Lewy - 16v OG

[Lewy]

Right, today was quite a sucessful day, managed to get a bit done.

The wiring loom has now been completely taped up, it looks like a new one, as I managed to get hold of a roll of fabric tape from Glyn (vr6rallye) on Ed38 and an hour later after de-greasing the loom, the job was done.



My original idea was to run the loom through the chassis legs, but as the paint job I did on the legs wasn't 'the best', I thought I'd run the wiring in the original position, and as it's now looking really pretty and OE, I think it'll look the buisness.

I also managed to fit the servo today along with the resevoir (which has got new seals), along with the expansion tank mount. I've got a new tank but I'll wait untill the engine is in place before I fit that. I also moved the MFA temerature sensor, it used to come from the back of the dash, down the bulkhead, along the chassis leg and down to the front part of the front wing. What a palava!! So I pulled it backwards, through the bulkhead and down through the indicator wiring hole. It now goes over the arch liner and down to the sensor.

The other job I did today was remove the rear anti-roll bar - again :rolleyes:  as I'm going to get them both off for powdercaoting on Monday, hopefully they'll be back by Friday, so the rear end will be sorted and I'll not have remove the bloody amp box ever again!!!



Once the front one is back I'll be ready for the engine to go back in as it's a pain in the butt trying to drop the freshly painted subframe with the engine on, just to whack the ARB in.

Some more shots.

Freshly undersealed






I've got to do the ali heat shield next, on the inside, as the Milltek might be a bit on the noisy side.

Heres the wiring loom secured around the servo



And I whacked a spot ofpolish and wax on the bulkhead, so the inner wings and servo didn't look too out of place.


But...... these are my favourite pictures of the moment, sorry it took so long to get them up, but this is what my centre caps look like, and the wheels with the tyres on. I know they 'look' like the shallow type, but believe me they look the shizzle as they are phat!!

[Lewy]

Okay yesterday saw me getting up at 6 and going straight into work.

The engine and box is nearly ready to go back in but I popped the ARB's off to the powdercoaters, and as soon as they are back and fitted, the engine bay should be 90% complete.

I went about fitting the Recaro wiring loom in preperation of the seats going in



and replaced the old rainbow rear door cards with my spanking ed1 ones. I didn't realise the difference between the old and the new untill I'd got them side by side - it's quite a bit. When I stripped the interior out last year for the stereo install, I lined the inner rear wings and back of the door cards with some extra thick wool matting, the kind you find in your footwell. It's really good stuff, and it was free, so billy bonus all round.

Inner wing



Back of door card



Door card fitted - yum yum.



I then popped into my garage at home and grabbed the Recaros and fitted them - to say I was impressed was a bit of an understatement, I even sat there for 5 minutes going up and down in them - DIV KID!





The seats look more-or-less brand new, and after my main slice Joe re-bolstered them they feel new now. It's amazing that something so small as an interior can give you a right kick up the ass!

Other interior jobs consisted of replacing the dash fascia as the old one had a few cracks in it, albeit behind the stereo and switches, but it cheesed me off. It only takes a few minutes to change, but looks great. I did think for all of a nanosecond to colour code it, but I'm glad that my bag of crack was not that strong!!





Oh and another tiny job was a bit of bling for you shiny people.



I also replaced the selector ball in the bottom of the gear selector, bit of a bum job, but with a bit of patience and a swear box, you too can be richer and have a better selector! There wasn't that much wrong with the old one, but because I had one I replaced it anyway.



Should have some more photo's by the end of today.

[Lewy]

I've had the clutch sat in it's box for a few weeks, so yesterday I thought it was about time I fitted it. So I took the enigne off of the stand and laid it onto some thick foam so as not to scratch it. I replaced the crankshaft oil seal, and then proceeded to change the clutch. It was a piece of wee wee, and as there were a few lads working tonight I grabbed one just to help me fit the box. It went together so well I thought there must be something wrong, but I went through all the gears whilst turning the crank, and found everything was fine. I then went about fitting the new clutch release bearing, re-con'd starter, front mount, new alternator and a few more bit's and pieces

But at the moment this is what it looks like, albeit sat on my toolbox









The engine and box should be in by Thursday, as I'm being messed about by my powdercoater, (he's got too many gates to do!!) he said they'll be ready for Monday, so fingers crossed they'll be fitted by Wednesday night along with the exhaust and rear calipers, as I'm waiting on the ARB eyelet bushes.



I've also finished the undersealing as a mate of mine had noticed a few spots that I'd forgotten so I masked it all up again and got covered in it, not too much though as it was only a few spots.





I think you'll agree it looks good.

My deadline is getting closer and closer as the wee one is due next month, and Jo is taking it for paint sometime in July, so I'd better get my finger out and start cleaning some stuff

[Lewy]

After the joy of getting the new clutch fitted and the gearbox on, the reality set in. I'd forgotten that in order to get the engine and box re-fitted it would be advantageous to get the Eibach ARB's back from my lazy powdercoater, and fit the most important one - the front. So yesterday I decided to knob off early from work and get them. I only paid 20 quid for the job so I was quite pleased at the outcome. I fitted the rear one last night (thanks to Reuben at Tuningwerkes for the fitting kit) and decided to finish off the rear end for good.





