meh, i will be running at how fast with three coats behind the back seat, spare wheel, cleaning products, spark plugs, and oil on the boot! lol...... oh and probably Gillywibble, he's got to be 200-300kg! :P

Master Cylinder turned up today.

 

Its the wrong one, and the supplier doesnt stock the one i need! Alternative ordered but i doubt it will turn up before the easter weekend!

 

Not happy! 

 

 

Got alot on my plate with College work (dead line this week), Actual Work, then Car work and Favours/Jobs for others, I just wanted something to go smoothly this week!

Famous last words mate, just when you think you've gone down as far as you  can go something always pops along and reminds you that their is still more to go. Still looking forward to hearing and seeing this in action!

So after ordering the new master cylinder I expected to have to wait after the easter weekend to fit it, in the mean time I decided to remove the old one.

Took that out yesterday, then amazingly DPD text me warning of delivery this morning. Turned up Bang on time!!

Started to fit it and found I couldn't use all of the old parts. The fluid feed pipe is a 90 degree rubber hose only 6 inches long, but it wouldn't fit once I fitted it to the new master cylinder. Turned out it was hitting a plate in the bulk head.

I ended up taking a trip out to Halfords to buy 1M length. Cut a shamfer on the end then it fitted. Pulled it half way through the bulkhead then got the master cylinder attached. Got it in then needed but needed 2nd pair of hands so a mate turned up and we got it bolted in and properly fitted, hose trimmed to length, fitted then put it all back together and bled the system.

I now have a working clutch :)

Much happiness! Took her for a blast and it made me giggle love It!!!!

Well tomorrow is the big day, nerves are building.....

 

Been pottering about today, and i love driving this but there are little niggles i need to fix, and probably will if i have time next week, and if it all goes to pot, or if i open a tin of worms, i have to finish it this week. Otherwise it wont make Combe/Bedford.

 

 

Also been reading up last few bits on the SMF conversion, mainly about the removal or replacement of the clutch dampener, its fitted in series between the Master and Slave cylinders to dampen vibrations through the pedal. As the DMF's absorb a fair amount of them, the dampeners dont work that hard. but the SMF conversion does load them a bit more, Ill see how it goes but a symptom is inconsistent clutch pedal feel, which ill have to keep an eye out for. 

 

 

Im confident about the Cambelt, just worried about the Clutch/Rear main seal.

Nice update Taylor, I'm looking forward to seeing this in the flesh so I do hope to see you at Coombes and Bedford. So here's to everything going according to plan.

If you get stuck and need a second pair of hands, give me a shout, I'm off for a few days.

Unfortunately Mike im not doing it at home. so i think id be asking too much to travel to london to help! :/

Good luck Taylor, are you at the East End Skoda Chop Shop working?

Good luck Taylor, are you at the East End Skoda Chop Shop working?

I think it's called Fox Island... a bit like the Thunderbirds base... just with no pool.

Unfortunately Mike im not doing it at home. so i think id be asking too much to travel to london to help! :/

 

If you give me a bit of notice so I can travel really early and miss the traffic, not a problem.

And so it begins...

 

 

 

 

mmmm... donor engine  ..  just pop it on a pallet for me..

Perfectly good FG engine behind.....

Perfectly good FG engine behind.....

I'd prefer one on car to left

I'd prefer one on car to left

Wouldn't we all?! Besides yours would have rusted by the time you start the conversion now :p

Wouldn't we all?! Besides yours would have rusted by the time you start the conversion now :p

Shhh, can't rot any quicker than the Jag

Tomorrow is cambelt and split the gearbox off Possibly drop thr sump and do the rear main seal.

Then perhaps the day after fit the new clutch and start reassembly

Mike if you ever want to do an Alfa V6 kit car I have all the cambelt tools for the 2.5/3.0 the 3.2s have a different cam profile so my cam locks wont work with them.

Ill be honest Im not liking much of the engineering of the underside. But the engine is awesome. Fitting it in a kit car is becoming a increasingly desirable idea

Mid engined just need a gearbox to mate to it haha

I probably wouldn't use one, if was to do a V6 it'll be a Toyota V6 with a supercharger. You can use the current box just fit it in the back transverse. There's a guy just joined the SKCC forum building the same as me, just starting out.. His previous was an alfa V6 engined stratos replica. he's decided to stick with what he knows and use another Alfa V6. Not the most powerful option but looks the nuts and sounds awesome. I'll keep you abreast of progress.

 

Well done with progress thus far.

So the easy bit is done, undo this, undo that, strap around there, lower that, oops forgot the fuel line etc.

 

Fast forward a few days and you will be saying, where does this bit go, why won't that go back in there, ouch that was my finger and so on 

 

 Have fun young man and keep posting the pictures  

The 24v models like mine shared castings with the older longitudinally mounted alfa 75 12v engine. so you can get away with fitting a 24v engine to the 75's rear gearbox and diff. If only they werent so unreliable compared to the later alfa stuff id consider it haha.

But the v6 can safely take 0.5 bar boost on thr stock crank.

The 24v models like mine shared castings with the older longitudinally mounted alfa 75 12v engine. so you can get away with fitting a 24v engine to the 75's rear gearbox and diff. If only they werent so UNRELIABLE compared to the later alfa stuff id consider it haha.

But the v6 can safely take 0.5 bar boost on thr stock crank.

Really? I'd never of guessed

Well done mate, good progress in day one. Back in tomorrow?

Day two:

Engine stripped and cams locked in place With cylinder one at TDC

old belt and water pump off thats where trouble really insued.

in the middle of the V There is a coolant pipe which takes a feed from the thermostat into the water pump. It has 4 rubber o-rings. Turned out they were missed off of the order and they **** out if not sealed properly. Its a pain as you dont truely know if its sealed until its pressurised and back together. If it leaks you need to strip either the water pump off (and therefore the cambelt too) or take a cylinder head off. So i wanted pto make sure its properly sealed.

So popped to tool station and bought a seal kit and tried a few until i got the right size.

Took ages doing that

Once it was on. The belt and pulleys went on easy.

Finished the day putting cam covers on.

Great progress today clutch tomorrow?

Or is it a day to recover after the trauma of today... on a different note once this is done anyone with an Alfa issues can come see you. Bet you can't wait for that one.