Bill's s13 project

[bill_s13]

Thought I'd post up a few pics of my current financial drain...

A combination of big ends , rot and clutch failure prompted me to stop driving my s13 around xmas time , due to moving house I've only been able to get cracking on it recently!

Plans are to sort out the bodywork a bit , and rebuild the engine.

I also need to sort out the brakes and loads of other little bits and pieces. Anyway , this is roughly what it looked like before :

http://www.sxoc.co.uk/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=54844&d=1212061208

The car was a decent stage 1 spec before taking off the road. For the rebuild I currently have in my possesion:

full 2.5 exhaust system
aftermarket turbo elbow
greddy profec B
K&N induction kit
Brand new GT28R
Iridium Plugs
Apexi Paddle clutch

I still need to buy a front mount intercooler. When it's up and running will chuck in some larger injectors and bigger AFM. Should be fast enough for a ticket...

Anyway , so far I have taken the engine out , and the car is booked in with Dal for some welding :thumbs:

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1252995_6949.jpg

Photobucket is playing up for me so here's a link to a Facebook :ghey: album

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48923&l=a36ad&id=500466281

Will update as and when ,

Cheers , Bill .

[Dal]

Glad to see the engines out makes my life alot easier:D:thumbs:

[Starks]

How bas is the rust?? take some pics, i wanna compare it :wack:



Good luck anyway :)

[Pablo13]

Yay! Welding :wack:

[bill_s13]

How bas is the rust?? take some pics, i wanna compare it :wack:



Good luck anyway :)

Will try and get some pics of the rust when it's at Dal's on the ramp :thumbs:

Seeing as I can't make much other progress at the moment, I made a start chipping out the soundproofing from the inside tonight. Bloody hell , what a shit job that is :cry:! Gonna have to have a serious rethink about carrying doing that without a heat gun. Took me two hours just to do this section and slap a first coat of paint on there!:


http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1311725_5892.jpg

And space is becoming a very serious issue!

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1311724_5194.jpg

[Smiley]

that last picture made me chuckle
good luck with the build matey

[TomB]

Lol, Bill thats cramped dude!

I'll ship that FMIC out to you soon, the paint should be dry in the workshop this weekend allowing me to move the car in and get cracking

Gonna start the long ass job of removing all the deadening after she's MOT'd

[bill_s13]

Lol, Bill thats cramped dude!

I'll ship that FMIC out to you soon, the paint should be dry in the workshop this weekend allowing me to move the car in and get cracking

Gonna start the long ass job of removing all the deadening after she's MOT'd


Been looking into that and it looks like dry ice does the trick - makes it go brittle and come off easily . Around £30 for 10 kilos

[muttley]

Thats why I removed mine in the winter, nice and cold op ere in the north :nod:

[Pugger]

Thats why I removed mine in the winter, nice and cold op ere in the north :nod:


That cracks me up :wack: ;)

Keep at it mate.. ive heard its a bitch to get off thats why ive decided to keep the carpet :p

[TomB]

Dry ice sounds like a plan!

[bill_s13]

Fair bit of progress since last post

Made a lot more progress on interior . Needs finishing off , and the hammerite seems to be reacting with the sound deadening residue making it go brownish in places , hopefully I can paint over this otherwise more work needed. Decided to postpone doing this till the car is running again...

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1336947_9295.jpg

Got a batch of bits over from Japan (perfectrun - highly recommended) . Oil pump , head bolts , conrod bolts and conrod nuts.

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1336946_8567.jpg

My strut tops - DAL has pics of these done step by step , will hopefully be able to post these up soon

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1343222_7324.jpg

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1343223_8133.jpg

Got up at 6 to sort out trailering it to Dal's

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1343224_8763.jpg

Came back and got my engine on a stand while the welding was being done

Back home , step by step welding pics coming soon :thumbs:

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1343251_2179.jpg

Managed to tip my engine over and smash the thermostat housing :wack:

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1343252_2808.jpg

Finally sorted out my garage after a discovering our flat has a shed we didn't know about ...

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1343253_3426.jpg

Gave the engine bay a quick clean with some degreaser, man there is so much road grime and oil (thanks to my leaky crank seal) in here it's untrue

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1346203_5760.jpg

Sanded down and hammerited the strut tops

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1346204_6446.jpg

removed ABS and a few air con pipe stragglers

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1346206_7736.jpg

Offside engine bay area cleaned and hammerited. By no means a show finish as it's just brushed hammerite but it looks infinitely better than it did. Few patches unpainted as more welding is required on both inner wings

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1358135_6042.jpg

Driver's side wing the same

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1358136_6739.jpg

Soooo , next jobs on the list are:

Clean and hammerite bulkhead
Clean and hammerite front crossmember
Fit new clutch slave cylinder and braided clutch hose
Sort out brake lines

Then the engine bay is pretty much sorted....

[TM_S13]

looking better now...

[kingj]

Looks good mate,loving the wheels!:thumbs:

[bill_s13]

More or less done under here for now...

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1365499_2316.jpg

[Starks]

Ive still got all this to do on mine :(




Going well bud, keep it up :thumbs:

[bill_s13]

Ive still got all this to do on mine :(




Going well bud, keep it up :thumbs:

If I did this again I'd bite the bullet and strip the whole bay and spray it with cans rather than stripping and painting a section a time. I suppose I did it the lazy way :no:

[Starks]

Well ill see how much time i have to decide which way lol...



So how come your not sticking a nice big lump in that fresh bay now :p

[bill_s13]

Pipe dream would be a 13b

For now I'll just stick with a CA :thumbs: I am aiming for close to 300bhp which should be just within reach of my GT28R.

[Starks]

Nice one, got those step by step welding pics yet :thumbs:

[bill_s13]

More progress today:

Started tackling the engine:

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368030_5553.jpg

There's a word for this gasket , begins with F

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368031_6300.jpg

Head off - bores look good , all the original honing marks are still visible and there is no wear ridge at the top , result :thumbs:

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368032_7190.jpg

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368033_7864.jpg

Took off a cap to see what the crank looked like.

Bearings are std size which is plus , and the crank is much better than I expected (if all the other journals are similar). Looks like I may get away with just a polish :thumbs:

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368034_8525.jpg

Some dead bearings:

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368037_8750.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368038_9505.jpg

Bit worried about the rod as there was some scoring inside the big end. I have a spare set so it's not the end of the world though.

Cheers

[park_monkey]

good project and pics, will be watching this as its what i will be aiming for soon. good luck

[bill_s13]

good project and pics, will be watching this as its what i will be aiming for soon. good luck

Cheers dude.

Got a few pics through from Dal earlier showing the strut top repairs

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368581_4373.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368582_4708.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368583_5013.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368584_5334.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368586_5978.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368587_6304.jpg
http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368588_6636.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368590_7303.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368591_7643.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368592_7974.jpg

[bill_s13]

Think these pics speak for themselves...

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1370885_3276.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1370886_3774.jpg

Just hope the crank is still serviceable , will try and drop it off at the machinists next week.

[TomB]

Looking like a bit more than a polish then mate :(

[Woodys13]

Cheers dude.

Got a few pics through from Dal earlier showing the strut top repairs

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368581_4373.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368582_4708.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368583_5013.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368584_5334.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368586_5978.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368587_6304.jpg
http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368588_6636.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368590_7303.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368591_7643.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368592_7974.jpg

Angle grinder , best frend ??? lol :wack:

[bill_s13]

This is the journal that the bearing above came off:

http://photos-281.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v255/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1374358_3780.jpg

To me it looks like it might polish out, find out tomorrow I guess.

