House's ITB XE build and re-build

[House]

You love polishing pipes eh Benn?!? Haha

Scott, I agree that it won't make a jot of difference!! I think I could get away with 2 1/2 inch pipe feeding it, the 3 inch stuff looks huge!!

Craig, I had plans for something very similar, bonnet wise, I'm running the 40mm trumpets currently and I think they'll go under the plenum, the other option is to cut the bulkhead out and run some curved longer trumpets and have the plenum up nearer the windscreen with the filter where the battery would normally be.

But we'll see how it runs with the current plenum and go from there, I'm due at track and road to do a final map check cos I've upped the Rev limit so we wanted to see what it would make power wise, I could do a back to back test with the filter as it is now in the bay and then with the plenum installed.

[Benn]

It's a great idea, but what size trumpets do you use? that plenum doesn't look like it gives you much choice over the stubby little ones.

My future plans are to build a top feed airbox with a panel filter inside which seals onto the cut in bonnet vent.

This. 100%

Air is fed direct to the tbs.

I did/helped to a S200 and SX with a line of them over the turbo and filter. Looks great, is minimal and works great

[House]

So brief update, car is back in the garage and the up hill struggle begins!!!

I will get some photos tomorrow, basic run down is this.

Piston rings are FUBAR, blowing smoke when accelerating hard!! I think that 10 hours at 4000-5000 rpm driving to North Wales then Snetterton then home again has done it no favours, I knew the rings wouldn't last long as the bores were oval when I assembled it, so it's no huge surprise. More annoying is the rear crank oil seal is leaking like a sieve, I can drive to PVS with dying piston rings but not without oil, so the box is coming off tomorrow so I can replace that seal, I'm gonna do the inner CV's while I'm at it aswell as one of the gaiters is knackered and they need changing so while it's out get it all done!!

On the plus side the inlet plenum fits and works, some adjustments needed for other parts to be mounted, anyone know where I can get hold of longer HT leads?!?

I'll get some data regarding the temps once the oil seal is sorted and also I can get the cold air feed bracketed up and held securely.

On a plus not the sump is now sealed up tighter than a new prisoners bottom hole on his first day in maximum security, used some blue Hylomar, let is set for 5 mins then smacked it together, looks pretty too!!!

As for the piston rings, I've had a bit of an epiphany regarding this engine I'm building. I don't think I want all that power anymore, I want something reliable, so the plan is this.

Block is going to Modus with the pistons to be CC'd to get the pistons machined to give us a CR of 11.5:1. I'm then gonna use the oil pump with the steel gears, the steel rods, polish the standard crank, get the flywheel lightened to an inch of it's life and get the whole lot balanced up so I'll end up with a "bomb proof" bottom end.

I'll use the head that's on the engine in the car now and just roll with it, should make 190 again (what it's running now) then when I get a bit bored I can throw the other head with the big valves on with some milder cams, maybe some 288's, I only really want 215-220bhp.

So that's where we're at.

Pictures tomorrow once the oil seal is done, might sling my paddle clutch in while I'm in there!!!

[Benn]

Christ just a small bit of work to do then.... Best get cracking!

[House]

Box out, crank seal changed and flywheel and clutch back on, new cv's coming tomorrow, gotta paint my bathroom then I'll get it all back together in the afternoon and we'll see where we're at. New engine is gonna be about a month, jay is really busy, so will try and fit the calculating and maching in as soon as he can.

[nova_niek]

Christ! You don't hang about!

[House]

Laid a laminate floor in the spare room this morning aswell!!

Painting the bathroom tomorrow morning then get the box back in, see if it leaks!!! I put a smear of oil in the face of the seal that touches the crank on Jay's advice!! Looks like that might have been my schoolboy error I made last time!!

[House]

Update then,

CV's arrived at 4.20, by 6.20 the engine was running box attached!!



Got the inlet plenum mounted up and the feed for it fed down in-front of the gearbox, the filter fits but it's as tight as a nats bottom exithole.

Seems to work well, I'll get the temp figures tomorrow but if nothing else it looks like it makes more sense than the filter in the bay.

Oh and it still leaks from the crank seal!! I can't be bothered with it now, I'll just carry some oil in the car and top it up as an when, the only annoyance is it splashes back onto the drive shaft and sprays everywhere in the bay!!!! Pressure washer every time I drive it!!!

[Benn]

Coming along very well. Nice flooring too..

[House]

All was going so well!!

Piston 1 is shot!! Rings are knackered!! Oily spark plug was causing a misfire!!

Managef to source another working engine that's going on a pallet early part of next week. I'll get that in the car so we can still do some planned track days, don't want to miss out when the sun is shining!!

Fingers crossed the current engine makes the slow drove to and back from PVS!!

In the meantime I've sent the big engine parts down to the guys at Modus to get everything measured and machined up that's gonna be around 6-8 weeks before it's all ready.

All the fun of the fair!!!