DarrenHs' GTE16v, version 1

[DarrenH]

just a quick introduction to cover the changes between the astras purchase in 1999 and january 2004.

heres the astra, completely standard when i bought it in march 1999. 2 lady owners, about 80,000 miles.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo01.JPG

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo02.JPG

early in 2000 i fitted lowered springs and 16 inch team dynamic wheels. mods remained simple, i was into my sound systems at the time. this was the year i found MIGWEB also, and a mechanical interest in the 20XE was developing.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo03.JPG

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo04.JPG

by summer 2001 the rear arches were suffering badly, i booked it into my local body shop for new arches "with a twist". i had mk2 front arches grafted into the rear giving round rear arches. at the same time i had the whole car comletely debadged and the black vinyl gte strip removed from the rear. addition of filter and exhaust at this time.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo05.JPG

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo06.JPG

Fast forward to february 2002, i was a bit bummed to miss out on the sale of a second hand set of paralell throttle bodies off of gary P on mig. about 2 months later they were up for sale again, the owner upgraded to a tapered setup. i pounced and slotted them home with a new MBE ecu. the engine was at about 120,000 miles at this time, and it would never forgive me !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo07.JPG

during the spring of 2002 i made the decision to turn the car from fast road into track. the interior came out much to everyones horror, but i didnt care.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo08.JPG

here it is later in 2002 after repainting and tidying up the floor pan. the car pretty much remained the same until mid 2003 due to me breaking my arm and being made redunant. it basically just sat outside my house between the summer of 2002 until april ish 2003.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo09.JPG

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/astraevo10.JPG

[DarrenH]

jan '04 engine rebuild.

parts list -

new omegas (87mm)

http://members.aol.com/Geomaster124/dogg1.jpg

valve train and bolts

1. sbd (kent) valve springs
2. sbd steel oil pump gear
3. cap head heavy duty main bolts
4. ARP flywheel bolts
5. steel valve spring seats
6. steel valve spring retainers
7. ARP head stud kit

http://members.aol.com/Geomaster124/dogg2.jpg

helix cermaic paddle clutch versus the old black diamond

http://members.aol.com/Geomaster124/dogg10a.jpg

quaiffe atb loveliness

http://members.aol.com/Geomaster124/dogg10.jpg

[DarrenH]

jan '04

the build

cylinder head had a chemical bath, and then some mild porting care of gary p.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/dogg3.jpg

head fully assembled with new running gear

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/dogg5.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/dogg5b.jpg

block cleaned, painted, rebored and honed, omega pistons installed

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/dogg6.jpg

bottom end, arp big end bolts and cap head heavy duty main bolts.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/dogg6b.jpg

btb 4-2-1 manifold, heat wrapped, and alloy multi-vee pulley

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/dogg7.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/dogg8.jpg

everything back in the bay, in dire need of a clean, dizzyless ignition installed

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/dogg9.jpg

[DarrenH]

march '04

failed the mot on perished fuel lines and tiny visible hole in the sill. i took of the side skirts to reveals this :(

drivers side -

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/drivers_side_front01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/drivers_side_front02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/drivers_side_rear01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/drivers_side_rear02.jpg

passenger side -

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/passenger_side_front01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/passenger_side_rear01.jpg

[DarrenH]

april '04.

i put the astra into the body shop for new sills, new rear arches, rew front wings, sun roof welded over, general touch up.

while its gone i decide to sell the old 16's, downsize to 15's for a better handling compromise. a guy bought them via mig for a mid engine v6 mini project !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/wheel_ad.jpg

i wanted a set of vauxhall 15 inch alloys and found a set of champion wheels for sale, without tyres, very good price and excellent condition. picked them up after an hour drive and stuck some fresh pirelli rubber on them.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/new_wheel.jpg

[DarrenH]

June '04

get the car back from the body shop, looking absolutely spanky !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop03.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop04.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop05.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop06.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop07.jpg

[DarrenH]

august '04

before the paint even has time to dry, one weekend i nipped down to the cash machine to get some money out for a trip to santapod the next day. a guy pulls out of a parking bay and rams the side of the astra. looks like its gonna be a busy year. :mad: :(

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/smash01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/smash02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/smash03.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/smash04.jpg

[DarrenH]

august '04.

the tax and MOT expires on the runaround mk2 cav. with very little chance of passing another MOT (see pic) i have to scrap it.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cav01.jpg

because of the smashed astra i look for another runaround. friend of my dad has a mk2 polo for sale, on first inspection its low mileage and absolutely mint, full years MOT and some tax, i buy it immediately !!

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/polo01.jpg

[DarrenH]

september '04

as the insurance claim progressed i sourced a replacement front bumper and passenger door (thanks scott !) new wing also purchased. managed to get all the panels on just in time for trax2004. a little unorthadox scheme but it was astra shaped which was all i cared about.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/rebuild01.jpg

booked into the bodyshop again for september 20th !!!

[Rob_S]

nice diary :cool:
looked ace all freshly painted, not long till its redone :)

[DarrenH]

sept '04

few interior pics

just cant seem to get rid of that old gte16v wheel, its got sentimental value :p

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/interior01.jpg

stripped rear which wouldve been sporting a nice roll cage had i not keep having to spend money repairing the dam car !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/interior02.jpg

plated sunroof, notice the patented weekenny red mk2 astra bonnet used as a donor.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/interior03.jpg

rebuilt centre console, which was smashed due to the side impact, clock relocated, vent aperture filled with guages.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/interior04.jpg

[DarrenH]

1999 to 2004 prequel added

[DarrenH]

back from the body shop today for the crash repairs !!

wing door and bumper sprayed

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop_sep04_01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop_sep04_02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop_sep04_04.jpg

also had the head light washers removed and filled while it was there.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bodyshop_sep04_03.jpg

[_Steven_]

Looks good :)

[Rob_S]

that looks brill odders :D

[pmc_3]

Looking good :) Rear bumper missing :confused: not to mention the side repeater ;)

[DarrenH]

mini update

car fully reassembled

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/alldone01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/alldone02.jpg

[Gander]

Sweet, looks slightly odd not having any skirtage but then what are skirts but fancy ways of holding water close to the bodywork, and in your case unwanted weight!

When did you revert to flat rear arches? I thought the rounded ones made you car look very "business like" if that makes sense:o

[_Steven_]

Skirts, side moldings and the black sticker on the boot.. perfect :)

[DarrenH]

still got the sideskirts in the garage roof, but as gander said, they are just sludge traps.

the sills are never gonna end up in this state again, aslong as i own the car...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/passenger_side_rear01.jpg

gander i reverted back to flat arches earlier in the year during the full body restoration/body shop work. the rounds were nice while they lasted, but at the end of the day they were tacked on to a rotten chassis. papering over the cracks as they say.

[Allen Mead]

Now she's starting to look the business, very smart 0dders. :cool: :cool:

[DarrenH]

I ordered a safety devices 6 point bolt in cage during october, with a few options. i had a full cross diagonal in the rear cage, and a harness bar. safety devices said there was a 4 week lead time which is fair enough, but, the cage turned up in 2 weeks which was nice. i had a few PM exchanges with brian who helped fit mattJ's cage and he agreed to do the welding for mine too. so last saturday (6th nov) i went up to the lockup near hemel hempstead and we got on with the job. took us about 6 hours with mincing and eating the cage was a perfect fit in the astra, and came with pre-made spreader plates which significantly reduced fitting time. here it is, all bolted in. gonna have to take it all back out though to properely paint the base plates, and re-seal the wheel arches where the weld has peirced through.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cage01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cage02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cage03.jpg

next on the list is either the cams to fulfill my MT215 "kit" or i might go for some bucket seats and harnesses. gonna get proper 3 inch wide with aerospace style buckle. as for the seats, i quite like the look of sparco rev or evo.