[bill_s13]

Been ages since I made much progress on this - been chasing a decent crank as my original turned out to be bent 9 thou! Been a royal pain in the arse since and ended up costing me a fair bit more than I intended.

Anyway , after much dicking about I now have a crank with 0.25 off the mains and big ends. Hopefully progress can continue...

My apex rear cage also turned up. Looking forward to getting it in :)

[kingj]

Good luck mate,looks to be coming along well:thumbs: awesome wheel and colour combo too:)

[bill_s13]

Finally up to a point where I have all the bits for the engine rebuild bar the cambelt. Woohoo.

Honed the bores today. I need to get the new conrod bolts pressed in to the rods then I should be able to build the engine over the next coupla weeks. Quite excited , feel like I'm on the downward slope now.

Had a bit of a shitter with the gearbox in my 172 cup blowing up which has crippled my bank account , so I'm really hoping the s13 isn't gonna cost me too much more money

[bill_s13]

Got main bearings in block , this one needs adjusting:

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v358/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1876474_4611.jpg

And in main caps:

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v358/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1876456_8664.jpg

And pistons fitted with new rings and conrod bolts :thumbs:

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v358/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1876457_9399.jpg

[bill_s13]

http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos-l3-snc1/v346/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1879865_6880.jpg

Happy with this :

http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos-l3-snc1/v346/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1879868_7587.jpg

Crank in! Spins nice n' freely.

http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos-l3-snc1/v346/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1879869_8242.jpg

[bill_s13]

Bottom end all clearanced and torqued up:

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v358/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1898663_5869.jpg

Sump on with new oil pump and crank seals:

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v358/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1898664_6566.jpg

Head resting in place with middle 6 bolts. Might take it off again as I've lost a few head washers and paranoid that they're hidden away in the crevices somewhere. It's starting to look like something again:

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v358/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1898665_5245.jpg

[Mark]

Looking good Bill :thumbs:

[kingj]

well done mate:clap: its coming along nicely:thumbs:

[bill_s13]

It's growing...

[kingj]

Cool, looks like a gt28r?? what power are you hoping for mate??

[ianlea73]

[QUOTE=Bill_s13;4068127]More progress today:




There's a word for this gasket , begins with F

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v265/239/13/500466281/n500466281_1368031_6300.jpg



'Fractured?'.............

[bill_s13]

Cool, looks like a gt28r?? what power are you hoping for mate??


Yeah it is dude , got it 2nd hand although it's never been used . I am aiming for close to 300bhp eventually (with a few upgrades) although initially I'd be happy with ~260.

[TM_S13]

nice work

[bill_s13]

It's home!

[kingj]

well done fella,looks good and 260bhp in an s13 will be fast and reliable........until you get used to it and throw more money at it again:D

[TM_S13]

almost there mate ;)

[bill_s13]

Bit of a frustrating night , had the cambelt on perfectly ( I thought so anyway) . Put the cambelt covers on and when i went to turn the engine over with a breaker bar it was jammed up. Took the covers off and in the process of trying to turn the engine over I'd damaged the belt , slicing into the teeth by the tensioner.

Anyone heard of this happening? All i can think is that the tensioner was too far turned clockwise, but the belt tension felt fine :s

[Dal]

Have you put the outer crank washer the concave one the right way round Ive seen this twice before on replacement breaker engines :annoyed:also check the main crank 'cog' has nice smooth defined teeth:thumbs:

[bill_s13]

I did do yeah , have stripped it all down again for the replacement belt so will triple check. It was pinching the belt between the tensioner and the cover , so I must have over tensioned the belt? It felt ok using the twist method though , is there a way to put the tensioner spring in wrong?

[Dal]

I suppose yes anythings possible with a CA:wack:

Unlikely though TBH its not easy to put it on wrong, as long as the spring is located properly and the bolt is torqued up 44nm from memory and the deflection of the belt is just before 90 degrees and there are 39 teeth between each cam pulley mark and there is an inner and outer washer on the crank 'cog' then Id say your on to a winner:nod:

What cover is it upper or lower and where are the scrap marks on the cover pics may be useful:thumbs:

[bill_s13]

Turns out I had the tensioner in the wrong way round , and was tensioning it the wrong way :wack: - see here

http://www.sxoc.co.uk/vbb/showthread.php?t=383886

All sorted now. Got loads done this weekend. Very little left to do , am getting nervous about it starting!

[bill_s13]

So , been on it most of the weekend (daylight allowing) and made lots of progress.

Hit a stumbling block though , my downpipe doesn't line up with the elbow on the new gt28r.

Dal - reckon you could mod the downpipe for me when I bring the car over for the rest of it's welding?

Once i get my intercooler should all fall into place apart from that. This is where i'm up to now:

http://photos-e.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1079/239/13/500466281/n500466281_2194476_2499.jpg

just to remind myself what it looks like:

http://photos-f.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1079/239/13/500466281/n500466281_2194477_2867.jpg

[bill_s13]

*moved to technical*

[Dal]

The original t25 downpipe should go in if you file the top left hole out abit, I can do it for you though if you want:thumbs:

[bill_s13]

It's the join between elbow and downpipe , having thought about it I prob just need to rotate the compressor housing a bit more. Need to have a look if I can access all the bolts with the turbo on the car

[Dal]

Rotating it wont do anything as your bolting it to the manifold so its fixed, you only rotate the core to get the oil supply/return dead vertical, Ive come across this before as you have properly ordered or been sent an s14 elbow and the front pipe flange is 45ish degrees out:nod:
Can be sorted without too much fuss bring it all down with you:thumbs:

[bill_s13]

Cool . It's the standard elbow btw. Have been quoted £45 to get a flexi section put in the downpipe but may as well bring it down eh? Cheers Dal.

[bill_s13]

I have oil pressure :D

Just waitin on intercooler and she should be ready to burst into life :thumbs:

[keggy]

mate did u fit engine and box together or split them???

[bill_s13]

Removed and fitted as one

[keggy]

gonna be fitting my engine n was asking before i tried it and it didnt work lol. must give it a go then. cheers

[TomB]

update.....??

[bill_s13]

update.....??

Bits turned up today mate , cheers!

Off I go into the garage with my headtorch...

[bill_s13]

Well I've got my Saab intercooler in place roughly where it'll end up , pretty tight , opinions?

Don't think there's many other options without moving the power steering pipe , which I'd rather not do.

I think I'll have to make up some covers to box in the rad and intercooler so that air is forced through.

:thumbs:

[bill_s13]

Well after taking plenty of abuse from mates over how shit the angled rad looked , I've had another go and decided to move the PAS union.

Nearly done under here:

[bill_s13]

IT'S ALIIIIVE!

Jump leads on , turned the key and it fired first time and settled into a nice idle.

Can't really describe how chuffed I'm feeling at the moment :sxoc:

Will put up a vid later!

[kingj]

cool,happy for you fella:):thumbs: oh and :clap:

[bill_s13]

Downpipe isn't connected hence the tractor sound effects...

<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i360.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/MOV00335.flv">

[bill_s13]

Test fitted my cage and found more rot , ffs!

Hoping Dal can stick these on the to do list.

