169 replies to this topic

[Crabash]

Extras on top of those required for transplant.

 

- Nitron 46Race Track day pro spec.

- EP wishbones with OEM bushes and ball joints.

- New TRE's

- New wheel bearing and hub units all round.

- Front brakes, AP 4 pot Lotus. Discs 308mm.

- Rear brakes, refurb original brembo, paint and sticker to prettify, standard discs.

- New SS camber shims.

- New SS caster shims.

- New Subber washers.

- SS load spreading front towing eye mount.

- New nuts, bolts, washers, rivnuts, P clips, etc for all suspension, brakes, body work, subframe and many other things. In various materials (SS, Steel, aluminum, rubber, plastic) according to where and what they were doing.

- Heat shielding.

- Everything that was not renewed and found to have corrosion or damage was repaired and refurbed, with the exception of very few parts, one thing I did not refurb was the rusty mounting bracket for the horn of was it the alarm siren, I forget.

- Repair corroded brake pipe in rear of drivers sill, common prob but can be repaired if you go in with fuel tank off and put a join in there. Cleaned and protected the rest of the brake pipes.

- Repair bodywork, stress cracks behind intake ears, stress cracks under nose where clam fixes to side pieces behind fog lights, blowouts of GRP in several area's.

- Full respray including epoxy base coat.

- Front V in body colour.

- New windscreen with black surround, on insurance for chip in original.

- Hardtop, finally painted.

- Soft top cleaned about 15 times, dyed 3 times and waterproofed 3 times. Thanks DG but I used all your soft top restore kit

- General clean up of everything that was exposed while working on car, not normally accessible.

- Protection of everything possible with Duralac, Corrosion Block spray/grease and ACF50.

 

I'm sure to have missed some stuff there as it was all from memory.

 

Still plenty to do before I'm completely happy as mentioned before, but mostly it's cosmetic or noise related stuff.

Something I would do different would be to use a sound deadening type of heat shielding on the bulkhead, no big heat source on that side of new engine so would have benefited from a material with less heat capacity but more sound suppression. Quite a lot of work to change that for the sake of about 1-2kg saving, so will just sound proof from inside of bulkhead by laminating 2 or 3 products starting with a high density base which is quite heavy hence will be thin.

 

 

[Duncan VXR]

- Soft top cleaned about 15 times, dyed 3 times and waterproofed 3 times. Thanks DG but I used all your soft top restore kit  In fairness I never thought you would bring that back from the dead lol. Never wanted to use it on my soft top anyway lol DG

[Crabash]

- Soft top cleaned about 15 times, dyed 3 times and waterproofed 3 times. Thanks DG but I used all your soft top restore kit  In fairness I never thought you would bring that back from the dead lol. Never wanted to use it on my soft top anyway lol DG

 

Oh I did it inside and out as well, took ages. Quite impressed myself from where it started with all the growth on it.

[Crabash]

One thing I have not mentioned that might be of interest....

Insurance, declared everything down to changing body work fastenings and 350+ BHP (told them I was unsure as it had not been on a RR for testing power yet, but would be 350 or more, will phone back with final power when it's measured), total increase per year..... £80

[Acidpopstar]

That is just an epic amount of work. Awesome job.

[Duncan VXR]

Thanks for all the positive comments guys, cant wait for the weather to improve for the car to really shine DG

[Whiteboy]

Wow, what a project   I will keep my fingers crossed it proves reliable.

 

Steve

[Graeme Lambert]

Who are you insured with Crabash? £80 difference is amazing considering engine change plus massive power

[Crabash]

REIS, but im sure they stopped taking on new vx/elise customers, due to the boy racer types buying them second hand now. Been with them years now and they have been very good to me. Oh trackday cover included.

[Crabash]

Brakes sorted, knackered non return valve prob with being stood so long, pikey mod got it working but not properly sealed. At least I know what it is though. They are pretty sharp now, have to get used to them again. Almost dry roads here so opened up a little more, Im going to need an airfield to test this properly.

Edited by Crabash, 02 January 2014 - 05:07 PM.

[pigbag04]

unbelievable amount of work by all involved. Looking forward to seeing and hearing it

[Acidpopstar]

Thanks for the pax yesterday Steve. I can confirm it is bloody quick and apparently it was on the lowest power setting. Particularly love the way it has been kept almost totally OEM in looks with all the magic hidden away. Lovely job.

[Duncan VXR]

Yep its on just above oem boost setting there was no way I could data log on aggressive boost the week before Steve took it - weather was shocking

 

Know Steve is on high alert for dry roads to take it out and turn the settings up a bit. I got the p*ss taken out of me for putting it on that baby boost setting but also warned by wife if I stacked it not to come home lol

 

Glad you like it :B

 

Think Steve will have a queue of people come the nice weather to sample the new powerplant

 

DG

[Crabash]

No problem Neil, I tried to demonstrate how well this engine delivers power, non of the surge of torque you get with the zlet, unless I ask for it. Very progressive feel to the power. Should be out there now, but have just had my 3rd sleepless night in a row. Not slept since sat night with the pain in my teeth, gums and jaw. On antibiotics now but no improvement yet. Got 2 extractions and 3 fillings to look forward to when the infection clears :-(

[Acidpopstar]

Yeah the power delivery was unreal - immediate and consistent! Hope you get sorted Steve, no fun at all having tooth pain :-(

[ciderbooze]

Ouch, whisky always helps me through the pain.

[fezzasus]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great build, and great read too. 

 

One question, wouldn't it have made more sense to mount the charge cooler on the left and air intake on the right? 

[Crabash]

No that would have meant a longer and more complicated charge route and a lot more bespoke parts.

[Duncan VXR]

That was my intial plan and certainly gave a shorter run for intake to turbo but in a quest to not mod the subframe / clams etc and oem look it made more sense and was nice smooth routing in the vx220 turbo oem position.

 

The other option was to turn the turbo upside down but for what it solved it caused more pain hence opting for that layout

 

It really was the cleanest / best tetrix option

 

Cheers

DG

[Duncan VXR]

No that would have meant a longer and more complicated charge route and a lot more bespoke parts.

 

Short answer