[Gander]

I'd go for the buckets and harneses first, it'll get you in the mood for the power hike;)

[Tom]

Good job fella, that looks great in a hardcore trackcar kind of way :D
You have to get bucket seats and harnesses now tho. :cool:

[Jon S]

lokin nice
i bet the cage makes it more drivable now its all nice n rigid?

i forgot how ghaslty those gte seats are and they are v-heavy

[Anthony]

Looking good :cool:
I'd say go for the seats now. The sparco seats you mentioned are v.nice seats and comfortable

Regards
Anthony :)

[weekenny]

Warning odders the aero style buckle is not road legal and the belts should fail an mot.

[Jon S]

Warning odders the aero style buckle is not road legal and the belts should fail an mot.

o dear ive been looking at these too

http://www.sabelt.co.uk/imagesmain/seatbeltbuckle.jpg
. why would they fail?

[weekenny]

Pretty sure they have to be the std road style clip to pass the mot, cant remember the reason or where I heard it tbh but I'm sure its correct.

[weekenny]

Just looked at tweeks booklet and the aircraft ones are FIA approved but not E marked and the normal buckle ones are E marked but not FIA approved.

[Kris]

Whats the deal with the bolting pos on the harnesses ,do they have to go into the origonal bolt holes of the seat belts .Just so iknow as i have bined the seat belts and attached the harnesses to the frames ,but my mot is due soon and as i have made up the fail sheet in my head i dont want this on it ?.

[DarrenH]

amazing really isnt it, used day in day out in rally and race cars, but it wont pass a test for roadworthyness because it doesnt have the right marking.

to be honest i cant find a single reference to the right or wrong type of buckles in the MOT testers handbook.

[Rob_S]

it has to be a permenant fixture and e marked harnesses which all the named ones are. mine never were a problem and they were cheapy ones.

[DarrenH]

good weekend so far. ive known for over a year that one of my rear calipers have been sticking. they are a twin pistons design, one piston pushing on each side of the disk. the trouble with my passenger side rear caliper is only one piston was pushing (from the rear of the disk). the result was odd wear on the disk and pads (see below) and the last MOT showed quite a big defecit in braking effort side to side.

i ordered up a new set of calipers from autovaux, arrived the next day, only 37 quid each :) note on this pic the pad contact is right to the edge of the disk, on the MOT this side scored 120.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/brakes01.jpg

heres the drivers side, notice the lack of pad contact, thicker ring of rust round the edge of the disk and the scoring. on the MOT this side only scored 90.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/brakes02.jpg

i also took the roll cage back out to comprehensively paint and underseal the (now rusty) base plates. lots of wire brush drill attatchments and red oxide primer :) luckily the heat from the welding had done 90% of the work of loosening the underseal, so i just had to make a cut round the outside of the weld, then peel/scrape the underseal revealing the rust/weld/shell paint.

drivers side front

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/plates01.jpg

drivers and passenger side middle plates

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/plates02.jpg

and from underneath

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/plates06.jpg

rear plates

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/plates03.jpg

and from underneath

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/plates04.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/plates05.jpg

once the cage is bolted back in i'll spray the road side of the plates in the wheel arches and under the cabin in rubberised underseal.

[weekenny]

:cool: good job the plates look to be fitted well

[DarrenH]

all done :)

passenger side centre plate

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cage07.jpg

drivers side rear wheel arch

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cage08.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cage04.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cage05.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cage06.jpg

[twigz]

looking good odders :D

[sb_scottmonkey]

Very nice work mate, looks ace! Looking forward to seeing the next installment! :)

The door and bumper never looked that good on my car!

Cheers, Scott.

[Astra Dan]

Love the DIS bracket :)

Stonking car. If I could afford to have about 4 GTE 16Vs, one would look like yours.

[DarrenH]

whyyy thank yerr

[tomstickland]

Top read.
Few thoughts on my mind....
1) How do 15" wheels compare with previous 16" wheels?
2) What's the ATB (before I come) diff like?
3) You must fit some bucket seats to it.

[DarrenH]

the 15's seems to have balanced the car out, it feels much more at home on them, livelier. gone is the harsh tramliney effect of the wide low 16's. its more fun to drive even though you could argue it has less lateral grip now.

the diff is a little strange in that you have to drive in opposition to natural instinct to get it to work. entering a corner and understeering with an open diff, youd naturally ease off teh accelerator to regain grip. with a quaiffe you have to accelerate and then it yanks you tight into the corner. very weird feeling.

the bucket seats are on the shopping list. they are actually a chrstmas gift that i havent picked up yet.

[tomstickland]

the diff is a little strange in that you have to drive in opposition to natural instinct to get it to work. entering a corner and understeering with an open diff, youd naturally ease off teh accelerator to regain grip. with a quaiffe you have to accelerate and then it yanks you tight into the corner. very weird feeling.
Ah. Sounds OK. I've found that grip round corners on a std diff is much better with some power being put down. The last 12 months I've been really working on this. Always try to be back on the power by the time I'm going round the corner. So this sounds like an extension of this sort of technique.

[CraigGreen]

Ah. Sounds OK. I've found that grip round corners on a std diff is much better with some power being put down. The last 12 months I've been really working on this. Always try to be back on the power by the time I'm going round the corner. So this sounds like an extension of this sort of technique.

Had I known this I might not have written my valver off. LMAO

[DarrenH]

jan 05

started purchasing parts for the next mini rebuild (end of feb i'm scheduling for)

its well documented about my starter motor problems, replacing dodgy re-cons every 6-12 months. so, i ordered a brand new starter.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/starter01.jpg

its made from all new parts and has planetary gear reduction. that basically means the unit around the pinion houses a gear system. the by-product of that is that a smaller motor can be used, greater output torque is produced, less power required to drive the motor and greater cranking speed. smaller motor also means some weight savings, which is getting on for a kilo in this case.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/starter02.jpg

heres the old and new side by side to compare...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/starter03.jpg

[tomstickland]

Whooooargh that's a sexy mofo.

[stt]

Nice!
Where did you get that from?

[Kris]

What you doing with the mini re-build ,just getting ready for show time ?.

[DarrenH]

it was from a popular motorsport retailer.

the rebuild is mainly to fulfill the engine spec to sbd's "MT215" its basically nothing more than a set of cams (284/276 duration, 11.4/11mm lift) and an ecu map

first i need to crack the engine apart to turn the pistons round. i dont know if it was mentioned in this thread but when i assembled the engine i used the logic that writing on the crown of the pistons would be readable when viewed from the front of the block. so thats how i fitted them. at no point did i notice that the inlet valve cutouts are bigger than the exhausts, and that i had fitted the pistons back to front !

this is fine in road trim with standard valves and cams as the inlet valves fit inside the exhaust cutouts in the pistons. but, it might run into trouble when using more aggresive overlap and valve lift, so...

it will also be really nice to see how the engine is doing inside, bores, pistons and big end shells, some 3-4k after running it in.

[Jon S]

so does the new starter motor start the engine like a superbike (quick n clean)?
instead of chugging slowly like the OE?

[DarrenH]

yeah should do.

[DarrenH]

got fed up with the astra sitting there unusable so i put the starter and new battery on today.

decided to take the hub off and see the gear system inside, also note it has a big bearing race before the pinion, nice strengthening touch...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/starter04.jpg

now onto fitting it, theres a few hurdles to overcome, most of them i already knew about. first is that this starter has a spade connection for the solenoid trigger wire, the stock starter has a M8 stud/ring connector/10mm nut setup...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/starter05.jpg

second problem is that on the stock starter the larger mounting hole is threaded to accept the end of the gearbox-to-engine mounting bolt. this starter just had a plain hole...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/starter06.jpg

solution, bought some M12 threaded rod, 2 nyloc nuts and some washers. nut and washer on each end, hey presto...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/starter07.jpg

final problem is that the solenoid is aimed at the floor. but on the stock motor its up top pointing at the bonnet. just needed an inch or two more reach in the +12v cable which was more than comfortable with the stock cables pulled down a bit. you can also see the solenoid trigger wire with spade connector pressed on...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/starter08.jpg

also did a little movie clip of the new setup all in and wired up, its 520Kb, windows WMV format..

click here or right click save target as (http://oddball.usererror.org.uk/car_stuff/starter.wmv)

[stt]

have you earthed your starter too? is that from a mk3?

