[trackday_prep] 405 Mi16 Track Car

[rodionski 3 1 Cars]

The XU shims are flat and they have no skirt at all.

[welshpug 1,661]

yup, no skirt and just sit on top of the valve stem just fine, wonder why they felt the need for a skirt?

[rodionski 3 1 Cars]

yup, no skirt and just sit on top of the valve stem just fine, wonder why they felt the need for a skirt?

 

That would be due to high revs, at least that is why we are doing solid lifters with shims which will have skirts.

The stock 8v engine was simply unable to rev that high in order to cause enough risk of shim float and slip from under the valve stem. That's what I reckon, for what it's worth anyway)

[JeffR 51]

Yes, and even then you need to check them after you've run the cams in

 

That'll be fun with the engine in situ!

 

[JeffR 51]

Time for another update.

 

I didn't manage to get the inlet clearances right 1st time, so had to get another 8 shims made. I erred on the conservative side this time, had them made marginally bigger than necessary & got myself a decent micrometer (Mitutoyo), which made things a lot easier for when I needed to grind a half a thou or less to get the valve clearances spot on.

 

Had a guy come out & supply & fit a new front screen & bond in the rear. The front rubber I had wasn't in great condition but he managed to remove the one from my spares car without damaging it although it plays no part in sealing the screens & is for embellishment & mounting the trims.

 

 

 

Re-fitted the bootlid & de-badged the rear.

 

Wasn't too happy with the quality of the bolts supplied with the new seat mounts. I think they were made of cheese!

 

 

Anyway, replaced them with 12.9 grade cap head screws & large washers. Now at least they're the same grade as the seat bolts.

 

 

Shimming the head is finally finished, cams are installed & timed up & restrictors fitted to the oil galleries. What a fiddly task timing up the cams was but worth it to get 100% right. Plenty of assembly lube to help protect things until oil pressure is established too Peter.

 

 

 

As mentioned in another thread, I managed to pick up a good bargain in some 16" x 7" Mak Spirit Racing wheels ET15 & 65.1 centre bore, so I can run the Brembo brakes.

 

 

 

They're off being straightened, stripped & powder coated atm and should be ready this week at less than $AUD100 a wheel.

 

The only downside with the bigger brakes is (beside more unsprung weight, squealing, price of tyres, etc) I'll need to first fit the 283mm brake package & 15" wheels for the dyno work as a brand new set of R spec tyres on the rollers isn't recommended.

 

Next, it's put the car back up on jacks stands, hire the engine crane again & get the engine/box back in the car. Won't be too far left to go with all the major work completed. Also, until something else comes along I'll have to fit the GAZ coilovers to standard top mounts.

 

A few things coming up which need consideration. One is whether to fit electric hydraulic power steering, thus liberating a few horsepower from the cam driven original. A possibility is the Holden/Vauxhall/Opel Astra set up. They are a compact system & can be picked up for around $AUD150. Second is fitting an Accusump auxiliary oil supply system.

 

Has anyone fitted electric P/S or an Accusump? Pros & Cons-was it worth the effort or expense?

 

 

[petert1345402284 0]

I've just added an accumulator (Moroso) to my 205. It was toss up between the 1.5Q Moroso and the 2L Accusump. The deciding factor was Summit Racing having a special with free mounts for the Moroso. I added an electric valve kit. It gives approx. 10 secs of oil supply. Here's my thread on AF:

 

http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96653

 

It's an easy plumb for the XU10 but for an XU9 you'll need to make a T adaptor if you want to retain the oil pressure light switch. I also bought -10 fittings from Summit and made my own hose. Far cheaper than local options.

 

I wired it initially to an ECU output at 200 rpm, but I'm going to change to the +ACC switch, so it can be used to prime the engine for a cold start.

 

Also, make sure you buy some Crane Break-In Lube for those cams!

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CRN-99003-1/

Edited May 8, 2012 by petert

[JeffR 51]

An accumulator is something I hadn't given serious thought to before, hoping that solid lifters & oil restrictors would tip the probability of failure into the 'possible' rather than 'likely' category, but after the work that's gone into the engine this time around (by myself & others) maybe I should give one a go.

 

I was looking at the alloy block today & wondering where it would be necessary to re-introduce the oil as the block is quite different to the iron version.

 

The Penrite Assembly Lube is what I've used so far, but the Crane additive sounds like cheap extra protection.

 

Thanks

[JeffR 51]

Picked up the wheels after being reburb'd. Came up pretty good I think.

