A bit of work on my capri

[Janspeedcapri]

She look like a beaut! credit to you

Thankyou  

I'm just off to go and see hows its progressing with the GRP -I'll take the camera

[Janspeedcapri]

Little update. Flipping painters still haven't finished   I went down today and really blew up at them... shouted and everything   then I got in my car and left. Then I turned around and went back and shouted some more  the bloke said take it away, I don't care  
SO, a few words later... he reckons it will be ALL done by the end of the weekend OR I'm taking it away as is and he isn't getting paid  
Theres 6 panels left to paint and there shop is choca with insurance work so I can't see him getting it done, certainly not to a standard I'll accept. I can't see this working out happily but Ive got to draw the line here - theyve had the fecking thing over 12 months - 9 months longer than agreed  

[capri v8 driver]

nice painter,  

insurance work makes alote more money, with less work. and thats why most bodyshops dont do complete repaints anymore. or it ends in storys likes yours or they ask very high prices to paint your car.

its the same in the netherlands.

i do all the body and prep work and spray the inside myself, ask a friend to paint the outside off the car and rent a spray boot to paint the car.

[Janspeedcapri]

Your right Paul, its sad really. I think if I ever decide to do another build, I will paint it myself also.

[capri v8 driver]

i only do the bodywork (welding, making the panels straight, shoot the primer and sealer, sanding and spray the inside off the car) this saves alote off money because this is where the most work goes into and hours in a bodyshop is $$$$$$$.  

and prices are high, very high (at least here). some one i know, has a old mg conv. all the sheet metal is replaced and straight, so the is minimal body work, he went to several bodyshops, they quoted him 5000 to 8000 euro to do the primer, sanding and paint (uni color).

so now he is doing the work him self.

[Janspeedcapri]

Bonnet and tailgate done. I think they look pretty decent for GRP  

[chriszjuh]

looks really nice jan!!!!! hope my paintjob turns out just as well  (as im painting myself well airbrushing actually)
ill be watching this one!!!

[Janspeedcapri]

Cheers Chris  

Got my Corsa EPAS column sorted. It now fits perectly in place of the original column, is the same length overal and has capri splines  




Ive got a boss coming from thailand as we speak, BNIB for 9.99 and 6 quid postage and it fits to the back of the motorsport multi fitment boss  giving me the correct length/distance... sorted

[Lemon-Ade]

Looking really good mate, like that colour too. Nice work , have you any idea when it's gonna be running?

Cheers ade

[Janspeedcapri]

Looking really good mate, like that colour too. Nice work , have you any idea when it's gonna be running?

Cheers ade

The car is 90% done Ade - I'm fitting the column tomorrow which means I can put the dash and interior in after that, including the new leather seats etc.
I'm waiting for some bits to be machined for fitting my brembo 4 pots (didn't like caprisports parts much), then they can go on.

The alloy fuel tank will be going in a day or two, along with the plumbing but then I'm pretty much held up waiting for things to progress with my engine girdle.
I'm waiting for parts to be machined that are part of the pattern making process for it. They will be ready in a few days I hope, then I can get the pattern made and over to the foundry who are going to make a mould from it to cast the finished items.
The girdle is a single structure that bolts to the maincaps and the block walls, where the original sump connected. There is an oilway through the girdle and the pump bolts to it, alowing it to clear all the mains.

All of the rest is fairly straightforward bolt on business so progress will speed up then. Ive got a few other custom project parts I'm going to be making, like cast alloy head braces, a liquid cooled downpipe, and chargecooling refridgeration  generator that runs of the excess heat in the turbo but they can done once the cars running - thank god

[mk2 cossie]

that steering wheel looks superb!  

shall be on the hunt for that for my 3spoke rs wheel i think  

the panel work looks very good too, especially for grp panels  

whats the expected completion date? christmas present to yourself perhaps?

[Janspeedcapri]

whats the expected completion date? christmas present to yourself perhaps?

I wish  I hope to have all the parts ready by the end of the year, then I'll try to get a February slot with Dave Walker, which will give me January to finish the buildup ...more of an easter present I hope.

Might seem a long time to have a stuff sitting around but Ive got a dehumidifier running in the garage to prevent anything rusting over the damp weather period and I've been turning the whole engine (the block itself, not the rotating ass.) on the stand a bit each week to prevent any flat spots on the bearing etc. Its all well lubed from when mikey built it so no problem, apart from my impatience. Its no major loss in terms of using/enjoying the car as the tyres I have (Toyo R1R) are not usable in low temps - they would explode/shatter if I ran them at the moment

[v6gerry]

Cheers Chris  

Got my Corsa EPAS column sorted. It now fits perectly in place of the original column, is the same length overal and has capri splines  




Ive got a boss coming from thailand as we speak, BNIB for 9.99 and 6 quid postage and it fits to the back of the motorsport multi fitment boss  giving me the correct length/distance... sorted

Hi do you have to have an ECU to work these steering set ups ??

[Janspeedcapri]

Indeed I do - it gives you a little dash  mountable knob to adjust the assist level. In future, I may control it with vehicle speed via my emerald k6  but the £30 controller box and knob will work fine for now. I have a 2.4 turn quick rack so I will want it nice and heavy most of the time and probably turn up the assist for parking etc...

[turboshed]

looks like its coming together nicely sir!

[Janspeedcapri]

looks like its coming together nicely sir!

Cheers mate, slowly but surely...  you still up for coming over to help me fit the emerald and bits when the time comes?  

