1981 S3 V8 conversion

[hilly]

Update time

In case any of you were wondering what the blue slot on the dash is for, it is an alpha-numeric display

I didn't have enough room to fit a battery gauge (the Esprit currently has one) so I have made a display unit which will show voltage, external temperature with ice warning, flashing alerts for low oil pressure etc.

It also means I can add functions I may need in the future without having to chop the dash apart just by modifying the software.

Here is a development unit up and running so you get an idea of what it will eventually look like.

Now the big mystery with the final panel covering can be revealed.

The alloy panel on the gauges is just a backing for a better facing.

The better covering being................................................. a lump of carbon fibre sheet from Mclaren, yeap, the F1 team.

My brother works in the race team body shop and I asked him if there are any offcuts lying about I could have. He had a look around and found this.

It looks the total dogs danglies, I have also got chunks to go either side on the dash pod for the switch gear (see last weeks post) and my Bro even matched up the weave as it goes across the panels. He is a total star

Just need to get on recovering the pod and it can then go onto the car.

As for this weekend progress, there are not any pictures this week, sorry guys.

The engine came back out again so I could re-fit the engine loom, finish off the wiring for the ECU etc and to put some paint on the chassis where the old exhaust burnt it off.

A fair chuck of time was wasted longingly gazing at the carbon fibre my Bro brought round, I must stop that or I will never get it finished.

Also fitted a new pair of front dampers (shocks) as the ones on the car were too long and would have a tendency to bottom out when going over speed humps and stuff.

Work continues..............................

Hilly

[matk]

Wow! That carbon fibre is superb!

[silverfrost]

Andy,

That looks fantastic :yes , your cockpit will look top notch

well done its a great to see some of your finishing touches to your project

that should be on the road soon!

p.s what about the width of alloy for the brake

calliper bracket

regards danny

[sandwer]

I've got the same feeling looking at that dash as I had when I saw my first copy of playboy.

Hilly, thats a masterpiece. I assume its not going to be beyond you to add fuel consumption onto that display as well?

Rich

[hilly]

With the rear caliper mounts finally finished (and saved from broken tap misery) I could get all the alloy parts anodised .

I had numerous colours to choose from so went for a bright spangly red to match the colour of the car, Mmmmmmmmmmmm, nice.

This is a turning point in the project as it means I can now start to put parts permanently onto the car, Yippee!!!!!!!!!!

First thing to do is finish off the drive shaft adaptor/speed sensor trigger.

If you remember from a few weeks back I made myself a ships wheel looking jobbie. As the adapotor is now anodised I can fit the ferrous metal trigger elements to it.

The M10 bolts are screwed in and then the head is cut off. The white card is the to protect the shiny metal from the nasty teeth on the saw.

The whole lot is then put into the lathe and the remainder of the bolts are skimmed off flat to the surface of the adaptor.

After painting the now exposed steel the adaptor is bolted to the gearbox.

Just need to fit the Hall sensor and drive shafts (when they return from being shortened) it's job done.

Moving onto the brakes, the front caliper brackets went on with little drama.

The calipers and discs are fitted, just need to bleed them.

Same goes for the rear brakes, brackets fitted straight on.

Next on goes the calipers and discs.

Here you can see the tight clearance of the back of the rear caliper to the wheel hub assembly (must clean up the rear dampers.......).

Some of you may notice that the calipers are on upside-down. This because it was the only way to get them due to the large lump sticking out the back.

I'll just have to take them off the bracket when I bleed them which isn't very often.

To finish off the brakes I need to make up some adaptors for the handbrake cables, run new pipes to the rear calipers and then bleed the whole system.

Also re-assembled the gearbox shift mechanism.

Some of you may remember from a few months ago I had a problem with the centre spring return due to the long gear-change cable used on the Esprit.

I fixed this by adding a spring to help out with the reverse and 1st/2nd gate positions.

Well I didn't like it because ..............................

1) it only worked in one direction

2) it looked bloody rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I made up an assembly using a torsion spring which bolts onto the linkage and this looks much better and it works both ways.

Finally for this update, I bottled out on using the OEM injectors as calculations indicate they will run out of go at 300 BHP.

Running simulations on the EFI system found the duty cycle will try to go way above 100% at max revs when the inlet temperature is low, which is not good, especially as the output may rise a little due to loosing the cats and I can map the EFI to get the max out of the engine.