I'm pretty sure not many would have bothered persevering with this shell, it's not the best at the moment. All four corners of the sills , inner wings , strut tops , chassis rails , and inner sills/floor will have been repaired by the end.

I'm hoping 'better the devil you know' turns out to be true :(

[bill_s13]

Thinking ahead , the black and white theme is a bit dull . Thinking about painting my cage red , a bit like the r26r . Could also do brakes to match

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/2702968017_06f7e647a7.jpg?v=0

Any opinions?

[bill_s13]

Got the car delivered back tonight after having both inner sills , both chassis rails (sides and bottom) , both inner wings , a hole in the floor , a patch in the sill , my exhaust cut/welded to fit and lambda bung fitted. All done for a really good price . Tried to get some pics but they didn't come out, will get some soon. Hopefully the shell should be solid for a good few years now

Hoping to have an MOT in the next week or two, might actually get to drive the thing again!

[Mark]

Its coming alone nicely mate :thumbs:

Will be good to see it at a HWH meet :sxoc:

[bill_s13]

Bit more progress

Got my cage bolted in

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00381Large.jpg

lol :ghey:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00363Large.jpg

[bill_s13]

Well guys , got my MOT tomorrow, wish me luck :thumbs:

Having some trouble getting my washer jets working tonight so that's a likely fail ... but anything else will be an unknown/unwelcome bonus!

[bill_s13]

Well , failed!

Got to the car today and the brake pedal was really spongy , bled the brakes few days ago but obviously air left in there. Thought about cancelling the test but decided to go for it, bit dodgy as the brakes worked but pedal close to hitting the floor ...

1) Nearside windscreen washer provides insufficient fluid - jet blocked
2) Offside front brake pipe inadequately clipped - cable tie
3) Rear exhaust mounting not fully supported - put rubber on properly
4) Brake pedal spongy -
5) Brake pedal goes to floor - bleed brakes

So if only I'd had someone around to help me bleed the brakes might have been able to pass there and then :(

The bad news is there's a bad oil leak coming from somewhere at the back of the engine , I guess it will either be turbo drain or rear main seal :ghey: . Gearbox off job , argh . Thought I got away with no leaks ffs

Anyway , here she is fresh back from failing!

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00390Medium.jpg

[Mark]

DOH :annoyed:

Get it all sorted and in for the retest :thumbs:

[bill_s13]

Well car is back on the road for a while now , quite a bit more progress but this is probably the most interesting bit , got my wideband controller hooked up to my windaq , here's a trace of the car idling with a throttle blip or two

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/idle.jpg

I can have four channels on it , at the minute it's just lambda , planning to add the airflow meter (once I know how airflow relates to voltage) , engine speed and pedal position :thumbs:

[maff]

Standard CA AFM starts at 1v and goes to just over 5v maxed out. but its not a linear scale. 52 position table in the ECU and IIRC half voltage is about position 40.

[bill_s13]

Standard CA AFM starts at 1v and goes to just over 5v maxed out. but its not a linear scale. 52 position table in the ECU and IIRC half voltage is about position 40.

Hey Maff , yeah cheers I know that. I was gonna bring the airflow meter in to work and get a proper curve of airflow in kg/h vs volts . One of the advantages of working where I do :D

[bill_s13]

Engine is now run in.

Got on the rollers this evening , 232 BHP @ the wheels , peak torque 283 Nm , pretty chuffed , exactly what I expected.

Wouldn't like to quote a flywheel figure but with roughly 17% tranny loss in the region of 270 BHP.

Will post up vid/graph later

[Mark]

Where did you go for that Bill?

[bill_s13]

atspeed , about 10 min drive from work!

[bill_s13]

btw Mark we spoke to the operators and we're gonna organise a Dunton team RR day , I'll keep you posted.

[Mark]

oh :wack:

Get your name down for the APT or SRR dyno days and see what it really is ;)

[bill_s13]

fair enough :indiff:

[bill_s13]

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/th_2009-03-18-62257.jpg (http://s360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/?action=view&current=2009-03-18-62257.flv)

[bill_s13]

Been a while since I've posted a proper update so I thought I'd try and bring the thread up to date:

Installed OMP seat and TRS harness, got these off a friend for a good price , ideal really

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00420-1.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00419.jpg

I also put some proper FIA roll cage padding in (not the crap pipe insulation stuff) This little lot visible in the picture was £30. Kerching.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00429.jpg

So after about 700 miles of running in , with 3 oil and filter changes I did a DWYB at the pod. Excellent day , well the morning was - until this happened:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/n3412575_41219125_3744345-1.jpg

Which led to this:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00426.jpg

Right, so after pod I replaced the tie rod and went to get the car on the rollers. I knew it wasn't running lean or detting, but wanted to get a baseline figure to start tuning my set up.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/dynorun.jpg

Result was 230 bhp at the wheels . To be honest the number taken alone is not worth much , the value comes when I go back and I can see if it's gone up or down :wack: . I spend a lot of time on rollers and dynos at work , and knowing the lengths we go to for accuracy then a backstreet set of rollers anywhere is never going to give you the exact answer. But 230 at the wheels is roughly what I expected from my set up so it's quite encouraging for me to see the engine seems to be in good health after I built it in a damp shed with no light or power. Pleased with the profec too as it is holding boost nicely.

After this I tweaked the ignition to try and remove the dip in the torque curve around 3600-4600 but ran into det pretty quickly even on 99 RON. So that has to stay.

I also lengthened the pulse width from 4500 to 6000 , the AFR had just sneaked over 13>1 in this region and hopefully I'll get a little bit more power now around there. My injectors are maxed at 6800 rpm so I'm not going to be making much more power without upgrades :thumbs: And I dropped the rev limit to 6800, yes you read that correctly. The power drops off steeply (flow restriction somewhere –possibly afm) and no point revving it high , so I thought I'd give my engine a bit of a break whilst drifting as it involves frequent rev limiter action…

Apart from that , I cleaned and polished it , shock horror , and rattle canned my beige wing which looks a lot better . Also satin blacked my bootlid. The one I've got is full of filled holes and looks rough , I've got a mint bootlid with no rot at all to go on but it's been in my mate's garage for over a year now , d'oh.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00452.jpg

All this time I'd had a leaky sump , so the engine is back out and sump off whilst I reseal it. Irritating as I followed the instructions using genuine Nissan sealant , but it's crap stuff. It hasn't stayed flexible , it's all flaky so I'm using loctite instant gasket this time.


Anyway , should be set to skid at Lydd raceway on the 1st

Bill

[Dal]

So after about 700 miles of running in , with 3 oil and filter changes I did a DWYB at the pod.

Dude I wouldnt even full boost it at this stange of running in let alone a DWYB you are a braver man than me:eek::wack:
Or plain stupid:)

[M.D.]

700 miles not enough :eek: :D


nice build by the way Bill. car looks good, not sure about the clamps on that cage though, they look really un finished left with sharp corners like that. id be tempted to grind off all the corners in favour of nice large rads just incase.

[bill_s13]

Maybe I wasn't clear with my break in method

50 miles of general driving with WOT accels and backouts up to 4k (around 3 psi boost)

change oil +filter

approx 150 miles of more of the above

change oil + filter

more of the above , running 5 psi boost , gradually increasing rpm up to 6500 up to 700 miles

change oil + filter

set boost

done

Dal, what's stupid about that? Don't really appreciate being called stupid to be honest :/

I ran it in like this for two reasons

a) Most importantly rings seal from combustion pressure , WOT throttles early on (notice they were at low boost and rpms) bed the rings in by increasing cylinder pressures.
b) What's the point in fannying about? All the clearances were set and checked by me. If I have done anything wrong , it's going to be immediately obvious. I changed the oil regularly to get rid of any crap and kept rpms down whilst everything bedded in and loosened up. Think how many engine rpms 700 miles equates to. To be honest most of the initial running in is probably over after the first 100 miles , if that.