[DarrenH]

you mean is the earth from a mk3, yes it is.

i was thinking about putting the earth directly to the starter earth terminal (in the picture it has a plastic cap over it) but decided to keep the earth on the block. details of that upgrade are in the Modifications, Information & Interesting Pics section of mk2astra.com

http://www.astra-mk2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272

[weekenny]

:cool:

[DarrenH]

whilst investigating various new ignition lead alternatives, i found out that the standard factory 20XE beru leads are serviceable. you can unscrew the cables from the plug ends like so...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/beru04.jpg

so i had a measure up of the old leads and ordered a new set of beru HT cores from SBD. they cost £41 for a set of 4, any length up to 30", and you can then screw them into your old cable ends. quite a cheap alternative considering new full sets of beru leads are 108 from SBD, and add another 80 to that if you go to a GM dealer.

i also decided to tidy up the engine bay a bit, ordered a flat dizzy blanking plate, a spare set of 4 beru HT cores (bagged) and proper coil pack mounting bracket (which also clamps the dizzy blanking plate on using the ex distributor mounting bolt holes)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/ignition01.jpg

[DarrenH]

happy to say the astra is back up and running, thank god !!

spot the difference competition...

october '04

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/2410Pod06.jpg

today !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/ignition03.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/ignition02.jpg

[tomstickland]

Why don't you stop spending money on that old heap and buy a sensible car that allows you to get from A to B in comfort? Like a nice Fiesta.

[Gander]

Like a nice Fiesta.
Buuuuurn him buuuuurn hiiim!:p

As fot the s.t.d comp:
Plug cover
DIS bracket
New leads
New (larger) battery
Spillage around the header tank

[Astra Dan]

Didn't you like the dispak bracket? :(

Give that one to Jamie, he breaks all the ones I make for him. That one with the Brass-right Angle of Power is pretty cool.

[DarrenH]

yeah thats the puppy ! its in my box of bits in the garage, too good to throw away!

few reasons for the upgrade really, i can now use standard length leads, and it makes more space for the ducting, and it doesnt wibble about :p

[Dazzy130]

Whats involved in fitting the dizzyless stuff? Am going to be buying this stuff today and just sort of looking for some advice. Does anything need changing in the ECU, and also any help in wires would be great as well

Cheers

[weekenny]

Dazzy you'll need to be running non-std management or swap to the whole dizzyless ecu and loom

[Dazzy130]

Already got a loom and ecu for the dizzyless, spoke to Dick at SBD, and he's gona get steve to sort the ECU. Also gave me the wire colours and numbers for the coil pack as well, so it looks like i have it sorted I HOPE :)

[weekenny]

yeah its just a point of re-wiring the plug to match the coil pack (eco and xe packs differ) and changing one setting on the ecu.

[caul pope]

What's the advantages of running a dizzyless set up?

[DarrenH]

its free of any moving / mechanical parts. theoretically it will never wear out. and it provides a more reliable spark, with marginally more energy.

[caul pope]

its free of any moving / mechanical parts. theoretically it will never wear out. and it provides a more reliable spark, with marginally more energy.
So why do cars have them? except for the company making money when it needs replacing?

[DarrenH]

i dont get the question. you have quoted all the reasons they are fitted to cars. they dont need servicing. no rotor arm or dizzy cap to replace. theres no moving parts, so it never wears out.

[Matheusc20xe]

its free of any moving / mechanical parts. theoretically it will never wear out. and it provides a more reliable spark, with marginally more energy.

I agree in this(about wear), but i saw more problems in dizzyless setup than in distributor ignition type. I saw a lot of problems in DIS Pack coil burned.. i saw a lot of times ignition failures..
Because this i prefer the common dinamic ignition system. In my opinion is more security system, and if i need more spark, i can put a high output coil, like my Mallory Promaster one(64.000 volts).

But, really nice stuff there Oddball!!! You have high quality parts in your car.. i can feel here the sound of your engine.. :)

[DarrenH]

Because this i prefer the common dinamic ignition system.

whats this system ? is this a coil per cylinder built into the ignition lead ?

[Matheusc20xe]

whats this system ? is this a coil per cylinder built into the ignition lead ?

No Odd.. i mean the common distributor ignition system. You have the primary voltage(around 300 to 350 volts in standard ignition system), and the second voltage, that is multiplicated by the coil, and get around 25.000 to 30.000 volts in standard system. This second voltage, that will get fire in sparks.


Look the Mallory Promaster coil(that i have in my car):

http://store1.yimg.com/I/whitespitstop_1828_56367355.jpg


Its guarantee good spark at 10.000rpm operation. Have oil cooling in the box for prevent energy loss.


Cheers,


Matheus S. Almeida

[DarrenH]

nice matheus :cool:

picked up the cams today...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/cams01.jpg

Inlet cam 11.4mm Lift Hydraulic 284 Degrees duration
Exhaust cam 11mm Lift Hydraulic 278 Degrees duration

as a comparison the standard 20XE cams currently fitted are 9.5mm lift, 250 degrees duration

[Matheusc20xe]

hummm..nice cams Odd! Really high lift! Is it grinded using the standard ones?

I think in use a more wild cam in my standard C20XE, but i can´t find a intermediate cams for running with standard pistons(not pocketed).

Or you use a really weak camshaft(260..264.. 10mm lift.. Fastroad types..), or need go the very agressive camshafts(more than 280 in duration and more than 11.5mm in lift) that need use aftermarket management system and pocketed pistons.

The Piper, Kent, SBD don´t have intermediate camshaft? I mean about 270 to 276º duration, and lift about 10 to 10,5mm(for can use with standard pistons). Do you know some good maker of camshafts there in UK that make this type of camshaft?


And my last question, what your power expected with new camshaft? If you get 200bhp with standard ones, i think you can get easy 230bhp with this camshafts! :eek: :)


Cheers,


Matheus S. Almeida

[DarrenH]

they are new cams made from blanks, yes, hopefully the power will be 220-230 bhp !

have you tried shrick ? i'm very sure that piper do a 264/10.16mm cam for the 20XE. i have a list here

[Matheusc20xe]

have you tried shrick ? i'm very sure that piper do a 264/10.16mm cam for the 20XE. i have a list here
In website of Schrick don´t have list of aplication. Do you know some seller of Scherick cams there in UK?


Cheers,


Matheus S. Almeida

[DarrenH]

i dont know seller of shrick. piper and kent both do fast road cams, sbd definately sell fast road cams (which are kent anyway)

[tomstickland]

220BHP. It's going to be a bloody rocket.

Kent & Piper aren't the best regarded cam companies. I think this is why many tuners source Schrick cams and others.

[DarrenH]

BALLS !

about 3 weeks ago exiting toys r us car park i heard a massive THUNK from the front drivers suspension, like someone whacking the floorpan with a 4lb mallet. i pulled back into the carpark for a thorough inspection and couldnt see anything wrong. TCA bolt still in one piece, anti-roll bar link bolts in one piece, TCA fine, top mounts fine, strut ring-nut fine. it felt ok to drive on the way home, so i forgot about it.

last weekend myself and mattj did about 200 miles in the astras, mostly motorway and quick B roads, the astra felt a bit funny, the suspension was a bit wishy washy, not alarm bells wheel flapping around, just something not quite right.

i used the car again today and while traversing some local speed humps the thunk returned as the suspension settled after each ramp. got to work and had a look in the drivers wheel arch...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring03.jpg

ACK !

so now the new suspension moves to priority 1, the mini engine build is gonna have to wait. billstein sprintline (blue and yellows) enter stage right ! gotta get a shift on too as it’s the southeast rolling road day in 12 days time !!

[weekenny]

Odders if you have a Euro car parts down your way they can source the billies at reasonable prices (or they could when I asked 4 years ago)

[DarrenH]

http://www.astra-mk2.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

[DarrenH]

kit arrived :) got them from eurocar parts in the end, in london.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/sprint.jpg

[MattJ]

Lets kick some VW butt! ;)

[Matheusc20xe]

kit arrived got them from eurocar parts in the end, in london.

hummmm...sweety..

and the question that i don´t like do: "How much$$$ for it?" :D

[traffman]

mmmm billies.