So I have bought a set of 8 365cc injectors which will be more than enough to supply anything a NA 4.2 V8 can manage.

Hilly

Edited April 30, 2007 by hilly

[Simon350S]

Looking very bling there dude...!!!

Trying to decide on what colour to have my shocks made, thinking of changing my mind and going for the gold istead of blue annodising..????

Otherwise it'll be blue car, blue calipers, blue shocks.... bit too much maybe????

Have to give the guy a call and see if its not too late to change my mind....???

Simon

[silverfrost]

Andy,

Looks cracking mate not long now for you me feels

all the bits look wicked anodized up!

regards danny.

[hilly]

Update time, I am afraid to say there are no pictures in this post (except for Beaker at the bottom) as there wasn't a lot of any interest to take photos of.......

The big push is on to get the car ready (ie engine back in) for the beginning of June to have an exhaust system made, so I have been concentrating on the engine bay so I can finally re-fit the engine permanently.

So the ECU wiring has been loomed in, a new longer throttle cable installed (still needs trimming to length), some engine mount spacers machined up to fine tune the engine height and all new coolant/servo/fuel hoses fitted.

Also started re-routing the rear brake pipes as the caliper position has completely changed and the brake lines need to run along the radius arms instead of the chassis. Got halfway through this before running out of time on Saturday, so that will be finished next weekend.

Hilly

[Artie]

Update time, I am afraid to say there are no pictures in this post (except for Beaker at the bottom) as there wasn't a lot of any interest to take photos of.......

The big push is on to get the car ready (ie engine back in) for the beginning of June to have an exhaust system made, so I have been concentrating on the engine bay so I can finally re-fit the engine permanently.

So the ECU wiring has been loomed in, a new longer throttle cable installed (still needs trimming to length), some engine mount spacers machined up to fine tune the engine height and all new coolant/servo/fuel hoses fitted.

Also started re-routing the rear brake pipes as the caliper position has completely changed and the brake lines need to run along the radius arms instead of the chassis. Got halfway through this before running out of time on Saturday, so that will be finished next weekend.

Hilly

Smashing Hilly! Idea, why don't you just swap the rear calipers to the opposite side so the bleeder screws end up on top and then you won't have to remove them to bleed them? Is this not possible due to fitment issues?

Artie

[hilly]

Smashing Hilly! Idea, why don't you just swap the rear calipers to the opposite side so the bleeder screws end up on top and then you won't have to remove them to bleed them? Is this not possible due to fitment issues?

Artie

Nah, the handbrake mechanism will hit the hub in any position except that one

Hilly

[Artie]

Nah, the handbrake mechanism will hit the hub in any position except that one

Hilly

OIC, I figured there was a reason! Keep it coming!

Artie

[hilly]

Yippee!!!!!!!!!, some pictures this week

Having got the brake calipers bolted to the car it was time to sort out the pipe work.

The old rear calipers were bolted to the gearbox, the new setup puts them on the rear hubs so that means the brake pipe are in completely the wrong place. To cope with the suspension travel I need to run the piping down the rear radius arms which bolt to the car at the other end of the engine bay.

Some new pipe and a few clips later and that's the rear brake plumbing sorted.

Next job is to provide some protection from the exhaust heat as fibre glass doesn't take to kindly to being cooked. The manifolds on the Audi V8 are stainless double skinned jobbies and hence radiate less heat than normal. Trouble is that the Esprit engine bay is only marginally wider than the engine and due to the layout of stuff, all the fuel hoses/wiring/throttle cable etc as well as the chassis end up about a couple of inches away from the manifolds, so something is needed to fend off the evil heat.

So I bought a big 1.2mm alloy sheet to fab up some heat shields.

Chopped up a couple of bits to a shape that would cover up the soft squidgy bits.

I now need to shape them to go round the manifolds and to do this I knocked up a radius former which I then bent the alloy on.

I thought I was being clever and instead of getting normal soft alloy sheet (which I figured would break in next to no time) I got 6082T6 stuff. Flippin eck is this stuff an arse to bend, mucho whacking with bits of wood and hammer eventually got it to a shape I was happy with.

Here you can see what the shields need to protect, pretty much all the engine controls, wiring and hoses

With the heat shields done and the engine bay stuff complete it is now time to put the engine back in for the last time I hope (big fanfare in the background), well for the time being anyhow.

