Project Dolomega, the next level

[Carledo]

Soldering causes breach. When soldering wires on terminals the tin crawls in the wire so the first 0,5-1 cm under the insulation will become solid. When you bend the wire behind the terminal about 10 times it's broken while a crimped wire you can bend endless without causing breach. Most of the wiring faults are caused by old soldered joints. For connecting two wire ends there are crimp pieces. The same as crimp terminals but without the spade. It sounds complicated maybe but it's a lot faster than solderingen. Saves time and the result is more reliable.

Jeroen

Yes i've seen and used these before, when LPG converting a BMW 740i. At the time, the conversion manufacturer recommended crimp AND solder for these joints. I settled for crimp only, feeling that solder as well was overkill! I'm pleased to find my instincts were correct! It's been 7 or 8 years since I did that conversion and it's still running fine!

Steve

[Carledo]

Great restoration thread, Steve. For some reason I haven't come across it before. It has kept me occupied all lunch hour!!

You're welcome Nick!

[Carledo]

AR25 (2.0 and 2.5 litre engine) and AR35 (3.0 litre engine)



Ian.

Apologies for not getting back to you sooner on this, I have found the level/filler plug! Its not very big and certainly not obvious but it IS exactly where you said it should be! Cheers Ian!

Steve

BTW, it's an AR25 box!

[Carledo]

Still wiring! Family commitments, a weeks holiday and a couple of other things have slowed progress but i'm getting back on track, with only a handful more leads to put in before I can connect everything permanently and tape it up!



I ve got my nice new 16way fusebox from Car Builder Solutions fully wired up and, since it won't go through the hole in the bulkhead, i've got a load of Lucas/Rists pin and socket connectors from 3Way Spares (as recommended by Nigel) and reused a load of the plastic bits from scrap looms to make 3 plug and socket joints to connect it to the main harness. The astute amongst you will have noticed 2 missing fuses, this is deliberate, there are 2 spare slots in case I need to add anything later and also, less obviously, spare pin connector holes in the plugs to match!







I've also got the massive relay/ECU box from the Omega try located on the N/S flitch. Fortunately for me, this placement almost exactly matches that on the donor Omega, so all the leads will reach!





Finally a quick teaser of the modified subframe, now being built up to fit to the car (I need a break from wire!)



Steve

[Carledo]

This weekend i've had a rest from wiring and done some spannering!

Removed the slave subframe and fitted the modified one I prepared earlier with all NOS rubber bushes plus solid rack mounts. I'm not going to polybush except for the column bush and tie bar bushes front and rear as I want to keep a compliant ride.







I bought some new springs and nearly new shox from Ian ages ago, they have what look like BL labels on them (indecipherable unfortunately) but they are about an inch shorter in free length and slightly thicker in the coils than the originals I removed from the old legs.



Any info (or guesses) as to what they are welcomed. I fitted a pair of rubber top bushes between them and the topmounts since I had a pair in good condition. Only time will tell what the ride height will be like! I'm hoping to avoid the expense of ASP shox this time, but with all the mods, it's futile even trying to guess at spring rates and ride heights till I can get the fully fitted out car back on it's wheels!



Next to go on, 4 nearly new balljoints and 2 nearly new track rod ends, courtesy of that 1500HL Auto I broke recently. That car just keeps on giving! And finally, my 256mm uprated TJ Vented disc kit.







I've got late Puma caliper carriers on and Puma calipers and pads to go with them, but only the used ones I took off a breaker ATM. nearer completion time, i'll trade them in for some recon calipers and new pads

Not too bad for a couple of afternoons steady progress.

I reckon next weekend i'll get the engine crane back home and go for a first try fit of the power unit in the hole!

At this stage, I have finally decided to abandon the PAS installation pro tem. I've put a standard rack on instead of the quick rack (which will now go on the Carledo) and i'll see how this drives without power steering, which was mainly for SWMBO's benefit anyway. With her back in the state it's in, it seems vanishingly unlikely that she will ever drive it anyway. She can't currently drive her Picasso more than a handful of miles without too much pain.

Steve

[Carledo]

Another try at the missing image of the springs.




Steve

[Carledo]

For all you doubting Thomases out there, it does fit! A tight squeeze, but its in, and without altering the shell!










Even the tunnel fits over it!



Next job is to get it perfectly aligned and fab the mounts!

Steve

[new to this]

Steve

That enigne looks a tight squeeze why have you gone with solid steering rack mounts

Dave

P.S are you going to make your own exhaust or get one made ?

[Mahesh]

Nice,

and the engine is further back as you intended,

have you been practising putting engines and boxes in lately

[Carledo]

Nice,

and the engine is further back as you intended,

have you been practising putting engines and boxes in lately

Whatever gave you that idea?

Steve

[Carledo]

Steve

That engine looks a tight squeeze why have you gone with solid steering rack mounts

Dave

P.S are you going to make your own exhaust or get one made ?

It certainly is a tight squeeze, more from the transmission POV than the motor. I've accepted it on this car, on the basis that it should never be necessary to remove the transmission once the final fit is made. The engine can, if need be, be removed uphill on its own, all the bolts are accessible and being auto, it only needs to come forward an inch, followed by a vertical lift!

As far as the rack mounts go, i've used the same ones on the Carledo and there doesn't seem to be a downside! They are "fit and forget", take a lot of unnecessary vagueness out of the steering and don't have any discernible unpleasant side effects like bump steer.

The exhaust will be a bitsa! I have a twin pipe Stainless rear box donated by Tony (Mig Welder), the middle box, intermediate pipe and cross axle pipe will be a Rimmers sports type and the down pipe will be fabricated by me, using the top section of the original Omega part, a proprietary flexi section and whatever bits of curved and straight pipe I can dig out of my collection. It will also have fittings for the 2 Lambda sensors the engine ECU requires, though I fear I will have to use a "cheat sim" on the rear one as I WON'T be fitting a catalytic converter!

It also looks like I will need to delete the EGR valve, blank off the plate and fit a second emulator in its circuit. This necessitated by bulkhead clearance, the EGR goes on, but the wiring plug won't! I don't suppose for one minute that I (or the car) will miss it and it's one less thing to go wrong!

Steve

[xvivalve]

I have that mild steel Sprint sports exhaust at Glebe Lane with your name on it still Steve

[Carledo]

I have that mild steel Sprint sports exhaust at Glebe Lane with your name on it still Steve

Thanks Alun, I DO still want this!

Steve

[Carledo]

Lunchtime today, got the engine settled on 3 infinitely adjustable caravan axle stands, centred up on the centreline of the car and adjusted for slant (the engine is canted 7 degrees to the nearside, so it's still a slant!)
At this point I realized that i've completely forgotten to acquire the Volvo 240 engine mounts I need (the Vauxhall originals are too bulky to fit the car) so after a quick visit to the bay of E I have a pair coming for £15. In the meantime, it's back to the salt mines (AKA wiring) as I need the mounts in place on the engine to do the CAD for fabbing the subframe mounted engine support brackets!

Steve

[Toledo Man]

Fixed all the PB links so they will work.