[DarrenH]

managed to get the kit on today.

started by stripping down the passenger side

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring04.jpg

gas insert out, and spring off. also you can see to the left, a full compliment of genuine vauxhall spring seats, guide ring, upper and lower damper rings, bump stops, top mounts etc (cheers allen !)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring05.jpg

passenger strut all assembled with bilstein insert and spring. really nice design too, great thick piston. the concertina style blue dust cover for the piston is a nice touch too.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring06.jpg

onto the drivers side... here’s the offending broken spring. clearly just rust, old age and fatigue causing the break, since the suspension wasn’t even being worked hard when it failed (was turning in a car park)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring07.jpg

load of shite !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring08.jpg

drivers side strut fully assembled

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring09.jpg

...and all complete on the car

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring10.jpg

onto the back end... old springs and dampers out. what a state they are in, basically only 5 years old. also look at the state of the sportex exhaust, i cant express how much contempt i have for these exhaust systems, absolutely shocking state with only about 20k miles/ 2 years on it. look at the up and over beam section. the exhaust had 2 coats, top to tail, of halfords high temp enamel when i bought it too. :rolleyes:

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring11.jpg

bilstein streetline off...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring12.jpg

...bilstein sprintline on !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring13.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring14.jpg

and heres how it looks after about 10 miles round the lanes to bed the springs and new brake pads in. it was quite high before i left, and still about an inch higher than it was on the Pi springs. should settle down ok though :)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/spring15.jpg

the first drive felt really nice, it used to be really crashy, but now seems more positively damped . still a firm ride, but it doesn’t bang over lumps and bumps in the road, just soaks them up.

[tomstickland]

Good work. That spring breaking; what a load of cack. Looks like you need new brake pads soon too.

[DarrenH]

to bed the springs and new brake pads in

:p...

[GRAK]

Excellant diary m8, maybe it'll inspire me to get of my ar#e sort our GTE's out :cool:

[Matheusc20xe]

I loved this suspension kit! :) ;)

You car stay a really nice Oddfriend! I want see your car killing the Lancer EVO's on circuit competition!
:eek: :D

[CraigGreen]

BYE BYE Streetline kit!!

[caul pope]

Now I see why you didn't make it on Sunday to Mig SE Oddball. Good stuff mate and loving the pics. Your right about the state of the back box- that is shocking!

I reckon you could flog the broken spring as a a pair of ultra low springs to some muppet on ebay ;)

[Sipo]

Wow - only signed up to this earlier, very detailed write up there oddball! My car is lowered 60mm and is bumpy as hell - was wondering how much you paid for the shocks?

[DarrenH]

it was 375+ delivery

[DarrenH]

silicon hose kit turned up today :)

kit includes

rad to top of expansion bottle
cylinder head to heater matrix
crank breather to cam cover by dipstick
top rad hose
bottom rad hose
air box to air flow meter
heater matrix to hard plastic hose on engine
lower expansion bottle to hard plastic hose on engine

obviously i dont need the air box to airflow meter hose, so i'll try and sell that on.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/hose01.jpg

[dethstar]

obviously i dont need the air box to airflow meter hose, so i'll try and sell that on.


swap ya for a wing mirror ;)

Look really good.

edit: saw for sale thread for where from.

[caul pope]

Tres bien, monsieur Oddball. Excuse moi, c'est combien?

Merci

(Sorry not sure what happened there, I appear to have gone a bit RenaultCitreonPeugot on you)

[DarrenH]

150 from "turbo chris" on mig. seems a fair old whack for a bunch of hoses, but samco charge 80 for just the top and bottom radiator hose.

[DarrenH]

finished up the hose fitting today, had a bit of spare left over and finally sorted out a catch tank. all of the hoses came bigger than required, which is nice to get the best fit possible with a bit of trimming.

just need to buy a length of 8mm id straight hose to go from the top of the expansion bottle to the inlet manifold by the altenator. rally design sell straight lengths of samco quite cheaply so i'll do that.

i chose red hose as it would hopefully pick out the red cam cover and red trim on the air filter, seems to have worked quite well.

before...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/hose05.jpg

after...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/hose04.jpg

[weekenny]

mmmmmmmmmmm all looking very nice Mr Odd

[DarrenH]

picked up a second hand set of injectors today.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/inject01.jpg

they are commonly found on the calibra and cavalier turbo engines and flow 304cc/min@3 bar.

the standard 20XE beige injectors, that i run now, are 235cc/min@ 3 BAR and i'm having to run the injectors at 4 BAR to supply enough fuel for 205bhp ish. when i had them cleaned i asked the guy to test the flow rate per hour at 4 BAR, and he said the injectors were failing above 90% dwell ! intermittent firing and weird spray pattern.

anyway, with these yellow injectors i can run them at 2.5 BAR and dish out exactly the same amount of fuel, or go up to 3 bar and relax teh dwell to much comfortable levels. which is good news.

[DarrenH]

more shiney stuff. concentric top mounts from TAS arrived today. the wibbly wobbly standard rubber top mounts have been getting right on my nipples recently. these rose jointed solid bad boys will remove any flex, allowing the spring and damper to do their job precisely. also positively locates the top of the mcpherson strut, maintaining geometry under hard cornering and various suspension loads, bound and rebound. concentric means "having a common centre", the spherical bearing is dead centre of the mount, it means they can be used on standard mchperson struts, but theres no adjustability for camber or castor.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/mounts03.jpg

just for reference these are eccentric top mounts, or "off centre". the easiest way i remember is if you imagin a person that is eccentric. they are odd, not normal, off centre !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/mounts01.jpg

[weekenny]

good job odders, make way for lighter steering ;)

btw fit long bolts up from the bottom rather than going down from the top as I've heard of them comming loose when going from the top.

ie http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kenny.greer/temp/tops.jpg

[weekenny]

oh and make sure your spring top plates are not bent of they will catch

[DarrenH]

yep, thats what i planned. didnt fancy relying on a thread in an alloy plate to hold the suspension on !

the big gold top nuts, did yours feel a miniscule bit loose on the piston rod thread ?

[_Steven_]

I always found the best way to do the top nut up tight was with a windy gun.. otherwise they always seem to work themselves loose..

[weekenny]

yep, thats what i planned. didnt fancy relying on a thread in an alloy plate to hold the suspension on !

the big gold top nuts, did yours feel a miniscule bit loose on the piston rod thread ?

um not that I recall, just use a little thread lock.

[DarrenH]

they feel a tiny bit loose. imagine using a 1/2 inch spanner on a 13mm nut. it fits but a mini bit of play.

not that concerned though as the top nut winds right down on the shock thread, almost poking out the top, which is like 2 or 3 times the thread contact of a normal nylock.

[weekenny]

yeah as you can see in the pic mine just reach the top of the nut and are fine

[DarrenH]

getting serious now !! ordered up a new sparco steering wheel, model 525 suede if your interested ! boss for the steering wheel, also a pair of sparco 4 point pro racer (cage mounted sholder straps) and a pair of sparco side mount rails.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/harness01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/harness02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/harness03.jpg

[tomstickland]

Lovely lovely lovely. I like.
Are you fitting some bucket seats then?
The std GTE items have soldiered on for a long time now (er, or have you fitted buckets I can't remember). Buckets really make a difference.

When are we all meeting up this year then? Retro car show? Really looking forwards to seeing a fleet of stripped out MK2s.

[DarrenH]

Lovely lovely lovely. I like.
Are you fitting some bucket seats then?

yep, two of these in black

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/89.jpg

[caul pope]

God damn those seats look sweet. Not to big and bulky in size, and is that carbon kevlar I spot?

[DarrenH]

650 quid each for carbon ones, mmmm, naaah !!

[Kris]

650 quid each for carbon ones, mmmm, naaah !!


Got to hand it to you ,the boy got taste .Going for the major rally slag look then 0dder's ?

[DarrenH]

track slag :cool:

[CraigGreen]

When are we all meeting up this year then? Retro car show? Really looking forwards to seeing a fleet of stripped out MK2s.