Big(ish) hole for engine

Up into the air with the hoist it shows that the engine/gearbox is actually bigger than the hole it needs to go through.......

Tilting/twisting 250KG of metal through a little hole without ripping off bits of fibreglass bodywork is a real pain.

Still it does go in, just...............

This is the first time it has been fitted with all the other bits screwed on (exhaust manifolds, gear linkage, drive shafts, cross brace etc) and it turns out a few bit now have clearance issues, nothing major, just need to modify a couple of parts to ensure nothing breaks at the extremes of engine movement.

The car is going to be carted off to the exhaust fab shop on the 2nd June so I need to concentrate on that over the next few days to get it ready.

However, I am off on holiday in a couple of days (I need to get the oil out of my fingers) so there won't be an update for 2 weeks......................

Hilly

[punky]

Wot !

I can't believe your going to make us all wait two weeeeeeeeeks for another update while you go off taking it easy, swanning around abroard, drinking cocktails in the sunshine, and having a good time and stuff.

so selfish

[hilly]

Wot !

I can't believe your going to make us all wait two weeeeeeeeeks for another update while you go off taking it easy, swanning around abroard, drinking cocktails in the sunshine, and having a good time and stuff.

so selfish

Sorry........................................

[M Blur]

looking good Andy - may need to get you up to Scotland once you've done yours to help finish off mine.. hopefully in about a month I can start sending updates over from the workshop in Wales,

Jon

[silverfrost]

Very nice work Andy love the heat sheilds very smart and as you say you defo need one on the right hand side :yes, glad to see your shafts fitted, now hurry up and get back from

holiday and get this baby running i need to hear the beast!

regards danny

[hilly]

This thread has been a bit quiet lately as I started a new temporary project, which was flying to Turkey for a week and doing as little as possible while looking at this......

Anyhow, back now though so progress continues.

Not a lot to take photos of so it is bit light on pics.

My new higher flow rate injectors arrived from the USA so I could get on with fitting those

Funky ABZ variable length inlet manifold

Out with the naff old injectors (the boring black things) and in with the nice shiny new ones (the pretty blue and yellow jobbies).

Now I can finally refit the inlet back onto the engine (which I had to take off when I removed the engine from the A8 so I could get at the bell-housing bolts) using the only pair of ABZ inlet manifold gaskets currently in the UK !!!!!!

The gear linkage is now fixed together and the reverse lock-out plate modified for the Audi gearbox.

Plumbed up the the interior heater and brake servo hoses to the engine.

I have looked at the oil cooler parts required and have ordered those for fitting next week.

Other than that, not much has happened as the weather this weekend has been rubbish, typical for a Bank Holiday..............

Hilly

[Günter]

nice to see the this *motorgeek* storry again...

maybe ,whe can discus about mixing old design with new rims in you'r Ava; but i really love this self designed CNC stuff. Your style of engineering is really good!

[hilly]

Update time

Sorry for the lack of update last week, things went a bit pear shaped and I effectivly got sod all done.

Story goes like this.............

The exhaust fab shop called to tell me there was a delay with the laser cut flanges to mate up with the ABZ exhaust manifolds so I couldn't take the car in till they arrive, phooey!!!!!!

OK, no problem, I'll just get on with fitting all the bit and bobs to the engine.

As the oil cooler I ordered had arrived I got on with that. I also got some more high pressure hoses to plumb it all together.

Bolted on the oil cooler no probs, but when it came time to modify the hoses (I got them too long so I could cut them down to the right size) I discovered that although they are 13mm bore hose the 90 dge bend fittings are are only about 8mm bore, not good for oil flow.

So I needed to junk all the 1/2" BSP stuff and get larger fittings which meant sending the oil cooler back to be swapped out, ARSE !!!!!!!!!!!

I then remembered that I used the same hose to link the block to the remote oil filter, so that hose would have to be changed as well.

That meant the engine had to come to get at the side of the block, DOUBLE ARSE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So out came engine/trans again, at which point I got hacked off and walked off in a strop..........

Fast forward to this weekend...........

I orderd yet more hose fittings, hose and oil cooler which all arrived this week.

Re-fabbed the oil feed to the filter housing for the THIRD time and came up with this.

No flow restrictions with that lot, much shorter and neater as well. Why didn't I do it like that to start with???????

While the engine was out I could also sort out the sensor for the temp gauge. Unfortunatly the VDO sensor has the wrong calibration curve for the Smiths gauge I am using. This meant I had to take out the nice sensor with the AMP connector on it, drill out and re-tap the hole and put this horrible thing in instead.

