Felicia 1.8T transplant thread

[TeflonTom]

I've managed to salvage 2 of the cup bearings from a gash steering column, fortunately manual and power steering versions both use the same bearings for the yokes in the universal joints, now I know why they only sell it as a complete assembly!! any who more on that later, if I'm honest I didn't have the patience to put the thing back together again with freezing cold hands, so I though I'd do something creative instead to kick start the old enthusiasm again..

Ok, there used to be a special skoda tool for undoing the inner ball joint on the steering tie rods so you could replace them without dropping the subframe off the car. the tool number was mp7-601 when it was still available but sadly it is now long obsolete and no longer available to buy from skoda, the reason you need the tool is because the access is very limited and literally everything gets in the way gearbox/subframe/driveshaft etc so it's impossible to get a normal spanner in there

I went and had a mooch round halfords (mainly to get inside from the cold I might add) and I purchased myself a 32mm spanner so I could chop it up, spanners are very hard because they are drop forged but I managed to drill a hole through it using some cobalt drill bits, I then sliced the end off a 3/8 drive extension bar and welded it on... somebody is bound to say "why didn't you just use a crows foot on there" I did try but I couldn't get a ratchet on there in a place where I could actually turn it and the square drive hole was too close to the foot to use an extension bar on it due to the shape of the ball joint. I know you can buy universal aftermarket tools to do this job, normally just a long tube that slides over tie rod with 2 bolts at the end you wind in but I was too much of a cheapskate to buy one and the big nut on the ball joint is only soft aluminium so they are easy to deform and damage beyond use.

[TeflonTom]

quick look at driveshafts just FYI

The thing that surprised me most Is that both of these driveshafts are exactly the same length, on a golf shaft the joints actually sit further in on the shaft relatively so when it's assembled with the joints on the overall length of the polo shaft is actually longer than the golf one which surprises me a lot!

Outer ends, 6n polo top, mk3 golf bottom.. There are striking similarities between the 2 types, the circlip groove is the same distance from the ends, the spline is longer on the golf one And I've taken some detailed measurements of both and as far as i can tell that's the only difference,The spline size is the same, 30 teeth.. the polo outer cv joint will happily fit the golf shaft, but the golf cv joint will not fit the polo shaft because the cage in the cj joint is deeper so it can push on far enough to engage with the circlip

Inner ends, 6n polo top, mk3 golf bottom. Again there are huge similarities between them. Both have a 33 tooth spline, the only difference being that the spline is longer on the golf shaft, the polo inner cv joint will fit the golf shaft with no problems, the golf inner cv joint has an inner cage which is recessed (counter bore) on one side so i figured out that if you separate the inner cage and turn it round the other way it is possible to fit the golf inner cv joint to a polo shaft so long as you don't fit the washer, the machined shoulder fits neatly inside the reccess in the inner joint and the snap ring fits the end perfectly, it's almost like it's been intentionally designed like it.

I need to use polo outer cv joints, the diameter of the golf outer joint is too big for the polo uprights. And I'm using a mk3 golf gti 16v gearbox so I need to use the golf inner cv joints (100mm).. My original plan was to use a polo shaft with a normal polo outer joint, then fit the golf inner cv joint with the cage inverted like I described above, the shaft was too long so I shortened it by chopping it and welding it back together ( when I say chop and weld that is an over simplification of a difficult precision process)..

alas I've now changed my mind, I'm not 100% satisfied it will be durable enough, the welds create a stress point which could cause me no end of problems so I'm pretty much decided I'm going to get a pair of driveshafts custom made to spec... Essentially it will be golf fitment one end( no messing about with the cages ) and polo fitment the other end.. I'm not 100% sure what their exact lengths will be as yet but I can guestimate to within a few mm.. the length of the shaft is not critical, the important thing is that the inner joint is not bound up tight at minimum droop( normal ride height) and that the is enough play still at maximum droop( wheels in air, no weight on the suspension), I need to do a bit of testing but I'll try and get the inner joints half way into their operating range ( articulation) at normal ride height. anybody got any other thoughts on this to add to the equation?

[TeflonTom]

I made the final decision to get the driveshafts friction welded from 2 halves of the required type of end to the exact right length.