I trust my own 'engineering judgement' enough to run in in like that anyway , I realise it isn't the pussying around method, but the pussying around method doesn't make sense to me on any level , so I won't use it.

[bill_s13]

I'd be tempted to grind off all the corners in favour of nice large rads just incase.

Yeah , that's the one thing that lets the Apex cage down tbh , big clamps with sharp edges pointing toward the drivers head. Nice one that...

The roll cage padding covers them enough for me to be happy now , they are recessed about 4cm behind the padding.

[Mark]

I trust my own 'engineering judgement' enough to run in in like that anyway , I realise it isn't the pussying around method, but the pussying around method doesn't make sense to me on any level , so I won't use it.

Spot on Bill :thumbs: Too many people fook about running in engines and actually risk not bedding the engine in properly :nod:

[bill_s13]

Cheers Mark.

Horrible deja vu :wack:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00001.jpg

Left the box behind this time , actually seemed a little easier to get out than box on , not to mention not having to disconnect the prop/drain gearbox oil etc etc.

We jacked up the engine and removed the mounts completely , then dropped it onto the subframe which gives you more than enough room to get the bellhousing bolts out.

This won't leak again:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/DSC00002.jpg

:thumbs:

Engine is back in now , having tomorrow off and hopefully up and running Friday.

Then I just need to replace my snapped ARB drop link. Bloody s13's..

[retrostu]

Nice project mate! how did you bend the tie rod?

Keep up the good work dude!

[bill_s13]

The bumps on the top track at Santa Pod! Hit them sideways too fast and it just caved in , surprised it didn't snap actually

[retrostu]

Gutted dude! I must admit I have seen cars bouncing over them but I did not know they were that bad! I will have to look out for them when I get mine finished and down there.

[bill_s13]

Yeah , killed two s13's when I went , mine and another , his did the same as mine but snapped totally.

I'd recommend the Tein rods and ends if you're feeling flush as they are a lot stronger. I'm a cheapskate and will be carrying a spare from now on :wack:.

Must admit it has put me off going back there a little bit , guess I will just have to straighten up for that bit in future.

[retrostu]

Not good mate. I will have a look into them rods and ends. Don’t want mine to snap as I would have to drive from near Liverpool. Big tow truck bill if mine broke lol.

[Dal]

Dal, what's stupid about that? Don't really appreciate being called stupid to be honest :/


It was one of those things called a joke mate!!:annoyed: Forget it anyway its JMO if you dont want to listen then thats your call, If you explained in the first place I wouldn't of said anything but still 700 miles is not enough it takes at least 1500 miles to bed new rings in what ever way you do it!

[bill_s13]

no worries , hard to tell if something's a joke or not online , peace ? :D

[M.D.]

but still 700 miles is not enough it takes at least 1500 miles to bed new rings in what ever way you do it!

where did you get that info from ??? or on what judgement, there are so so many variants of running in that none of them sound right anymore.:(

ive always adopted the one that bill has used, but with less oil changes,

500miles of gentle driving on lowest boost but making sure to bed the rings in for the first 50 miles (full load up to 4k then snap off) then just allow it to rev freely without hammering it. (eg use a lower gear and let the engine rev rather than loading it up).
after 500 miles i do an oil change then wind up the boost to about a bar and do basically the same as above for another 500 miles but without the ring bedding in bit, making sure i vary the loads and revs, then do a final oil change and abuse :wack:

the one method ill never do is the 1000 miles low throttle below 4k thing, it just doesnt add up and as mark says, will risk not bedding the engine in properly rather than doing it any good.

[Mark]

where did you get that info from ??? or on what judgement, there are so so many variants of running in that none of them sound right anymore.:(

ive always adopted the one that bill has used, but with less oil changes,

500miles of gentle driving on lowest boost but making sure to bed the rings in for the first 50 miles (full load up to 4k then snap off) then just allow it to rev freely without hammering it. (eg use a lower gear and let the engine rev rather than loading it up).
after 500 miles i do an oil change then wind up the boost to about a bar and do basically the same as above for another 500 miles but without the ring bedding in bit, making sure i vary the loads and revs, then do a final oil change and abuse :wack:

the one method ill never do is the 1000 miles low throttle below 4k thing, it just doesnt add up and as mark says, will risk not bedding the engine in properly rather than doing it any good.


I cant believe I am posting this ........



















But he is right :nod::eek::wack:

Rings bed in very quickly and within the first 50-100 miles you will know if they have or havent :nod: its the bearings that take a little longer to bed in. 1500 miles to bed rings in is ludicrus :wack:

[Dal]

where did you get that info from ??? or on what judgement, there are so so many variants of running in that none of them sound right anymore.:(


Its the way Ive always done it, From back in the day when I was building pintos, Its always worked and produced good figures, reliability etc, As you said yourself there are so many ways to run in engines it all gets confused.
I may be wrong but I was taught by an engineer who has been machining and rebuilding engines since he was a lad,
I think the point has been missed, I'm not saying the method is wrong in anyway, In fact I agree in so many ways, I just think doing a drift day on a 700 mile engine is a brave thing to do not critisising:no:

[M.D.]

But he is right :nod::eek::wack:


:eek:
:D

[bill_s13]

Yeah there's a lot of mixed info out there , and I guess when you've spent a lot of money and effort rebuilding an engine you're inclined to want to be a bit gentle with it.

I went to the drift day thinking if it doesn't blow today I can probably stop worrying about it holding together! Haha. Just a few basic precautions like heaters on all the time , and going for cool down runs around the site after a session , leaving it to idle with the bonnet up between runs etc and it was fine .

Still , if it blows good excuse for an SR!

[Mark]

Its the way Ive always done it, From back in the day when I was building pintos, Its always worked and produced good figures, reliability etc, As you said yourself there are so many ways to run in engines it all gets confused.
I may be wrong but I was taught by an engineer who has been machining and rebuilding engines since he was a lad,
I think the point has been missed, I'm not saying the method is wrong in anyway, In fact I agree in so many ways, I just think doing a drift day on a 700 mile engine is a brave thing to do not critisising:no:

You cant compare building a Pinto and other wartime engines :wack: with todays modern engines :no: Tolerances are much tighter, machining is of a higher standard and lubricants are a better spec :nod: :thumbs:

[M.D.]

Yeah there's a lot of mixed info out there , and I guess when you've spent a lot of money and effort rebuilding an engine you're inclined to want to be a bit gentle with it.

I went to the drift day thinking if it doesn't blow today I can probably stop worrying about it holding together! Haha. Just a few basic precautions like heaters on all the time , and going for cool down runs around the site after a session , leaving it to idle with the bonnet up between runs etc and it was fine .

Still , if it blows good excuse for an SR!


there is no excuse to SR it :whip:

i like your precautions, sounds exactly like what i did at castle coombe, still overheated tho lol, turns out that i had a slightly blown head gasket for the last year lol.

[joshua200sx]

i am lovein the car mate !!!!