At least the gauge will work properly.

Right, back in with the engine (getting good at it now, only took 30 mins) and then started hooking up the oil cooler. Here is the old along side the new.

There was nothing wrong with the old one, its just that the area is about the same, but being 16 rows instead of 13 the flow rate should be better.

Bolted to the chassis

Having got it all plumbed up next it was time to check for leaks.

Took out the spark plugs, hooked a battery up to the starter motor and turned the engine over while monitoring the oil pressure sensor with a meter.

No leaks, result!!!!! Also means that the oil filter/cooler has been purged of air and the bearings have got some oil in them for when I eventually get around to starting the thing.

Next thing clutch.

The gearbox didn't come with a pipe to connect up the cluch slave, well it did, but it had been snapped off flush with the body. I tried to get a new one from a dealer, but they wanted a chassis number which I don't have so i had to make something instead. A few fittings, turned alloy and a bit of copper pipe later and I have a working clutch.

Also having got all the brakes finished we even managed to bleed them as well.

If I sit in the drivers seat I have now got a working gear lever and 2 functioning pedals

Being a greedy sod I want all 3 pedals working, so to finish off this update here is what I have come up with for the throttle cable bracket.

The Audi bracket makes the cable stick out into the rear window so I needed to add an extra 90 dge bend whilst clearing the fuel lines.

Hilly

[silverfrost]

Some Great progress Andy

Not such good news having to get your engine back out but like you say

your use to it by now , what oil connectors did you go for 1"bsp in the end,

the oil cooler looks very smart, crap news about your manifold flanges but at

least they will be lazer cut and very smart!

Keep up the good work regards danny :yes

[hilly]

Progress at last on the exhaust............

The fab shop has finally got the laser cut exhaust manifold flanges, so the car is re-booked in for the 25th of June

So I have been concentrating (again!!) on getting it ready for exhaust fab. The rear bumper is back on to allow the tail pipe positioning to be correct.

The radiator coolant hoses have now all been connected up. I then filled the system with a hose pipe to check for leaks, of which there were many, but they were soon fixed after tightening a few clips.

Still need to do something about a coolant header tank, there isn't a lot of room left in the engine bay, but I think I may have found one that will fit, just waiting for it to arrive.

Made a start on sorting the engine air inlet.

The old 4 cylinder engine had a pair of twin Dellorto carbs and a large air filter box in the engine bay, however, now there is an extra bank of cylinder in the way, so I need to come up with a new scheme.

As always, space is tight, but I have a plan.............

The old set-up for getting air into the engine was quite complex in that air comes in behind the passenger side rear window, across the rear boot area to the drivers side (this helps de-mist the rear window), up a foam lined hose, into an inlet silencer which sits below the drivers side rear window, through some more trunking into the engine bay, into the air filter box and then to the carbs. Phew!!!!!!

Well I plan to junk most of this stuff, only keeping the inlet silencer and shortening the route by bringing the air in from the drivers side.

Here is the inlet silencer

I gutted all the sound deadening material out of it and then looked for a suitable filter element to fit inside.

Having found something I then threw it all together.

Back to it's home behind the driver, above the fuel tank.

All that was left to do was route a new hose up to the throttle body.

Now I still need to fill the holes in the engine cover left by the old hoses, but I reckon that will work.

Moving onto the interior, having got all the gear linkage, throttle cable and wiring for the engine fitted I can now start re-fitting the panels.

This also means I need to remove the dash pod to be able to fit the new dash instruments.

Having ripped the old pod out I was then left with this wiring nightmare.

To make future maintenance easier I decided to fit the new instruments using a couple of large connectors and this meant that a fair few wires could go.

Stripping off the loom tape didn't make things any better.

OK then .... out with the wiring diagram and cutters to get rid of the stuff I no longer need.

Looking better now

Re-tape it up and it is starting to look very minimalist.

Just to finish off, plonk on a couple of connectors.

That's it for this week.

With a bit of luck there won't be much of an update this coming weekend as I won't have the car.

Hilly

[matk]

Looking great!

[M Blur]

Nice one Hilly..

[t70]

Very Nice!!

[silverfrost]

Good progress Andy,

Engine bay looks very tidy cant wait to hear yuor motor

run! keep up the great work regards danny :yes