"Ariana's going hybrid" - Now with forged engine - build thread

... Continued

Monday evening, t-minus 4 days... Wasted no time getting back in to things with the aim of having it at least running that evening. Got the loom all plugged in, fuel lines plumbed up and the front end/intercooler loosely hung in place.

Turned it over for a good while with the plug out first to get oil circulated properly before there's any pressure on any engine components, this is equally important to do on an engine that's been sat for a few months. . . Got the plug in, and went for that moment of truth. Anyone who's done an engine swap will know this is always a tense moment, even if it's not your car... Let alone when it is your car and it's the first ever engine you've built form the ground up!

Here's what happened...


Started pretty much first turn, which was nice! . . Lots of beeping and warning lights as there was no coolant in it, also the injectors were quite noisy, I'm pretty sure that's cos the CTS was unplugged and the ECU was overcompensating for not knowing engine temp.

Didn't leave it running for long, but while it was running I checked the voltage across the battery (bearing in mind the "new" alternator), and still only 10v... WTF!? But yet again it was late and time to go to bed without dinner again.

Tuesday evening, t-minus 3 days... While the front end/alternator was easily accessible I thought I'd have a look at this alternator issue. Luckily my mum has a TT and was away, so I went about butchering her car for an alternator. A lot of faffing about later I had the TT alternator on the A3 and sure enough I was getting 14v across the battery. So much for my new alternator!!! More to the point that had pretty much wasted an evening. There was just about enough time to get the front end bolted on properly, and then to go to bed without dinner.... Again :-/

Wednesday evening, t-minus 2 days... Got some coolant in the ol' girl and ran her up to temp for the first time, everything seemed to be going well. So before getting the wheels on and getting her on the ground I though I'd check for faults first. . . 17748, cleared, checked, nothing, checked again, 17748. . .

For those of you that don't know, that's the camshaft/engine speed correlation error... Tried 3 different cam sensors, 2 crank sensors and checked timing again and again. This 17748 kept coming back

So I went to bed without dinner. . . . . . AGAIN!

Thursady, t-minus ONE DAY! . . I started the day with this post, appealing for help. The general out come being that it HAD to be something to do with the chain/tensioner. When I got home that evening I whipped the tensioner out only to find it like this:


Which could have easilly been the culprit! . . So I swapped it out for another tensioner I had lying about, but alas to no prevail. 17748 kept coming back. . . I messed about with a few more things but eventually gave up about 9:30 that evening. So I messaged Bill (to which he was really pleased with the notice I gave him, sorry Bill!) and finally found time to have some dinner for the first time all week:


Friday, mission fail :blownose: By this point I was actually f*cking sick to the teeth of it, so I left her in the garage and went on a massive bender for the weekend!

I've since come to the conclusion that the chain is stretched, also I'm not sure of the condition of the tensioner I've put in there as it does seem to rattle a bit... I've ordered some bits to try and rectify this, however being a plumb i accidentally ordered some bits from Hong Kong so I'm still waiting. ha ha!

Got a couple other minor mods coming soon as well, but for the moment, here a "work in progress" shot using a jazzy filter and that stuff... WooOOOOOooo!

 
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Since my last post there has been no significant progress. . . There's been a lot of testing and I've tried EVERYTHING to get to the bottom of this timing issue, literally too much to list!

While I was starting to suspect the head it's self, it became apparent that the head was not in great condition anyway - Smokey stem seals, and generally not sounding great once up to temp. Luckily I had a spare BAM head here, so I started stripping it for a rebuild like a probably should have from the start!


That's with the engineering shop now, they're going to give everything a clean up and check the general condition of things... It's apparently a relatively low miles head, so I'm hoping it'll be ok with exhaust guides, a skim, re-seat the valves and new stem seals.

One thing I really have learn't throughout this build is you can not take anyone's word on second-hand parts, even if they genuinely believe they're 100% them selves... Pretty much every major set back in the project has been on used parts, for one reason or another. And you know what they say - If you want something done properly, DO IT YOUR SELF! . .