[itrhondaboy]

You cant compare building a Pinto and other wartime engines :wack: with todays modern engines :no: Tolerances are much tighter, machining is of a higher standard and lubricants are a better spec :nod: :thumbs:

pintos not really that much older than a ca mark mate:wack: i know you are probably just generalising all engines of now a days but if were talking pintos they still used them up to around 1998 or something an yb cossie engines basically pinto twin cams

[bill_s13]

Been ages since an update so I thought I'd bring the thread a bit more up to date!

The car languished a bit over the summer as I was working away a lot and was low on motivation, but the last few months I've been back on the case. In fact the only real modification over summer I did was to fit a welded diff (that was fun by myself on the floor!).

Anyways, I wanted to focus improvements on the cooling so that the car will be reliable this summer, and the handling as it is/was quite frankly shite, and I want to do some track days too as well as the drifting.
It's got some lowering springs and aftermarket dampers on there which manage to give both a terrible ride and loads of body roll…hmm, and the rest is just old.

Anyways, tried to prioritise what I thought would give the biggest handling improvements for the money and ordered these:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/handlingparts.jpg

Camber arms as I noticed my tyres wearing about twice as much on the inside due to neg camber when drifting, locking collars (especially important with the welded diff I think) and some poly tension road bushed to firm up the steering response.

Locking collars fitted, this is probably the best bang for buck I've ever done to the car! Feels like the front and the back of the car are connected at last…was absolutely shitting my pants doing this job

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/lockingcollars.jpg

Can't afford a coilover kit yet, but hoping to buy a set of HSD's at the beginning of March. After that and an alignment/corner weight the car should be decent.

Also got myself a new steering wheel:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/steeringwheel.jpg

Cooling/reliability wise, got myself a set of gauges - water temp, oil temp and oil pressure:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/gauges.jpg

I also bought a R32 GTR radiator and intercooler. The radiator looks spot on although I haven't fitted it yet it's pretty much the same as an s13 one but twice as thick. I've got this far with fitting the intercooler (which is a beast!):

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/r32IC.jpg

Ordered some silicone hoses and will need to get some hard pipes to complete the install. I am also planning to fit some sort of bonnet vent over the turbo, more to let hot air out when the car is stationary or moving slowly than at speed. Then fit an electric fan then that should be the cooling sorted.

Of course, to compensate for the extra reliability I have fitted some evo 4 510cc injectors and am going to up the boost to around 17-18 psi (currently running just under 14 psi):

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/evo4injectors.jpg

Have rewritten the chip to get it running but will need fuelling adjustments to be safe before the extra boost.

I am hoping to get up to 260 bhp at the wheels, not sure if that will work with the standard AFM but I have an RB20 one if it comes to it.

Oh yeah , and it needs a load of welding for it's MOT – 3rd year in a row FFS! I think there may be a reshell in my not to distant future.

Action shot from last DWYB:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/MF4M6095_1.jpg

:thumbs:

[Mark D]

Interesting project matey. Thought i'd post up as i've just read the project and noticed your from Brentwood same as me.

I'll be up at Pod sometime this year so might see you up there, if you ever need a spare hand let me know

[bill_s13]

Got my R32 GTR intercooler fully fitted , and managed to get it running on the Evo injectors after lots of trying:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0349.jpg

Pretty pleased with the install!

It seems to pull very well although haven't driven it much.

Dropping it off to get welded for the MOT tomorrow , then need to fit my kit car washer bottle and get the sidelights working, another years motoring 'pleasure' awaits!

[bill_s13]

Thought I would bring this thread a little up to date…currently car is running well and feels pretty damn fast. Need to get back on the dyno. I’m actually approaching being done with the modifying (famous last words), so hopefully over the next year the focus will be on using it more , got DWYB booked on the 9th.

I would not recommend a rebuilt engine to those of a nervous disposition, every time it makes the odd slight noise I’m crapping myself , even after 18 months.

Spent hours tidying up the engine bay / interior and doing all the little crappy jobs I’ve been to lazy/busy to do, I think it’s currently looking pretty good , I’ve put a shot of how it used to look when I first put the engine in compared to how it looks now:

Before , what a mess:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=68371&stc=1&d=1275037874

Now, looking better , still need to redo all the brake lines:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=68370&stc=1&d=1275037724

Painted the roof black , test fitted a pre facelift splitter but it made the bumper sag like mad so took it off. Need to reinforce the bumper. Also got some vertex copy side skirts but in two minds whether to fit them or not.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=68372&stc=1&d=1275037927

Fitted some meister R coilovers , apex camber and toe arms and had the car aligned at DMS.

Managed to make it to Japfest , which was a first for me!

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=68373&stc=1&d=1275037993


Current spec:

Engine:

Rebuilt
GT28R currently running @ 1 bar
R32 GTR intercooler
R32 GTR radiatior
Mitsubishi 510cc injectors
Greddy profec B boost controller
Self mapped w/Moates Ostrich 2.0
NGK grade 8’s, copper
K&N filter
2.5” stainless exhaust

Chassis

Meister R coilovers
Apex bushed rear camber/toe arms (aligned by DMS)
Poly’d front tension rods
Apex F+R ARB drop links
Apex half cage
Japseed strut brace
Battery behind passenger seat
Welded diff
Subframe locking collars
Braided brake hoses all round
Rota grid drifts 16x8

Interior

Stripped
OMP TRS seat
TRS 4 point harness
RMD gauges
RMD steering wheel
DW handbrake button
Hand held extinguisher

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=68374&stc=1&d=1275038143

Jobs still on the list

Passenger side bucket seat
Sort brake lines out

[maff]

Nice one, did you need the socket booster for the Ostrich in the end?

[bill_s13]

To be honest I've only tried it with the socket booster , not without.

In fact I've just left it in the car, been running off the Moates' memory rather than a chip for a couple of months!

[EMENEAR]

Bill this is coming along really nicely. Im currently rebuildinh my CA and doing up the shell. Ive run out of big cash at the moment so just painting and cleaning the shell up. My CA also had the original honing marks etc on and it was a 167k engine. Did you buy a full gasket set and do it all like that? Im guessing:
Gasket set
Cambelt kit
Oil pump and t'other bits from Japan
waterpump etc.

Also what di you pay for your cage. Im looking to do my car to a similar kind of spec but for road use so just want the half cage.

Good luck, feel free to nose through my build and give any advice/tips ;)

[bill_s13]

Bill this is coming along really nicely. Im currently rebuildinh my CA and doing up the shell. Ive run out of big cash at the moment so just painting and cleaning the shell up. My CA also had the original honing marks etc on and it was a 167k engine. Did you buy a full gasket set and do it all like that? Im guessing:
Gasket set
Cambelt kit
Oil pump and t'other bits from Japan
waterpump etc.

Also what di you pay for your cage. Im looking to do my car to a similar kind of spec but for road use so just want the half cage.

Good luck, feel free to nose through my build and give any advice/tips ;)

Alright dude.

Yeah , I got a full engine gasket kit from Apex , best value IMO , you everything including all the exhaust gaskets which are pricey enough by themselves.

The car had a cambelt etc change and top end rebuild / water pump just before I got it, so I've just put a new belt on , they are cheap from euro car parts. Although this is what happened last year! http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=408832

I bought piston rings and acl bearings through a friend in the trade, the oil pump and conrod nuts/bolts came from japan when the pound was stronger...

