Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Steves Megane conversion build - She's finally running (VIDEO inside)
- Thread starter Stephenvenning
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Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Not a huge amount done this weekend.
Saturday I picked up some forged rods from [MENTION=1246]shakey_hand_man[/MENTION], had the pleasure of looking over his clio and my god its a sight to behold. If mines half as good as that ill be happy.
Right back onto the engine re-build I reassembled the top end of the engine and masked all the machined surfaces off with special tape. This will allow me to blast the exterior giving me a good surface ready for paint. Ill do this tomorrow at work then I should be able to remove the tape and wash the head in hot soapy water to remove any foreign particles. Then ready for paint and reassembly.
Saturday I picked up some forged rods from [MENTION=1246]shakey_hand_man[/MENTION], had the pleasure of looking over his clio and my god its a sight to behold. If mines half as good as that ill be happy.
Right back onto the engine re-build I reassembled the top end of the engine and masked all the machined surfaces off with special tape. This will allow me to blast the exterior giving me a good surface ready for paint. Ill do this tomorrow at work then I should be able to remove the tape and wash the head in hot soapy water to remove any foreign particles. Then ready for paint and reassembly.
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Yet another update!
After masking up all the head shown in the previous post I sand blasted it to remove any dirt or contaminants. Wow what a difference this made, looks half decent for once. The sand blasted surface is also a very good surface for paint to stick to.
There is a drawback to blasting however, it leaves tiny particles of sand inside the head and in some of the galleries. If this was left in the engine it would almost certainly cause engine failure. This is why I thoroughly cleaned out the head and covers in hot soapy water followed by a jet washing, focusing on all the crevices and water/oil galleries. I repeated this process a further 3 times to make sure.
Once all clean it was time for masking and painting. I used frog tape for this. I then used e tech alloy paint (High temp isnt needed as the rocker cover only reaches around 120C) First primed with self etch primer, left this for 24 hours, followed by top coat and another 24 hours and then 4 coats of lacquer. Did the breather cover in gloss black and the rocker cover in anthracite. Good combo i reckon
After masking up all the head shown in the previous post I sand blasted it to remove any dirt or contaminants. Wow what a difference this made, looks half decent for once. The sand blasted surface is also a very good surface for paint to stick to.
There is a drawback to blasting however, it leaves tiny particles of sand inside the head and in some of the galleries. If this was left in the engine it would almost certainly cause engine failure. This is why I thoroughly cleaned out the head and covers in hot soapy water followed by a jet washing, focusing on all the crevices and water/oil galleries. I repeated this process a further 3 times to make sure.
Once all clean it was time for masking and painting. I used frog tape for this. I then used e tech alloy paint (High temp isnt needed as the rocker cover only reaches around 120C) First primed with self etch primer, left this for 24 hours, followed by top coat and another 24 hours and then 4 coats of lacquer. Did the breather cover in gloss black and the rocker cover in anthracite. Good combo i reckon
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Another weekend and another quick update on the progress. The good news is the head is almost complete and ready for installation of the valves. I took the head to work to skim it on monday. First off I set the block onto a surface plate and used a DTI gauge to check for warping and it was fine, only 0.003mm variation. Now was to get the mill set up and perfectly leveled to the mills tool head. I used a DTI gauge for this process as well. Now for the clamping down of the head to the bed, I used T bolts and bridge clamps to secure it.
Now with the DTI gauge fitted to the mill tool stock, I checked the cylinder head was flat to within 0.001mm. Using a tungsten carbide fly cutter I made a three passes along the head and took off 0.3mm finished to a mirror finish, ready for an MLS gasket.
(I hope you understood the process, plenty of youtube videos if you didn't)
The only other thing I did this week was spray the oil cap satin black to help with the stealth look looks ace IMO
Before.
After!!!
A quick pic of the oil cap
Now with the DTI gauge fitted to the mill tool stock, I checked the cylinder head was flat to within 0.001mm. Using a tungsten carbide fly cutter I made a three passes along the head and took off 0.3mm finished to a mirror finish, ready for an MLS gasket.
(I hope you understood the process, plenty of youtube videos if you didn't)
The only other thing I did this week was spray the oil cap satin black to help with the stealth look
looks ace IMOBefore.
After!!!
A quick pic of the oil cap
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
1.3mm is the standard thickness gasket, the next one up is 1.6mm so with 0.3mm taken off and a 1.6mm gasket the cr will remain the same.
