A while back I realised that the dowel alignment holes in the adapter plate were machined incorrectly and the supplier refused to fix it so I either had to buy a new one or sort it out myself! Previously I had filed out the holes to get the adapter plate to bolt on but it was not concentric to the crank centerline. I decided to cut the old holes out, then weld in new thick sections in the correct place. Here's one of the new sections before cutting into the plate.
There are two alignment holes, one on each side, so I turned up the MIG and welded the new sections after making sure the plate was aligned correctly, this was done by using a depth gauge all around the trans locating ring up to the flywheel diameter and repeatedly tweaking things until it was all perfectly aligned. While I was at it, I also welded on a small plate on the upper left corner to cover up an opening.
All cleaned up and repainted before fitting to the nice and clean engine!
Stock 911 clutch all fitted up, the release arm needs to be attached to the release bearing before you mate the engine and trans, the pivot bar is then slid through it's centre through bosses in the bellhousing.
All together again for the last time before it goes into the car! I also made up a new clutch hose to mate to the slave cylinder.
who made the plate?
Was done by DS tuning... standard VW trans one was fine, but first time they made up a kit for the wrong year 911 trans and second time trashed the 911 flywheel that I sent them as a reference as well as this dowel position problem! Ended up costing a fair bit with all the postage between UK and Germany...
Making up an access panel for the offside rear inner wheel arch
Engine and trans in! You can also see the inspection panel in place..
I welded up an adapter for the clutch slave pipe. It was an M14x1.50 thread and 8mm pipe which I thought was very big, I've decided to use normal brake pipe size so had to adapt down to M10x1.0 and used a spare brake flexi pipe I had.. It is all kinked over a bit to get extra clearance to the exhaust downpipe. If it turns out to be too restrictive I can easily go up a size later on.
New turbo coolant pipe hardline was made up and bolted on to the top of the bulkhead to neaten things up a bit.
The thermostat bypass will be used as the heater supply in my installation so I made up this adapter to go down to the smaller pipe size.
It's just a long list of time consuming little jobs from now on! Gutted to hear that Le Bug Show at Spa Francorchamps isn't going to be on next year as that was going to be the debut, I guess I'll have to find something else...
Time for an update! There's been a lot done and most is in the details now it's coming together. We are due to move mid January so I'll finally have a double garage so I want to assemble as much to the car as possible to make it easier to move...
A hell of a lot of pipework has been completed and the chargecooler repainted and fitted.
Radiators in and piped up, you can just about make out a steel pipe I made which incorporates a bleed point at the top which connects to the header tank at the back via the original fuel line.
I welded on a heater return pipe and also connected up the fuel lines
Brake reservoir (911) fitted under bonnet and supply lines pipes down to the master cylinders. The system is now all bled and seems to work OK with no leaks...
New false floor...
I modified one of the front bumper brackets to take a removable towing eye.
All body trim now fitted, you can just about make out mesh in the radiator opening, I'll sort out the airdam later..
Just to give an idea of how the intake looks.
I painted the rear light housings satin black which I think gives the lights a slightly darker look without looking aftermarket..
Hi Rich
Inspiring as usual.
I didn't buy a new slave cylinder hose when I had the chance from Pelican, they were $45, I thought that I could get one made locally the correct length, wrong.
It will have to wait until the new year when the 14mm adaptor arrives.
Where did you set your spring plates up height wise? I'm told that the heavy torsion bars sink very little when the car is put on its wheels, I've set mine roughly where the spring plate sits at rest on my sons 1303, so no preload, lucky I have adjustable spring plates.
Steve
Hi Rich
I like what you did with your brake light switch, how thoughtful VW to provide a T piece to use. I'm going to do the same on my clutch line, I need to have a signal to turn off the cruise control I'm going to fit to it.
Steve
it's looking really nice now Rich
Do you have more fabricating left to get it going, or does it just have to get put back together now?
Cheers
D
Cheers guys...
Steve, the torsion bars I´ve used are just stock swing axle ones (out of my old speedster) and they were set with no preload on the rebound stops, I wanted to make sure the springs on the dampers did some work otherwise they would be loose at full rebound.. The brake T is actually a 4 way adapter, not sure if VW ever used them, I just got it off ebay.
D, main bits of fabrication left are:
full wiring loom and mounts
chargecooler pump mount under back seat
heater system to blow into original ductwork
pie widening the running boards to help disguise the extra rear width
there are bound to be a few other bits and pieces but they are the main ones..
Here are a couple of update pics for the time being, I'm concentrating on the move for the and the cab is stuffed full of parts/tools ready!
Chargecooler pump is a bosch one and is said to be very quiet and efficient, I think it's the same one as used in the Ford Focus RS. It fits with plenty of space under the back seat. Luckily the 16mm heater hose just stretched over the pipe fittings (which are 17mm on the chargecooelr and 19mm on the pump) with the heat gun and a bit of lubrication.
I made a small stand for the pump which is bonded on to the floor, depending on how noisey it turns out to be I may wrap some rubber around the pump for better isolation.
Ground level view shows that there is a decent direct flow area available for the radiator.
Roof and interior loosely fitted for the house move. The outer roof will get replaced by a nice mohair one later on..
