Mk2 XE Van..

[_Jake]

So after the decision was made that the shell i got off stuart was waaaaaay too solid to cut loads out of to make 4wd, The obvious thing to do was big block it lol Wanting to stay naturally aspirated as im only 17 & this is my first proper project as such. Also decided to make it into van as you dont see many around and i like to be a little different. Anyway this is how it stands at the moment:

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSCF0411.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSCF0373.jpg

Got the strengthening kit from LMF, not impressed with it at all :mad: but i got there in the end. Engine Bay has been fully stich welded too, but weird welding one of these rather than the 6mm i do at college :tard: Slowly gathering bits for it too, allready got Vectra V6 front calipers/ Rear calipers & hubs to go on. Although im actually having a bit of a hard time to find a good engine local to me :confused: Working on this during the week and weekends so expect lots of updates :)

[blue_peg_16v]

I'd keep an eye out for a 2.0 ecotec there a massively underrated engine and with the amount of them about can be bought for peanuts compared to an xe, could get a complete mot failed vectra for £150 sell a few bits and weigh the shell in and you would easily have your money back, plus with no cat it will pull about 140bhp with no other mods and be that little bit different, also they came in bog standard vectors like the ls so will be a little friendlier on insurance they will still crucify you due to your age but every little helps

[stupot89]

i have a 2.0 ecotec that could be for sale for the right offer pm me if your interested

[waggygsi]

yeah seen a yellow ecotec for sale on pistonheads running carbs a was about 220bhp or sumhing buddy

[_Jake]

I'd keep an eye out for a 2.0 ecotec there a massively underrated engine and with the amount of them about can be bought for peanuts compared to an xe, could get a complete mot failed vectra for £150 sell a few bits and weigh the shell in and you would easily have your money back, plus with no cat it will pull about 140bhp with no other mods and be that little bit different, also they came in bog standard vectors like the ls so will be a little friendlier on insurance they will still crucify you due to your age but every little helps

Have decided the x20xev is the way to go, after a bit of research apparantly they have the same bottom end as an XE & the head was developed by lotus! also alot cheaper too as you said. Not alot of progress to show, still welding away :tard: Getting it back rolling tomorrow night so i can get the fuel tank out as i nearly blew myself up last night by accident lol then to cut the spare wheel well out and get that flushed off, get the rear of the shell stitch welded, then make a start on the cage. Doubt ill get as far as the cage by sunday though :wtf:

[_Jake]

Little update:
All the steering/front suspension is back on now so its a rolling shell again, Mainly been mincing around aquiring parts.
have got so far:


GSI Bumpers/skirts/spoiler
Cavalier internal shifter
Corsa C electric steering column

Been round and put the Cav internal shifter in today:

Outer skin off:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSCF0423.jpg

and in:


http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSCF0424.jpg





Corsa column is a damn sight bigger than the nova one, and heavier lol but should be fair simple to get mounted. After that ill get the cage in. keep putting it off but its not going to do itself :tard: Also decided to use a bias pedal box too because im doing V6 vectra brakes allround so it'll help to set em up properly :)

[_Jake]

Been buggering about again tonight. Column this time,
Corsa c next to the nova one:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSCF0427.jpg

spent a bit of time looking & hmm'ing and harr'ing as you do lol & as you can see the end joint of each column is completely different:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSCF0429.jpg

Had originally thought of cutting the end off the Corsa UJ & welding the nova end on but apparently that will fail on a MOT so thats that idea out of the window :tard:
Stripped all the plastic gubbins & mounting off the corsa column and hung it via cable tie's in the car to get an idea of where it needs to be, doesnt look impossible & actually looks quite at home in the shell. Would be a picture of it in there but my wonderful camera ran out of battery lol another update on friday night :thumb:

[Will F]

Much better off using the Corsa B column - it mates up 100%!

[vx kev]

Like the sound of what your doing mate, will be good to watch your progress :thumb:

[_Jake]

Picked up a right POS today...

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/SS100313.jpg

But, it does have one crucial thing in it..
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/SS100312.jpg

was local & at £350 i wasnt gonna say no.
Come with loads of bits and bobs, enough to keep me occupied for a while :thumb: anyone want a banger shell? lol

[Connor]

Who did you buy that off? out of interest.