[TeflonTom]

it doesn't look it, but it's actually quite fiddly to separate the yokes from the universal joints on the bottom of the steering column, I managed to ruin a few of the cup bearings in the process, but fortunately I had enough left over from the other column to salvage 2 good ones

Gently does it :wonder: using a vice to push both bearings in simultaneously, its vital that they go in square and that they engage properly with the yoke whilst they are going in otherwise they will get damaged

once they are pushed in flush they need to just go in a little further, I used a 9mm 1/4 drive socket for this because it seemed like a good fit on the cup.. This stage is the most tricky, getting the u/j centralised so that the spline is centred, if it's off centre the u/j will bind and won't work properly, also the cup bearings have to be pushed in just far enough that a little resistance is felt in the turning action of the yoke, basically you get one shot at it because it's very easy to ruin the bearing pushing them out again!

[TeflonTom]

As mentioned above, the manual steering shaft is slightly longer than the power steering version, this is because the pinion on the steering gear sits slightly higher on the power steering rack so the column assembly is shorter to suit... However at the base of the manual steering tube is a slotted spline which allows for an amount of adjustment, normally they are fitted right at the bottom of this adjustment range, so sliding it further in towards the steering tube gives about 1cm of adjustment, I had to shorten the spring too because it became coil bound before it reached the end of this slot, I just cut the end coil off with a cutting disc.

trial fitting, essentially is consists of a manual steering column assembly set at it's shortest setting, with the u/j spline end from a power steering model stuck on the end to suit the power steering rack... I now have a good 14mm or so of clearance between the column and the clutch master cylinder pushrod.. Happy days.

[TeflonTom]

Mini update;

went and retrieved some power steering pipes from a breakers yard today (it was actually the exact same vehicle I got the heater box from as it happens), got all 3 of the pipes and as many of the associated fittings as I could, plus the steering fluid reservoir, also picked up a steering pump whilst I was there too because the one that came with the engine is busted, got the pump but from a petrol engined mk4 golf to suit the brackets fitted to the engine( the felicia diesel one won't fit), did a quick trial fit of the pipes and they all seem ok tbh, the pipe fitting unions on the golf pump are identical to the felicia pump, the banjo bolts have the same part number! just need a little bit of persuasion here and there and a little bit of bending to make the pipes fit 100%, need to go and order up some new copper washers for the banjo fittings then jobs a goodun.

Edit; something else I discovered a few days ago is that the saddle clamps that hold the steering rack onto the subframe are listed on etka with the description "muff" and the bushes are called "bush for muff" made me laugh anyway.

[TeflonTom]

I forgot to mention the great rear engine mounting incident of 2012!! Carnage it was :wonder: tried to press the bush out to replace it but it wasn't having any of it, purchased a new one and the bush

The mounting is supplied separately from the actual bush insert, so it needs to be pressed in, not strictly necessary to use a hydraulic press, not very much pressure is needed to push it in but I couldnt fit it in between the jaws of my vice

All assembled, it's worth buying new bolts at the same time with stuff like this, came to just under £20 for the whole lot including the bolts.

[TeflonTom]

Starting to put some of the suspension components back together now, I seem to be having some pretty and luck recently, I managed to ruin one of the ball joints by putting a nick in the little gaiter, not to worry I'll just order up a new one on monday but wont fit it till the last miniute case I do it again.

Can't put the steering tie rods back in yet because I'm waiting for a custom part I made which is away being heat treated at the moment.

Rear engine mount now fitted, subframe/track control arm bolts all torqued to 70nm, track pivot bolt 80nm, I've done a quick trial fit of the bonnet now that the engine is sat at the right angle, a few bits just need a few minor tweaks but it will be ok.

[TeflonTom]

I've had a brain wave.. How to figure out the driveshaft lengths.

I chopped the end off a piece of galv tubing and drilled and tapped 2 m12 threads in so I could put some bolts in, I mentioned earlier that I'm going to get 2 new driveshafts custom made, I know every dimension needed to make them except the length, what i can do now is hack a piece off the end of the shaft with a cutting disc then slide the 2 halves in or out to the desired length, then nip the bolt up to hold it so I can test all the angles, and suspension travel, steering lock to lock etc till I get it just right, I've been thinking about this process and i think it might be a good idea to remove the springs from the dampers then refit them to the car without the springs fitted so I can actuate the suspension by hand with no resistance, or I guess I could just use a trolley jack under the ball joint or whatever..