I learned a lot from building mine, I'm still worried this one will let go at some point as it was the first engine I've built , in which case I'll rebuild it to a higher standard next time. Regret cutting a few corners such as not getting the block hot tanked and rebored etc etc , for the sake of a bit more cash it's annoying now.

I got my cage in a group buy when Apex did their 'first generation' cages , was about £160. Since then I think they've changed the diagonal and the mounting points.

I'll have a look at your thread!

[EMENEAR]

thanks for all the info, I appreciate it. I'm getting the block cleaned and I'll give it a hone. Ive got the top end apart and put the head through the dishwasher lol. Im worried about putting it back together now as my mate numbered the valves but isnt 100% sure which way he numbered them :rolleyes: weed heads eh!.
I just bought another blown ca to use as a guide for assembley and perhaps use the top end off it. I'll get the gasket set when Im in the money again. My daily has cost me a fortune. It will be my first engine build too, however im an engineer so aware of how important tolerances are.

Keep up the good work! :thumbs:

[scouse 2]

Before , what a mess:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=68371&stc=1&d=1275037874

Now, looking better , still need to redo all the brake lines:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=68370&stc=1&d=1275037724

Painted the roof black , test fitted a pre facelift splitter but it made the bumper sag like mad so took it off. Need to reinforce the bumper. Also got some vertex copy side skirts but in two minds whether to fit them or not.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=68372&stc=1&d=1275037927



I like the way it looks under the hood very clean:thumbs:
just wish i could motivate my fat self and tidy mine up lol
all i need to do is paint some panels and try them subframe locking collers out
anyway keep it up and good luck with the next dwyb
btw have you any vids of your car on track

Danny:wave:

[bill_s13]

Bollocks , got a rattle that sounds very like big ends when returning to idle after a blip….but it goes away when hot which seems unusual for big ends. Had a look at it with Mark and it’s possibly piston slap - either way it doesn’t sound good when cold and needs to come apart.

It’s also started chuffing out the occasional bit of blue smoke at idle, so not much luck coming my way at the moment.

Was thinking about running this wed's DWYB but just went out to the car again , sounds horrible whilst being revved so not gonna bother. Sigh .

[bill_s13]

Bit of an update, bit shocked to see it's over 3 months since the above post , the car has been languishing a bit but recently I cracked on with it again.

Think I might be in for a 'total spanner' award because I pulled the engine , took the head off , started to strip the engine and found the crank pulley loose. AAAAARRRGGGHHH! :mad::annoyed::annoyed::annoyed:

So it looks like that was the source of the noise I mistook for big ends. FFS x 1000 :cry:. Anyone else heard of this?!

Very demotivated, don't know what to do now tbh.

1) Carry on with engine strip down and take apart a possibly perfectly decent engine then requiring new bearings etc (would be rude not to fit forged pistons at this point)

2) Slap it back together and hope that my rattle has gone??!

The only good news is that I found one of my stem seals leaking quite badly when i took the head off , which explains the occasional smoke I was having.

Any advice would be appreciated. I think i'm leaning toward 1 but due to the costs involved would have to wait quite a while

[dotun]

forge it!!!!!!! then by the time your ready to map it we can do mine too!

[bill_s13]

Blocked breather anyone?

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=70327&stc=1&d=1288342578

An hour of scraping and cleaning later:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=70328&stc=1&d=1288342578

Was full of what I can only describe as tar.

Pretty pissed off with myself for not spotting this before. Breather pipe was clean because nothing was getting down it :facepalm:

Bad eh?

I'm making a concious decision from now on to improve the standard of what I do , fed up with doing everything twice :wack: . So I am collecting parts for another rebuild which is underway , should be happening soon and will be a proper job with no crossed fingers!

Have collected all parts for bottom end build including some supertech forged pistons

Will post up some pics as and when

[bill_s13]

Updates! I’ve been pretty busy. Car has been off the road for ages again , which is annoying.

First things first , working in a crappy single garage about 30cm wider than the car was producing nothing but sh*t results and bodgery. So, time to get myself a proper workshop and improve the standard of what I’m doing.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71312&stc=1&d=1296208554

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71311&stc=1&d=1296208554

Voila , space , light , and power! This has made such a difference and made working on the car enjoyable again.

Also allowed me to get myself a proper tool chest which I’ve always wanted. Space for an shelving , engine stand and of course , the main workshop essentials:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71313&d=1296208512

The main thing I need to do is rebuild the engine, I’m determined to do a proper job this time, even when it gets expensive (it has!).

So , new shiney parts:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71314&d=1296208544

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71315&d=1296208560

[bill_s13]

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71316&stc=1&d=1296209193

Block bored , faced and hot tanked:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71317&stc=1&d=1296209193

Pistons fitted to rods

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71318&stc=1&d=1296209193


More block prep and cleaning , cleaned out every thread with the tap

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71319&stc=1&d=1296209193

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71320&stc=1&d=1296209193

[bill_s13]

Lovely

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71323&stc=1&d=1296209403

Bearings installed.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71321&stc=1&d=1296209403

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71322&stc=1&d=1296209403

Mains had an oversize thrust face so had them sized to the minimum clearance

So time to build up the bottom end. Crank looking bling

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71324&stc=1&d=1296209403

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71325&stc=1&d=1296209403

Now this is where I’ve run into a bit of a snag, as when I went to install the crank it was binding very slightly. Could still turn the crank but there was a bit of resistance through about 45degrees worth of travel. Was tempted to just think feck it , as I’m sure it would free off after 20 secs running but it’s gotta be done properly.

[bill_s13]

Some scuffing on the mains:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71326&stc=1&d=1296209611

I had everything checked by two different engineers and the crank is fine , but the tunnels for bearings 4 & 5 were about 0.06 mm out of round, so the block is currently being align honed and I will replace the main bearings for peace of mind, which should solve that problem and allow the build to continue.

Also been doing some work on the cylinder head and chassis… more pics coming soon as I get them off my camera.

[MEL]

You must be pleased that you can make some proper progress

When's the "housewarming" then? :)

[Pablo13]

Nice unit you have there, I'll look forward to the improved progress :thumbs:

[ianlea73]

Lucky sod!That unit would be my dream come true.
Impressive engine build will be keeping an eye on this thread.

[bill_s13]

Cheers , that place is pretty much my dream come true! Although I'm not in there by myself , it's split between a few of us. But it is fecking cold in there with this weather!

BTW , I need to sell my wheels to pay for a 5 stud conversion if anyone is interested in a set of 16x8 grid drifts?! :Plug:

[bill_s13]

Well , got my tension rod bushes in :wack: , who needs a press?

<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nMvXWUeplYQ" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>

[ianlea73]

Ha!That's a clever idea.Never thought of using my own car as a 1 tonne press!!!

[dotun]

such a professional

[kingj]

Ha ha.awesomeidea with the bushes mate:thumbs: still loving the white grids on a white s13:nod:

[bill_s13]

Bit of an update , had the block align honed and it's sorted out the binding crank a treat , so have managed to make progress on the engine.

I have loads of pics of everything if any wants to see any others

So block has been bored , skimmed and align honed. Built up with ACL big ends / Glacier vandervall mains. Supertech 83.5mm pistons . I have fitted arp studs and dropped on a Cometic 1.9mm headgasket

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71744&d=1299106987

Head has been bead blasted , skimmed , all valves and seats recut. Also had the valve guides checked for spec and new stem seals.

I also bought 16 new hydraulic lifters from rockauto to go in as a couple were pretty stuck in there and got scrapped coming out.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71745&d=1299106999

head in place

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71749&d=1299107623

More progress. When torquing up the cam caps I managed to snap one of the bolts. So I decided to replace all 24 using bolts from margnor online, and I'm glad I did as about 50% of them were showing signs of necking. I would never re-use cam cap bolts again! I also put an exhaust cam on the inlet side

Oil pump , water pump etc fitted , new belt tensioners and the turbo back on. It's really starting to look good :D I am hoping this will be a build to be proud of.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71748&d=1299107024

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71746&d=1299107007

[MEL]

Nice one, cant wait to see another local 13 out and about :D

Build spec sounds rather impressive so far

[ADZS13]

Hi,

Good luck with build chap. gives me inspiration as I am taking mine off and putting it into our unit in april. i will keep an eye on this thread

[bill_s13]

cheers!

The engine is about ready to go back in , and about to start rebuilding the front suspension with 5 stud hubs etc.

I've just booked a activity/track day for the beginning of May to give me a bit of time pressure :wack: , can't wait to get this thing up and running again.

[Mark]

Good work Bill :thumbs:

Who did your machining?

[bill_s13]

I've had most of the work done by Smith's in the Burnt Mills trading estate , I would recommend them. Do a good job and very reasonable on price.

I had the block align honed by Gosnay's. They managed to score the face of the block though so they ended up refacing it for me. I won't be going back there as I feel a bit cheated by them - they quoted me a price for the head work (I gave a full description of what I wanted doing) which they then doubled once they had it in their possession. I then had to waste £50 to get it back off them because they charged me to take it apart. They do an OK job but I feel ripped off every time I go there.

[Daz]

Coming along really nicely.

That unit looks like heaven for working on the car.

[Mark]

Yer I have heard not so good stuff about Gosnays :(

I got my Landrover head skimmed and pressure checked by Gard Auto Engineering in Rayleigh. Did a good job and was cheaper than Smiths :thumbs:

[Pete C]

Great work, looking really good so far :thumbs:


When torquing up the cam caps I managed to snap one of the bolts. So I decided to replace all 24 using bolts from margnor online, and I'm glad I did as about 50% of them were showing signs of necking. I would never re-use cam cap bolts again!

Are you sure you used the right torque setting? I fitted a CA16 inlet cam a while ago and the recommended torque setting in the manual was so low it was actually off the bottom of the scale on the torque wrench, wouldn't have snapped a twig :wack:

Whoever stretched them like that must have been a right muppet :smash:

[bill_s13]

I torqued them to 12Nm , from memory the spec was 7-12Nm . My torque wrench goes down to 7Nm but I don't really trust it at that range.

I was very surprised that it snapped, but reading through some old posts and talking to Mark those bolts are pretty marginal. Also I think the 3/8 torque wrench I used was too big (about 40cm long).

I've torqued the new ones by feel using a small ratchet & loctite, I will be rechecking them when I retorque the head studs...

[bill_s13]

Couple more pics.

Attached this breather pipe (left it long as final routing is to be decided). The whole PCV system is being retired. The main crankcase and cam cover breathers will all be routed to catch tanks and the PCV valve bunged.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71889&d=1300310903

Fitted my Evo 510cc injectors which have been ultrasonically cleaned and all new o-rings. The inlet/plenum were also hot tanked which got rid of the crap inside.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71890&d=1300311226

And here you can just about see my modified Micra K11 dipstick, which I stole from my daily! I hate the CA dipstick so much that I've decided to experiment with this ... I think it will be a bit trickier to access but the reading should be much better , as it's now a straight , flat dipstick & I will delve into the engine bay if it means I get a better reading.

The original CA dipstick & tube has gone in the bin, this cut down micra dipstick goes directly into the oil pump and is a lovely fit with a bit of heatshrink.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=71891&d=1300311236

You can also see from this photo that I've been putting the anti-bling spray to good use (aka Simoniz tough black!)

Don't have any more recent photos but I'm nearly done with the engine just needs taking off the stand , flywheel + clutch then it can go back in.

[bill_s13]

A productive evening, managed to get all the front suspension back on.

Few pics:

Engine basically ready to go in, remaining jobs can be done with it in it's hole

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0500.jpg

Micra dipstick

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0501.jpg

Lower arms fitted with S14 Moog joints from Rock Auto and sandblasted

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/lowerarms.jpg

Painted and Energy Suspension bushes about to go in

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0504.jpg

Built the front suspension up with Poly bushed tension rods , 5 stud hubs, apex drop links. I drilled out the coilover brackets to 14mm and used some new 8.8 M14x60 bolts as I didn't like the idea of sleeving the s14 knuckle holes.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0505.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0506.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0507.jpg

Fitted my refurbed 350Z calipers

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0508_1_2.jpg

I also got this. After being in a friends car recently which threw a rod I've become super paranoid! This is basically an oil pressure switch which comes on at 20 psi rather than 1psi or whatever the std switch comes on at. This will be linked to a big red light at eye level on the a pillar, will probably never be needed but could in theory save my engine , or at least reduce the bill :wack: . I figured that when the red mist is down on track days I might miss the gauge on the dash.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0511.jpg

So , front 5 stud conversion done and back on it's wheels , just need brake hoses. Engine back in this weekend fingers crossed

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0510.jpg

[TM_S13]

sweet ;)

[Garf]

Cool :cool:

[bill_s13]

Well, last weekend this happened:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0513.jpg

Primed it ... put plugs and fuel pump fuse back in ... and... it runs! Seems to tick over very nicely. At first it was a bit lumpy as the 16 new lifters pumped up and I realised I'd left a vac hose disconnected :o . I got it hot and bled the cooling system , I won't be running it again until I can get out on the road and get some load on it.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JQTbTTfEMvk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I actually drove it under it's own power outside the shed...

Quite pleased with how it's looking under the bonnet so far:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0522.jpg

In other news , Couldn't be doing with the S14 rims so I got myself some R33 GTR wheels... Have test fitted them on the front and require a 10mm spacer so I've got a set of H&R hubcentrics coming from SRB power. But they look goooood , I'm v pleased :D

Forgot to mention a friend in the trade hooked me up with these tyres 1/2 price ... so they are sitting on some Yoko AD08's in 225/45 flavour all round :D:D:D

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/ad08-1.jpg

Reckon they'll fit on my Micra ? :wack:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0523.jpg

Have started on the rear 5 stud conversion and will be polybushing the knuckle , lower arm and traction rods while I'm there. Hopefully I'll be on the road soon!

[MEL]

Forgot to mention a friend in the trade hooked me up with these tyres 1/2 price ... so they are sitting on some Yoko AD08's in 225/45 flavour all round :D:D:D

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/ad08-1.jpg



Interesting, pm coming :D

[ADZS13]

Loving this project, subscribed

[Pablo13]

Coming on well, you'll love the tyres too :)

[Magicmat]

Just read the whole project !

Love it, some nice little ideas here which i will rob for my project :D haha

Keep up the good work :)

[dgr]

looking good buddy. some really good work here.

[bill_s13]

Cheers guys , much appreciated! Been a bit busy with other stuff recently so not much of an update but got a bit done. I have decided not to bother rebushing the back end for now as the subframe is pretty gross and instead I am going to drop the subframe over the winter and do the whole lot in one go.

Fitted my extra idiot light linked to a 20psi switch:

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/8414/img0037medium.jpg (http://img593.imageshack.us/i/img0037medium.jpg/)

Reminds me of...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PWkCHRVulzg/TObXpY-tZNI/AAAAAAAAAYo/VeWKxDjfaGk/s1600/956-067terminator-2-posters.jpg

Fitted my rear 5 stud hubs. I had to really beat the sh*t out of the s14 ones that I got that came fitted in their knuckles to get the hubs out, so was dreading doing this but mine just tapped out really easily. The first side took me a while (got confused with the handbrake mechanism!) but the 2nd side I must have had the hub fitted in 20 mins.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/3308/img0524medium.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/i/img0524medium.jpg/)

redrilled discs , also sandblasted which made them look better than new! It's a shame to bolt my minging calipers back onto these!

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/9403/img0525medium.jpg (http://img16.imageshack.us/i/img0525medium.jpg/)

I'm pleased with the rear wheel fitment although I won't win any internet points for it!

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/6246/img0039mediumb.jpg (http://img251.imageshack.us/i/img0039mediumb.jpg/)

And fitted my H&R 10mm spacers and longer studs to the front. Cheers SRB power! Was a bit gutted at having to fork out for these but they really are a top quality bits of kit. And not worth skimping when the failure mode includes wheel falling off!

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9038/img0040medium.jpg (http://img225.imageshack.us/i/img0040medium.jpg/)

[maff]

:thumbs: looking good!

[ADZS13]

Going to be a proper sorted motor. Going to remove the old intercooler brackets? And is your fmic pipe work held together at one point wiht silver gaffa tape?

[bill_s13]

Going to be a proper sorted motor. Going to remove the old intercooler brackets? And is your fmic pipe work held together at one point wiht silver gaffa tape?

Maybe, hadn't really thought about it but suppose I could cut them off. And no its just over the end of the piping to stop any crap falling in!

Noticed earlier my cometic head gasket was weeping coolant at the front corner , BASTARD thing! I KNEW I should have used some Hylomar/Wellseal. :furious:

I checked all the head studs for torque and one of them near that corner took a couple of degrees to torque up. Ran the engine up to temp at idle and doesn't seem to be leaking anymore but I'll be keeping a close eye on it. Really really really can't be arsed to take the head off, has anyone used the non caulking radweld stuff in this situation?

[jones s13]

a very good coolant system sealent is something called K-seal. very good stuff might be worth a try

[bill_s13]

Cheers, I will look into it, it only seems to have started weeping since I took it for a run for 10-15 mins and got it hot/under load, need to run it again really to see if re-torquing has helped.

MOT Saturday :)

[bill_s13]

Here is my weeping HG , can anyone advise if this is worth taking the head off straight away or should I just keep an eye on it for now? It looks like I could live with it for a bit.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0542med.jpg

Quite pleased with how the car's looking :D

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_0548med.jpg

[Car_nut]

Is the micra dipstick easier to read? was it modifed?

[bill_s13]

Passed the MOT a few weeks ago without a single advisory , the first time ever with this car!

Took a few pics today... the car is done for the time being (famous last words, for a while at least!)

Engine is run in , this thing feels pretty fast now :eek:

After spending all this time and effort building it , I'm planning to spend the next months breaking it again... starting with track day at North Weald this Sunday. I've also got Brands Hatch booked for next month, and I'll be looking to do as much as I can afford to until the winter kicks in!


http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/medium1.jpg

Was debating raising the rear ride height a tiny bit , any thoughts?

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/medium2.jpg

Engine bay , if you look you can see my home made catch can , made out of a camping water bottle , chemical metal and some plumbing fittings. Bodgetastic.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/medium3.jpg

A few holes cut for cooling , won't be to everyone's taste I'm sure. I have a NACA duct which I'm thinking about putting over the turbo area.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/medium4.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/medium5.jpg

[MEL]

Good news about the mot, be good to actually see your car out and about :)

[ianlea73]

White 13's on gtr's win all day.Great build & well prepped looking car.This is definately inspiration for me.
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/ianlea73/200sx/Picture-1.jpg

[bill_s13]

Good news about the mot, be good to actually see your car out and about :)

Cheers dude. Our cars are like opposites now :D


White 13's on gtr's win all day.Great build & well prepped looking car.This is definately inspiration for me.
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/ianlea73/200sx/Picture-1.jpg

Hmm I had been thinking about going down the vertex kit route and that looks sweet... I've had some vertex side skirts sat around for about a year , was thinking to maybe use them with a preface splitter but I don't know what I'd do about the back bumper

[MEL]

Hmm I had been thinking about going down the vertex kit route and that looks sweet... I've had some vertex side skirts sat around for about a year , was thinking to maybe use them with a preface splitter but I don't know what I'd do about the back bumper

Our cars would be almost identical in a polar opposite kinda way then, i have some chuki skirts waiting to be fitted :D

[bill_s13]

Had an excellent day with the car at North Weald on the 1st. Not been to one of the days there before and thought it was really good value as well as a laugh and a bit of a shakedown for the car. I'm happy to report the car didn't miss a beat , performed very well right up to the end.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_2689.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_2665-1.jpg

Was trying keep to the right line but couldn't resist temptation for the occasional bit of manfoot...

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_2654_crop-1.jpg

Let me mate whose helped me out with the car have a go:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_2755.jpg

I did learn a bit about the car having not driven it in anger for a long time and me personally being inexperienced at track/grip driving. Firstly even though Weald is bumpy the suspension is far, far too stiff. No real steering feel at the front (hard to feel the point of grip limit) and couldn't get traction/weight transfer on the front wheels under heavy braking , was locking up a lot. Mentioned this to a mate at work and he just happened to have a set of 6Kg coilover springs lying around doing nothing! Just what I was after! I've stuck these on the front to give me 6F and 6R spring rates. I'm also raising the back end a bit to get a bit more suspension travel , hopefully keep off the bumpstops and get a bit more traction :ghey:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/photo-7.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/photo-6.jpg

Had to do a bit of :smash: under the arch as well as raise the front 10mm due to some rubbing on my new tyres :cry:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/photo-5.jpg

So having survived a day of rapeage without me having to do anything, as I was about 100m from the unit on the next day taking the car back I noticed the water temp rocket... coasted the car back into the garage with coolant pissing out everywhere :confused:. Took me a while to find the culprit - the oil cooler to block hose. The internal braid of the hose seems to have just gone leaving it very weak and I guess it just burst, luckily it didn't happen on track!

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/photo-8.jpg

Looking forward to my next track day now...

[ianlea73]

My rear,not sure of make to be fair!
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/ianlea73/200sx/Picture077.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/ianlea73/200sx/P10111472.jpg

[bill_s13]

Some pictures from Brands Hatch , have to say the car felt really good, the softer front springs have made a huge improvement. Had a great evening , can't wait to go back.

Was still getting some rubbing on the compression of Paddock Hill bend so might have to do a bit more work on the front arches.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_5157_800.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_5115_800.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_5104_800.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo43/bill_s13/IMG_5040_800.jpg

[ADZS13]

Any updates??

[bill_s13]

nah not really mate , car is running well but I've kind of lost interest in it and not driven it for a few months.

[ADZS13]

That's not good, new car got your attention?

I'll buy the s13 off ya then :D

[bill_s13]

Now for sale:

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?p=6007904#post6007904

[MEL]

That's a shame

[Pablo13]

:( Still one some will get a cracker.