Tom, you aware of the SW meet in Cheddar?

[CraigGreen]

Nice new hardware shots there mate..

[DarrenH]

new seats, YEY ! i'm really happy now because the stock grey recaros really spoil the car.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket01.jpg

[Jon S]

what harnesses you looking at , fia , clubman?

[DarrenH]

i'm looking at the ones on page 11 of this thread that i bought a few weeks ago ;)

[DarrenH]

few progress pics

after having the standard seat out and seeing if i could adapt the runners, i decided against it, and went for plan B, solid mounting.

heres the 1x2 inch steel tubing i nicked from the skip at work (its part of industrial shelving) wall thickness is 3-4mm so its beef tastic. this pic was just angle grinding it to lengths.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket02.jpg

here you can see ive lopped off the standard rear floor mounting (sill side), leaving a nice little flat for mounting my tubing. once the tube is on it, its just the right height to match the forward most seat mounting cross member. the transmission tunnel side required a spacer though, between the floor and the tubing. another short length of tubing does the job. notice also the 2 rear holes drilled in the floor, a bolt comes up from the road side, and a nut on the top, sandwhiching the tubing to the floor. i also lopped off the forward most mounting on the transmission tunnel, this will allow the seat another couple of inches closer to the tunnel. if youve ever studied a standard seat, its mounted off centre on the rails so it hangs over the tunnel slightly. because of this, when mounting solidly to the floor, care is needed to mount it as close to the tunnel as possible, so that the seat is central to the steering wheel (or as close as you can get)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket03.jpg

here it is just assembled loosely with bolts to locate each part. holes drilled in the forward cross member and 1 hole in the rear tubing to fix the sparco side mount rails. the sill side tube to floor bolt will also hold that part of the side mounting.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket04.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket05.jpg

[tomstickland]

Lurvely.
You want to get someone to weld it all together once you've finished.

[weekenny]

agreed get the big and wee bits of tube welded together at the very least :)

[DarrenH]

finished making the drivers side. preparing the floor, drilling holes etc.

lick of paint to match the floor

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket06.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket07.jpg

tommorow is assembly, and find somewhere to bolt the fire extinguisher. would look nice on one of the cage diagonals, but not exactly logical for easy access. might go under the chair by the passengers heels, or behind one of the seats.

[caul pope]

Looking good Oddball. All going to be ready for Combe on Sat mate? Looking froward to seeing it all in the metal!

[DarrenH]

all done !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket08.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/bucket09.jpg

[Kris]

Looking spot on 0dders ,dont know if its you r type of thing but the nova boys get carbon door cards done and to me i think it finishes off the look nicley ?.

[DarrenH]

yeah, my current card(s) look gash. i went through this phase of thinking brushed steel looked cool, the centre console was silver too. that soon passed and i painted it black again, then someone crashed into the side of the car so i have one card missing. its the next thing i want to sort out.

[Tom]

Looks superb matey :)

How does it feel driving now with seats that low ?

[DarrenH]

like a go kart ! solid, relaxed, point and go !

[Daza]

That looks the dogs mate!
My seats are fixed aswell, me and the old man made some mounts out of some old box section he had lying about. Welded it up and sprayed them black, they look pretty good.
That is the kind of look i'd eventually like to have, fully stripped with a proper cage.
Love the seats and steering wheel, kind of wish i'd gone for seats more like yours now instead of my Cobra Evo's, they're a bit ott i think for everyday driving! :D

[Kris]

yeah, my current card(s) look gash. i went through this phase of thinking brushed steel looked cool, the centre console was silver too. that soon passed and i painted it black again, then someone crashed into the side of the car so i have one card missing. its the next thing i want to sort out.



So what are you thinking of ,standard cards or something a bit special to tie in with the track slag effect ?

[DarrenH]

just painted alloy sheet, or whatever i can get

[Kris]

Aluminium sheet painted matt black would tie in with everything

[Tom]

like a go kart ! solid, relaxed, point and go !
Excellent ! :cool:

Ive been toying with the idea of doin something similar with my bucket seats, but mine are base mounted, not side like yours.

[DarrenH]

picture gremlins are now sorted :)

[Brett]

Looks like its just the job 0dders, I wisj I'd thought to look at your car at the weekend but for some insane reaon it didnt cross my mind!!

I never noticed the clock had been relocated to the centre console untill now, simple yet effective I reckon!

[DarrenH]

not a great update, but i picked up some verniers at the weekend. that means i can now fit the cams from page 8
http://www.astra-mk2.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8938&postcount=73

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/vern01.jpg

just need to pick up a new headgasket and sump gaskets from VX and i'm set.

also gonna be fitting the TAS top mounts soon, sorting out a second pair of shims so i can use a standard nyloc top nut instead of the big hunk of sh-t metal that tas supplied.

struts or wishbones need some attention too, seems to be a clonking from the drivers side, can feel it through my feet.

[ehoulton]

Nice set of verniers there Oddball. regarding those cams, can they be used on a std XE without changing anything else?

[astrayorkie]

where did you get the top mounts and what price are they!

as was thinking to do but demon tweeks are exspensive

[pajero1]

try redline motorsport on 01606 737500 they specialize in track/race/rally equipment

[DarrenH]

regarding those cams, can they be used on a std XE without changing anything else?

not a chance, they need extra 2mm valve to piston clearance ! they are a semi race profile, and are the most agressive cam you can have while still retaining hydraulic lifters. will hopefully put power into the 220+ region

top mounts are TAS. theres some pictures and details if you go back a few pages.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11200&postcount=102

[DarrenH]

heres the TAS solid topmounts, 2 lower shims and 2 upper nuts.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top5.jpg

i never really liked the idea of the top nuts, ive heard stories of them coming loose, and they arent a very good thread fit on my billstein shocks, so i came up with a plan..

heres the two top nuts along side a standard M12 nylock top nut.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top2.jpg

the plan was to make shims like the silver lower ones pictured in image1, then that would enable the use of a standard nyloc ontop. it wont vibrate loose and its a really good fit also. after a bit of discussion with gary, we decided to just machine down the TAS topnuts themselves, to become shims. so basically removing the red shaded area...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top4.jpg

heres the finished article next to the tas lower shims (big thanks to gary p, for the nifty lathe work!). notice the thread is also removed from inside the now ex- top nuts

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top6.jpg

so they now fit something like this...

lower side of the TAS topmount..

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top7.jpg

lower shim inserted

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top8.jpg

top side of the mount (bit that pokes into the engine bay/turret)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top9.jpg

new upper shim fitted

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top10.jpg

the shock rod then slips up through the middle, lower shim rests on the sholders of the shock absorber rod, then the nylock pops ontop :)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/top11.jpg

[Sipo]

lol oddie, i do have to say that i have no idea what is going on with the majority f stuff that you do, however you knowledge doesnt fail to amaze me! btw i was the guy who ran over to you en-route to the strip, trying to direct you to the MK2 stand :D :D

[DarrenH]

aha ! you crazy mofo! i guessed it was someone off here, lol

[DarrenH]

got cracking with the cam swap last weekend. very relaxed attitude, so been doing little bits all week.

just started, in process of removing the cam cover and head, loom out, coolant drained etc.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap01.jpg

cambelt off

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap02.jpg

head off, trusty blue roll down the bores to stop crap

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap03.jpg

piston and bore looking in fairly good order still, after about 5-6k miles. can also see the reason i'm delving into the block for just an innocent cam swap. notice larger valve cutouts at the FRONT of the block. pistons back to front gen :p

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap04.jpg

piston out and detached from the crank, bit of scoring on the thrust side, seen worse though. can still see the hone marks in the dull patch though, probably due to expansion rate of forged pistons, slaps allot when cold.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap05.jpg

big end shells looking a little worse for the running in period. bought a new set to go in, no way i'm reusing them

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap06.jpg

head off, onto the bench :)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap07.jpg

couple of comparison pics, pay attention to the cam lobe peeping over the cam cap. this is the standard 250 dur - 9.5mm lift exhaust cam

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap09.jpg

and now the same again, with the 284 duration 11.4mm lift SBD cam

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap08.jpg

all done

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap10.jpg

few licks of VHT enamel on the type-A manifold too

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap11.jpg

more tommorow :)

[astrayorkie]

f.. me there a bit pointy top work !!!
like the top mounts mods whats that running 1/4 mile and what are you hopeing for?
do all engines wear like that on cold or is it not running in very well?

