1987 3.2 Carrera Backdate project - Sladeys hotrod

[Darren65]

This thread is more gripping than Breaking Bad!

[Mitch]

This thread is more gripping than Breaking Bad!

Maybe BB becomes Building Better?
Great work all and respect Mark, it's gonna be cool

[sladey]

Wouldn't go that far Darren

Was going to start engine ancillaries tonight but I'm knackered so I'll wait till Saturday

Just talked through the whole timetable with Neil. The actual spraying might slip from next weekend(31st/1st) to the following Monday and Tuesday. Will have to see

[sladey]

Another weekend, another update.....

If we go on the breaking bad theme, today was my 'half measures' episode (drug dealers, car, RUN!)

The bodywork is coming on nicely thanks to Neil - on Friday night he primed the roof and drivers door


Saturday he worked on the drivers wing.

My plan was to assemble the engine on Saturday and install it on Sunday.

Started slowly when I realised I left the engine earth strap (the one that connects to the alternator) up in the Lake District. Looking at the pictures I sussed out what I'd done and bought another earth strap. Once that was done it started to go together nicely




Had a slight problem with the holes in the oil cooler.


These nuts are meant to fit in those holes above. However because the holes had enlarged the nuts just ripped out each time


The solution I came up with was to weld 2 captive nuts onto a piece of steel, and pop rivet that in place. The pop rivet just keeps it there so the nuts can be screwed in properly


This is what it looks like from the outside


So last night the engine looked like this


At this stage I was pleased with progress. I'd got the heat exchangers on, but when you do the 993 heat exchanger conversion it leaves 2 nuts that are a night mare to do up. I left those for Sunday.....

[Nige]

Having a beer for you now Mark, well done.

Tamar Black whilst watching the sun set over Saunton Sands.

[sladey]

OK Sunday came along.

I was a bit concerned about those 2 awkward nuts - I'd previously made a special tool but that relied on 12mm M8 nuts and I don't have any of those left.

Before I got onto those I wasn't sure whether I'd torqued one of the nuts. I thought I'd try it and see.

It spun

The stud itself didn't look great so I thought I'd whip the heat exchanger off, take the stud out and replace it with one of the spares Mike had given me.

I put the stud extractor on it, turned it and....

The stud snapped.


I felt sick to my stomach. I immediately thought it won't make it to CLM. I'd had a bad experience with the anti roll bar stud and the stud won.

I looked at it again. There was a bit of thread left that I could get a nut on. I thought I could weld a nut on and wind it off. I was still in panic mode though so I thought it best that I take 5 and chill out before I start doing anything rash. So I walked round to Ian's - had a cup of tea and talked about it. Ian came back to give me a hand

Put the nut on


And welded it. Ian tried to wind it off. The nut just spun off.

Welded another nut on. Wound it off. Nut spun off.

We thought it through. The stud itself is attached to a massive heat sink - the engine - but the nut itself could take more heat. Consequently the welds were sticking to the nut nicely but just not grabbing the stud

Decided to up the anti a bit.

Welded a washer on first. Then welded a nut onto it. Then welded a bolt into the nut.


Amazingly when we started to turn it the bolt started to bend! Cut the end of the lot off and welded a larger nut on. Started to turn it and heard a ping.

Snapped again.

This time right near the head


Oh sh1t.

[sladey]

We had a look at a tap I'd got and ran it through a spare nut. It cut out so much metal the nut was loose on the stud. We can safely assume my taps are crap.

Looked at my drill bits. If I'm going to drill it out I'll need good sharp drill bits. mine weren't.

Hence a trip to machine mart. Bought a tap and die set, and some cobalt drills.

Feeling a bit better now....

Centre punched the stud and started with a 2mm bit. Took my time, used plenty of WD40, and eventually it went right through the whole length of the stud.

I then gradually increased the drill sizes until I got up to 6mm


Then I was able to carefuly tap a new thread. Again I took my time, winding it back and forth, only cutting a bit at a time. Eventually it went all the way down.

And this was the result


It torqued up properly too.

This felt great. It was now 2pm and I was at finally in the he same position I'd been in at 9:00am. I felt great though - it had bitten me back and I'd sorted it out. Very rewarding.

I still had to sort out those two awkward nuts. I adapted my previous special tool, fitting a cut down 13mm socket


And it works!

Incidentally if anyone is thinking of fitting 993 heat exchangers you'll need these two tools to do the nuts up

[sladey]

Then got some friends round to lift the engine off the stand


Fitted the clutch


And fitted the gearbox, and Starter motor


Incidentally, there's a little vent hole in the side of the 3.2 airbox - it connects a pipe into a carbon canister, when then goes to a breather tank at the front of the car. I've done away with the piping and found that the hole can be neatly blocked up with left over flywheel bolts


Finally an arty shot


Tomorrow - engine into car.

[Bootsy]

I knew today's update was going to end on a positive. Well done that man

Plus I've learnt today that you have friends. Good news all round

[KS]

I can think of few more sickening feelings than having an exhaust stud snap... Congrats on coming up with a solution to a nightmare!

[911hillclimber]

This morning I was sitting sipping at a nice cols Aperol Spritz in Todi, Italy, and thought how you were doing!
Right tools will get you all the way, great going and determination.

This is going to happen!
Italy will taste sweeter soon.

[Nige]

Well done Mark. Had mine all drilled out not a fun job. But why didn't you have them done at MB.

[jtparr]

nice work there Mark..pretty sure the entire mental might of DDK is wiling this build on....and on...and on...
Jp

[sladey]

Mike took a load of them out and replaced them or cleaned then up but I think he left this one in - it hasn't been out for quite a few years.

[Peter]

Well done Mark, amazing work.