Moving on, one thing that had also been bugging was the fact the back lights on my gauges were resembling that of a 90's living room... A quick search on ebay showed that modern LEDs were available for absolutely peanuts, so I ordered some up. Here's the LED next to the old skool filament type bulb:


And as difficult as it was to photograph, here's old next to new... 90's living room obviously on the left!


Really pleased with the difference, they look just like the OE clocks now... Exactly what I was after in the first place!

As usual I've got a few other mods bubbling away in the background, nothing major but hopefully things will start coming together soon... And I'm going to quit drinking for October so I should have LOADS of free time on my hands! :tearsofjoy: I think that's half the reason @Prawn's got so far anyway lol
 
If I stopped drinking id probably have loads more money for car parts, but I'd also be left with the horribly sobering reality that I'm wasting a crap load of money on a rusty 18 year old hatch back :laugh:

Good work mate.
 
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Got the cylinder head back earlier this week looking all shiny and that:




Acid cleaned, light skim, new exhaust guides, valves cleaned up, new seats and all lapped in... I then spent the following few nights building the rest up including new stem seals and even ended up buying a new set of lifters as I didn't like the look of the ones I'd taken out and REALLY can't be bothered to take this apart again!!!


Got to work on the old girl first thing this morning, I have to admit I was struggling to find my enthusiasm. . . The thing should just be ****** working properly by now! Also, due to the relentless manifold I'd have to remove the head and turbo in one which was causing me some minor anxiety.

All charge pipes, loom, inlet and anything else in the way all stripped down:


Head soon came off:


But not without a fight, one of the DP studs was being a right pain. Was starting to think it had threaded the turbine housing, took AGES to remove, luckily it turned out just to be the stud. Either way I now needed a stud!

As suspected the turbo/mani was also a right fiddle to remove. Thankfully I just happened to have a spare block on the bench to put the head on, and at least i got the opportunity to use my custom made zpanner once again!


One thing I had notice while the head was off was how coked up the pistons had got considering I'd only driven about 3 miles. . . Admittedly had spent a fair while idling and warming up, perhaps that's something to do with it?


Back to the stud issue, I'd phoned Dan (Beach Buggy Turbo's) as he doesn't live too far from me and thought it'd be quite likely he'd have a spare stud, which indeed he did! . . He also offered to give the turbo a once over, which I thought would make sense while it was off. Again, definitely do not want to be taking the turbo off again any time soon!

So the turbo is now with him, we split the hot side as I wanted to have a shot at porting it, should be getting the turbo back next weekend.

Going to take the opportunity tomorrow to neaten up a bit of my dodgy wiring, and possibly fit a couple other bits I have (TBC)... With a little luck she'll be back together and ready for mapping next weekend, I certainly ain't holding my breath though!!!
 
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Back to work this morning! . . Was gonna tackle the wiring but I figured that's something I can quietly do one evening so got to work on bigger things.

I'd picked up a set of TT hubs and arm for literally nothing, the plan was to whip the old arms/hubs off and swap the poly bushes over. The old arms came out without too much fuss and I got to work getting the old bushes out using an arsenal of drills and saws, it's a fairly well documented procedure but here's a few pics anyway:


I then cut through the ally casing, which allowed me to wedge a flat head screwdriver under and pry out the casing:


I went to my mates garage to use his bearing press so I could press the bushes out, main doughnut bush cam out fine but I was unable to get the arm in the right position to do the front bush. So I went home and got the arm in the vice using the the larger TT arm behind it with a socket on the bush:


It was quite stiff in there, I had to use a pole on the end of the handle to get enough turn on it... Which ended up breaking the ****** vice :tearsofjoy:


So that kindo put an end to today's work. I've also over looked the fact that the TT arms are 45mm and these bushes are 30mm, which I hear is a better choice over the 45's anyway, so I'll be ordering some inserts to sort this out.

Hopefully in the evenings this week I'll sort out that bit of wiring and port the hot side of the turbo.
 