[DarrenH]

its run a 14.15 at the moment, this should hopefully kick it into the 13's. which is great as its all motor, no turbo or gas.

the wear is less than ideal tbh, but i can only assume that its because forged pistons are more dense, so take more heat to expand fully, and "slap" when the engine is cold, i.e rock back and fourth slightly in their bores. the slapping is normal, the wear, unsure.

[astrayorkie]

what compresion you running?

[Kris]

Dude i love the amount of effort you put into your car ,everything has a purpose and everything does something to enhance the performane or handling .

[DarrenH]

what compresion you running?

its about 10.8:1. i specifically asked for the crowns to be machined to retain a moderate ratio. this is a fast road engine really, and i'm not a fan high comp engines to be honest. just raises the mechanical fatique and risk of engine failure for a few bhp.

cheers for the comment kris :)

[Kris]

cheers for the comment kris :)


Welcome ;)

[stewart]

I've has Omegas in my engine for 18 months now and it had exactly the same vertical scoring in the bores when I replaced the head gasket recently. Mine's probably done less than 1000 miles so I suspect it happens during the early stages of running-in. It doesn't burn oil and compression test results are fine so it's probably nothing to worry about.

[DarrenH]

yeah same here stew. dry static compression is ballistic, and theres not a whiff of fumes or pressure from the crank/cam breather :) those things arent 100% infallable for piston/bore wear diagnosis, but its most of the way

[DarrenH]

few updates...

save this picture !!! the only dry XE sump in the known world pmsl

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap14.jpg

engine now 90% rebuilt, pistons, rods, big end bearings and cams in.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap15.jpg

verniers cam pulleys, cav turbo injectors and TAS top mounts installed :)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/camswap16.jpg

[richie00boy]

Looking good and the red hoses make a refreshing change to blue (yawn).

[DarrenH]

or pink, as my camera seems to think, pmsl

[CraigGreen]

Haha love the sump comment........LOL

[Orange Peel]

Haha love the sump comment........LOL

That we before he put the oil in lol :D :D :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[DarrenH]

dunno how else to document this, but its all back together and running beautifully. going for a bit of mapping tommorow morning to make adjustments for the headwork and LET injectors. i will get to my local rolling road as soon as poss. 170 at the wheels to beat :)

[cielo20]

What throttle boddies you have m8? as im trying to do a pair out of twin 45dhla carbs! :)

[DarrenH]

they are 48mm jenvey paralell throttle bodies. they sit and mount just like carbs. on a carb inlet manifold.

[tomstickland]

Looking great Odders.
Some of those images, hell I must have spent way too many hours looking at the same areas on my own car. Almost makes me nostalgic.


its about 10.8:1. i specifically asked for the crowns to be machined to retain a moderate ratio. this is a fast road engine really, and i'm not a fan high comp engines to be honest. just raises the mechanical fatique and risk of engine failure for a few bhp.
Exactly, sensible CR is the way to go.

That bore wear; I think that's just the way it goes in a high revving engine that gets regular use. As long as the compression is good then just keep going. Must be worth it with a real 220BHP area! You should be into the 13.8 territory with 220BHP. I remember Mike Warner went from 14.15 to 13.8 something when he added the extra BHP to his car.

[cielo20]

they are 48mm jenvey paralell throttle bodies. they sit and mount just like carbs. on a carb inlet manifold.


How much did they cost you? :confused:

[DarrenH]

450 second hand, that was with filter, throttle pot and fse regulator.

thanks for the comments tom, hows the uber 318 going ?

[cielo20]

thanks! by te way everything is looking good , keep us informed about the performance output of your car m8 :)

[Astraoid]

Impressive stuff Oddball. It's taken me about 2 hours to read through this thread, which is testiment to just how much work you've put into your car really (Although I'm not the worlds fastest reader). I really had no idea what extent of time and effort has gone into this - not to mention bad luck along the way.
Do you have any plans for a fuel cell etc?

[DarrenH]

not yet astroid, shyed away from having a cell inside the car, basically due to having no fire wall between it and myself in the cabin (which the floor acts as, in road trim) i think the next step will be a bigger exhaust manifold and a move up to a 2.5 inch system. from there i will move onto suspension i think. rose jointing, maybe even turreting the rear and going coilovers.

bit of an update for the mapping, i spent the afternoon at sbd having some road mapping done. that sorted all the adjustments and fine tuning required for the cav turbo injectors and cams. its all running sweet now, mapped and stable at 50psi. really low duty cycle, which is great.

also had chance to get to my local rolling road where it made 208bhp@7500rpm and 165lbf-ft@5500rpm

heres a comparison torque map i made with last years results and a standard 20XE torque map for comparison. theres a nasty hole at about 4k which needs some more adjustments to the fuel map i think, but apart from that a significant increase over the entire rev range from the cams and mapping.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/stock_mt196_mt215.jpg

[tomstickland]

hows the uber 318 going ?
I'm now doing two Saturday afternoons per month down the garage. So I'm just doing basic servicing type stuff...fitted proper 15" wheels back on, refurbished with new tyres, fitted new timing chain and sprockets, few oil changes, new back box, front bushes. Today I painted rear discs Black, fixed brake pad wear sensor problem, replaced fuel level sensor. Just loads of little things really. Basic car is staying standard - the driving experience is great in it. Not at all like a big power Astra, but it's a subtle car to drive and I like it a lot. The angle is to have a car that works properly, but looks faintly shed like, but tidy enough.

I got to the stage where I wasn't enjoying my workshop time like I used to.

[DaveGTE]

all right mate ya cars look in mint i just carnt seem to save me money ha ha

save this picture !!! the only dry XE sump in the known world pmsl

mine doesnt leak a tall did it last month wot gasket did ya use???

[DarrenH]

used the twin vauxhall gaskets, and a bit of vauxhall rtv sump sealer.

the astra went off to these fellas today http://www.stealth-systems.net/

having a race spec 4-2-1 manifold made out of 316 grade stainless steel, and a full 2.5 inch exhaust system of 304 grade stainless. heres the manifold versus the btb type A version that is currently fitted.

for the statos its got 1 7/8" primaries and 2 1/8" secondaries, 2.5" outlet. enough to flow 300bhp worth of air !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/manlyfold01.jpg

pretty certain this will be the last engine modification ! the next step would be even bigger cams and solid lifters, mucho expense for an old astra !

pictures and fresh rolling road results to follow !

[weekenny]

Ever thought of a move to tapers? as I seem to remember Gary Poole liking the difference.

[astrayorkie]

looks alot bigger and its got rid of the turn at the end

are you doing the rest of the zorst

[DarrenH]

are you doing the rest of the zorst


...and a full 2.5 inch exhaust system of 304 grade stainless.

;)


Ever thought of a move to tapers? as I seem to remember Gary Poole liking the difference.

cost is completely prohibitive imho, for a few alleged lbf-ft here and there. i have the old school MT196 kit, 48mm diametre, and the inlet manifold was flowed by gary, so i think the difference will be negligible

[astrayorkie]

:o doooee!!!

[weekenny]

cost is completely prohibitive imho, for a few alleged lbf-ft here and there. i have the old school MT196 kit, 48mm diametre, and the inlet manifold was flowed by gary, so i think the difference will be negligible

Fair enough mate, I'm considering the move at the moment due to it costing me nothing ;)

[_SBD16v]

not yet astroid, shyed away from having a cell inside the car, basically due to having no fire wall between it and myself in the cabin (which the floor acts as, in road trim)


thats where my tank is so good its got a metal outer tank and a plastic inner it has a flap inside the tanks so if you roll it shuts,its also foam filled not only acts as a anti splash item it also acts as an anti explosion item dont know how but read it lol all good thou i can understand why you would not want a single skin alloy tank neither would i

[tomstickland]

The std tank is in a good position for weight distribution though.