I re-fitted the rear calipers, carriers, and handbrake cables and adjusted them up. Hopefully, if my memory serves me right, that means the rear end is now complete!



Whilst the car was on the ramp I tightened all the front brake pipes, and secured them to the bulkhead with some 'adapted' clips.

I then went onto fitting the rear silencer. Some of you may know that I went for a full Milltek system as it has an OE type tailpipe design, and again thanks to Tuningwerkes it turned up 18 hours after ordering at the cheapest price.

This is how it 'hangs out the back' 







To say I'm pleased is a bit of an understatement, it fills the cavity a treat, and hopefully will sound nice along with the 4 branch.

[Lewy]

Bummer - the wife wants to go away this weekend so unfortunately 'ol fat one' must be obeyed, and we're off.

To be honest I could do with a break away from the car, so Tuesday morning the engine will be back in and hopefully wired up as far as I can go.

[Lewy]

Sup fools - well the last few days have been quite fruitful, I've managed to get the engine and box back in, fit the manifold, get the driveshafts fitted, fit the front anti-roll bar, replaced the front wheel bearings, fit the whole exhaust system, fit the power steering pipes, expansion tank, washer jet resevoir, servo vacuum pipe, and wire up most of the engine - I'm too knackered to write any more, so let the pictures do the talking.

















Lewy

[Lewy]

It's getting closer - she's gonna blow!!!!!

Well I have 4 days left before the little one could turn up, but so far he's a bit of a no-show, so I can get some more work done on the car.

The inlet manifold minus the throttle body are fitted, the radiator is now fully plumbed and topped up with coolant, and the p/s pipework all fitted and filled with fluid. I have double checked every nut and bolt of the whole car now, as I know what I'm like for going off on a tangent, so this labourious task was a bit of a good idea, luckily nothing was loose, after all my son and wife 'may' travel in it .



As I don't require much access to the bottom or the front of the car I fitted the front end back on. The slam panel I've fitted for now is just to get the car through the MOT, the other on I have which is genuine and mint, will be colourcoded and fitted by Jo next month.



All the fuel pipes and the metering head are stripped ready to clean and paint

Jobs Left:

MOT
Paint
Fit arches
Fit tinted glass
Lower suspension

Hoover and Polish!!

I got narked a bit off with the state of it, after all it hasn't been washed in nearly 9 months, I thought I'd give it a once over and to say I was as happy as a sand boy after washing it would be an understatement.

Before







After







I'll bring some more progress pictures tomorrow, hopefully I'll have some cleaned and painted metering head pictures and sundries.

[Lewy]

*******UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE*******

Anna decided to pop out my son last week, so the car will have to wait for a while. I was hoping to get it ready for painting next month, but my fantastic employers have put me on a course over the days that I was hoping to get it shipped off -  !

It looks like I might be pushing it to make it to ED38, but by hook or by crook............

[Lewy]

Ok, I've been 'allowed' to do a bit on the car the last few days, so I went about timing the engine up - but alas no !

The flywheel was fouling the bellhousing and not allowing the engine to turn over, so back to square one, and out with the engine and box again! It turns out the new pressure plate was too big and instead of seating inside the flywheel, it sat on the edge, thus still being able to be torqued up, but it sat wrong. I've now gone back to using the old clutch as it looked like it had done only 10k, and the new EBC one will be going back to the w8nkers that supplied me with it 215mm doesn't go itn 210mm - b'stards!

I'm away for a week now with work, but I'll be putting the engine and box back in next week

[Lewy]

Well as last reported I had replace the clutch and plonked the box back on and started to get back to where I was before. Everything was going well, but it must be said I haven't put much effort into it lately as A, I've been extremely tired with my 8 week old son, B, I've advertised the Mk4, C, picked up a VR, and D, I've been as busy as hell with my son.  

So over the last few days I was allowed to play with the car on an evening. The fuel pipes were on, the battery was hooked up, the stereo was all wired in and playing and it was 95% away from firing up. I had to get a replacement throttle body as some of the dimwits I work with think it's funny to mess around with things that don't concern them, hence my carefully laid out stripped body was a mish-mash of bits! After I had painted it I fitted it with new gaskets and placed it on this morning along with the air intake pipe from the metering head.

So there I am key poised at the ready, I turn the key to the start position, get a click and a whoooooomph - AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, MY F**KING CAR IS ON FIRE!!!!!

In my tiredness I had not quite done one of the fuel pipes up on the WUR and it had spilled fuel all over the starter, and when I put 12 volts down it had created a spark and up it went. I sh*t myself, and luckily enough we have to comply with very very stringent H+S so I had a foam extinguisher at the ready, my mate Ben just froze, poor lad didn't know what to do. Luckily enough he was on hand to clean all the foam up, and change his pants.

All the fire did was singe a few cables, but didn't completely wreck them, but the petrol has ruined the paint on the starter and box -  . At the time I didn't feel too down, but the more I think about it the more I feel cheesed off about it. I even went throught the 'how much would I get for it if I stripped it' thinking, but it's got to be an onwards and upwards from here on.

If I get it sorted for ed38 then I'll be there, but if not, then I'll be in the 'Dog' with a few extras fitted  , but I have faith in my ability so it should be with OG.

As soon as I got home tonight my son gave me the biggest smile, and that made me re-think my whole game plan, and put me in a different frame of mind, check the 'Parts For Sale' Section soon!