[TeflonTom]

Golf 100mm inner cv joint (ball and cage type)

Just a quick look at the golf inner joints FYI, As I mentioned previously the inner spline has a counterbore on one side so that it can be used with a polo shaft(shorter spline).. One side of the outer donut has a recess machined into it to accept a rubber gasket which seals the joint to the drive flange on the gearbox hence why I mentioned earlier than if it's used with a polo shaft the inner cage needs to be reversed so that the shaft fits the counterbore and the sealing gasket will face towards the gearbox.

The joint is retained by a c clip which just snaps into the groove on the end of the driveshaft, under the joint is a washer which has an internal spline which slides on first... It's notoriously tricky to get the c clip on too, they often ping off and land on the other side of the workshop if you aren't careful

These cv joints are the devils own creation, they are really fiddly to assemble and it has to be done by inserting the inner cage at a right angle then twisting it, then pop the last 2 balls in place just before it goes parallel... Horrible tricky things...... However they are immensely durable and well engineered.

[TeflonTom]

mock up of drivers side driveshaft using my home made pikey driveshaft sleeve thingamajig, outer joint is fitted up and bolted in place, inner joint is bolted up to the gearbox, left a gap in between them so I could freely move the piece with the inner joint attached in and out of the sleeve... I've discovered that the up and down motion of the suspension has very little effect on the inner cv joint mainly because they pivot on more or less the same vertical plane, however the turning from lock to lock has much more of an affect, turning the hub to full left hand lock pulls the shaft away from the gearbox, and turning it full right lock pushes it in..

I've set the position of the inner cage right in the middle of it's operating range by sliding the piece of driveshaft into the sleeve, then nipped up the bolt, then articulated the hub through all of it's operating angles, lock to lock etc and at various heights and it all seems to be ok..

Took it off the car then measured the length from this... 705mm drivers side... I placed it next to a drivers side tubular shaft from a mk2 golf gti 16v for comparison in the above pic... As far as I'm aware the longest standard shaft you can get for transverse fitment is 688mm but I could be wrong on that which does open up an opportunity of using this plus a spacer made from an old inner joint behind it with longer bolts, I would only do this as a last resort plus I'm after a solid shaft tbh to give me more space for the exhaust down pipe to come through.

[TeflonTom]

carried out the same process on the passenger side.. Measured the overall length needed as 402mm which is very interesting indeed... It just so happens that the standard rear drivers side driveshaft from a mk2 golf syncro/rallye is 404mm which is close enough for my liking... I'll have to try and find one.

[TeflonTom]

friction welding is th way forward it seems after all, all I need to do is find some decent second hand shafts which aren't pitted or corroded to be done up with friction welds, time for a Breakers yard trip again methinks

[TeflonTom]

the polo cv joint does not fit straight into the oem skoda uprights as it is, the shoulder is a little too large but i reckon with a 2mm spacer in between the hub and the joint should sort that, I'm definitely going to use the polo outer joints ( mainly because I have a pair of brand new ones here)

it's actually not far off being ready... Driveshafts,l the wiring looms to the engine, fit the gear linkage up, coolant plumbing, intercooler pipework, service engine, radiator fan....

[TeflonTom]

Quick look at the mk1 focus coilovers.. This subject deserves a thread of it's own to be fair so I'm not going to go into too much detail on it other than to say that with a few minor adaptions to the top mounts they will fit without too many issues.

More on this thread later..

[TeflonTom]

Progress has been made

stripped down the felicia uprights and pushed the bearings out, gave them a whizz over with the old circular wire wheel in a drill then painted them up with hammerite. I also drilled out the lugs for the brake caliper to a larger size on the milling machine but somehow I didnt take a pic of this.

Pic above shows new bearing being pushed into place.. What I did was use one of the old wheel bearings and removed the inner races and used this to push the new bearing in, this is perfect because it only pushes on the outer race of the new bearing

fitted the new snap ring ( you need some pretty heavy duty circlip pliers for those)... Then turned it over to press the new hub flange in, it's not necessary to use new hubs but I purchased 2 new ones from gsf due to the fact one of mine had a broken wheel bolt stuck in one, and a pulled thread in the other. I could have repaired them but it's not worth the effort... The hubs I'm using are from a 6n2 polo I've unbolted the abs sensor ring from it because I don't need it. They are a direct fit without needing any modification to the bearing or uprights. When you press the hub flange into the bearing it's important that you only push on the inner race otherwise the bearing will get damaged!

