Project Plum - The Plan of Attack

[boost monkey 0]

Well done, what area is the job in?

 

Cheers, it's in automotive but slightly specialist. It's a mobility company which modifies larger cars/vans to accept wheelchair access via ramps. Commonly known as Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles or WAVs.

 

It's a contrect to help with a feasibility study for a new model. As the middle section of the floor (and all chassis members) are cut out from right behind the front seats all the way to the rear, the compnay needs help with designing and developing things like cross members and subframes. Also considerations into fuel and exhaust systems as they are modified - fuel tank replaced with a S/S cell, and exhaust rerouted. Also handbrake cables rerouted and many other considerations so it's a lot to look at.

 

It's very interesting, and plays to my strengths of design. I've even had to learn the Sheet Metal processes of the CAD package so I'm looking to use that on the Plum also, perhaps just to make something as simple as a new battery tray. It's cool to be able to draw something and then click a button and watch it flat-pack with all the folds and bends removed.

 

Whether they'll keep me on past 6 months I'm not sure. Either way it's good experience.

[boost monkey 0]

Oh, and FYI Fishwick and Neil, they use pretty much the whole range of Wurth products!

[rsgntx 0]

Just catching up congratulations on the 2:1 and job!

[boost monkey 0]

Thanks everyone.

 

My boss has got an original Quattro so we've been having good chats about old VW/Audi stuff which is nice.

 

It's a shame there's about 20 2-post lifts downstairs in the factory, and all the tools you'd ever need (and Wurth products!) and no chance of using them! :lol:

[Alex_G60_Fanatic 0]

perhaps just to make something as simple as a new battery tray

 

Make me a battery tray dude!

[boost monkey 0]

i was thinking maybe some wings aswell :-) not for you. Unless you give me cake.

[boost monkey 0]

Off to Africa tomorrow for 3 weeks to get married and honeymoon in the Cape, should be fun :D

 

on Plum news, I'm playing with the idea of putting a mk2 golf manual steering rack on. Easier to turn, more turns lock to lock and no obsolete PAS lines or pump needed! Plus I can keep the rebuilt rack for the Golf.

 

I don't know what you all moan about, the Corrado isn't THAT heavy to steer.

[davidwort 0]

not with an LT steering wheel fitted, no :lol:

[boost monkey 0]

Hey now. My pas rack has been leaking, dead (or disconnected [new]) ever since I've had the car so I guess i'm just used to it.

 

I prob won't take thepas one off as I've already bolted it to the subframe so it's kinda stuck on there for good unless I want the fun of getting the crimped bolts out!

 

I'm hoping to get a lot more updates on the car in future months :D I'm speaking to the missus about allowing a budget for Plum stuff! Sigh.

[boost monkey 0]

Hey everyone,

 

back from Africa this week. The wedding was superb, and honeymooning in Cape Town was amazing! One of Josie's uncles has some $$$ so he let us use one of his apartments in Camps Bay for a week. The penthouse of same apartment is rented out for about 1000 a day to film crews etc! Incredible. We also had the use of a Mk4 GTi (20vt) with free petrol which was ace! I think she got a bit too used to the leathers and the climatronic!! :lol: Was nicer to drive than I expected, not much n the go dept as standard though.

 

Our pics are still on discs / SD cards so will try to get some shots up soon. Nothing doing on the plum at the mo. I need to put new seals in the hydraulic arm on the engine crane before i take the dead KR out, then I'm thinking perhaps an ABF just to be different. Pics as and when.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon. Husband.

[boost monkey 0]

Just a quick one - if I buy a Mk2 Golf KR engine do I just need to swap the flywheel and clutches over to fit it into my Corrado or is it more involved than that?

 

Cheers!

 

Jon.

[boost monkey 0]

A mini-update today (I guess a major update knowing how dead this has been!)

 

I was under the bonnet taking the engine apart today. It felt good tinkering again and i'm starting to get more motivated to getting the dead engine out.

 

I set my sights on getting the head off, and seeing the damage from the waterpump failure. Unfortunately the exhaust manifold bolts were just too much even for the Erwins so I'm a bit stuck there.

 

I'm not sure if you recall, but on the 16v manifold, cylinder 2 and 3 ports are horrifically difficult bolts to get to! The lower bolts arevery close to where the actual tubular part of the manifold leaves the head and bends downwards. I've always found to get them out you have to loosen a little and then pull the manifold out, and keep repeating until those 2 are off. I have the other 6 off, but I can barely get the Erwin on those bolts without hitting the exhaust runner thing, whatever you want to call it. It didn't really help that I was doing all this from above and not below either.

 

If anyone has some helpful hints, I am all ears! I just want to get the head off and see what the damage is. I know 2 cyls are down on pressure, but at least if I can reuse the head then that is something. Perhaps the block will be find and just needs new rings. I'll give the bores a measure and see what I find. I'll definitely be sticking a flatrule across the headgasket surfaces to see which, if either, have warped.

 

Hopefully more to come in the not too distant future! If anyone can answer that ^^^ also that would be helpful.