A quick update on what continues to be the unluckiest build in ASN history...

As previously mentioned I was going to have a pop at porting the hot side of the turbo, so I first made a template of the manifold flange:


I was surprised that the exit of manifold collector was actually pretty much exactly the same size at the opening to the turbo, but as you can see it then closes up a bit further down and there's still plenty to port out. He's how it looked after I'd finished taking metal off, as you can see a big difference!


And then gave it a quick once over with a sanding wheel to polish it up a bit, he's what it eventually looked liek:



While I was doing that Dan was having a look at the turbo and he ended up giving me a new char as it's actually easier for him to do so. I went a picked it up and then later that week went to assemble the turbo again as I wanted to have the car back together ASAP, however, the turbine wheel was fouling on the housing. Checked everything over and over and it was still fouling! Phoned Dan, not a problem he's seen before but I had to run the turbo back to him to have a look at.

Got it back from him, he still doesn't actually know what the problem was but he ended up having to machine a bit more out of the housing. Either way, more delays!

The week following I built up the turbo/manifold and head as it all has to go on as one. At which point I was quit grateful I had a spare block knocking about!



That was a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to have the car back together last weekend but I was ill so could really do much.

At this point motivation for the whole project is lower than ever, I've had absolutely no pleasure out of the build or car for a good while, it's just been one massively expensive burden and general cause of anxiety. None the less yesterday I got to work and with the help of a friend got the head on and bolted up.

Today I started assembling the rest of the engine and really wanted to have her running... Work has been slow, partly due to the lack of motivation, partly to the sh*t weather/light. And then I noticed a bit of a **** up. . . Basically I've managed to pinch the wire for the oil level sensor in the corner of the cylinder head :rage::rage::rage::sweat:

Such a stupid little mistake, but either way the head bolts have to come out and the wire may have to be repaired. Just hope the HG is self is ok! F*******. ******. OFF. to say the least though. This will be the 5th or 6th set of head bolts I've been through this year as well and possibly the 8th set the car has seen in my ownership. Which could have paid for a couple sets of ARP bolts by now!!!

On a slightly lighter note, I bought some SuperPro bushes and bush inserts for my TT arms:


Everything's going to have to be put on hold for the moment as I'm off to Thailand for 3 weeks this Friday, hoping that I'll come back in Jan with a fresh head, be able to forge on and get the project f*cking finished!!!! Been dragging on way too long now, really starting to grind me down. Even if I say so my self, I ****** deserve a 300+hp car by now!?!?!

Also, those of you that stray away from the 8l forum may have noticed I've (for some reason!?) taken on another project, AKA - Arnold! (see link)

I'm not going to be doing much with that until Ariana is up and running though... But that's all from me for this year, lets hope I have some slightly better luck next year!?
 
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Talk about an 'up hill struggle' fingers crossed for you.
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement gents, it all helps! . . As I said, I've got a few weeks in the sun now, hopefully I'll come back with the right frame of mind.... Gonna stay off the booze in Jan as well, so won't have anything else to do! :tearsofjoy:
 
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Phhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, so... What's been going on here then!?

Slow and steady "progress" (I use the tern loosely). . . Got a bit to catch up on so I'll try keep things as pictorial as possible for easy reading.

Got my new bushes pressed into the TT arms including the 30mm bush inserts:




All looking very nice and neat. Everything went in without too much bother apart from the front bushes. Bearing in mind this was in late January, the bushes were stiffer than a peado in a playground! Even after a soaking in boiling water they still didn't go in without a fuss, took a lot longer than it should even on a proper bearing press (cheers kwik fit)

Usually there would be the issue of where to attach ARB drop link. However my TT arms came with those handy little nubs which I just had to drill and tap:



Got the arms and hubs on, fired the car up and stuck it in gear (still on axle stands) so I could run a wire brush round the hub faces and ABS rings just to give them a bit of a clean up... When I notice this:


Seriously not f***ing right!. . Straight on the phone to my gear box builder to try work out what's going on. At first I thought it was a bent drive cup so I whipped it out ant sent it to him, turns out the cup was straight as.

