AE86 booter project

[Dcal]

Some does some doesn't.

In fairness it does require meticulous prep, but if it gets it the finish will last far better than electro plating.

Failing that, epoxy and a "steel wheels" silver top coat would last and look well.

 

[Myles1970]

Some does some doesn't.

In fairness it does require meticulous prep, but if it gets it the finish will last far better than electro plating.

Failing that, epoxy and a "steel wheels" silver top coat would last and look well.

Meticulous prep? I don’t think that’s gonna happen….looking at it, it looks galvanised, and it’s survived at least 35 years underneath a car, through countless heat cycles. I’m leaning towards the latter option…

 

[atomant48]

I’m starting to flag now lol. I’ve been hoping to get the underside finished so I can concentrate on getting it rolling and get it off the rotisserie for good. But exhaustion is catching up on me…. 2-3hrs after getting home from work at 9ish, in bed by 12 or 1am before getting up for work at 540am ready for the 1hr and 40 minute drive to work again…. So I’ve been slacking off for a while.

That sounds like a pretty punishing schedule. Look after yourself.

 

[Myles1970]

@atomant48 thanks, I appreciate your concern

 

[Myles1970]

I spent a good bit more time on the heat shields, eventually blasting the majority of the scales rust and whatever black coating that had remained. Followed up with a couple of coats of 2k epoxy primer and finished off with some steel wheel silver ( @Dcal).



Then, as it had been suggested to me that adding 40mm spacers to the front (to fill the arch flares) might not be the ideal solution, I had a little play with these:



…..a spare set of lower control arms. I made up a little jig to ensure both were chopped at the same place….



…and added 25mm to the length (they’re not quite finished yet). I may box them around the area of the joins for added support. Also probably best to not grind the welds down?

 

[Myles1970]

No major changes, just a few photos. The underside is finished and it’s off the rotisserie. Weather here is still too cold and damp for painting, and I have a few things to paint as in: the extended control arms, the brake servo, the wiper motor and the wiper arms.
I also need to finish the fuel tank plumbing and electrics and fit the tank.

I also bought this:



…. a reproduction early (zenki) grill. I probably shouldn’t have, but I think they’re more aggressive than the later (kouki) one:



Zenki:

 

[Myles1970]

So rear axle and suspension is back on, fuel tank finished and fitted,



. (the rear bumper seen here partially on - for Storage purposes)

I've also painted the wiper linkages and freed one of the wiper pivots, it was quite stiff and probably would have burnt out the wiper motor if it had worked at all


and the lower control arms are now extended and refitted. With the adjustable strut tops, I can change the camber, but there'll always be a couple of degrees of negative camber minimum, which is fine with me. As it is, I've pushed them right out to help the wheel clear the chassis leg on full lock.
I've also lowered the coilovers as much as possible without the wheels fowling the springs



I also spent a day cleaning down the wiring looms. They don't look too bad to be fair, a few repairs required here and there

 

[atomant48]

Looking good. On my 323 Ive spliced in a section on the rear bumper for the number plate to keep the area “clean” between the tail lights. Not sure if it was an option on your Sprinter.

 

[Myles1970]

@atomant48 pics please.... I've actually f_ed up there, the jdm levin had reg plate lights between the taillights, and the UK had them mounted on the bumper. I have to paint the bumper again anyway as the two-tone suffered bleed through, so i'll fill the two holes prior to that

 

[atomant48]

@atomant48 pics please.... I've actually f_ed up there, the jdm levin had reg plate lights between the taillights, and the UK had them mounted on the bumper. I have to paint the bumper again anyway as the two-tone suffered bleed through, so i'll fill the two holes prior to that

Here’s a quick pic I found - not mine - but gives the idea. Hunting down the “garnish” for between the lights would be tough. I buy a mazda one every time they come up - in case someone rear ends me one day.

 

[Myles1970]

Second attempt at painting the brake servo, too many silly cones first try.... Hopefully it works, as between blasting, ep 2k, and rebuilding the master cylinder it's been a fair bit of work/faffing. If not, it'll mean either forking out for both new, or trying to find a suitable donor from a breaker.... the m/c, being jdm, has a diagonal bolt pattern and they're no longer available, those that can be got have the m/c bolts horizontal



I also saw this on the parts diagram:



.... I posted on a few boards, asking if anyone knew the thickness with no response. A couple of lads said they had them, if they could only get round to finding them. So I made this out of 3mm sheet, which is all I had. I don't know if I'd have had the patience to drill anything much thicker....

 

[Myles1970]

So here it is, installed.... Master cylinder was bench-bled before fitting. Just waiting for the correct front pads to arrive so I can bleed it

.... then to tackle the engine wiring

 

[Myles1970]

Not much to show for the last month, I've been getting my head round the wiring.... Combining an engine swap with the wire tuck makes it interesting....







... But I've mocked - up the front end (bumper is securely placed on cardboard boxes ).

 

[Cosantoir]

Wow it's come so far I've been quiet here but it's awesome to come back and see the progress Vs what it once was.

 

[Myles1970]

I found a Toyota alternator on ebay with bearings gone. Works out slightly dearer than some of the cheap ones but still half the price of a good one...

 

[Myles1970]

The is has been 'looming' O er me for a while



.... Changing over to coil-on-plug ignition. I'm using yaris cops, and connectors sourced from the bay of e.
It was either this, or relocate the distributer from the back of the head (where it would foul the firewall) to the front, and although there is kit available to do this it's quite pricey. This way there'll be no ht leads, and if/when I go stand-alone ecu it should plug straight in

 

[Myles1970]

It's been a while since I've done any welding, so while my fiscal state recuperates, I thought I'd knock up a bracket/s for the front "bash bar", (it's not really for bashing, but it'll give the aftermarket bumper/spoiler something to hang onto).




These give an area of plate on each chassis rail the I can affix some tube onto... Said tube will carry a pair of hoops formed from electrical conduit into a shape to roughly match the bumper; one at bumper height, the other at spoiler height




Then, I have stuck them together using a piece of old TV ariel pole, the idea being to add a little torsional rigidity to the front end..... That will probably depend on the accuracy of my bolt holes, and whether I add a further plate to the bottom of the brackets

 

[Myles1970]

I bent two 3m lengths of steel conduit into shape to follow as close as possible the shape of the bumper....


... then made them into a cage to support the spoiler as much as possible



Unfortunately, the conduit is galvanised, so I ground that off any spots to be welded.

No up-close pics of the welding cos it's poor... the light on my mask kept reflecting of the shiny pipe and darkening the mask. I'll look at it again tomorrow

 

[Myles1970]

Just a quick update:

Got my panel beater guru/friend to have a look at the metalwork on the quarter. After he did his bit I did a bit of filling, 3 good coats of high-build epoxy primer and now I'm block-sanding

 

[Myles1970]

Just the doors left to do, I'll take them off and do them on the panel stands..... Both needs work but the passenger side is quite bad. It had been filled, but I'm gonna try and get them better so less filler.

Pics: