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PollyMobiles Rebuild

this dark winters evening after work makes me sleepy :(:sleep:
just enough energy tonight to reassemble the gearbox :cool:

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the old tie rods are really worn with a lot of play.
cut apart to re-use the rubber boot cos the bolt is seized on

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the new rose joint. slightly beefier than the old Dunlop joint

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machined & chamfered an extension for the weld to penetrate

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welded and machined it down

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PAS steering rack complete

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removing all the PAS plumbing since I'll be rerouting the cooling lines over to the auto radiator

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getting abit carried away, I can now clean the years of oil stain & dirt off the engine bay

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a lick of black paint to contrast the red / silver engine

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to eliminate any movement of the steering rack, I machined some solid bush mounts

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the off-side bushing has a flat side so I cut the solid part in half and used the original rubber for the other half

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cut the near-side bushing in half to fit over the rack followed by the clamp

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new clean PAS rack securely mounted to the chassis :cool:

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so a few months ago I printed these replacement plastic mounts for a m8s glass sliding shower door

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but the heavy weight of the glass had cracked the weak PLA plastic

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so I redesigned it out of really beefy stainless steel to ensure it's strong enough this time :D

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cutting some 8mm thick stainless bar for the bracket plates.
it's abit OTT but best to overengineer it :p

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machined the supporting collars that fits over the ball joint

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drilled the plates

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tapped

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machined the socket screw heads smaller so they don't foul. the two screws fit into the oval glass holes which keeps the bracket upright.

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welded up

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and rounded the corners

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New CG13DE engine

Several weeks ago I was messaged about a guy selling this complete CG13 engine with extras for £80 + £40 postage, probably done 100k, only owned by two prev victors so it's hardly ragged but he's down Suffolk.

other local offers where £150 but they're just for a bare engine or short block.

the guy needed time finding a pallet & sorting courier before I could buy it, and since I had other stuff in the engine bay to fix, I patiently waited.
he had a slight issue with the courier who won't collect the pallet without his signature and he couldn't have it collected from his new work place :(

but then he said he was driving up to Lincoln to visit his gf on weekend and it's only £40 of fuel in total for me to drive there/back, exactly the same as the courier.

so I drove 4hrs down to lincoln, brought the whole thing for £80, another tiring 4hrs back home and wahey I have a new engine along with tons of bonus extras :D:D

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yup it's a cg13de

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begin stripping all the bits off

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checking 4 plugs, they're simply perfect. been running spot on

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removed inlet mani and even the gasket is still intact :D

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inlet is real clean

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here's the oil filter that's fitted, but wth? it's brand new, still fresh dry and never used before I brought this :eek::D saves me buying one :p

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exhaust gasket is that nasty cheap graphite composite type

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nice lean dusting of soot

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fresh manifold with an O2 & cat

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still clean & flat face compaired to mine

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here's a surprise, normally these philips screws on the rocker covers are often seized at this age but amazingly they all loosened off easily :D:D

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inside looks quite nice & normal with no sludge :cool: it looks hardly used

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water pump is also kinda recent but has this strange jelly deposit from the dried coolant?

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stacking up all the major bits & pieces in the garage, good to know I'll have plenty of spares to keep her going for many yrs :):D

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checking the valve clearances first and wow they're all spot on within spec.

Inlet 1 (0.305 / 0.279)
Inlet 2 (0.279 / 0.305)
Inlet 3 (0.279 / 0.305)
Inlet 4 (0.279 / 0.279)

Exh 1 (0.381 / 0.381)
Exh 2 (0.381 / 0.356)
Exh 3 (0.356 / 0.381)
Exh 4 (0.356 / 0.356)

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this is by far hands down thee best conditioned, easiest to work on and absolute bargain spare cg13 I've ever brought :love::cool:
 
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so a few months ago I printed these replacement plastic mounts for a m8s glass sliding shower door

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but the heavy weight of the glass had cracked the weak PLA plastic

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so I redesigned it out of really beefy stainless steel to ensure it's strong enough this time :D

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cutting some 8mm thick stainless bar for the bracket plates.
it's abit OTT but best to overengineer it :p

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machined the supporting collars that fits over the ball joint

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drilled the plates

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tapped

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machined the socket screw heads smaller so they don't foul. the two screws fit into the oval glass holes which keeps the bracket upright.

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welded up

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and rounded the corners

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I like the idea Paul but.........
You are now putting a LOT more weight onto the glass panel, which I assume hangs from the fairly flimsy frame/track. This will be the next failure point and not so easy to fix.........:oops:
 
I like the idea Paul but.........
You are now putting a LOT more weight onto the glass panel, which I assume hangs from the fairly flimsy frame/track. This will be the next failure point and not so easy to fix.........:oops:

relative to the weight of the glass which weighs a ton, these brackets are only at worst gonna add bout the weight of a jug of water overall :p
most of the door weight goes through the bottom rail which is anchored to the shower floor.
the top rail is just there to keep it upright.

tbh because this old shower unit is obviously no longer supported with any spares, this was just a 'last resort' fix for him to avoid shelling £££ for a whole new shower setup :p
 
removed the sump, oil abit black & old

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cams off, just a light film of baked oil

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measuring the shims

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amazing to find the head bolts are super clean & never touched since factory

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pistons & oem HG in good condition

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open-deck manual CG13 block

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but just look at the water jacket, they're still factory fresh with no rust and the cylinder top doesn't have any wear ridges.
been well maintained :cool:

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coolant softening the old HG as usual

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other than coolant staining, the head is fine & untouched.
one of the exhaust valve on cyl #2 is oddly lean?

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That engine looks like a great find :) good luck with the rebuild, glad to see things are moving in the right direction again for you.

Sent from my SM-G901F using Tapatalk
 
I thought that you were going to base the rebuild on another auto block Paul? How will the open deck block stand up to the high state of tune that you had before?
 
Are you forging this engine Paul or just stripping it down regardless?

I thought that you were going to base the rebuild on another auto block Paul? How will the open deck block stand up to the high state of tune that you had before?

An open deck block will be more than up to the task of ~160bhp :)
 
I thought that you were going to base the rebuild on another auto block Paul? How will the open deck block stand up to the high state of tune that you had before?

preferably an auto block but this is what I got and tbh the fresh condition of this whole engine is more important than trying to obtain a closed-deck structure.

I've ran a normal open-deck block with this turbo setup before and the HG was perfectly fine throughout daily & track abuse...till something cracked the #3 ring land one night (probably standard end gaps too tight?)
 
Are you forging this engine Paul or just stripping it down regardless?



An open deck block will be more than up to the task of ~160bhp :)

can't afford forged bits.
just my usual way of stripping it all down to fully inspect / log the condition and then increase the end gaps so the chocolate pistons don't bind up again with the turbo at full wack
 
with both old & new engine stripped down, I can compare the subtle differences between the two blocks

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old destroyed automatic CG13 block (left)
Vs newer manual CG13 (right)

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first thing I noticed was that all of my previous blocks over the years auto or manual would have this lower-sprocket oiling jet but this new block doesn't have it at all? :unsure:

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slightly different stamping between the two layouts & generation

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old block had 4 bolts for the crank breather shield whereas the new block just uses 3

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old block featuring an extra port in the main bearing for feeding oil onto the lower timing chain / sprocket.
and very subtle mould & number difference in the corner


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wonder if these engine number stamps are numerically ascending?

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closed deck vs open deck

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I'll check my CGA3 that's up on the engine stand as a comparison, just for the fun of it. The only obvious difference on the later blocks is the inclusion of a mount point for a knock sensor.

I've noted that the numbers on the engine are fairly meaningless with respect to dates. On the later coilpack engines, there's actually a stamping on the cam side cover which has the year/month of manufacture on it. The last CGA3 donor engine I bought was a 2002 unit, so fairly late.
 
I'll check my CGA3 that's up on the engine stand as a comparison, just for the fun of it. The only obvious difference on the later blocks is the inclusion of a mount point for a knock sensor.

I've noted that the numbers on the engine are fairly meaningless with respect to dates. On the later coilpack engines, there's actually a stamping on the cam side cover which has the year/month of manufacture on it. The last CGA3 donor engine I bought was a 2002 unit, so fairly late.

cool, knock sensor would be handy for forced induction :cool:
aye the engine # at the front seems to just be serial #.

the stamping above the rear crank seal appears to be the block casting date.
here's a few I found from my collection.

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I'm guessing:
'M' is manufactured,
left dial is Year,
right dial is Week of the year,
#2 is closed-deck automatic type block,
#9 is open-deck manual type block.
 
pistons #1 - 4 appear ok, slight carbon above the oil rings

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big end & main shells look normal

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cleaned all the old carbon off the pistons & grooves

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measuring the ring end gaps

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(Cylinder 1 / 2 / 3 / 4)
Top
(0.406 / 0.432 / 0.432 / 0.457)
2nd (0.457 / 0.457 / 0.559 / 0.508)

all the oil ring gaps were beyond my 1mm feeler gauges.

so while the rest of the engine is fresh & tight, the rings are oddly worn at the max oem limit for running N/A.
but since I was gonna widen the end gaps to ensure they don't bind up & crack ringlands from the intense heat of running turbo, it seems normal wear & tear has already done that for me so no need to touch it :D

cleaned the block & retapped threads

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assembled the pistons & crank. chose the thickest pair of thrust bearings from both engines and the end-float is now 0.127mm (right in middle of the limits)

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cleaned the sealing surfaces with razor blades

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new HG

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old timing chain guide marked as week 66 (left) while the new guide marked as week 97 appears less worn (right)

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the old lower tensioner (left) seems less worn than the newer tensioner (right) which has quite deep grooves

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the old upper tensioner (left) is fresher than the new upper tensioner (right)

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comparing old & new timing chains, they're both exactly the same length with zero stretch

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but noticed the new mid-idler pulley is a lighter design, cos racekor :D

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also the idler pulley shaft features a narrow 'step' in the oil gallery before the oiling holes :unsure:

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fit timing cover

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fresh HG

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head bolts all torqued down perfectly :cool:

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Had you considered, Paul, that the difference in timing chain guide wear could well be due to the better lower sprocket lubrication on the old engine? Did you drill & tap the boss on the new block and fit the oil jet from the old engine?
 
Had you considered, Paul, that the difference in timing chain guide wear could well be due to the better lower sprocket lubrication on the old engine? Did you drill & tap the boss on the new block and fit the oil jet from the old engine?

possibly, but all the chain guides, piston rings, cylinder pitting and crank thrust bearings are equally worn out so it could just be high mileage?
the minimal sludge suggests regular oil changes?

my pillar drill ain't big enough for the block to accurately drill the gallery holes for an oil jet. drilling it by hand won't be as accurate and very risky imo for little return.
I would've thought the timing chain was lubed enough from excess oil spraying from all the camshaft bearings/sprockets, idler sprocket, hydraulic tensioners & main bearing?
 
valve shim thicknesses corrected & cams fitted :cool:

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now the rebuilt valve clearances are perfection :love:

Inlet 1 (0.279 / 0.279)
Inlet 2 (0.279 / 0.279)
Inlet 3 (0.279 / 0.279)
Inlet 4 (0.279 / 0.279)

Exh 1 (0.356 / 0.356)
Exh 2 (0.356 / 0.356)
Exh 3 (0.356 / 0.356)
Exh 4 (0.356 / 0.381)
 
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To finish making these clamping washers for a friends shower door mount I cut, drilled & grinded these stacks of steel plates simultaneously to maintain accuracy

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complete. just need to add some rubber cusions

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curved the face of the shower mount with a grinder to follow the curve of the glass door and apply clamping force only in the middle without bending/shattering the glass

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finished by sticking some foam on top to cusion the glass

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at work the new delivery had missing or detached headlight tilting motors so the beams were simply pointing right down at night

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as a simple quick temporary fix to hold the reflector up, I made these adjustable pegs with some nuts, bolts & washers

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worked a treat and can see at night now :cool:

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comparing the old & new rear crank seals before fitting.
the dark brown seal from my blown up engine (12279-BX00A / INA53538) was fitted back in 2013 and the sealing edge still appears sharp so I reused it.
the light brown seal from the spare engine (12279-2F000 - INA53384) looks original from the 90s and the seal lips have worn a bit flatter

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some studs & this grub screw were seized on

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so I did the old trick of adding welds on the fastener to both heat up & provide more leverage

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1st attempt simply snapped off cos the surrounding Alu head was soaking all the heat away so the weld nugget couldn't fuse to the steel grub screw

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tried Max setting and the hotter weld worked :)

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wirebrushed the engine clean :cool:

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I plan to replace all the ferrous steel pipes in the cooling system (which tends to rust & contaminate the fluid) with stainless/alloy so the coolant stays cleaner for longer.

clamped the thermostat housing steel pipes in a vice & twisted em off

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machined & inserted the new alloy ports

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testing the thermostats and the genuine one from the spare engine worked perfect so I'm reusing it, whereas the aftermarket stat from the blown engine no longer opens fully

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fitted the stainless manifold studs

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Do you think the partially opening thermostat caused you issues? We know number 3 is the weak spot, and my old rally engine the paint around no 3 flaked off with the heat but the other three were all ok. Is there an issue with the water flow around no 3?
 
