My rush for PVS...

[tom_beverley]

Sadly, after 6 months rest, my van failed her MOT on Saturday.

Rust is starting to get a grip on her now, needs a bit of welding doing at the back of the sill, also in the rear wheel arch behind the fuel filler pipe.
I know its not severe but its disheartening when you discover these rust patches and to make it worse, the first welding that needs doing on the shell.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/NovaRust002.jpg

Other bits were a corroded brake pipe which I was hoping would scrape through and a CV boot which I had overlooked.

The bottom of the passenger door is now rusting through, and also the back arches are beginning to look a little bubbly!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/NovaRust001.jpg

Anyway, on a better note, over the last couple of weeks I've been getting my new engine ready to assemble, hopefully to put in later this week. However, got one problem. I can't get in touch with Chris from Allitt Motorsport to order and pay for the rings and heavy duty bearings so I'm hoping he is back tomorrow!

Got everything else all ready to go together, got a few nice parts aswell.

Heres the block after just been stripped

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/Picture016.jpg

And now after a quick degrease and rebore

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/Picture014.jpg

The weight matched rods and Mahle pistons

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/Picture013.jpg

My paddle clutch, cover and 5kg flywheel

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/Picture012.jpg

Crank all nice and smooth after grind

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/Picture011.jpg

Also bought myself a nice 4-2-1 Lexmaul manifold and went a bit overkill on the wrapping...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/Picture006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/Picture004.jpg

And finally a nice a clear pick up pipe. When I removed this God knows how anything could get through all the crap that clogged it up!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/Picture001-1.jpg

A quick bottom end & drive spec is:

F13 CR 4.18 Gearbox
C16XE Ally Sump
Reground C16SE Crank
Sach 4 Paddle Clutch & Cover
Lightened Flywheel
Clutch Assembly Balanced
1400 block bored to accept 79.5mm Mahle Pistons
Weight Matched & Balanced Rods
ARP Bolts

Can anyone recommend good products/methods for cleaning up and painting the block and gearbox? I've just used degreaser a couple of times and don't know if its clean enough to paint up yet.

[Ash]

79.5mm pistons - is that not 1.6 size? hold on and a 1.6 crank?
what conrods are you using? surely it would of been easier to start with a 1.6?

Looking good tho, about the same stage mine is (engine wise)

[draper]

whats the deal with heatwrap ??

[Adam]

Looking good, shame about the nova tho :( Going sort it?

[tom_beverley]

Yeah I'm gutted about the nova, I'm going to replace the sills completely later in the year, just have them patched up for now though and refit the skirts :( Its getting a good clean and waxoyled underneath this week aswell.

Standard piston is 79mm for the 1600, tbh it hasn't really been much more trouble than starting off with a 1600, both blocks would need to bored to fit the pistons. The 1400 block was readily available and I couldn't find a 1600 anywhere locally.

[Andy]

:confused: I know this a bit random but where did you get those mudflaps from please?:thumb:

[craig green]

Hope everything goes to plan Tom.

Be a bit stealthy having a 1600 with 1.4 engine numbers.

Use a wire brush on a drill to strip the block & use a primer before any Hammerite etc.

[tom_beverley]

Thanks Craig,

Yes, a bit stealthy! Might just not mention its a 1600 inside lol

Just found out the 16v crank fits in the 8v block and is stronger :roll: something to do with the pully bolt being crap and liable to slip at high revs on the 8v crank.

Ordered some mounts and plating kit from Chris Astley this morning so I hope they will be here in next couple of days. Nearly skint already and I've just been paid! :(

Going to get some wire brush attachments today, I'm sure I had a few but can't find them anywhere!

I got the mudflaps off Ebay last summer.

[draper]

:confused: I know this a bit random but where did you get those mudflaps from please?:thumb:

mudflaps are always on ebay pal


really enjoying this thread, very informative

[craig green]

8v block will be strong enough for anything you could want to put in it tbh. But 16v is stonger. I've never heard of the pulley bolt slipping. If it came loose yeah, but thats likely to be installation error.