[_Jake]

guy in braintree, called matt

[Connor]

Ahh thought so, Pm'd :)

[_Jake]

Week later than planned, and its out lol
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSC01247.jpg

Right state, full rebuild i think :)

[_Jake]

Mainly been collecting missing parts for the xe to get it back to standard/fettling other bits and bob aka mincing really :d

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSC01277.jpg

Took the windscreen out, with dads tryed and tested method lol

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSC01276.jpg

Cage loosely sat in

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/DSC01275.jpg
also finished seam welding the rest of the inside of the car. Took a little while getting used to welding thin stuff as i only do 6mm upwards at college but im happy with it :)

Should be hopefully making spreader plates/feet for the cage next and then trying to notch it all in the right place so i can weld it in. Another update in two months... lol

[_Jake]

Got the rear beam off for strengthen ready for some coilys, meaning after that i can turret the shell then get the cage in lol

Only the one pic at the mo:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/578201_10150928515243701_896054588_n.jpg

will be doing the same the otherside where the spring seat was, was surprised how flexible the beam was but hopefully these should stop that. Will be chopping the shock mounts off too and replacing them with some beefier ones made from some box! It would of been finished tonight but i ran out of cutting discs and the plasma cutter was being a fool :(

oh and my new rims i shall be using :)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/551119_10150929012408701_2084679376_n.jpg

[BRoadGhost]

:)

[Balley]

Very Good welding pal!

[_Jake]

Very Good welding pal!
Thanks :) wish i was as good at understanding wiring though lol

[_Jake]

havent really touched this much lately, work/college/girlfriend taking up most of my time :roll: finished college till september now so that frees up another two days a week.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-06-24153807.jpg
Too the left, GM's version... Too the right, My version of a rear beam lol

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-06-24170508.jpg

Nothing else to report apart from ive brought some TB's & Plenum off of a Nissan pulsar GTI-R, and thinking of reflanging an Mitsi Evo exhaust manifold to an XE one so i can run a bloody great turbo. Only problem would be having a strong enough gearbox as i'd like 300hp+ if i were to do that, and i strictly dont want a ragged old F28! Thinking a heavily modified F23 could be the answer?

[Royston]

That looks fairly substantial reinforcement Jake, What are you intending using the car for?

Not wanting to put a damper on things, but please read my comments below, good project:thumb:

If you look at the original reinforcement of the axle, you will notice the leading gusset runs upwards to the neutral axis of the "V" beam, the reinforcement on the underside also run up towards the "V" beam. This is to enable the "V" beam to flex during cornering (anti phase) as it acts as an ARB, the ARB bar adds to the roll resistance.

The reinforcement you have added runs parallel to the bottom of the "V" beam and have created two abrupt stress raisers by resticting the length of the "V" beam can flex during cornering, which you might see as a plus, but could lead to rapid failure at those two locations, when you complete the other side you will have 4 high stress points.

If the car runs limited mileage/track days it should be OK, I would recommend regular inspection.

I spent many years testing twist beam suspension systems, food for thought...........

[_Jake]

That looks fairly substantial reinforcement Jake, What are you intending using the car for?

Not wanting to put a damper on things, but please read my comments below, good project:thumb:

If you look at the original reinforcement of the axle, you will notice the leading gusset runs upwards to the neutral axis of the "V" beam, the reinforcement on the underside also run up towards the "V" beam. This is to enable the "V" beam to flex during cornering (anti phase) as it acts as an ARB, the ARB bar adds to the roll resistance.

The reinforcement you have added runs parallel to the bottom of the "V" beam and have created two abrupt stress raisers by resticting the length of the "V" beam can flex during cornering, which you might see as a plus, but could lead to rapid failure at those two locations, when you complete the other side you will have 4 high stress points.

If the car runs limited mileage/track days it should be OK, I would recommend regular inspection.

I spent many years testing twist beam suspension systems, food for thought...........
only be track/drag use with this, i see what your getting at and we'll have to wait and see what happens i guess, cheers for your input :)

Edit: based on what you have said, would be a good idea to maybe heat treat the beam? IE Normalise it or maybe even stress relieve it?