 

 

They'll be shod in either Kuhmo V70A's or Advan AO50R's. Kuhmo have a special going atm on the V70A in 'M' spec at $339 down from $390. Advans about $415.

 

Hired the car club engine crane, dropped the motor & box next to the d/side wheel arch, pulled it through into the engine bay then lifted it into position. I use an old inlet manifold for when fitting the engine as it incorporates the lifting hook & keeps the t/bodies out of harms way.

 

 

 

I added the extra chain to the gearbox (not adjusted in the pic) as I get nervous with the size of the engine hook bolts & the weight they are asked to lift!

[B1ack_Mi16 67]

I added the extra chain to the gearbox (not adjusted in the pic) as I get nervous with the size of the engine hook bolts & the weight they are asked to lift!

 

Looks good, at least someone has some progress these days

 

About the weight, it's only about 150-170 kg including gearbox I suppose, so it's in fact not very heavy at all.

[JeffR 51]

Time for another update...

 

Most things are now connected up in & around the engine bay. Was nice to be able to fit some of the new goodies like the gear change ball & Miles' never-should-come-off-again gear rods, braided brake hoses, outer cv's & the coil overs.

 

 

 

I found when I went to connect the engine loom that the air temp wires wouldn't reach the bloody sensor so I had to reposition the ecu to the underside of the dash rather than the inner side panel.

 

Got the radiator support panel, oil cooler & lines fitted. It has an external remote filter before the cooler (16 row) & returns to the engine via an Earls inline filter. All lines and fittings are 12mm I.D. The shorter radiator allows room for an airbox above it drawing in air through holes I've cut into the support panel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haven't decided where to put the catch can yet. Probably where the battery sits although its final position will be dictated by the electric power steering unit. I'm happy with the way all the wiring has gone back together even though I did label everything prior to removal. It looked pretty daunting with a mass of wires behind the left hand headlight but it seems to have all connected up again as it was. It'll get thoroughly tested anyway.

 

The final pic shows the GAZ units 6 cm shorter than the standard & Koni/Eibach struts.

 

 

4 x M6 bolts/160kg=40kg per bolt!

[B1ack_Mi16 67]

4 x M6 bolts/160kg=40kg per bolt!

 

One M6 bolt in 12.9 quality will take about 1200kg axial tension before it breaks so no problems as long as you have tightened them properly before the lifting

[JeffR 51]

Bolts were torqued up properly to 7ft lbs (10Nm) but are only 8.8 grade. I checked what was fitted to my GTi6 & they also use 4 x M6 grade 8.8. So considering the extra weight of the 2.0 litre iron block engine & 6 speed box, it would have been an easy lift with the bare alloy block/box.

 

Just looks a bit scary!

[John 0]

Thats not scary.

this is scary:

 

Cheap ass rope.

 

Of course the gearbox was also added before lifted into the bay . The GTi6 is alot heavier than the Xu9s i think.

Edited May 27, 2012 by John

[JeffR 51]

Spent the week getting all the jobs done underneath the car while it was still on jacks in preparation for getting the ride height sorted.

 

Exhaust, brake bleeding & handbrake were the main tasks.

 

Since the hydraulics had been completely dismantled, it required the right hand rear trailing arm to be raised to actuate the compensator, piston fully retracted and calipers hanging vertically to successfully bleed the rears. I had to remove the rear calipers in the end & hold them in a vice to turn & retract the bloody pistons back first. What fun! Is there a special tool for this? Discovered that the rear guide pins are barely serviceable, so got the best 4 from mine & the spares car. Hope to have some new ones soon.

 

But at least its all done & I got the car back on its wheels to begin the ride height adjustments.

 

With 9" springs, plus keeper springs set to the lowest setting, the first 2 pics show the front ride height was way too high. You can see the lower control arm is below horizontal.

 

 

 

I then removed the keeper springs, reassembled the strut & set the ride height in its lowest position again which is closer to what I want.

 

 

 

You can see the lca is nearly horizontal but when the suspension is fully extended (not under load), the spring is too short to take up the travel so it still needs the keepers. Ideally, I'd go another 1-1.5cm lower but I need to take into account clearance of the extended (deeper) sump & probably driveshaft angle.

 

So if I were to get 7" 400lb main springs plus 2.5cm for the keepers (sorry to keep swapping between imperial & metric-ie: 2" drop) that should give me around 2.5cm of adjustment with the spring bases.

 

I imagine lower springs of the same poundage must be made with a bigger wire diameter?