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Yeah standard sizes will provide more than enough power, I'm not worried about peak power, I just want reliable power
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
UPDATE:
A lot has happened this week on the engine. First off was removing the piston squirters so the bores can be honed. These proved to be a right pain in the arse, mole grips just didnt grip enough to remove them. After some advice on here I started by drilling a 6.8mm dia hole into the top of the squirter, I followed this by tapping them with an m8 x 1.2mm tap, and using a 1/4 inch extension on top of the tap, this gave me enough room to rotate it to cut the thread. Once the holes had been threaded I screwed a slide hammer into the squirter and with a few knocks, hey presto they came out Now with this taken care of the block is ready for hot bathing, honing and pressure testing next week.
I also made up a crank puller tool to finally get the crank pulley off and gave the lifters a good clean to get there "springness" back, then left the in clean oil ready for re-assembly.
A few photo's:
With all the block work done it was back on to the cylinder head and valve lapping. I managed to get all the inlet valves lapped in. Im using the oem inlet valves as I dont think the forged ones are worth it due reduced rev limit on the megane engine. I am however waiting on some supertech inconel exhaust valves, the reason for this is I think the increased heat from the increased power could have an effect on oem exhaust valves.
With the lapping I used a course compound for most the work, then used a fine compound for refining the edge of the valve.
Before:
After:
And now some engine porn
A lot has happened this week on the engine. First off was removing the piston squirters so the bores can be honed. These proved to be a right pain in the arse, mole grips just didnt grip enough to remove them. After some advice on here I started by drilling a 6.8mm dia hole into the top of the squirter, I followed this by tapping them with an m8 x 1.2mm tap, and using a 1/4 inch extension on top of the tap, this gave me enough room to rotate it to cut the thread. Once the holes had been threaded I screwed a slide hammer into the squirter and with a few knocks, hey presto they came out
Now with this taken care of the block is ready for hot bathing, honing and pressure testing next week.I also made up a crank puller tool to finally get the crank pulley off and gave the lifters a good clean to get there "springness" back, then left the in clean oil ready for re-assembly.
A few photo's:
With all the block work done it was back on to the cylinder head and valve lapping. I managed to get all the inlet valves lapped in. Im using the oem inlet valves as I dont think the forged ones are worth it due reduced rev limit on the megane engine. I am however waiting on some supertech inconel exhaust valves, the reason for this is I think the increased heat from the increased power could have an effect on oem exhaust valves.
With the lapping I used a course compound for most the work, then used a fine compound for refining the edge of the valve.
Before:
After:
And now some engine porn
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Not posted on here in a while...so here goes
First off I spent a whole week getting my car ready for PFC expo
I first corrected all the paint to around a 90% correction, I first used chemical guys V36 and V38 with a microfibre pad, this was correcting it very well however was marring the paint very slightly, I therefore opted for a meg's microfibre system, and wow this stuff cuts fast! very impressed! After correction I gave a coat of gtechniq c1 to protect the paint for a good few years. Dressed all the trims with auto glym trim dresser and the tyres with meg's gel.
My front callipers were looking pretty tired also, I did them ages ago with vht paint and they chipped like crazy so it was time to get them swapped over. Rebuilt some of my powder coated ones and spent an hour getting them on and changed the brake fluid also.
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...3-94C9-44F1-A7F1-7BB3544F01AC_zpst6m80qmu.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...F-3AE9-4CF8-9410-236EEB897E94_zpszlmnj5xd.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...9-E810-4157-872A-B1ABFE71EC77_zpsiefrsbdh.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag372/stephenv92/IMG_9827_zps92f5c162.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag372/stephenv92/IMG_9828_zpsd9825e38.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...D-3A72-4394-8A5B-826923C0E4CD_zpsq3dtbamg.jpg
The show was very good and the car was looking stunning! Cant wait for the next one.
When I got home I got a nice delivery of my new shiny inconel exhaust valves so it was off to the garage to get them lapped in Took around an hour and they were in. The combustion chambers look amazing now, almost a shame to cover them up :lol: I just have to get the head gasket set and stem seals and I can get the valve springs in and then the head is FINALLY DONE!
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...4-966C-47BD-848D-480B2873E55F_zpswzycnci9.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...7-1015-4576-BDDA-86264BCB6B7C_zpsw4ndgltv.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...D-A224-45B6-9D6E-379A015A41EF_zpsrfinqpfh.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...F-582A-48A5-B633-5C7806F67408_zps4ua7t2ey.jpg
After the head is done Ill try and get the Loom done, tested and re wired.
Sorry for the amount or pics :lol:
First off I spent a whole week getting my car ready for PFC expo
I first corrected all the paint to around a 90% correction, I first used chemical guys V36 and V38 with a microfibre pad, this was correcting it very well however was marring the paint very slightly, I therefore opted for a meg's microfibre system, and wow this stuff cuts fast! very impressed! After correction I gave a coat of gtechniq c1 to protect the paint for a good few years. Dressed all the trims with auto glym trim dresser and the tyres with meg's gel.
