VX220 Project

mandarinvx

Then use the fork type seperators between the hub carrier and the wishbone - I think I'll invest in a bigger version as this small one was very hard work :o

Then use the Eliseparts kit to extract the old ball joint - the kit comes with instructions, but for reference I used the smaller diameter of the two spacers that are provided. You may need to use a jack handle or similar for extra leverage 😃

And removed... breathe...

It's a good idea to put the ball joint in the freezer in an effort to reduce its diameter as much as poss, I don't have a freezer so mine was only fridge temp 🙂 - put a bit of silicon grease around the boot so it doesn't get caught on the wishbone when being inserted:

And then use the ball joint tool to re-assemble, this time without the spacer. There are inspection holes to track progress of how far the ball joint has travelled

And nearly there:

Now just refit everything - you may need to take the cap off the brake fluid resevoir if you didn't before, but remember to refit it!

MAKE SURE you pump the brake pedal a few times prior to driving off :borg:

mandarinvx

03/09/09

Thought I best add this, as effectively it's my service history 😃

I had the oil changed about 5k ago when I had the geo done at Guglielmi's, but they couldn't get the oil filter cap to budge whatsoever. I've also tried and failed since

So last weekend had another go, and it finally gave (by using one of the socket adaptors available on ebay - linky)

In fairness the 'adaptor' piece came with it too, so the cap itself is still stuck tight (which is actually a good thing) thankfully the filter can still be withdrawn without removing the inlet manifold - I'm not sure why Vaux made the whole thing so complicated

Pic of the housing with new filter and the two oil cooler rings

Then drained the oil, despite looking a bit black it was actually very clean 🙂

The old filter - again not in bad nick

And refill with Silkolene Pro-S bought from Opie Oils for the same price as Halfords sell their generic stuff!

Re-assembled it all and went for a spin - bugger - slight oil leak, only very small but enough to make me want to put it right

Searched around and came to the conclusion it was likely to be the oil cooler rings, so went down to Vaux earlier in the week and they actually had them in stock - only £2.80 each too 🙂 There is a small ridge in the ring that gets compressed when tightened, I guess that's why they tend to need replacing quite regularly after an oil change

All seems to be fixed now 😃

Also sprayed the tow eye (because I was bored :lol🙂

mandarinvx

25/09/09

New Gaz monotubes fitted last weekend - first impressions are great 😃

mandarinvx

25/09/09

Decided to remove the rear clam today - I have loads to do under there, but the priorities are to fit the Piper 2.5" and get the Spitfire toe link kit on 🙂

Despite what Joe may try and tell you it isn't easy, and it doesn't take 30 minutes :lol:

Did it the full way so I can remove the sound deadening behind the parcel shelf 🙂

At last...

And this may explain the mild tick whilst cold :lol:

Thankfully to be replaced with the Piper 4-1 B)

mandarinvx

26/09/09

A little more progress today - removed the exhaust, came apart fairly easily (despite the horror stories I've read!) although having the rear clam off has definately made it 100 times easier 😃 Even the lambda sensors came out without a fight, after buying a 22mm spanner 🙂

Also dremelled out the failed clam to boot fixings, to be replaced with stainless rivnuts thumbsup

The manifold crack all but dissapeared after I'd slackened off the studs :blink:

I'll give everything a good clean tomorrow I think 🙂

mandarinvx

04/10/09

Sorted out the rusted boot floor clam fasteners 🙂

First thing was to remove the old bolts/rivnuts - I made lots of slots across the top of the fastener with a Dremel cutting disc, then used a screwdriver an hammer to fold the remains in, until they simply dropped through, then left with this after prising the glued on plates off:

Gave everything a good clean with a drill mounted wire brush, then a coat of zinc primer (90% zinc)

And added some stainless steel M6 Rivnuts [available on ebay, but you also need the Rivnut tool]

Then a coat of Silver paint to keep the zinc primer in place

mandarinvx

04/10/09

Spitfire Toe Link Fitting

Due to lack of instructions and little info on here I've taken a load of pics whilst fitting the toe link kit 🙂

The Spitfire kit is extremely well made (I was dubious whether it was really worth all that money, but I'm happy to say I think it is - no corners cut here)

Obviously I've done this with the rear clam already off, no doubt it would be much harder if it were in place, especially when drilling the holes as the exhaust may well get in the way!

Worth noting that this is my interpretation of fitting, there may well be an easier way :blink:

Tools:
Jack
Support
Wheel Brace
2 x 19mm spanners
2 x 17mm spanner
12mm spanner
10mm spanner
5mm socket mounted allen key
6mm socket mounted allen key
17mm socket
15mm socket
12mm socket
Electric Drill
Good quality drill bits
Goggles
High temp grease
Dremel and cutting discs (possibly) or second jack
Adjustable wrench
Centre punch
Large hammer
Small hammer

(and I've probably missed things off!)