 

Jon.

[boost monkey 0]

For all of my groupies (Mainly Alex), I'm trying to decide whether to get a petrol turbo or diesel turbo engine.

 

I'm hearing good things about chipped diesels putting out performance times around about those of G60s, and it would also return good MPG. This would mean I could use it as my daily driver. I'm reading up a lot on Tom's thread at the mo, and have been speaking to Steve Supercharged in the past about this conversion. The one problem I would have is the lack of space to buy the donor car and move it all across.

 

The other idea is just a 20vt really. I could do a 16vt and keep it in line with the cars roots, but either way a good build including the uprating of all other parts will probably cost near enough the same for the diesel donor car as above. I hear that 20v engines drop in well to early 16v bays with respect to looms etc. So this is a plus point.

 

If anyone has any thoughts I'd love to hear them. Steve, if you would like to compare your G60 and TDI for me that would be a good starting point perhaps!

 

Thanks,

 

Jon.

Edited September 8, 2011 by boost monkey
I feel preeeetttyyy....ohhh soooo preeeeetttyyy...

[davidwort 0]

...If anyone has some helpful hints, I am all ears! I just want to get the head off and see what the damage is.

 

I just removed the head complete with exhaust manifold, downpipe to manifold bolts are easier to get to and beefier than the head studs and nuts.

Edited September 8, 2011 by davidwort

[boost monkey 0]

Hi David,

 

yeah I was thinking about doing those instead. IIRC there's 6 laid out in a rectangular pattern around the flange/s? I think i'd still need to be underneath to do that as it was tricking enough leaning over the top of the engine to do the mani bolts!

 

I think that is the better way to do it. Cheers for the advice!

[davidwort 0]

yeah, I seem to remember various extension bars and enough muttering doing it that way, but some of those manifold to head ones are stupid, you can't even get a socket on IIRC :roll:

[boost monkey 0]

Fair enough, I'll give it a try sometime. Really wished I'd left the car up on stands tbh, a couple of the tyres are completely dead now. Never mind.

[boost monkey 0]

I attacked the plum again yesterday. Didn't get massively far between bouts of rain, but I took the radiator off and got a good look at the rad support. It's pretty fooked (pics to follow) BUT it *IS* a mark 2 part. Identical to the one I recently refurbed (can't remember part number but they were the same). I guess being an early Corrado it makes sense to have a few golf parts on it.

 

Really looking forward to getting the engine out, and cracking on with this.

[tony_ack 0]

D'oh I had a spare one of these as well!

[Jim 2]

Glad to hear this car is finally getting some TLC and getting put back on the road!

[CazzaVR 0]

Yep, great to see you've got some enthusiasm back for the old girl, Jon.

 

You should pop down sometime- been a while!

[Swompy 0]

Nice to see another DBP getting some attention :D Look forward to reading the progress on this :)

[boost monkey 0]

I am thinking about pulling the brand new VAG water pump off the Plum 16v and putting it on the Golf. I have to do a coolant flush on the Golf soon anyways, and putting on a brand new part (with its solid pulley - none of that corrado nonsense!) sounds like a no-brainer.

 

I'm wondering what other parts are identical between the engines, it's nice to be able to build up spares as I have another KR block waiting in the wings. From Mr Swompy IIRC! Bought it ages ago, with a G60 block for my bro.

 

I will try to nip over and get some pics. It's a mess under the bonnet but it's getting there. Once the engine is fully out, I can finish the hard brake lines and also give it all a clean up. Will definitely need to weld up the battery tray and possibly even the chassis rail underneath.

 

---------- Post added at 01:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 PM ----------

 

Yep, great to see you've got some enthusiasm back for the old girl, Jon.

 

You should pop down sometime- been a while!

 

Definitely! :D drop me a text if you still have my number, I have swapped phones and only have about 3 contacts. 2 of those are family!! :lol:

[boost monkey 0]

So, I spent another hour or so on the plum last night (I think i'm getting the bug again!).

 

Thanks to davidwort for his advice, I started taking off the exhaust at the manifold to downpipe join as the nuts were all still like new and I could easily undo with a 17m socket on a shortish ratchet. I coulnd't undo the frontmost line of 3 as the cables for the gearchange are in the way, so those need to come off before I do the other 3.

 

I also managed to get the alternator off, along with the water pump (will keep for the Golf or perhaps the Plum if i stay with a KR engine) and also removed the airbox. The airbox removal was mainly due to space but now the radiator is all out I had a lot more working space. I've moved all the loom over so that it's sitting on top of the gearbox, so I should really work out what is what on that before I take too much stuff out!

 

It'll be great to have the engine out, and be able to give the bay a good scrub. From the looks of it all my front end freshness has lasted well. Bro took some pics and an HD video of me waffling on about water pump bolts. I'll get it up for the insomniacs amongst you :lol:

[boost monkey 0]

grabbed a set of compos in anthracite grey. I think they should look quite nice on the C!

 

 

 

Thoughts?