[TeflonTom]

I've fitted it up to the car with an old damper for now, I've removed the spring and reassembled it so that I can articulate the suspension full it's full travel and lock to lock with little resistance.. I've done this so I can double check the driveshaft lengths

I've been thinking about the ford coilovers and how the top mounts are going to work, going to visit the boys at brt bearings in the morning to see what stuff they've got... More on this thread later.

Edited 29 September, 2013 by TeflonTom

[TeflonTom]

Spent ages with a 40 grit flap wheel in a drill and spent a good while sanding it out, but even after that it was still damned tight.. I resorted to brute force and used the hydraulic press to force them in... Alas they aren't going to come out again

[TeflonTom]

Flap wheel in the old drillaroo, it's probably quite futile doing this in all honesty, these uprights are actually quite good quality hard castings.. Cleaned it up nice though....

Liberal amounts of brute force applied to help the damper into the uprights... I don't think it will ever come out again

assembled the unit after it was all pressed together, I used the top spring cap from the mk3 golf coilover kit I'd previously purchased the eagled eyed amongst y'all may notice that I have left out the bump stop out, of course I did this deliberately just to check you are paying attention the threaded part on top of the ford coilover is a weeny bit too short for my liking but it does tighten down ok so that it ends up flush with the top nut.

Edited 29 September, 2013 by TeflonTom

[TeflonTom]

the assembled unit fitted up to the car.. ultimate bling.

Edited 9 March, 2012 by TeflonTom

[TeflonTom]

ok, I'm using the 6n polo outer cv joints because the spline sizes are easier to work with, but these don't fit absolute 100% right in the felicia uprights, you need a spacer approx 2.5mm thick to go between the bearing and the cv joint.. I visited a local hardware store and obtained some stainless steel M24 washers which are nearly perfect for the job, they are approx 4mm thick but that's good enough to use.. The cv joint has a filleted section (kind of curved) where the spline meets the main body of the joint so I put them up on the lathe and put a 45 degree chamfer on the inner edge on one side to allow the washer to sit flat against the face of the joint.

M24 washer on polo cv joint

[TeflonTom]

its a bit of a pick and mix of parts folks.. felicia uprights and wheel bearing, ford focus suspension, 6n2 polo wheel hub, 6n polo outer cv joint with spacer as above.. It will also probably end up with a Subaru brake caliper too at some stage too

Somebody might question the fact I'm using a polo wheel hub, in reality theres not a lot of difference between that and the skoda one, the main reason difference being the centre bore size in the brake disc.

Edit: bloody iPad thinking for itself again... Damn you autocorrect.

Edited 9 March, 2012 by TeflonTom

[TeflonTom]

The passenger side driveshaft needs to be 390mm end to end, and the drivers side will be 692mm end to end... More info on that bit later on in the thread..

I'm not happy with my scrapyard sourced gear linkage, it's a bit stiff for my liking, I've tried freeing it off with no luck so I'm going to try and find another one at some point. Also the reversing light switch on the gearbox is broken but these can both come from the same donor vehicle.

new track rod ends should be arriving tomorrow.

[TeflonTom]

I'm using the complete gear linkage assembly from a mk3 golf 16v/vr6.. Essentially it is a square base with the gear stick, and it has 2 cabled attached which go through to the gearbox... Pretty much the same as the mk4 golf/octavia ones...

[TeflonTom]

Using home made tool to tighten up the steering tie rods, as you can see the access is fairly limited in there.

next I put the rubber gaiters on, but I deliberately didn't push them all the way home at this stage.. After this centralised the steering rack so it had equal amount sticking out both ends, next I set the uprights/wheel hubs so they were more or less in the straight ahead position, i then screwed on the tie rod ends(track rod ends) so that the pin lined up with the steering arm, this might sound pedantic but it will make it easier later on to get them roughly in the right position for when I set up the wheel alignment.

When I'd done both sides i then pushed up the steering rack tie rod boots fully home then fitted the securing straps.