 

 

[JeffR 51]

Had a set of 7" 400lb springs made. In fact he made 2 sets (his mistake). $93 a pair.

 

 

So the others are fitted along with the keepers & the ride height is just about where I want it now. Pic doesn't show it too well though.

 

 

Managed to track down some new rear caliper guide pins from UK 40% cheaper than the local dealers. Strange how only 1 set included the thread coated bolts though.

 

 

Can't really see much of an improvement as they seem a really loose fit. I'll check the mounts off the spare car and use the best 2.

 

I made the pipe extensions for when I fit the Brembos. Just need to do a final measurement for the length then get the ends flared.

 

 

Picked up a Momo wheel recently & being a bit smaller (320mm) makes getting in & out over the door bars easier.

 

 

Discovered a bad port mismatch between the inlet manifold & head, so that'll need correcting. I've been recommended a really good epoxy, (Belzona 1111) but at $285 for the smallest size may have to look at welding it up instead. I'll make an accurate template of the head ports then weld & grind the inlet to match.

 

 

Also managed to pick up an electric hydraulic power steering pump from an Astra. Compact, 4.5 kgs & hydraulic fittings bolt straight up to the OEM piping.

 

 

I'll mount it off the chassis rail behind the gearbox mount with a couple of Rivnuts.

 

[JeffR 51]

Finally got the power steering bracket welded up & the pump fitted. Probably the ugliest thing I've ever made! I was able to mount it to the gearbox bracket & one Rivnut into the chassis rail. Unfortunately I need to shorten the high pressure hose with it sitting lower than the standard set up.

 

 

 

Made a stone guard for the oil cooler,

 

 

and fitted the harness & extinguisher.

 

 

 

The 'to do' list is getting shorter.....

 

 

[wesly 0]

i'm in love here

nice works !!!

[JeffR 51]

Thanks Wesly for the comments.

 

Picked up a high pressure power steering hose recently & had it shortened at the local Pirtek dealer. I wanted to keep my original hose just in case I ever need to revert back to the original system. Bit of a PITA getting it connected with arb & driveshafts in the way.

 

 

 

For the electrics, I've taken a feed off the fuse block for the power steering & mounted an 80amp fuse to the inner guard. Just need to work out which of the other 2 wires (bottom right red/yellow plug) is ignition & alternator. This makes the pump operate only when the alternator begins to charge.

 

 

I also found a couple of corroded connectors & cracked wiring so fixed those & repositioned the looms to the fuse block.

 

 

It helped having plenty of spare wiring!

 

 

Also new fuel injection hoses & brackets from the steel pipes on the bulkhead & main battery supply through into the cabin where I'll fit a proper kill switch & floor mounted battery.

 

 

Peter has kindly offered to weld up my inlet manifold rather than using an epoxy. I made up an accurate template of the head ports so I'll be able to grind back the weld and get a better transition into the head.

[welshpug 1,661]

were the unions the same fr the GM pump as the original PSA unit? which I take would have been bolted to the top of your gearbox being a 1.9 right?

[JeffR 51]

Yes, the GM & PSA fittings do interchange. The only difference was with my old hp hose which had been repaired where the 90 degree bend screwed into the g/box mounted pump. See last pic in post #65.

I've since found that GM used 4 different types of pumps due to unreliability issues, so fingers crossed this is a good one!

Edited August 16, 2012 by JeffR

[JeffR 51]

Time for another update but firstly thanks to cybernck for merging the two sites. Have been an occasional poster here but look forward to meeting new & established users of this impressive forum & tapping into the vast accumulative knowledge which exists here. (almost sounds like a new member intro)!

 

I decided to purchase an oil accumulator from Summit Racing while our AUD$ was strong against the Greenback so while waiting for that and a few 3rd party items to arrive it gave me a chance to make my own windscreen banner. I wasn't impressed with what's on offer & having worked in graphic arts all my life, cutting smooth shapes isn't a problem.

So I picked up some red & white outdoor spec vinyl sheets & set about the task. I hand cut the white letters & fitted them individually.

 

 

Not too bad a result so also had a go at a boot badge in the 405 turbo16 style.

 

 

I also got a 6 pole kill switch fitted in where the radio lived. Being an electrical luditte, I'll leave the rest of its wiring along with the elec/hydraulic p/steering & oil accumulator to the Motec guy before we run in the cams.

 

 

Added some roll cage padding. So much easier for entering & exiting over those bloody bars, and did the roof bars in the vicinity of my head/helmet as well ('tho not all of it's fitted in the pic).

