Ben

The turbocharger on my Cabriolet finally gave up last week showering my engine bay with oil via the dump valve. This has at least given me an excuse to get the car off the road for the winter and spend a few quid on her!

I carried out a major restoration a couple of years ago with respray and new roof etc, however there is now work to be done as far as replacing some of the suspension components and tidying up other bits and pieces.

What I'm planning on doing is giving the engine bay a good tidy up, get the front panel sorted and of course change the turbocharger and uprate the intercooler.

Below are the first few pictures - more to follow shortly!

Last pictures before taking bits off!




Front bumper removed...


Headlights off and the need for a bit of welding by the looks of things!







Here is where she'll stay until all the work has been done


More pics to follow as I remove the turbocharger etc...

Twins

iTrader: (18)

nice one keep the piccys coming

Victor

Nice cabby Keep the pic's coming

BillyCabrio

iTrader: (1)

Nice one mate, she a beaut!

Ben

Thanks for the comments guys - I'll get some more pics up later today!

Ben

Here's some more pics I took last night. I've got the turbo/manifold off now as well as all the hoses and radiator.

Below are the pictures of the front panel. I've begun to strip back to the bare metal and rub down ready for a lick of paint.









Here's some of the engine bay as it currently looks and will no doubt be getting a good clean-up in the not too distant future.








As you'll see there's a lot of oil down there! Shouldn't be too much of a problem to sort

Ben

Here's the cause of my problems - a very leaky turbo!



I've managed to clean up the Samco's and they don't seem to have suffered too much with all the oil pumped through them! I also managed to get the turbo off the manifold this weekend which sounds easier than it was. Just got to decide how much to spend on the replacement. At the moment I'm thinking about a Stage 2 hybrid but am open to suggestions. I'll be looking to uprate the intercooler at the same time so will hopefully see a nice power gain.

Need a bit of advice on how best to smarten up the front panel. I'm at the stage now where I've got most of the old paint off but as I'm restoring this in a council garage I don't have the luxury of any running water or elctricity! Therefore, I'm only gonna be armed with a paint brush and can of spray paint. What do you guys recommend paint-wise to smarten it up and keep the rust away??? Should I go the Hammerite route or opt for something more substantial. I've had a look on www.frost.co.uk and there's all sorts of goodies on there, but I'm not really sure what to go for. Any help would be gratefully received......I'll get some more pics up later this week.

Ben

Gonna get some more pics up today - been ordering a few bits and pieces to tidy up the engine bay....

Disqaulifed driver

nice mate thats a lovely looking cab you got there

the wheels look spot on aswell

good luck with it all

Ben

Bit of an update - biggest problem I've found is simply getting the time to spend on the car. At the moment I can only spare a few hours a week but hopefully with Christmas out the way things will improve!

I've sourced loads of new bits over the past few weeks - the pics below show the parts associated with the turbo itself. I've found www.fordpartsuk.com to be a great source for some of the more obscure bits such as the heatshield. With the pipes and feeds into the turbo I've given them a good clean rather than shell out on brand new items.



I've also painted the exhaust manifold - I'm not sure on the colour so opinions please?




Also, just got the turbo back from reconditioning - can anyone spot a problem I might have??? Doesn't look quite right does it!!!
Anyway, it's had a Stg2 rebuild with 4x4 cos comp setup (new) standard bearing and uprated oil seals.



Another update to follow soon with details of the other new bits and pieces and the progress I've made on the car!

Victor

The turbo is rotated a quarter..

Colour of the exhaust manifold is great More pics please

WutangRS

looks good

as victor said it needs rotating a quarter. looking at that picture above everything to the right of the exhuast turbine housing needs to be unbolted and rotated anti-clockwise (anticlockwise as if you where looking at it from the crompressor housing end)

Ben

Another quick update...

Managed to sort the turbo out now and got it rotated so that the actuaor lines up. All I needed to do was loosen the six bolts on the exhaust side and gently tap it into position with a hammer - job done!




I've been giving the manifold components another lick of paint - just hope it's good for 1400 Degrees F as stated on the tin - out of interest does anyone know how hot a turbo gets???




Here's a pic of the new compressor housing - the same as the 4x4 Cossie. Also shown is the -31 Actuator. Only gonna be running about 1 bar boost so this should handle it without too many probs!


Moving away from the turbo I've got the front ARB to work on this weekend. Needs a good clean and a lick of paint.


Also go a couple of new TCAs, poly-bushed ready to add to the ARB.


While the front wheels are off I've given them a good clean on the inside to get rid of the bloody brake dust! Really like the diamond-cut finish...



Finally, got a few other bits to clean up and test - nearly new starter and alternator and a thermostat housing I think I'll send of for polishing:


More updates to follow next week, all comments welcome!!!