My front callipers were looking pretty tired also, I did them ages ago with vht paint and they chipped like crazy so it was time to get them swapped over. Rebuilt some of my powder coated ones and spent an hour getting them on and changed the brake fluid also.
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...3-94C9-44F1-A7F1-7BB3544F01AC_zpst6m80qmu.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...F-3AE9-4CF8-9410-236EEB897E94_zpszlmnj5xd.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...9-E810-4157-872A-B1ABFE71EC77_zpsiefrsbdh.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag372/stephenv92/IMG_9827_zps92f5c162.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag372/stephenv92/IMG_9828_zpsd9825e38.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...D-3A72-4394-8A5B-826923C0E4CD_zpsq3dtbamg.jpg
The show was very good and the car was looking stunning! Cant wait for the next one.
When I got home I got a nice delivery of my new shiny inconel exhaust valves so it was off to the garage to get them lapped in
Took around an hour and they were in. The combustion chambers look amazing now, almost a shame to cover them up :lol: I just have to get the head gasket set and stem seals and I can get the valve springs in and then the head is FINALLY DONE! http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...4-966C-47BD-848D-480B2873E55F_zpswzycnci9.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...7-1015-4576-BDDA-86264BCB6B7C_zpsw4ndgltv.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...D-A224-45B6-9D6E-379A015A41EF_zpsrfinqpfh.jpg
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums...F-582A-48A5-B633-5C7806F67408_zps4ua7t2ey.jpg
After the head is done Ill try and get the Loom done, tested and re wired.
Sorry for the amount or pics :lol:
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Haven't updated this in a while so here goes.
Ive got all the loom checked for continuity and wrapped back up. There were a few frayed wires that needed repairing.
I ordered some cat cam valve springs and new gasket set. Installed these with little problems, making sure I kept the keepers and retainers in the same places as they were before. Once these were in, I poured some petrol into the inlets and outlet ports and checked for leaks. In two of the exhaust ports there was a slight weep at around 30 mins in. I subsequently took them out cleaned them up and lightly lapped again. This has seemed to solve this. The valves will seal further after initial start up anyway.
A few weeks back I also purchased a little treat for the car ever since owning the car Ive wanted recaros, this opportunity arose when mr [MENTION=2929]smoggy mark[/MENTION] had some for sale. So it was a long drive (8 hour round trip) to pick them up.
They took a bit of getting used to due to them sitting slightly higher than standard seats but now I absolutely love them! Really make the inside a nicer place to be with the leather retrim
Cheers guys!
Ive got all the loom checked for continuity and wrapped back up. There were a few frayed wires that needed repairing.
I ordered some cat cam valve springs and new gasket set. Installed these with little problems, making sure I kept the keepers and retainers in the same places as they were before. Once these were in, I poured some petrol into the inlets and outlet ports and checked for leaks. In two of the exhaust ports there was a slight weep at around 30 mins in. I subsequently took them out cleaned them up and lightly lapped again. This has seemed to solve this. The valves will seal further after initial start up anyway.
A few weeks back I also purchased a little treat for the car
ever since owning the car Ive wanted recaros, this opportunity arose when mr [MENTION=2929]smoggy mark[/MENTION] had some for sale. So it was a long drive (8 hour round trip) to pick them up. They took a bit of getting used to due to them sitting slightly higher than standard seats but now I absolutely love them! Really make the inside a nicer place to be with the leather retrim
Cheers guys!
Gez
Moderator & South Wales Rep
I've been following this thread with great interest! [MENTION=50319]Stephenvenning[/MENTION] the work you have done is awesome! There's been no short cuts and I'm sure this hard work will pay off when you turn that ignition. Depending on what turbo you go for, I'm going to take a guess and say this might take the lead on who has the most powerful...
keep the updates coming!
Seats are a nice extra too!
keep the updates coming!
Seats are a nice extra too!
This car is going to be epic once done!After speaking with you think you are on the right track mate enjoy the seats they set the motor of a treat.
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Cheers guys! Hopefully it should be all worth it when finished. I'll probably settle for around 300 hp to start with until I get an itch and knock up a tubular manifold and buy a gt30. I'm interested to see what effect the porting and what not has had on the performance with just standard turbo etc at first
Stephenvenning
Gold Member
Did think of getting them re-cut but there was no pitting or any damage on the seats so didnt really need it. On the inlets I only used a fine paste to clean up both the faces and check concentricty. On the exhaust they really didnt need much with the course grade and the same with the fine so the contact area on the seat should be fine for heat transfer i.e no concaveness from over lapping.
