Pearl white coupe revival

[ottawa coupe]

The packaging nightmare continues..... i realized i had forgotten to put the steering damper in....so more stuff in an already over stuffed area (yeah i could search, but is there a downside to not having it?). I have determined i need to replace the perfectly fine brake lines as they run too close to the exhaust for comfort. Clutch line needs a complete redesign as it currently contacts the cat. I think though, i have left myself enough room for the wiring. Lots of little bits making their way here at the moment in hopes of not making a mess of this...

amazon sold me a 3" cat for a whopping $60, so no telling how good it actually is, but at least it's cheap enough as a backup should the cats in the bay prove to not work out.

[ottawa coupe]

Doesn't look like much has changed but i am actually getting closer.... i made a hard line for the expansion tank that goes over the exhaust and snakes over the steering arm. Just one more connection for the heater and then the cooling is sorted save rad connections for which i need argon, not co2 mix for the welder....

Electrical layout starts next.

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[ottawa coupe]

Got a few mins today and got the heater and expansion tank connections sorted and cut the bits for the upper rad hose connection. I'll get argon tomorrow and hopefully shortly thereafter have the cooling system worked out. No more bleeder at the heater core but i have a vacuum filler anyways.
unfortunately, i think i am gonna have to redo the brake lines off the abs unit, which i will do next time the engine is out.

The electrical harness is coming outta the basement after the cooling system sorted. I think that is gonna be it's own project at this point.... pretty sure i am going to have to cut out the section of firewall with the holes in it and replace it with a new one with new holes. I have stuffed the ps lines down in that corner and blocked at least 1 of them as well as a couple being the wrong size for the grommets. Hell, the v8 stuff doesn't have a grommet at all.... temptation for bulkhead connectors is rising lol.

[Rikki Kitto]

[ottawa coupe]

So, about 3 months of farting around with the cooling system and it all came down to about an hours worth of welding and grinding 3 parts in order to complete the cooling system..... and a super expensive bottle of argon....which i guess i can use to finish the exhaust....

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As you can see, electrical has started getting laid in there. I THINK i will open up the procon10 hole on the passenger side next to the ac lines for the engine harness. But first i need to make a new tray for the ecu then i can properly place the hole. If it works as hoped, i don't cut the main trunk of the ecu harness and extend it.....somewhat a positive i would think lol.

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[ottawa coupe]

Sooo close but so far. Because i am a caveman, tig welding is plain beyond my skill set. I have mig welded aluminum in the past with success. However, no such luck this time. This thing is as porous as the day is long.... need to find someone local who can fix it..... otherwise the cooling system is sorted....
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[ottawa coupe]

Kept at it last night and while it improved with setting changes, it only improved on my welds, the base cast material interface remains as porous as spongebob squarepants. I have ordered another one off amazon and my friend with a tig machine is gonna try for me this weekend hopefully. That said, my fallback now is to fire up fusion and dust off my mill and make a coupler out of a solid block?

[ottawa coupe]

So, currently waiting for amazon to deliver my cast couplers to cut up and tig. In the meantime a friend has had success with metal printing via one of those online (china) places. So i have drawn it up in fusion and my neighbour with a normal printer is gonna make a quick and dirty one for me to validate the model. We'll see if the welded one will work or if the metal print will be the best solution in the end.

also got on with ecu mounting and wire routing. Looks like i will be able to fit the engine harness thru the now unused procon hole (once opened up). I made a new tray for the ecu in the stock location and have the ecu "secured" via tight fitting silicon hoses one the studs on the ecu. There's enough slack in the harness such that i don't need to extend the wires on the 2 main connectors to the ecu. I will however need to do so for the connections to the chassis, but that's like 10 wires..... Gonna spend time tonight to organize that a bit more so that i can get the engine out more more time and get the last (?) Of the fabrication done (routing the harnesses, heat sheild mouting,brake lines, coolant lines and ps lines securing, and any remaining firewall welding).

edit: took brave pills and drilled another hole in the firewall (i'll be welding others shut, i promise!) And ecu harness is fit.

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[ottawa coupe]

So, i am skipping directly to 3d print in aluminum from online printers in china. The pricing is friggin unreal. Paying almost as much for shipping and a 3 week turnaround (at most) for a 1 off part. How can any local shop compete with that?!

my friend did the test piece for me and it shows i need to keep it straight and not bend back as it reduces the rqdius on the hose too much and kinks it. but otherwise, the fitment on either end is PERFECT.

With this more or less confirmed, the engine's coming out and engine bay work gets completed.

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[Greg_S]

Looking forward to seeing the metal tabbed part. 3d printing is so useful in these situations

[ottawa coupe]

My anxiety couldn't deal with THAT hockey game today so i went out to the garage and started working on the heat shields. Ugly but they do a good job separating the cats for the rest of the stuff. Plus i managed to maintain a gap in the corners for the fuel and brake lines to run. I need to trim a bit more and rivet some sides together still but with luck, sorted by the end of the day. Brake and clutch lines to follow. After that there's SLIM possibility the engine stays in till i try to fire it up??? Gonna try and sneak off to the local scrap yard and see what i can do for AC plumbing later this week.

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[ottawa coupe]

Got the brake lines more or less sorted today, there will be some small tweaks when i get more clips. Just gotta do the clutch line and find hardware for the rear calipers (and maybe some pads at some point lol) and the hydraulics are sorted. That said, if i had half a brain and a union on hand, i'd split the passenger front line in 2.


But then i gotta blow it apart again for what i hope is the final round of welding on the body

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[ottawa coupe]

So 2 years after i ordered them, finally getting to put rear calipers on. Only to find i have 2 of the same.... d'oh! The question now is what side they go on. Is the ebrake mechanism on top or the bottom side of the caliper when installed. I think that 1: i have the caliper on the wrong side and 2: the bleeder is in the wrong port. The brake hose i purchased at the same time and marked rear seems too short.... something's off lol

[Lago Blue]

Bleed screw needs to be high, therefore spring is on the bottom (these drwgs. show the LH side):

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[ottawa coupe]

Thanks! I was confused as the manufacturer put the bleed nipple in the wrong port on what turns out to be both of my left rear calipers lol. Ordered the right side which should get here next week. Did a quick check on my clutch line to confirm that my plan for it will work and i got a union so i can make the passenger front line 2 pieces to make it easier for installation. I have to redo the drivers front as i routed it through the wrong hole into the wheel well... damnit, i was pretty happy with it too lol. I wrap all that up this weekend and then break out the welder one more time to un-swiss cheese the firewall....and i should probably do something about the battery mount as well lol.