Richard Grove

Here is my first proto-type for the pedal box. It has taken 20-30 hours to get this far. I am hoping to get the engine fired up next weekend so that I can drive up and down the driveway a few times and test everything. The only thing I am worried about at the moment is the possibility of the clutch cable rubbing/chaffing where the nipple sits in the clutch pedal.

Darn - now you have got me worried again. I guess the best thing to do would be just chamfer the caps and be done with it, but I would still like to understand why. I have attached a drawing of the bolt. The shank of the bolt at B fits nicely into the End cap and is recessed slightly at A (just a few thou according to my Dad). There does not appear to be a slight radius to clear, not that we can see on the bolts we removed. I guess that the theory is that when the bolts are under real stress they are designed to stretch rather than break and if there was a small radius under the bolt head it would be sitting on the un-chamferred edge of the End Cap and the stresses would not be spread equally across the head of the bolt. Oh no I feel the sump coming off again.

I dropped the sump this afternoon and removed an End Cap and ARP bolts. I got my Dad to check them (he's worked in engineering for 40 years) and he assured me they were fine as they were and there eas no need to chamfer the end caps as the radius of the bolt was recessed slightly at the head. Getting the sump, baffle and gaskets back on was a bit fiddly but at least I won't be worrying abou it now. Lesson learnt - always read the instructions properly. Richard

I bought a Stainless Steel Clamp from AIDPAC at a show earlier this year. Their clamps should be OK for SVA and look a lot nicer than the ordinary U clamp. they have an advert in Kitcra magazine. www.stainlessman.co.uk Richard

I managed to escape to the Garage for some much needed fresh air and quiet this afternoon. Had a quick look at the sump and it should drop straight down without having to move the engine. I will remove the sump and check the bolts tomorrow. Richard

Hi, I came accross this link to Lotus 7 Chat room where they are discussing the need to machine the Con Rod End Caps before fitting the heavy duty ARP rod bolts. http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?Id=43945 Hmmm have I got a problem. I fitted ARP Rod Bolts to my Vx engine but did not touch the End caps. Have I got a problem? Looking back at the instructions that came with the ARP bolts it does say make sure there is enough Chamfer in the End Cap to clear the radius of the Bolt. In my haste to fit the new bolts I did not read the instructions properly at the time!!!! Do I need to take them out and check? Richard

Thanks for the liknk - I will take a look. I just need to connect up the fuel pipes & exhaust and it should fire up.

Barry, Engine looks great. Im putting Vx 16v in my 2B but have been very busy at work recently so progress has been slow. I am hoping to get the engine started for the first time over the xmas break. I have been dabbling with the idea of a home made floor mounted pedal box, but have done no more than cut up a couple of templates so far. Do you have a picture of your "prototype"? Richard

Thanks Jim - that makes sense, especially with a photo. Much appreciated.

Hi, I am making good progress with my Vx 16v conversion but need some on advice on the Exhaust manifold & silencer. I have got to the point where the manifold has been cut and tack welded back together and now points out toward the hole in the side panel. I am left with about 2 inches of straight pipe (after the point where it goes 2 into 1) with about 1 inch sticking thru the side panel. I clearly need a 90 degree bend to get round the corner and down the side of the car to the silencer but can't quite picture how it will go together. I would love to see a picture of how this has been done by others who have coverted to Vauxhall. Thanks

Same for me - no spacers fitted - handling has always been good so I haven't tried changing the setupo, and no unusual tyre wear that I have noticed.

Thats the spirit, when building my 2B I found having to get round the problems and come up with ideas the most rewarding part of the build. Looks like an opportunity to teach yourself to weld. I just bought a 150 amp Arc welder from B&Q for less than £40. A couple of hours paractice and I am starting to get the hang of it. Not as easy and more messy than a Mig welder, but its a lot less expensive and you don't need a gas bottle. Its coming in very handy already. Richard