To start with jack up the car and support on one side, remove rear wheel

Undo the brake line and handbrake retaining bolts on the wishbone (they may look like they'll never budge, but they will with a bit of force)

Loosen cap on brake fluid resevoir

Use a socket on the handbrake mechanism nut to activate the movement, so the handbrake cable becomes loose

You should be able to pop the handbrake cable free 🙂 I had already slackened the adjuster off beneath the undertray, as I plan to replace the cable next week; if there isn't enough movement in the adjuster arm you'll need to remove the large rear undertray and fiddle with the adjuster

Then loosen the top caliper bolt (this may require a bit of force - I used a jack handle to give extra leverage)

And using a 6mm allen bit remove the lower bolt

mandarinvx

Then tilt the caliper upwards so that you have full access to the nut that needs to be removed

Removing this nut can be done in a few ways - you can try to get a spanner onto the flats on the ball joint side (I didn't have one that would fit); you can place a jack under the balljoint to stop the joint simply spinning (no matter what position I tried with the jack, it just kept spinning); or last resort is to use a Dremel to make a cut either side of the nut - it will then come off easily 😃

Then remove the other end, by undoing the wishbone bolt from the engine bay side, and tapping through with a hammer

Now set the length of the new arm to that of the existing, from balljoint to balljoint

I also marked the floor before removing the wheel using a flat peice of steel against the wheel, you can then compare against these marks later 🙂

mandarinvx

Use the long bolt and special washer to line up the support bracket

Then use a centre punch and lump hammer to marke the place to drill. Use a series of drills to make the holes, checking alignment each time - I used 3mm, 4.5mm then 6mm

Pull back the gaitors on the each end of the tie rods and use some high temperature grease to smear around the rose joint

Then bolt it all together - very fidly trying to get the top bolts in place!

I also used a fifth bolt, just for extra peace of mind, as there is already a hole in the subframe

Then connect the outboard side up - I'm presuming I've done this right :blink:

Obv the tubby is slightly different as later ones have a taper joint

And all done, refitting is essentially the reverse of the above

Make sure you pump the brake pedal a few times after replacing the cap!!!

mandarinvx

16/10/09

Not much progress as I'm waiting on lots of parts at the mo

In preparation for the new rear grille arriving I removed the old one

Used a Dremel to rough cut the bulk of the mesh out-

Tried many ways to cut through the thick black gunk that was used to fix the grille in place - turned out the best way was to use a good quality stanley knife and keep chaging the blades, with a pair of pliers used to put some resistance on it; then made lots of small incisions-

And finally-

Not something I'd do again - a complete PITA, deffo wouldn't attempt it if the clam was still on the car!

mandarinvx

**17/10/09 - Unfortunately this plan had to be abandoned, as each time I got a certain way down the line people would mention "Development Costs" - which basically translated in me putting up £5k up front to get the first conversion done :twisted: **

Right then - The Rotrex plan :lol:

The Charger

A Rotrex 30 series either the 84 or 94 - not sure yet :unsure:

The 84 has a range of 200-320bhp and the 94 from 250-400bhp; although I'm not sure how those figures are derived I'd have thought there a too many variables across engine types to give an actual power range :blink:
It will be mounted where the air con compressor would sit on a Veccy, just below the alternater

The Engine

Nice and simple:
change rods to Eagle H-beam
Fit two (or three) Saab head gaskets, with rivets drilled out; to drop compression a little - need to do a couple of calcs first I guess
I already have the ported head with double valve springs etc and GMP valves so that will be fitted - probably stick with OEM cams for the time being and fit Comp Blower of Saab turbo cams if needed

The Exhaust

I already have a full Piper 2.5" system with manifold; should be good enough for the 250-300bhp I'd like 🙂
May get a wideband gauge :unsure:

ECU

Three options really:
Find someone that has truly 'cracked' the OEM ECU, nice and neat but not sure how realistic
Fit 'piggyback' fuel controller - I've found someone with good experience of the AEM version
Fit aftermarket solution - would rather avoid this route as it will mean aftermarket 'kit' type solution prices will start to soar

Cooling

The centifugal blower is far more efficient than the roots type, making cooling a bit of a black hole
I have a VXT intercooler to try, but will need to find some way of mounting it - if it works then I'll ask ProAlloy or similar to make up a neater/lighter/more efficient permanent solution. The tubby position is ideal as the piping would exit the charger into a 90 degree bend, then under the chassis beam and into the intercooler, then out the top of the intercooler and across into the TB
If I require more cooling then may have a play with a water injection kit
And if even more is required then a full-on chargecooler (but I don't anticipate it needing that much)
I'm going to fit the tubby side vents too 🙂
The layout of the engine bay suggests that latent heat gains wont be as great an issue as they are on a tubby 🙂