[stewart]

You can see the advantage of stainless steel, a few minutes minutes on a wet pavement has turned the mild steel version into a piece of scrap.
http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/manlyfold01.jpg

Seriously, having already sunk lots of money into something similar, I'm very intested in seeing how much difference the manifold makes.

[_SBD16v]

The std tank is in a good position for weight distribution though.



yes but not iff you remove the passengers seat and put the tank where that used to be that would be much better than the standard possition

[tomstickland]

How about making a seat shaped fuel tank?

[DarrenH]

heres the difference the manifold makes !! before and after torque curves !

quick note though, i noticed the engine was losing coolant for the last couple of weeks. the morning of the rolling road it kept having trouble starting from hot, running on 3 then clearing up, little bit of white smoke.

yesterday the engine dropped onto 3 cylinders, loads of steam from the exhaust, sweet smelling exhaust gas, coolant dropping at an increased rate.

it made 208bhp with a blown headgasket :confused: :eek:

[DarrenH]

oh and check this one, my new figures versus the 1989 brochure figures for the 20XE !!

so much for losing torque low down with throttle bodies eh ??

[richie00boy]

Good figures. Liking the gain from the manifold.

Are you going to fit a metal (Cometic?) headgasket now, or just put it down to a freak happening?

Low down to me though means 3k and below, and it appears that you are showing a downward trend below 3k. The graph doesn't go lower than 2k so it makes it appear a bit more positive in favour of the mods ;)

[DarrenH]

this is true, but the only instance that the engine will see lower than 6000rpm, in respect of competing or performance or accelerating, is when pulling away from a standing start in 1st gear. even in 5th on the motorway its 3000rpm.

had the head off this morning

steam cleaned pistons on cylinder 2 + 3

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/det01.jpg

scorch marks on the gasket for cylinder 2, combustion has been escaping into the coolant gallery on the inlet side of the engine. and obviously sucking water in, on the induction stroke.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/det02.jpg

same deal on 3

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/det03.jpg

now the nasty ones, this is the inlet side of cylinder 2. again more scorch marks through to the coolant gallery above in the picture, and the obvious sandy texture caused by detonation, cylinder head has also been receding up to the gasket fire ring.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/det04.jpg

again on 3

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/det05.jpg

its all pretty conclusive. gasket failure was caused by prolonged mild detonation. the cylinder head has been eaten away from under the fire ring on cylinders 2 and 3, on the inlet side, although all 4 cylinders have signs of detonation. pistons and block are fine, just the cylinder head attatcked.

[richie00boy]

Nasty. New head or clean up? Was that Coscast?

[DarrenH]

50/50, really need to speak to the guy at the head shop. yeah it is the original coscast head thats been sat on the engine for the last 16 years. its never been skimmed, so i know its got full meat to play with, but the recession is quite bad. might require welding and skimming, or scrapping. just cant say. i will strip the head tommorow and get an opinion. if it can be saved i would rather do that, because its got headwork, bronze quides etc.

[Brett]

wow, got lot love that mid range torque gain, did it feel a lot better on the road? I love the way the engines making so much power through so much of the rev range. What an advert for TB's:D

gutted for you with regards the head - be a shame to loose that as its the original one and its had so much done to it.

[Sipo]

Fair play oddball, you certainly just get straight in there! Those pics dont mean a great deal to me but i can see its not good! To be making that much power with the head in that shape must leave you hopeful for when its sorted? As Brett said, great advert for throttle bodies!

[DarrenH]

thanks for the comments, it will be sorted :) just found out mattj has a spare head with exactly the same headwork (both done by gary, back to back) and bronze guides already fitted, so thats good news, bit of a plan B.

not sure on the actual cause just yet, most likely fuel leaning out near max revs. engine certainly wasnt showing signs of running hot, nothing abnormal on the frequent spark plug checks/swaps, the ignition advance is a very conservative sbd base map too.

it felt great on the road for those 2 days lol, the manifold is a peach.

[GazJevs84]

you just gotta love this thread it has took me just over a hour to read absolutely fantastic what a lot of time and effort but it looks well worth it you deserve respect for what u have achieved

[Brett]

it felt great on the road for those 2 days lol, the manifold is a peach.

sods law isnt it:(

[Jon S]

how do you plan to rectify the problem in future?

[DarrenH]

when reassembled it will be driven like a nun, and then have a full rolling road mapping session!

[DarrenH]

i wanted to get the car up on a 4 poster to get some pics, but as its immobile these will have to do...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/manlylold01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/manlylold02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/manlylold03.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/manlylold04.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/manlylold05.jpg

tail pipe sticks out another couple of inches than this next picture, its been pulled back due to the manifold being off the head.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/manlylold06.jpg

[Orange Peel]

That manifold is lovely Odders :)

When are you getting it mapped?

[richie00boy]

Wasn't it mapped already? Or did the new manifold throw the mapping out that much?

[DarrenH]

yeah it was mapped on the old manifold and system, dunno why, complete waste of cash that was. yeah this big manifold threw it all out completely. had to turn the fuel pressure up by 10psi to compensate enough.

[Harvey]

Get some zorst wrap on that manifold and you'll notice even more gains....once it's back together. Ideal time now the head is off.

Harvey

[DarrenH]

mini update. well i gave up waiting for my local machine shop, they had my head for 3 full weeks and hadnt even started the repairs nor even moved the head from the floor where i layed it down on day 1.

so 2 weeks ago i took it down to portsmouth to meet JamieF. he then took the head onto a shop that he knows and has done work for him. today i picked the head up :) thanks to jamie for taking it to and throw and giving me a lift down there today. the head shop have done a fairly good job, its not 100% success as there are a few tiny bubbles revealed in the welded areas after it was skimmed. the repair work was cheap though and was always worth the gamble rather than just binning the head. ive offered up the head gasket and it looks ok to use, since the failure and resulting welding was just on the chamber side of the fire rings, so are the bubbles.

you can see where the weldings been done here... white discoloration

check out the colour of exhaust ports 2+3 also, showing clear evidence of the previous water burning !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/head01.jpg

before and after of the worst effected cylinder 2

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/det04.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/head03.jpg

some other bits ive got too, 13 row mocal oil cooler *shameless name dropping mode on* which is a btcc hand-me-down (lexus IS200 if youre interested), selection of new gaskets too.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/head02.jpg

[Astraoid]

Nice one Odders, that before shot looks pretty damn scabby! Nice cooler too, is this all going to be up and running again in time for April's Coombe?

[richie00boy]

Probably in time for Xmas knowing him :)

[DarrenH]

yeah should be running in the next couple of weeks. wont be driven in anger until its had a full rolling road mapping though :)

[Kris]

Ooh thatl be the green IS200 from the btcc ,i remember your thread on mig when you had a day out at the team pits .

[DarrenH]

running again, yay !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/alldone03.jpg

ive done about 20 miles so far, all seems well :)

can just see the new fuel regulator above the strut brace top right. its a more reliable (and expensive) version of the off-the-shelf "power boost valve". basically uses higher quality internals and build quality so its stable at higher demand and pressures.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/alldone04.jpg

monster manifold back where it belongs !

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/alldone05.jpg

[rhydgte]

Nice one mate!

I see you've been busy too :cool:

[GazJevs84]

good work dude

[Harvey]

Good to see it's running again.

[DarrenH]

ive done 200 miles over this weekend. i'm back on sbd's MT215 base map now that the engine is the exact mechanical specification of their kit. i scaled the fuel pressure back to 2.5 BAR to compensate for the fact i'm running turbo injectors. this should give the same max flow as the standard XE injectors at 4 bar !

first impressions is that its overfuelling like a bitch at idle and part throttle, chugging like a carbed engine with the choke stuck on, but perfect higher up the rev range and load sites. cant really mess with the pressure to solve this so it will have to be mapped. been getting about 50-60 miles from a quarter of a tank also which is getting on for twice the fuel consumption before!

i just whipped the spark plugs out and no surprises they are jet black and look like the inside of a chimney. also did a compression test while the engine was at running temp. 18 BAR across all four cylinders (260psi !) extremely healthy, all cylinders pumped up to max in 5 engine cycles too, really good :) just for comparison, this engine in standard factory trim and 140,000 miles under its belt made 11 BAR (160psi) across all four!!

theres no loss of coolant from the header tank either so it looks like the cylinder head repairs are 100% success.

