508 replies to this topic

[Jamie_hail]

We do - everybody knows everybody - its brilliant! I bet Terry was expecting me to not even have a clue who he was!

[KieranB]

haha even if they live 40 miles away you will still know them.

cars looking good jamie by the way. keep up the good work

[Terry1987]

Off topic here, you're from Fort William? I LOVE that place so much, used to drive up every year from Kent...

Doubt it but ... do you know Alan, tall bloke, from Fasfern Cottages?

I'm from a place near Fort William - Glenfinnan! And as I'm very involved with the estate, I know Alan Currie VERY Well! He's just married Fiona after nearly 7 years of engagement! You'll probably know Michael too?

Cool, yes I remember the stag do he was going on about... I don't know Michael though I don't think.. A few years back Al even paid for me to stay in FW to come up and work on his old Vectra GSi...

I remember jumping in his truck once and could feel something under my feet on the floor, a bloody hatchet! lol

If you see him, Tell him I said "Hi"

[Rhys]

Just read through the whole thing, awesome thread. I didn't see anything about the drive shafts, did you get some made up in the end or bite the bullet and buy them from allspeed. I am starting my build and looking for some cost cutting ideas!

[Kam]

If your paying out for a frame then pay out for some driveshafts, if your making your own frame then you could make your own or get someone too but cost cutting and builds don't generally go well together, peace of mind or paranoia is pricey

[Rhys]

There wasn't going to be a bodged driveshaft build, I was thinking back to the mention of other places that make custom shafts. Looks as if £300 or so is the standard price.

[Jamie_hail]

Not 100% sure yet - I think I'm going to go for the allspeed setup for simplicity! However - there was a company I found who'll do them for £400, but with a lifetime warrantee as they're sold as 'indestructable' - So going to check them out first...

My main priority however is getting this engine in and running first - then I'll concentrate on gear linkages and driveshafts! Got a photoshoot for a romanian magazine in a few weeks - so I'll finish the cosmetics off too - get the front end ordered and wired in! Then all I need to worry about is gauges, gears, drive and brakes.


I've also got some new wheels coming - 13x7 superlites. Straight swap with the guy for my 12x6's

[Jamie_hail]

Oh - forgot to mention! I FOUND THE NUTS! Engine is mated to the gearbox now, and ready to go in! I've also got 12v to both the injector plugs on the loom, and 12v to the starter motor solenoid and coil. Means she SHOULD run okay!

[charie t]

i was going to ask if you have got that digger going yet.

[Jamie_hail]

Digger is back in action tommorow (Wednesday) Evening. Hopefully for the last time!

[Jamie_hail]

Well well well... What a week its been... The digger broke down, so went on the hunt for an engine crane! My local scrappy, thankfully, let me borrow his for a few days!

So, I've been in the garage most nights till 2/3am... And I'm finally starting to see progress - huge motivation to get it done now!



After deciding where I was gonna posistion the ECU - I finally decided on a spot where if I decide to go for the hondata route, can be easily accessed... 4 bolts through into the inner wing, o rings under the bolts on the other side to prevent water ingress!



Main relay positioned... on the inside of the bulkhead box! Needs painted still though!

Wiring loom has been passed through the air vent, Sillicone sealed and then clipped in place both sides... Once i'm happy, i'll put a skim of filler around where it comes out, again to help with water ingress...





Had to cut the loom to pass it through though!




I've wired in all interior illumination - switches, and interior lights... Temporary cable restraints (duct tape) in posistion, to be replaced with proper clips when I'm happy with the position...



Into a chock-block connector and out as two wires! One live, one earth.





Engine mounted up to the box!





Now - the fun part! The engine goes in...

Dropped the gearbox end in first, put a bit of rope around the mounts to hold it in place, then twisted the other end in... Thought I'd have to remove the pully first, but got away with it!









Used the jack to get the mounts posistioned right...

[Jamie_hail]

Bolt in!





IN!





Looks like I'm going to have to drop the sump to get my allignment done... If I need to adjust the tie rods anyway!



Test fit of the inlet manifold...



Plenty of room! It's going to lift an inch or so when I put the nuts on anyway, but waiting for the gasket first! Ordered a tegiwa thermal gasket - should help keep intake temps down in such a cramped engine bay!



Exhaust mani also test fitted - clears everything, even looks although the lambda probe MIGHT clear the gbox mount!





Photo is misleading - its about 1cm clear...





I LOVE 4-2-1 systems... They look ace!

No problem with clearances either...







Plenty of room for oil filter changes too! Got about 7 inches of room between engine and bulkhead...



And a shot with the engine shimmed correctly - digital spirit level read 0 degrees across the rocker cover! Garage really needs a tidy!




Now! Onto wiring... As you know, I hate wires... So, when it came to wiring in the engine loom... I decided to go for a wire tuck... there will be NO visible wires... Maybe the odd bit of coloured conduit, but no wires...

This little bib bob thingy that sits in the top of the alternator only has two possible slots for the wires to exit out of, which is probably fine with a rear mounted alternator, but not front mounted, well it would be fine - but I'm fussy!
So, I took a file to the grinder to it, its only plastic, but my grinding disks are the same size as my wire, so it did the job perfectly!





Now, the wire exits pointing back towards the engine - problem solved... The wire will run down to the back of the alternator, and along, around the back of the block.



Cap back on, and rewired (extended all the wires to the alternator to allow the rest of the loom to remain hidden!)



Did an oil filter change tonight, to a hamp filter... it's a lot smaller than the original, but still fits okay!



My favourite part - a nice box load of stainless steel bolts and pclips arrived today - time to start putting everything back together!






Little 'instagram' arty shot of the first manifold fitting.




Right - important matters now!

Managed to break the cap off my knock sensor (common occurence according to honda forums, easily done, apparantly the plastic goes brittle over the years!)

Does anyone have one lying around?

Goes in this hole - below inlet manifold, above pipe running across back.



And looks like this...






Also, I need a throttle position sensor, mines been broken in the garage.. Kam - I think I remember you said you're using a BLOX one... Do you have the original lying around I could possibly buy from you?


Just ordered the sillicone hose kit, hopefully in red if japanese ebay manny can read my order... And the tegiwa intake gasket. Will order drive shafts next pay day, then boot floor, rear valance, fuel tank and plumbing!

[johny:)]

Always good to see the engine go I'n looks like you been working hard did you ring that guy i gave you the number for

[Kam]

Holy jeeeeesus mate thats some update! You've really cracked on

I sold my complete b16 throttle body on and my current throttle body is aftermarket but I used the TPS off the type-r TB I bought as the aftermarket one didn't have one, so none here I'm afraid

Again I had a knock sensor with the type-r block but I didn't need it for my current one so I sold that on aswell

Tie rods adjustments are a biaaatch-ass!

Love the alternator clip positioning, simple but effective!

I know you said you shimmed the engine position and its level and it might just be the pictures but the cam side still looks a tad high to me, I found this with mine, unless the rocker cover is precisely level with the head when tightened down on the gasket then its hard to take the reading from the top

Have a good look from the front, use the body lines (I know mini bodies aint renowned for there straightness!) use the frame lines etc go by eye

Cracking progress though, impressed, keep at it!

[Rhys]

Wow, that was some serious progress, not far off first start now I bet?