Air Intake
Ideally mounted directly into the charger, but there may not be space in which case I'll have to mount it in the more usual position, but ideally I'd like to keep all pipe runs as short as poss
I plan to use the OEM plastic 2.2 manifold for now - if that doesn't work I'll need to use the Saab cast manifold (already got one just in case 🙂)

Main thing I'm not sure on is injectors :blink:

Any suggestions welcome chinky chinky

mandarinvx

19/10/09

Having the rear clam off for a while opened up the opportunity for a bit of heat-shielding 🙂 My boot was getting very hot with the standard exhaust and with the Piper going on I thought I'd better do something about it B)

First off was to cover the rigid heatshield that sits under the boot floor with tape - I used 30 micron high temp adhesive aluminium

Then used some fibreglass matting with high temp adhesive and aluminiumised surface - this is supposedly good for up to 600 degrees radiant heat 🙂

mandarinvx

And then onto the boot floor

Again covered with the fibreglass material, then finished with aluminium tape to protect the edges

And all in place - the hard heat shield will be secured with M5 nuts and locking bolts with penny washers instead of the aluminium rivets (that had broke) that vaux used

Also replaced the crappy button headed bonnet stays with stainless hex bolts

mandarinvx

20/10/09

A few obligatory comparison pics of the standard exhaust and the Piper 🙂

The standard exhaust measures 1.9" at it's largest point (this drops to ₁.9" OD where there are any curves in the pipework). The Piper measures 2.375" ID throughout

So the csa of the standard is 1829mm2 and the csa of the Piper is 2858mm2

This means that the Piper has a 56% greater capacity to flow than the standard, and much moreso through the bends (and lets face it there aren't many straight sections in the standard system!)

🙂

mandarinvx

23/12/09

A couple of pics 🙂

I didn't take any whilst putting the car back together due to the negative temperatures outside!

Had harness slots cut in the seats and the drivers seat bolsters replaced, so I can finally fit the harnesses that have been sat around doing nothing for 18 months 😃

They added a zipped section so not to stretch the material too much 🙂

And Tigerseal for the rear grille panel

mandarinvx

29/05/10 - After putting the car back together and actually driving it for a while!

Well. the car is now in bits again :lol:

Fitting the new head with cams, Eagle rods, EGR cheater, new chain kit etc

Here's how it looks:

I have re-located the fuel breather to the drivers side, and replaced the undersize gearbox breather pipework with some of an adequate size

Any top tips of what else I can do / remove whilst the car is in this state :unsure: (should I remove the material bulk heat stuff :huh🙂

MrSimba very kindly helped with removal of the manifolds and ancillarys, the Karlos78 helped with removal of the head - thanks guys thumbsup

Head removed, so now looks like this:

Bores look nice and clean, no scoring 🙂

And this is where I'll be spending the rest of the weekend :rolleyes:

And a reminder for all those (like me!) that have not changed the alternator belt during services. Looks fine on the outer side (ie the visible side when inspecting :rolleyes🙂 but this is the condition of the ribs :o

mandarinvx

For the EGR removal I...

Bought the blanking plate and gasket from Vauxhall
And the cheater (thanks Vocky 🙂) from Z22SE.co.uk

I also wanted to get rid of the hard pipe that runs from the outlet of the head to the inlet manifold (just below the throttle body)

The way the pipe is mounted in the inlet manifold is useless, it protrudes about 1/2" into the neck, disrupting airflow; and isn't even angled at 90 degrees into the flow :rolleyes:

I was a bit wary about sealing the hole left once the pipe is removed - it simply unclips then pulls out, as I didn't want to risk any foreign bodies getting sucked into the engine :o :lol:

In the end I found that a 10p peice fits perfectly into the recess for the hole, and is much bigger than the hole for the pipe, so can't physically be sucked through. I then glued this in place from the outside, so that no stray glue can get sucked into the inlet - simples 😃

The manifold:

Close up from the outside

And a view from the inside - no glue 🙂

Should give easier access to the oil filter housing too thumbsup

mandarinvx

And to continue with the EGR deletion, a blanking plate I made up and the connection to the head with the pipe removed, both sprayed in high temp paint 🙂

mandarinvx

31/05/10

And the rods:

First one removed - I've never done anything like this before - very nerve wracking :lol: - hence I appreciate most wont take a secong glance at the pics, but it would have given me that little bit more confidence if I'd known what I was up against (wasn't all that bad in the end!)

First thing is to remove the clip from one side with long nose pliers

Then knock out the pin, I used the end of a 3/8" extension bar as it's nice and smooth

Then reverse

The difference between the stock items and the Eagle rods is quite amazing :o

mandarinvx

Then set the piston ring gaps to those shown in TIS, the oil scraper ones are a right PITA!

Coated the bolt threads and heads with the 'special' Eagle supplied moly grease and re-assembled with oil in the bores

I'd never used piston ring compressors before, and just bought a cheapo one from Halfords - it was actually pretty easy (i'd dreaded that moment for some reason :wacko🙂

And all in 🙂

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