We both scratched our heads a lot, and neither of us could come up with a logical explanation... Either way, gearbox was coming out again!!! . . Long story short, turned out to be a manufacturing error in the gears of the diff. Something OBX were willing to offer zero help with :rage: and were actually pretty f*cking rude about. If they were in the UK I'd have taken legal action for sure... Anyway, by chance found one going on ebay and got it sent to my gearbox builder for him to deal with!

While he was sorting that out I went about fixing my gearbox mount as that was looking pretty sloppy... Out with the poly-tek it was!
From what I understand most people drill out the mounts a bit a fill with poly-tek... Not me though!




Won't imagine that'll be going anywhere soon :tearsofjoy: by this time the box had been sorted with it's new LSD in it. An afternoons work later and the car was actually driving, like a car, wheels going round on the road and everything! :rockwoot:

After putting a couple hundred miles down I was happy enough to book my mapping with Bill!.. Again, long story short:


So yea, bit disappointing really :grumpy: it's ok though... I'm getting used to it! There's a few theories flying around. I'll do a compression test but I don't think that's the issue otherwise it wouldn't have made such decent torque. There's a couple of question marks over the WMI set up and turbo as it happens, also the thing was getting ****** hot! But there's a mods happening there soon to help combat that.

So yea, a lot to sort out over the summer... The list of things I'm currently not happy with include:
1. Power result - I would really like her to feel a bit quicker on the road
2. How she drives - Think a well researched wheel alignment is needed, currently bit grabby and can understeer.
3. Her general exterior state - She's starting to look a bit tired, especially at the front end. Some mods in progress/planning though!
4. The silly long gears - Now my power band is 2k higher, I rarely leave 3rd on a country road blast! I have a plan for this though...
5. Rim choice/stance - Lacquer peeling on the pidly TT rims, also ride height needs fiddling.

But hey, to finish on a positive (which seem to be few and far between for me, lets face it!), I am pleased with how the engine bay is now looking:



:smile new: a few nice little bit's in there I've customised myself as well... So I'm pleased that's all come together!

Apart from that I've also been busy with my A4 drift project, which is actually ready to see the track now! . . Again, my apologies for the long post (as always!). But just wanted to get the thread up to date before the next few things which are literally just around the corner.

So many times I've seriously questioned what the f*** I'm really doing here and if it's worth it, especially recently and now I've turned 30... But I just can't let this go until I'm happy!

More to come :smilingimp:
 
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Bay looks f*cking awesome
 
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Engine looks awesome, keep the faith, I had a disappointment at Bills in 2015, fixed everything he told me too and Feb 2016 was happy days :)

Do a compression test, rule it out. Thats what was wrong with mine, head was cracked, stem seals gone etc etc
IM nearly 30 too. But i dont go out every weekend full of gear, I dont smoke, and I dont blow money on clothes and crap. Cars are our thing, just enjoy it ! get some track days booked, thats my obsession at the moment.
 
scotty_24 said:
Engine looks awesome, keep the faith, I had a disappointment at Bills in 2015, fixed everything he told me too and Feb 2016 was happy days :)

Do a compression test, rule it out. Thats what was wrong with mine, head was cracked, stem seals gone etc etc
IM nearly 30 too. But i dont go out every weekend full of gear, I dont smoke, and I dont blow money on clothes and ****. Cars are our thing, just enjoy it ! get some track days booked, thats my obsession at the moment.
Click to expand...

This is the thing Scotty, I also had a disappointment at Bills in 2015 which was down to poor compression... Still, will get a test done anyway.

And yea, I'm an "out every weekend" kindo guy... Went Thailand over xmass/NY, Ibiza last week, Glastonbury in a couple weeks and generally trying to find a balance between being a drunken mess and working on cars most weekends :tearsofjoy: you only live once ey!? ;-)
 
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S3 seats
 
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Yeeeehhhaaaaa ! One of the best mods I've done.