[turboshed]

yeah just give me a call nearer the time,i will taking mine off the road next week,i was going to drive it to my mates workshop to get the skyline box in but i have blown another mt75,but lucky enough i can borrow his recovery truck to get my car there.it's going to be luxury working with a roof over my head and heating

[Janspeedcapri]

yeah just give me a call nearer the time,i will taking mine off the road next week,i was going to drive it to my mates workshop to get the skyline box in but i have blown another mt75,but lucky enough i can borrow his recovery truck to get my car there.it's going to be luxury working with a roof over my head and heating

Nice one bud  I didn't have a garage where I used to live and remember working on my cars in the street, not even a driveway - the buggers always seemed to break something when it was cold and wet out  and usualy, I'd not get a space within 100 yards of my front door either - those were the (shit) days  
It is nice when you know people who have trailers, engine cranes and all that tho - Grimbo lives round the corner and has been a great help and my mate nearby works in a garage and has the recovery motor, lifting gear and access to all the the tools I sometimes need but don't have - I feel quite lucky these days  
That skyline box is bound to solve all your problems surely - they put 600bhp+ through them and they don't break

[capri v8 driver]

looking good so far, just take it easy, you still have all winter  

Turboshed, you broke a other mt 75?

time for the skyline gearbox.

[Janspeedcapri]

Thanks and yes, thats true about not rushing - I only really want to use the car from May onwards which is 5 months away

[turboshed]

yep,it was an oldish box though,it was the original box from my car,it had been leant out to squeak previously aswell so its had a hard life.
I got carried away the otherday,i was home early from work and was little bored so i took the car out for a spin,i was actually on my way to tax the car, ready to take it to a workshop i'm borrowing to do the conversion! oh the irony

[Leebay]

BLOODY `ELL!!!!!!!!!!  

I`m well impressed with that steering wheel you`ve retrimmed! I`ve got two 4 spoke and one 3 spoke wheels in the workshop that I bought in okish condition but the leather has gradually deteriorated and leaves you hands black after you`ve driven anywhere  will have alook for those re-trim kits.  

[Janspeedcapri]

BLOODY `ELL!!!!!!!!!!  

I`m well impressed with that steering wheel you`ve retrimmed! I`ve got two 4 spoke and one 3 spoke wheels in the workshop that I bought in okish condition but the leather has gradually deteriorated and leaves you hands black after you`ve driven anywhere  will have alook for those re-trim kits.

This is the seller that made mine - http://stores.ebay.co.uk/mr-steering]http://stores.ebay.co.uk/mr-steering - he doesn't stock them to fit old wheels but will make one up based on your measurements and only charges the same as alisted item - 15 quid with free delivery. I ordered one on the 16th of october from a hongkong seller for 6 + 4 postage and nothing ever turned up so I'm waiting for a refund  
Only other thing to say is that it took a LOT longer than the 50 minutes the seller suggests... but worth it and the cheapest quote I got from pros was £80 + postage both ways so about a ton.

[Leebay]

Just mailed the guy   Yeah I was thinking about get rid of them due to the cost of getting them sent away for retrimming.

Good job I didnt now lol.

[Janspeedcapri]

I know it looks rough  but it was a bugger of a place/position to weld in. It is very strong though  

[Janspeedcapri]

Thought I'd post up a pic of the maincap girdle Jurgen got his friend to make for me

I didn't want to chop it to miss the oilpump so I made an adapter that moves the pump to clear it.

It was a very precise position that just allows clearance for the turbo link pipe (with some small mods to the sump)

The biggest pain in doing this is the roller bearing mini double UJ you need to re-connect the drive shaft - £80 but there NO other solution. Theres a change in angle and misalignment to correct and the application demands the roller bearings to handle the torque and rpm reliably.

[capri v8 driver]

did you also get a longer oil pump drive shaft, now you raised the oil pump?

[Janspeedcapri]

did you also get a longer oil pump drive shaft, now you raised the oil pump?

the universal joint will add to the length so I'll actualy have to shorten it.

[capri v8 driver]

i would not run a u joint on a oil pump drive shaft and i have never seen some one use this construction. the stress will be to high for a u joint and will break and because off the u joint, there is a point where the shaft can bend and collaps, so in this case, you also need something to hold the u jount in the right postion and make shure it cant move.

the oil drive shaft has to transmite and hold more force than you would think. i would make a clearance in the girdle and set the pump in the orginal position or switch to a dry sump system or a external driven wet sump system.

[Janspeedcapri]

The UJ is a german made industrial component - not chinese made hobby/toy stuff that looks similar such as R/C items etc. Its rated for 36 Nm (over a third of the total torque of some small engines) and 4000rpm in constant use in a factory machine (equivalent to 8000 engine rpm) and its hubs will be fixed solidly to the shaft/drive so no collapsing. http://www.techdrives.co.uk/html/universal_joints.html

As I say, those ratings are what the joint can handle all day, every day for years, without lube - in an engine that is only run for an hour or so here and there, and with constant oiling, it should have no problems at all.

edit - I could get one thats rated at 55nm for just a few pounds more and its only a few mmm fatter... for added peice of mind.

Wait till you see the clutch bearings I will use on the drive gear to disengage it from the cam - you will be really worried then They will alow me to mount a motor to the top of the oildrive that will be able to drive the pump independant of the engine and vice versa. They too will be proper items, written guarnteed rated beyond requirement tho, from a good non chinese source

What I'll have will be an oil pump (melling hi vol) that can do it normal job, but can be over-driven at the flick of a switch or even on command from the emerald to INCREASE oil pressure at low rpm or when the accusump is filling OR create pressure when the engine is off for preoiling without the accusump (if I used that to post oil the turbo and left it empty) The second clutch bearing alows the engine to run with out spinning the motor btw. I have a couple of bearings that should do but not using them because they aren't specificaly rated for the torgues and rpm - the ones I use will be. OH ...and my girdle (and hense my maincaps) remains intact

There is one other point to make - the misalignment is very slight (if you flex the shaft a bit it goes in) - the double UJ will operate almost straight so not work that hard.