Project Zombie - 3B back from the dead

[SteveH]

Hi, have you bought the recaro frames/rails new or have you made them custom?

I took the frames from some standard Audi 80 seats and welded mountings directly onto them. I could adapt them now to take pretty much any aftermarket seat and still have the standard leg room adjustment. A lot cheaper and easier to find than the Recaro frames.

[SteveH]

Did my knee in recently so no opportunity to play with the car. Had a new set of wheels and tyres to go on and until today didn't have the strength to bend down and get the ******s on!

Really pleased with the weight saving, which makes the car feel quite nimble. Grip is awesome from the Federal 595 rs-r's.

Door trims need replacing, still on the original set after 25 years.

[SteveH]

Right, bit of a dilemma with this block! I've just started an engine rebuild and decided it was time to use the new block. I've had it checked and bores honed and it's factory spec as expected. Bores are 81.01mm and all the external holes line up with it being suitable for my 3B parts. It has the return machined for turbo oil drain and it has the core plug with the water outlet for turbo coolant lines. It however, has a couple of challenges which I need to understand to be able to use it..

1. The hole for the oil dipstick tube is different. My 3B dipstick tube is essentially a straight tube and goes through the block to a certain depth. The new block has a larger hole in the block and looks to be machined for a dipstick tube with a flange which seats on the outer surface of the block. Pics to follow.

2. I noticed that it doesn't have a one way oil valve behind the low pressure switch. Initially I thought this wasn't an issue, as I removed the valve from my old block to put on the new one. Here's the problem, the new block isn't machined to accept the valve The hole through to the mains journal it there, but it's not been tapped to accept the valve.

So, to be able to use this block, I'm going to have to figure out which dipstick tube I need and then locate one and find out why it doesn't have the oil return valve. Has anyone any experience with identifying blocks and whether any were produced that didn't use/require an oil return valve?? I think it will be a challenge to bore/tap the oil return valve to the right size/depth, so this might end up as a table

[SteveH]

new block.jpg

[SteveH]

Think I've answered one of my questions via the search function

https://www.s2forum.com/forum/techni...ighlight=valve

[SteveH]

Does anyone have a spare ABY dipstick tube they can provide me measurements from? Looking at my block, it appears to have been cast in 1996, so I'm assuming it may have been machined for the ABY style tube and later style oil check valve.

[david1980]

at that age then it would have been i'd have thought

[AndyP]

Think I've answered one of my questions via the search function

https://www.s2forum.com/forum/techni...ighlight=valve

I was just about to tell you that there are two differnent one way valves!

There are different types of dipstick tubes too, I'll get some pics of the TDi block tomorrow, you maybe able to use this.

[SteveH]

I was just about to tell you that there are two differnent one way valves!

There are different types of dipstick tubes too, I'll get some pics of the TDi block tomorrow, you maybe able to use this.

[sal_s2]

I'll give you back what you gave me for it?

[newsh]

Any progress Steve?

[SteveH]

Embarrassingly very little progress I made the dipstick tube as I couldn't locate a second hand item for sale. Thanks to AndyP for supplying a dipstick block insert that Alex kindly made me a copy of. Without that I was completely stuck at the engine rebuild, The engine is complete using a new 3B block and bearings, rings, etc. I put the 6 speed box in but have issues with the gear selector. I can adjust it to get any two gears easily, but the rest are then impossible to select. I'm pretty sure the selector is rod is bent, but haven't got another to measure it against. It also feels like the gates are on the diagonal when selecting gears, so something is certainly out of true. Sal has a spare and I've been planning to visit him to measure mine against his, but work and a bad knee have prevented me from getting up to Brum recently. I've cut the old fuel lines off to replace with 8mm Kunifer pipe, so that could be completed pretty quickly and converted the engine bay ends to 6-AN fittings. I suppose the only good thing is that it's a couple of years older with zero mileage I have replaced the door seals and lower trim recently and done some tidying up. Not much to show for two years on axel stands in the garage though.

[newsh]

At least it’s indoors in the dry though!
Mines been at QC to be painted for 2 years now but progress is finally being made.

Knees can be a bu99er, my left one has been dodgy for years..

[SteveH]

Yes, bad knees and working on cars don't mix well. Mines been bad for 35 years and I've been waiting for a replacement for some years now. They've been telling me I'm too young for a long time, but I think I'm close to the waiting list stage now

[s2driveruk]

Must be catching…off for xrays on both knees in a week or so. i think i can blame football and years of skiing for hammering them.