect from the spec of the old engine.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Quick update!

 

Finally fitted some Focal components up front with a some Dynamat - much improved sound stage although useless over 80mph!

 

First proper 'shakedown' since completion - just covered 800 miles in 3 days, a rtn trip to France. Majority is motorway but

 

33mpg 'slightly' over the speed limit for 3 continuous hours.

 

36mpg at the speed limit for just shy of 4 continuous hours.

 

Economy not bad really, better than I was expecting - also very easy to loose licence, once on cam in 5th it is easy to hit the limiter!

 

Note to self : replace the remaining wishbone bushes.......

 

Next big trip

 

Driving to and around the South of France in the summer 2500+miles in 3 weeks.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Mundane wheel front wheel bearing swap (terrible wheel wobble) , replacement of front wishbone bushes and tracked up.

Now we go in a straight line - shame my laziness sped up the wear of a tyre!

 

Not much else of fun!

Edited May 19, 2012 by Simes

[allye 530 3 Cars]

shame my laziness sped up the wear of a tyre!

 

Same!

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

All my pics need re-hosting - I'll sort this out.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Didn't mention that I cut some of hte bonnet strengthening away for the airfilter not to be crushed.

 

Finally I'm getting around to getting the spare boot lid and bonnet repainted, well getting quotes!

Perhaps it will be ready by September?

Just failed MOT too but sorted by replacing steering gaitor.

 

Pics now all rehosted - more to follow.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Damn not updated this in a while.

Spent a while back in the summer trying to work out why my brakes were crap.

Front discs were pitted so I replaced them and them and the pads.

In the process I broke a copper line going to the front left caliper....damn. I replaced this and after looking at my advisory list for the last 3 years decided in my last two days before schools went back to buy a flaring kit, copper and redo all the lines up to the compensators!

The ones back from them I did in the reshell!

 

Stops now to the point of going through the windscreen.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

New gear rods (thank Miles) fitted to eliminate the slop. As it happens I'd replaced everything else and after fitting the rods it made no difference.

So my old GE rods were still ok after 11 years!!

The slop comes from driving a modern BMW which has no slop whatsoever in the shift.