[Adam]

Indeed the thread on the 16v pully bolt is larger than earlier 8v's.

[tom_beverley]

Hehe block is all primered up, while I was at it I did the gearbox aswell, forgot my camera though lol

Searched for a few other threads about painting the block and I've got my tin of Ronseal (should be same as Hammerite shouldn't it?) at the ready so will get that slapped on when I finish work.

Just need the bearings now... :roll:

Think I might have to go for standard duty bearings now because I can't get in touch with Chris from Allitt Motorsport, unless anyone else can recommend a supplier of Heavy Duty Mains and Big Ends?

[craig green]

I think heavy duty bearings are a bit of a myth too......

[tom_beverley]

Hmmm, the idea of them being heavy duty appeals more since the rest of the engine is uprated.

Any suppliers?

[tom_beverley]

I have all the parts needed now so no excuses lol

Sump, block and gearbox (what a pain in the a$$) are painted with a couple of coats of silver Ronseal,
new shells are installed,
crank in place (eventually, crank was catching at first)
collecting new flywheel and main bearing cap bolts this afternoon along with a spankly new cambelt cover,
so should get the block completed tonight then get the Nova down the unit tomorrow and drop the old engine out, build new engine up and hey presto.

Hopefully it should be as easy as that :p

Most time consuming bit is making sure everything is spotless.

Got a few more progress pics last night but camera died so will post them up later.

[craig green]

Nice one mate. Hope it all goes to plan.

I thought Ronseal was for fences? LOL

[tom_beverley]

Yes, lol but they also do a similar to Hammerite metal paint, I've had it about a year now so had to put it to some use. Just hope it doesn't burn off!

[Martin]

Good luck with the conversion 2moramate.. hope to see ti sunday..

[tom_beverley]

Thanks :) Just itching to finish work and get stuck in

[craig green]

Are you gonna have it run-in within an hour?
Like I have my new Fiesta company car. Hehe.

[SRlew]

what primer did you use on the block?
was a good read that!

[tom_beverley]

Just used spray on primer, should do the trick!

Well, I'm gutted now, worked on the engine/Nova last night till 1am and was back there at 8am today, and its still not finished. :cry: I tried my best to get it done but there wasn't enough time in the day and I aren't cutting corners just so I can drive it down!

I'm still travelling down with the gf to PVS tomorrow (in my 306td), so looking forward to the show is relieveing the disappointment a little bit. I'll go round the Novaload stand and hope to see and meet you all there.

The block is complete now anyway, looks good and I'm very happy with it. Should be a good motor as everything was done properly and to my best (and picky) standard.

Old engine and gearbox are out, I bought some new solid engine mounts from Chris Astley and thats where the problems started... They are good quality mounts but since you must have to use different bolts to fasten the engine and box brackets to them you would have thought these bolts would be included (the ones that go through the bush). So since its Saturday and most places shut at 12 I was screwed.

Also on the front engine mount the standard mount has two bolts whereas the solid mount only has one (although slightly larger), is this still secure enough? Just worries me a little.

Since I'd given up hope by about 3pm I took a few progress pictures and did a bit of waxoyling while I could get in, have loads more but heres a few...

Nice and clean bare block

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New007-1.jpg

Crank installed

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New009.jpg

Oil control piston ring on

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New011.jpg

Pistons and big end caps in order ready

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New014.jpg

Pistons going in...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New021.jpg

ARP bolts

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New024.jpg

Block finished with new (but wrong) cambelt cover, had to modify this as Vauxhall gave me one for without the pre-tensioner!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New034.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New035.jpg

Protected these bits before they get rusty, after admiring how clean the chassis legs are (now covered in waxoyl)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/tom_beverley/New028.jpg

[Ash]

good work, might as well do it right rather than rush it. Is that a 16v sump? Any advantage with them, baffled? What did you use to clean the block?