 

 

 

I then did a string check for wheel alignment, especially since the rack had been refurbed & subframe out.

 

Firstly, I made sure the car was on level ground, then found the centre of the chassis by dropping a plumbob down through the spare wheel release bolt hole in the boot & the centre of the radiator support panel. I then ran a string longitudinally which became my datum line.

 

 

 

I measured carefully from there 1200mm out (the length of my spirit level) & marked the position on both sides of the car front & rear. I did it with a piece of tape on a brick, but in hindsight I should have marked it with the tape straight onto the floor.

As the strings which run down either side of the car are at wheel centre height, I needed to make sure I could get those strings exactly perpendicular above the marks on the bricks. I managed this again with the spirit level.

 

 

Now I could measure the toe. I got readings of-

Right front wheel-front measurement 157mm

" " " -rear " 159mm

Left wheel-front 157mm

" " -rear 158mm

Right rear-front 167mm

" " -rear 165 mm

Left rear-front 167.5mm

" " -rear 165.5mm

 

So it seems my datum point is pretty good and I have 2mm of rear wheel tow in which while unadjustable at least it's the same both sides (within 0.5mm).

 

The fronts are toeing out so will need adjustment. Any suggestions on what I should set it to? I have no adjustability on the top struts as yet, so would zero or 1mm toe in be advisable?

[JeffR 51]

Time for another update.

 

Not a huge amount of progress of late but I managed to make some camber plates to set up the front end by cutting 4 pieces of Colorbond sheet about 30 cm square. I coated the faces with a liberal amount of grease so they'd slide freely against each other under the wheels during adjustment. I raised the car onto few concrete blocks to give me room to squeeze underneath to reach the tie rod adjusters.

 

I set the front toe-in at 1.0 - 1.25mm, or as close to that as I could get using the string method. Sorry no pics.

 

Then it was on to checking the electrics. I was expecting some issues since removing a few of the unnecessary wiring looms, but wasn't sure what effect that might have on other functions. I've heard French wiring leaves a bit to be desired.

 

As it turned out there were a few gremlins, but mainly bad earthing from the 2 earth blocks at the bottom of the slam panel.

 

 

There were also a couple of broken wires in a door loom. Probably happened when relocating the window switches higher up the door trim to clear the side intrusion bars. Those wires are so thin & 23 years old so don't tolerate much strain against them for a break to occur.

 

 

The earth blocks are a 2 piece construction & when the alloy rivet which holds them together corrodes, poor or no earthing results.

 

 

My headlights have never been so bright!

 

I also fitted a small fused distribution block to the steering column support bracket with a feed from the ignition switch to run the ECU, accumulator, kill switch & elec p/steering.

 

[danrogers 0]

wow this is looking really epic! just found the thread (I'm from the old 405 forum) and looks like you have made great progress

[JeffR 51]

Yeah, I guess it has become rather epic. Another description would be 'money pit'!

 

I've made some recent progress so will get some pics up over the next couple of days.

[JeffR 51]

Another update.

 

I'd mentioned in an earlier post that I discovered a bad mismatch between the inlet manifold & head ports.

The manifold short side radius had a 1-1.5mm step up into the head which couldn't be good for air flow or speed.

 

I remember my engine mapper said last time it was on the dyno that he couldn't understand why the sub 2500rpm map was so erratic. I'm guessing this mis-match must have been a major contributor to the problem.

 

Anyway, I sent the manifold to Peter along with a template of the areas affected, & he built up the inside of the ports and mating face to the head.

To give you an idea of what is was like although in this pic I'd already ground the mating surface welds off.

 

 

 

I had a more accurate template which I marked out onto the manifold & started grinding. You can see the Dremel burr that I used for the initial shaping. I erred on the conservative side with the matching, so if there was any step it would be down into the head.

 

I finished off with their coarse grinding tubes & this was the final result.

 

 

I found a small fracture in the curved vacuum pipe weld which I plugged with JB Weld and may have been the reason that when the car was road registered occasionally my brake pedal was rock hard & seemed to lack any vacuum assistance.

 

I got both bodies synchronised without the air filter backing plate on and enlarged their holes so that the ram tubes fitted inside up snug against the throttle bodies.

 

 

 

I've got 34 cm from ram tubes to head + 8cm? to the back of the valve.

 

 

So even though it wasn't a job expected, I'm pretty happy with the way the intake side has finished up.