S3 seats are 40kg.
Corbeau are 10 each

Thats a 60kg saving, thats 9 and a half stone, or a small adult !!!!
 
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@Stuson asked me about my fuel lines, thought I'd post the answer here as he's not the first to ask...

It's just 8mm braided fuel line (high pressure), can be bought for under a tenner a meter on ebay or mattlewisracing.co.uk

And then just used some hose finishers from ebay... All in cost me under £20 to do!



Ta daaaa!!!
 
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I really wanted this next post to be a good one...

Things were really starting to come together. The interior was looking good, I'd neatened up the front end by respraying the front bumper and lower valance, and I took the head lights apart, polished the lenses and sprayed the insides matt black.


I'd also bought the bronze Rota's off Prawn, which I'd had a hankering for for a while! (Most of your will recognise from his car) and they of course came wrapped in a brand new set of Nankang NS2R's :tonguewink: and all together she was looking alright!


On top of this I'd also fitted the oil cooler, and 82 degree stat...


So she was running great, maintaining power on long drives and so agile now on decent rubber! . . Much to the disappointment of my mate in his r33 Skyline, she was ****** quick in a straight line also!

However....... After a lengthy spirited drive, having just been practically pushing a C500 down a back road. I pulled out of a junction onto the road where it was a bit more residential - she coughed and missed a little, I cautiously put her into second and proceeded. . . At which point I thought I saw a flame in my rear view :-/

Not much further down the road the car cut out, and there was a very apparent fire under the bonnet! . . PANIC!!! Luckily I carry a small fire extinguisher these days, so whipped that out and quickly put it into use. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough, and at this point the car looked like it was properly on fire!!!

I spend a few seconds shouting expletives at the top of my lungs while onlookers where shouting at me to walk away from the vehicle and leave it... It would have been easy for me to give up there but that wasn't about to happen! And I couldn't help think about the parts that weren't on fire and still worth money.

There was some guy on his drive who I frantically talked into running a few buckets of water out to me, also some absolute angel came running out a near by pub with a large fire extinguisher.

The fire was finally out, I was so revealed as only a few minutes a go I thought the whole lot was going up. It felt like a life time it was on fire! But there's far less damage than I would expect.


While she was up in flames, I think I made the decision to break then... She's been a constant up hill struggle, and although she's nearing a point where I might be able to consider her “finished”, the fire was the final straw for me.

Absolutely no regrets though, I've learnt so much, made new friends and I'm glad I got as far as I did. . . I know it wouldn't cost soo much to sort, but I also feel that without spending thousands of pounds more on her I've come as far as I can. It's time for a change and there's other things in my life I'd like to focus on at the moment

It was no easy decision, especially as I'm totting up the price of things and remembering exactly how much work I've actually put in and how much grief she's given me over the years! But she will be broken for parts starting this weekend.

R.I.P Ariana :crying:
 
Sad news was a fine example with a lot of work Put in to it. Do you know what caused the fire ?
 
unlucky and a good save for what it may be worth? I assume the insurance fire and theft will cover your fire. lucky to get out safety with a fuel fire, these car's generate so much heat - they are pretty dangerous.

best of luck in your next venture.
 
Genuine sad times. I LOVED that car in the 45000 miles i owned it. It was a properly good one.

Everyone has their limit though, and it seems I had the best from that car, and youve unfortunately had the bad luck with it.

Don't blame you mate. Onwards and upwards!
 
ahhhh noooo :(

so the hose popped off from the clamp being old or???

Hope the salvage can give you something back and whatever you choose to do next is just as rewarding!
 
It's a real shame you didn't get to properly run it. Onward and upwards!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
badger5 said:
what was source/cause of fire?
Click to expand...

Looks like feed to the rail popped off...



I think the result of a combination of heat making things more malleable, cheap hose finishers being a bit flimsy and me perhaps not nipping it up quite as much as I should have! . . Either way, the nail in the coffin for the old girl. As said though, lucky it wasn't a lot worse!
 
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