Just the running boards and front air dam to finish off the look...
The workshop/garage will develop over time but I've got it into a state I can use it now...
The bug's new home and my new workshop! Finally got a double garage... I have lost a lot of alternate storage though so I've had a bit of a clearout. All walls and floors have been painted, I've welded up a frame to mount the compressor up on the walls and made a new workbench.
Sandblasting cabinet has a new set of wheels to make best use of space.
You can see the compressor mounted up out of the way. Also, I've put up some hooks so I can hang a tarpualin down the middle to protect the car when I'm grinding etc etc
I bought a couple of 7'x4' bike stores for outside storage, the drive isn't really full double width so it's no big loss of space.
I'm pondering over whether to get a single full width roller shutter door or not as it would be fairly pricey. I'm also not sure whether I'd have to replace this wooden lintel, it's full width and 4" x 8". Can anybody advise? Could I bolt on some metal strengtheners and leave it in place?
If your roof trusses were turned the other way ie: bearing from side to side rather then front to back you could easily remove the centre pillar quite easily as it wouldn't be load bearing, but to remove the double doors for a single would undoubtably require a steel beam over to take the load of the roof. Quite costly for any real advantage.
You may also need an engineer to check the existing external footings as they would now be taking more load than originally designed for.
regards
Jak
Cheers Jak, I'm slowly coming round to the idea of leaving it as is and putting some effort into sealing around the doors better. The money to convert the door could quite easily buy a TIG, plasma and some other toys!
Welcome back Rich, I've missed your updates, nice garage BTW
Slightly sidetracked but not for long, just bought myself a more interesting daily driver!
1998 Carrera 2
Factory fitted aero kit
18" turbo twist alloys
Porsche sports exhaust
Maual 6 speed trans.
Jak: the main trusses do actually go side to side, the ones you see above are just extra ones...
Wow, new house, new car, someone is doing well. Very nice, but which car will be quicker 😂
Kev
I thought rebuilding a VW would be cheap - Shit I was wrong, just don't let the wife know !!!!
Click here for my (slowy) modded 1961 Beetle build.the bug will be quicker by some margin!
Like most other places, I presume, now is the cheapest it has been for a long time to trade up for houses and cars so I'm taking advantage of my salary jump from changing jobs 😏
Time to get back to the bug!
This was the whole loom out of the subaru before I started removing bits...
..and now stripped down to the bare essentials! I plan to work out placement of it all in the bug now and then get the soldering iron out to start the shortening process...
Subaru loom stripped to it's basics now and all sections shortened to the correct lengths. It is laid out in 5 main groups: boost pack, engine, relays, diagnostics and dash feeds. Next is to put it in the car and add a few other rear end related items. I'm waiting for a large order of wire/relays/fuseboxes etc to re-make the rest of the loom.
I thought it would be a good idea to better monitor the engine so got a couple of stack gauges, due to their reputed accuracy.
The oil pressure sender required a T piece to keep the stock pressure switch, as there isn't enough room under the alternator this short extension places them both remotely.
Time to modify the stock fuel tank for fuel injection, I was surprise to see that the stock tank incorporates a baffle across it.
The tank is shallower than the subaru one so I shortened the subaru fuel pump mounting assembly and removed the stock level sender.
I made up a baffle to hold fuel around the pump as the last thing you want is to lose fuel pressure on boost in a turbo engine! I drilled some holes through the plates to allow fuel to flow through it.
I also increased the fuel tank volume by filling in the LHD steering column recess. I left the metalwork in place so it acts like a baffled volume.
Topside done! I welded up the stock level sender hole and made up a new one for the Porsche dip tube type to match my gauges. The fuel pump section from the subaru tank was welded in to the top of the tank.
Hi Rich
Great work as usual, using the subi pump is a good move, less complicated. I've seen articles on fitting 044 pumps on internal set ups if you find the stock one not up to the task.
Steve
Hi Rich, would you have a part number for the intercooler water pump ??
Love the 98 blue machine
Looking for that special lady : PM me for coffee & cake
Seagull: I had a look at the pump but no numbers unfortunately, here is where I got it:
http://www.chargecooler.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69&products_id=184
I'm pretty sure it's the same as the one used in the Ford Focus RS...
Do your cars argue over garage space?
The 996 hasn't even been in there yet, no contest really, it's the cab's home!
You're alot braver than I am about cutting and welding on the gas tank. Did you do any special prep to clean it out before hand or just let it air out for a while?
Hi
There is some good information on that charge cooler site. Good to see that they use some aussie stuff as well.
Steve
Hi Rich
Rude question, what do the Porsches like yours go for? There was an article recently in newspaper that showed the prices of new exotic cars in overseas markets, we get shafted down here.
Steve
Thanks Rich
this is another site
http://www.frozenboost.com/Looking for that special lady : PM me for coffee & cake
No worries seagull, glad to help if I can!
Steve: I think they have about bottomed out in price now, the cheapest are about £10k, boxsters are down to £5k.
www.pistonheads.co.uk is a good start for sports cars. If you think we get a good deal then they are even cheaper in the US!
down to £5k
If only!
We are at least 2 - 3 times that
$20,000 Aus would be the cheapest
Still good value here - but still!
Futue te ipsum!!!