Hi Steve, I am fitting a Vauxhal 16V into my 2B with wishbones. I started about six weeks ago. Have had the engine trial fitted and engine mounts made. Once the engine was in I could not see how the original Sierra pedal box was going to fit so I am going to make my own floor mounted pedals. Main problem was that the starter motor now occupies the space where the cluch pedal used to be!!! I have opted to cut out the entire tube onto which the pedal box was mounted and weld in a new tube a couple of inches back so there is now plenty of room. See photo. I scrapped the original pinto rubber engine mounts/blocks. I picked up a pair of Jaguar XJ 6 mounts at an auto jumble. These are much smaller and mean that I can get the engine lower down and therefore avoid having to cut the bonnet and still have 5-6 inches of ground clearence for the QED sump. The sump sits nicely inside the U shaped chasis tube but there is not quite enough room for the oil filter so I have cut a small slice out of the tube and welded in a flat plate to re-strengthen the tube. I spent this afternoon today modifying the Sierra clutch fork. So far so good. Richard

Hi, I am sure I read somewhere that it was Ok to use Automatic Transmission Fluid in the gearbox instaed of the thick Hypoid Gear Oil. The idea was that it would make the gear change less notchy (especially when cold). Has anyone tried this ? Richard

Simon, I spayed mine with over thinned Black Hammerrite. Initially I was pleased with the finish but 12 months on the paint is getting marked and scratched from putting the side screens on & off. I think I have seen some posts re Stainless Steel pilars that would probably be a good option. Richard

Barry, Like you I have also been bitten by the Vauxhall Bug. I just bought a complete Cavalier GSI for £400. By the time I have cashed in the tax disc and sold a few bits off the cavalier I hope to have got the engine cost down to £250. I am planning to strip and prepare the engine and get all the conversion parts ready to drop it into my 2B during the winter. My Dad is not impressed as I am supposed to be helping him finish his Banham Bat ready to take to Donnington in September. Are you going for Weber 45's? The SBD Taper Throttle bodies look fantastic but at nearly £2000 a tad on the expensive side. Richard

Neil, I used the RHE supplied bonnet catches covered with Westfield supplied Rubber Covers. The covers were a tight fit and needed warming up a little to get them on. I went to the SVA re-test with them fitted and the examiner put a tick in the appropriate box and then took them off to open the bonnet. I put them in my pocket, and they never went back on the car. They cost about 50p each plus postage. If you e-mail me your address I will post them to you. I also fitted a catch in the nose cone for extra saftey just in case the exterior catches come loose or I forget to close them properly. Richard

I completed my build in 9 months, but with a lot of help for my dad. Well over 1000 hours for me and enjoyed every minute. Richard

What are the camping arrangements at Stoneleigh? Do we need to pre book or just turn up?Do they charge for pitching the tent ? Richard

I am also considering going the Injection route. I currently have the standard RHE stainless tank fitted. Will I need to get a new tank with a Swirl Pot ? What is a Swirl Pot? What does it do ? Can I use the existing tank and just add an external fuel pump ? Richard

On my SVA application I declared the axle weights for my 2B the wrong way round. I got a letter from RHE confirming that the wights should be Front Axle 450kg and Rear Axle 600kg and passed Richard

Initially I put the fuse box in the center above the gearbox bell housing, but could then not fit the heater and had a large coil of messy wires to deal with. I subsequntly moved it to the space above the passenger footwell behind the battery like piddy. Richard

Simon, I got hold of some 0.7mm aluminium sheet. I basicaly cut a strip of this and moulded it round the top of the tube and down accross the join between the cresent and the tube. Once I had a piece that covered the join nicely I covered it in some thin foam and then some vinyl and attached it with a couple of self tappers. I used lots of the thin ali sheet during my build as it is so flexible and easy to work with. I used it to cover up/fill all those difficult to finish areas around the rear sub frame mounting points and in the boot etc. Richard

Joel, I just spotted your post re the Birmingham SVA centre. I had my SVA test there in May/June last year. I found the tester very friendly and very helpful. I had a number of fail points (mostly minor things) but the tester gave me lots of ideas and advice on how to fix them. The tester was happy to discuss all aspects of the test all the way through and was also willing to let me make a couple of minor tweaks while he took his tea break. I passed at second attempt with no problem and I drove away in a car that I had every confidence in. Richard

Don't, worry I was not trying to test the voltage with the engine running, just the ignition switched on. Any way problem is now sorted. I can confirm that both red wires at the alternator plug should read 12 volts. After stripping back 12 inches of black insuating tape I fould that the wiring had been cut and simply twisted back together. A couple of years of corrosion on the wires meant a very dodgy connection. Thanks for everyones help. Richard