Do you think the partially opening thermostat caused you issues? We know number 3 is the weak spot, and my old rally engine the paint around no 3 flaked off with the heat but the other three were all ok. Is there an issue with the water flow around no 3?
It's never ever overheated at all so I think it opens far enough for normal use but just not ideal for max cooling on track.

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Micra Sports Club mobile app
 
I plan to replace all the ferrous steel pipes in the cooling system (which tends to rust & contaminate the fluid) with stainless/alloy so the coolant stays cleaner for longer.

clamped the thermostat housing steel pipes in a vice & twisted em off

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machined & inserted the new alloy ports

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testing the thermostats and the genuine one from the spare engine worked perfect so I'm reusing it, whereas the aftermarket stat from the blown engine no longer opens fully

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fitted the stainless manifold studs

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Hello Master Paul first of all you are doing a great job as usual.
Those two pipes almost f..k my engine they was litterally gone and rusty.
Fortunately i saw some drops when i was changing The alternator belt.
The hoses was attacked to the house with a few millimiter
Ciao.


Inviato dal mio SM-J500FN utilizzando Tapatalk
 
I think I would have put a couple of shallow grooves in each pipe and used some Loctite
Studlock, then pushed them into the housing..............

it was quite a tight fit to press in, like the originals so I think it'll be alreet. pretty difficult to get em back out without wrecking it :p
 
it was quite a tight fit to press in, like the originals so I think it'll be alreet. pretty difficult to get em back out without wrecking it :p
The secret of getting a good interference fit without any loctite or similar would be to make the tube at least 5 thou bigger than the hole in the housing, then put the tube in the freezer for a couple of hours and heat the housing in boiling water, same principle used for shrink fitting the ring gear on a flywheel.......
 
The secret of getting a good interference fit without any loctite or similar would be to make the tube at least 5 thou bigger than the hole in the housing, then put the tube in the freezer for a couple of hours and heat the housing in boiling water, same principle used for shrink fitting the ring gear on a flywheel.......

gr8 tip john :)
 
I might be wrong but I'm fairly sure the steel pipes are cast into housing originally.

looking at the steel pipe from the inside it clearly looked like the housing was drilled straight through, chamfered edges, and the steel pipe simply pressed in. no signs of the housing being casted over the steel pipe.

we'll see if it leaks on the day :p
 
the old coolant tank was beginning to suffer from the classic brittle plastic.
a customer at work managed to obtain a spare tank before the car was scrapped and said just have it for free, awesome! :D

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it was in solid condition which was a bonus but was abit dirty/gunky and brushes obviously can't reach everywhere.
soon found a trick to 1/2 fill it with washing powder, warm water, some rice & after a good shake & rinse, it was clean as a whistle :cool:

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drilled out the trap-door oil pickup to swap to the new sump

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welded in place

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detached the enclosures pop rivets for access to clean out the sump

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cut the obstructing bump off the sump

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welded the new flat piece on

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primed & painted the engine cover, sanded the letters before laquering :cool::cool:

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few stainless pipes arrived for making the coolant return pipe

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rather than have the turbo drain hole sitting flush to the sump wall where the oil could slosh forward & up the sump during hard braking, pushing into the drain hose which could disrupt the turbo oil drainage flow, I machined an extension to drain further within the middle of the sump so the sloshing simply flows around the tube

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welded from the inside so the AN fitting & threads remain clean

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swapped the machined spark plug tube collars over to the new head so that the engine cover seals tighter & better

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fresh engine cover fitted :cool:

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after cleaning & painting the sump, I attached these rubber bits under the trap-door oil pickup for sealing the chamber. far safer than the old method using tigerseal which could've dislodged in the hot oil and cause big issues

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wirebrush the manifold sparkly :cool::cool:

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since I'm using an external GTIR MAF and have a spare micra TB, I can delete the MAF element from this old TB for better flow.
totally stripped apart the TB

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the circuit board on these preface TB was screwed, soldered & glued securely onto the casing

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the MAF element is simply secured by the glued circuit board and an o-ring seal

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the circuits & MOSFET are attached to this steel backplate as a heatsink

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chopped off the useless old waxstat

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figured I could fit the TB on my lathe :D

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initially machined the top opening alot neater than before :)
will soon enlarge the bore with a bigger butterfly from 45mm to 50mm

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The rubber on the pan, sure it's oil resistant?, Just it may also break down as well specially off the heat cycles ect has a few bike engines with cheap rubber seals break down prematurely ,would a old bit of rocker cover gasket.work better as that should be more resistant to oil heat cycles
 
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