Hi guys, time for an update. Progress is being made although the list of jobs before paint seems to get longer every time I look at something I need to do. Something always needs altering!
Anyway. Went to my tube guy and he hooked me up. If you're in the Manchester/Rochdale area I can thoroughly recommend him. Using my jig, a piece of chalk and 'rack oh't eye' he knocked up this beaut in 1.75" in 10 minute flat. First time fit. That's 30 years of experience for you.
http://www.tg-silencersrochdale.co.uk/So I got back home and knocked up the manifold.
Permission to say 'BOOM!' ! Pleased with that. Just need to do the bracing off the engine mount. I've got the bracket made, I'll sort that in a bit once the downpipe is sorted.
I was a bit stuck for a while waiting for some bits, but I busied myself with putting central locking in the doors. Checking where my windows ran and having my servo's to hand I knocked up a link rod to the original and it works a beaut. Another job out the way. Simples.
Also broke out the airsaw and widened the fusebox aperture for the Mk3 rascal.
Felt flush after payday so ordered my Intercooler. Now all this messing about is kinda key to this, as the idea was to fit this behind the (late) grille, so to keep it looking stock but having maximum flow across the intercooler - something that putting the turbo in in front of the block on a Mk1 compromises.
So here's the idea....
Theory is great. Practise often takes more achieving than first thought. This case is not the exception. When I measured the intercooler, I thought about the height and width but not the depth!! Schoolboy error. Life innit. Let the engineering commence!!
So I need to get it further back. What's stopping it? The bonnet catch & brace bar. Ok, not the end of the world just a bit of work. Basically I need to loose the O.E bonnet catch and re-locate them outboard - one each side. That way I can cut out the centre brace and move the 'cooler back about an inch. Looks like I'll need to move the oil cooler back too, no biggy (smalls) just some bracket alteration. I'll wind up running the 'cooler the other way up to miss the catches.
This spurred on a trip to the scrapper. I love a trip to the scrapper!
(unfortunately I just did a ctrl+v and lost sh1t-loads of what I'd written. f*cksake. Ok. Start over.)
Being as the downpipe is now in the way of where the O.E water line ran to the radiator I now need to re-route them too. You know what they say - Business in the front, par-tay round the back! With that in mind, turbo is frontal and waterpipes go behind, so I had a few bits to get. Here's what I got....
- Citroen Top Hose
- Peugeot Bottom hose
- Mid 90's Range Rover door gaiters
- Volvo 940 bonnet release mech's & pins (after a fight with a BMW 318 and deciding that corsa mech's looked alright but I'd rather be maimed than have Vauhall cast-off on the 'dub.)
£20. Boom-tang! Cool.
The hoses fitted better than expected. Bonus! Door gaiters will be needed for door speakers and locking solenoids. (I needed some 'early' ones, as most cars these days have big plugs on the end, not a traditional gaiter.
So the idea is to change the central bonnet catch for two outboard ones, and migrate the O.E release cable into it. It's going to work. The volve units are simple and not very deep either. The pins are adjustable so I'll weld some adjuster plates onto the bonnet, alter the slam panel & we're away! The pin centres will be where the blue cross shows.
So I've got a list of jobs to do before paint. It looks like this...
Got any more suggestions? Well keep them to yourself. I've got enough to do
Downpipe bits arrive next week, so more pipework fun can commence. Quality!