Had a bit of a play with a 3.0 audi A4 (30valve V6 jobbie) on the M25 this afternoon. Had to keep backing off he he !

next stop, full rolling road mapping :)

[Brett]

whay looks like success has been salvaged from the hands of disaster - a major bonus not having to bin the head no doubt!

that manifold is enourmous!!

[jamie_f]

ace news daaawg :cool:

[DarrenH]

well as per the big thread in general chat myself and jamie spent the day at track n road powerformance in rainham essex having a full rolling road mapping session. click me! (http://www.yell.com/maps/mapAction.do?nat_id=3035298&location=Rainham%2C+ESSEX&clarifyIndex=&clarifyOptions=&searchType=classic&replayURL=%2Fucs%2FUcsSearchAction.do%3Fooa%3Don%2 6searchType%3Dclassic%26broaderLocation%3DESSEX%25 7CSOUTH%2BEAST%2BENGLAND%257CENGLAND%257CUNITED%2B KINGDOM%26companyName%3Dtrack%2Band%2Broad%26locat ion%3DRainham%26scrambleSeed%3D13761%26ooascramble Seed%3D30599%26slscram)

absolute top fellas, "the two steves"

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/mapping01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/mapping02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/mapping03.jpg

the scores on the doors came out at 220.1bp@7419rpm and 176lbf-ft@5200rpm :applause:

also made up this new line graph with the fresh data, kind of before and after thing. very impressive results :)

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/mt215ex_mt215_mapped_stock1.jpg

[Harvey]

Impressive stuff there Odders

[Brett]

blimey bet your happy that you got it properly mapped, 10bhp gained in places.

Glad to have it going again too no doubt!

[DarrenH]

the clutch has been driving me mad for over a year now, its a helix heavy duty cover plate and paddle clutch. the cover has triple clamping springs compared to a standard clutch which has a twin leaves.

standard...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/clutch003.jpg

helix HD version

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/clutch004.jpg

side by side, you can see the spline fingers are longer or more pronounced on the standard cover too. see its sitting up about half an inch higher from the pavement

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/clutch005.jpg

great in theory, more clamping force, harder wearing clutch, more torque and heat capacity.

reality, popeye style left leg from majorly heavy pedal action, and most of the pedal stroke seems to be taken up flexing stretching and compressing various clutch cable components. which meant the clutch keeps dragging all the time even with the pedal adjusted for major travel (i.e much higher than brake pedal), laboured gear changes and annoying crunching at high revs being the outcome.

so today i decided i was gonna fit a standard cover, giving a lighter pedal but still retaining greater torque capacity and action of the paddle drive plate

good job i did investigate because the paddle drive plate was worn down into the rivetts...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/clutch002.jpg

and corresponding wear on the cover, scoring and scorching...

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/clutch001.jpg

i already had a brand new GM clutch kit in the garage which i got at cost price because it was old stock. could of just bumped the whole lot in, but decided against running a standard drive plate due to the level of tune of the engine, and the fact it will be doing track days. so i ordered up another helix paddle drive plate which is fairly cheep and i can slot them together when it comes :)

[DarrenH]

good old demon tweeks, drive plate arrived by parcelforce this morning at 9.30. result.

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/clutch006.jpg

its all back together now, the clutch is so light, gear changes smooth and free. excellent result, might actually start enjoying driving it again.

[DarrenH]

since the modifying has dried up, decided to make up a tick list of annoying little things wrong with the car, just for the diarys sake and for reference

1, lost oil pressure guage on digi dash re-crimped the connector

2, coolant temp sensor digi dash new sender bought, needed to extend wire and fit new spade connector

3, rattling above fuse box shroud under steering column, missing fixing lug and screw

4, cylinder 1 fouling again ? fitted RS turbo spark plugs, seems to have cured

5, clonk drivers side mcpherson removed TAS mounts, refitted standard ones

5, lambda plug blowing ?

6, bumper trim chipped repainted

7, specs on windscreen

8, clutch arm welding, heavy clutch clutch warn, fitted new clutch cover

9, gearbox oil check oil level fine

10, buzzing from engine at revs coil pack mountin bracket welds torn, flywheel cover missing 1 bolt

11, door cards

12, heater blower squealing

13, rust on drivers front wing

14, rev counter not working

15, new brake disks new disks and pads from hi-spec

16, weld seat runners

17, paint sunroof inside

18, drive train shunting, possible warn engine mount

[Harvey]

I wish my mod list would dry up, I still have loads to do and at the rate I'm going at the moment don't think I'll get it all done for Trax in September.

[Xedrah]

I wish my mod list would dry up, I still have loads to do .........

Sounds familair. ;)

[Astraoid]

It's nice to tick through the list - but I bet as soon as one gets cleared 2 more get added lol

[AstraPower]

bloody hell Odders! you must have a boatload of time on your hands!... not to mention cash!! Fantastic work by the way!!

[DarrenH]

this will be my last installment now.

over the last week ive stripped out the suspension, taken the exhaust off, undressed and removed the engine. all that remains is for the roll cage to be removed, then the shell collected and that is the end of this little man versus gte16v saga !!

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/theend01.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/theend02.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/theend03.jpg

http://www.astra-mk2.com/0ddball/diary/theend04.jpg

[mking]

:bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry:

[Ian T]

Sad to see it coming to bits again, as this has been a good diary thread. Hopefully we'll recognise that plate sometime in the future when the shell goes off to be reborn.

I take it the buyer has a forklift? ;)

Ian.

[Harvey]

This is a fantastic diary and all things come to an end. At least most of the parts will be reborn into something else.

[bigdrifter]

2 minutes silence - lifts off baseball cap

[Jon S]

2 minutes silence - lifts off baseball cap

http://gallery.linfieldfc.com/albums/previous0405season/1%20MINUTES%20SILENCE.jpg

aye

[bigdrifter]

At least its all going to live on and not be wasted

[GazJevs84]

:hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit:

[Dale]

shame too see it end like that! was a nice car!

[Brett]

0ddball and his GTE 16v - I salute you both!!

[Sipo]

As above comments, a sad, sad day. Many years of motoring together. All you need to do now is lock the thread and wave goodbye as she drops though the pages :(

[Orange Peel]

0ddball and his GTE 16v - I salute you both!!

:thumbsup:

Time for a new era of Mk2's to keep the flame burning.

[Brett]

aye, I said to Jamie when I saw him last week thats the end of the old guard. Gary, 0dders, Jamie & Neil were probably the most high profile owners of MK2's on internet forums over the last 4 years or so, and now they are all gone:(

[GazJevs84]

All you need to do now is lock the thread and wave goodbye as she drops though the pages :(

:bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry:

[DarrenH]

just been flicking through this thread, all nostalgic, must have had a labotomy when i decided to break this car !

i tried emailing and PM'ing the guy that bought the shell a few times a year before i bought gte no.3. (the red one) never replied, i wonder if its still tucked up on someones garage !

[Astranomical Lee]

It would be nice to think so Darrren.

[DarrenH]

he was online on MIG 2 weeks ago, PM'd ! lol

[Astra Dan]

just been flicking through this thread, all nostalgic, must have had a labotomy when i decided to break this car !

i tried emailing and PM'ing the guy that bought the shell a few times a year before i bought gte no.3. (the red one) never replied, i wonder if its still tucked up on someones garage !

Quite. Any reply?

[weekenny]

Still have my TB'd valves but not driven it in 5 years. Going for sale soon as I get it cleaned up a bit. :(

[DarrenH]

Quite. Any reply?

nope, still didnt reply and "last activity flag" is more recent than my PM. !

not showing on dvla anymore, probably weighed in