[Iain]

While you're there its worth replacing the bottom shock mount brackets with some beefier versions, as the original small tabs are what the weight of the rear end will be sitting on.

[_Jake]

While you're there its worth replacing the bottom shock mount brackets with some beefier versions, as the original small tabs are what the weight of the rear end will be sitting on.
Had planned to do that, was thinking some 3 or 4mm box should be fine?

[_Jake]

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/246594_10151003990158701_351104128_n.jpg
These little beauts turned up today :) spacing for XE Inlet ports isnt a million miles out either, not sure weather to make them direct to head or use a inlet manifold as such at the moment though.

[_Jake]

Had planned to do that, was thinking some 3 or 4mm box should be fine?
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-07-11171930.jpg

ta-daa

[_Jake]

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-07-13180430.jpg

Hate spot weld drilling!

[_Jake]

started on the back

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-07-15173438.jpg

all out!

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-07-15181557.jpg

think im gonna make a jig to flip it over now and seam weld the under side

[_Jake]

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-07-21153227.jpg

£250 later an i have another XE :) done 130k and has never been in a little car ie; corsa/nova/tigra etc. Still has powersteering pump on! came with complete wiring loom ECU & F20 box. Seems a much better engine than my other XE as everythings there, and hasnt been ****ed around with. although i have no real need for it i only bought it as it was cheap and local lol might keep hold of it and put it in a manta at a later date...

[_Jake]

Been a while.... watching btac has made me want something with a turbo, so i'll let the pictures do the talking.

frontera cooler
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-09-21165756.jpg

TD05 Twinscroll from an Evo 4
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/Turbo2.png
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/turbo.png

stainless flange from mr dixon
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-09-22203012_zpscf7893f2.jpg

still need a pair of external waste gates & another flange to connect the manifold to the turbo though.
today i decided to put one of my xe's in
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-09-29160448.jpg
attempt number one;
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-09-29163117.jpg
after a lot of swearing and jiggling i couldnt for the life of me get the gearbox splines to align with the crank when it was in the car so had to take it out, mate them up & nose dive the ******* into the car gearbox first
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-09-29181115.jpg
to then find i didnt have a drivers side engine mount rubber, axle stand under the sump for now lol

then i placed the cooler/tb's & plenum on as a rought guestimate:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-09-29184735.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-09-29184758.jpg

not much room for the turbo, 2 waste gates, raditor & fan :( deffinitely going to have to mount the cooler in a more further forward position i think! Next job, get the firewall cut out & get the pulsar tb's mounted to the head via a XE flange, should be interesting...

[_Jake]

No one seems to give a ****, but got a little more done sunday!

Reversed the boost pipe on turbo and removed the actuator & bracket
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07145546.jpg

Semi wedged it kinda in place with a rad to get a half idea lol
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07165556.jpg

with the boost pipe rotated, now comes out under the front lower cross member in the direction of the cooler
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07145745.jpg

which will go somewhere here...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07154052.jpg

although after that im probably going to be making a new cross member & boost pipe as its far from ideal.

turned my sights onto the GTI-R tb's after that
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07170812.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07170627.jpg

as you can see there not quite right for the port spacing of the xe head, but, they seem to both share the same angle of where manifold bolts to the head which is a help. So i'll be making a short manifold out of an old xe manifold like so
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-03183512.jpg
Not quite right yet needs shortening then a flange making up and welded on.

also realised that theyre going to hit the firewall once in properly
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07170137.jpg

so i got as much of that as i could safely with the block in, out lol
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07180245.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/bodmin344/2012-10-07180359.jpg

and left it at that really. Needing to sort a proper rad out & Make the manifolds to get it all in & done accurately but ive just payed off the insurance for the vectra so im a bit skint :cry: so sharnt be buying anything for a little while. Keep saying this but next job is to get the cage in lol

[Trivs_Tom]

I have to stop threatening to come and see how this is going and actually do it! Looking so good man, if i get a DERV next year we can use it as a tow whore for this haha!

[_Jake]

do it tom ;)