Twins

iTrader: (18)

Looking very good

Ben

Thanks mate - seen the pics of the work you've done on yours. If mine finishes up half as good as that I'll be happy!

Andy-ywk

Top work mate, looks really good

Love the wheels, where did you get those done at? are the inserts polished aswell or are they just painted silver?

Victor

Looks really great mate, keep tha piccy's comin'

carmadhainesy

looking good ,I'm watching

adamS2RST

Keep up the good work matey, all good

Ben

Thanks again for the comments guys.


The wheels were done by these people: http://www.wheelrefurbishing.co.uk/
They made a really good job and price was reasonable too! The centres are still standard colour though I do plan to paint them at some stage!

Brian

iTrader: (2)

Look's very smart mate keep the picture's coming


Brian

Ben

Bit of a mini-update as I haven't had too much time lately to get as much done as I'd like!

I've now managed to get the turbo and manifold completely re-assembled which was easier said than done! The final issue was caused by the fact Ford do not manufacture a gasket for between the exhaust manifold and turbo! Managed to track one down from Essex Turbos though and it's done the job…



In fact, I had to order three to meet their minimum order for delivery so if anyone needs one it's yours for what I paid for it - Ł5 !

Anyway, I'm pleased that the turbo unit is all back together now and at last I can start to concentrate on some other bits - here's the finished article:





The only thing I'm slightly unsure about is the starter motor heat shield. As there wasn't one there before I'm not sure I've got it in quite the right position - can anyone verify this for me???

Below are a few pics of other bits I've been getting on with as well.

Nice shiny Cam cover to add some more 'bling' to the engine bay! Well it will be shiny when I get my grubby fingerprints off it.



Due to the oil seals in the old turbo giving up on me the boost hoses had a bit too much oil in for my liking! They've now been given a thorough clean and come up really well, a quick wipe over with some WD40 when they're all fitted again will bring them back to new!



I've painted the thermostat housing in the same heat-resistant paint as the manifold - it's come up quite nicely



The alternator bracket and heat shield have been treated to a lick of paint too, though I'm still not decided on whether to leave them black. Is black a good idea to paint a heat shield bearing in mind it absorbs heat??? Think I might get these chromed if someone can recommend a decent firm? Help greatly appreciated.






That's pretty much it for now. Need to buy the new intercooler and oil breather at the end of the month and get cracking with painting up the front panel. Will post updates as soon as I can.

Twins

iTrader: (18)

Good work,A.S. autos did all my chroming in Tilbury

Ben

Cheers Twins - you got an email address for them???

What their prices like???

Ben

Bit of an update and a few pics...

Given the block a coat of engine enamel - pictures aren't the best but looks good in the flesh! Took ages to get all the old oil and grime off but was worth it. Need to replace the sump I think



Offered up the manifold and turbo just to make sure everything was in the right place - looks pretty good and I'm beginning to get a bit impatient as to how soon I can get it back on the road. Still, don't want to rush it as I know I'll regret it later!



Finally, received the Oil Breather today from Lee@Fusion
along with the necessary Samco hose. Just gotta work out how to fit the thing now! Anyone offer any help?!?!?!

MADMATT

very nice mate

Twins

iTrader: (18)

found them to be ok price wise
www.autospecialists.co.uk
as4rs@aol.com 03175 850062

There you go

Ben

Cheers Twins - I'll give them a shout!

Any pics of your finished dashboard yet!?!?!

Twins

iTrader: (18)

just put some pics on of the colours its being done in ,collecting it on sat,had the thread moved into this section

Moondust_crust

nice work its coming along really well, how are you going to sort the rust on the front panel mate if you dont have a welder? cheers mark.

G420 DEL

sweet as that mate givein me more insperation with mine!

Ben

I don't personally have a welder but know a couple of people in the trade Gonna get as far as I can with the other bits of tidying up and then get the car down for some welding and paint before the front bumper etc. goes back on.

Moondust_crust

ahh right just wondered like, where did you get your new tca's from? and how much were they? doin so well by the way its gonna look mint when its done , keep us all updated, many thanx mark.

Ben

Got the TCA from eBay, can't remember how much I paid but think the postage came to more than the parts!

Just getting all the front suspension parts ready for powder coating this weekend and I've ordered a load of new nuts & bolts from Ford. Should have an update in the next few days...

luke89

iTrader: (1)

lookin really good mate

conways rs

you must look after your cars mate i wish i had the amount of time you have to clean my car like that. lol

rich p xr2t

Ben,
lookin sweet as mate i do luv cab turbos

tonyturbo

sweet

Ben

Been to Ford this weekend and handed over a few quid - below are pics of what I got in return !






Also ordered my new intercooler today so should just about have all the parts I need to get the car back together!

Twins

iTrader: (18)