Topic: Calibra turbo touring car project- Start to present, regular updates, no spam (Read 12248 times)

Bad Kid · « **on:** April 05, 2009, 18:06:28 PM »

Calibra touring car project

Please keep this thread clean for updates from me! All questions, comments and ideas are welcome on the spam/chat thread here

http://www.clubcalibra.com/index.php?topic=25663.new#new

Bad Kid · « **Reply #1 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:16:14 PM »

In 2007 I decided to build a stripped out 400bhp Calibra, a lookalike of the DTM / ITC car including the graphics and wide arch kit.

Obvious the base requirement for this was a white Calibra. After a few months of searching, Gaz Taylor from MIG sold me his white 4x4 turbo.

The original plan envisaged a Chevrolet smallblock V8, RWD. After stripping off the 4WD and C20LET engine this idea was shelved because I didn't want to start cutting the bulkhead, moving the steering rack etc...

The 2nd plan was a mid mounted, RWD Vauxhall 3.0 V6... with some sort of forced induction. This was shelved after realising the difficulties involved in fabricating the rear suspension and mounting system (in other words a reality check )

The final plan was another route to 400bhp... one that is well underway. Back to a C20LET

(and refitting all the stuff I binned originally)

Here is the original car, a 1995 M-reg with about 115k on the clocks.

The engine is based around a low mileage C20XE. The original one was obviously sold as I'd planned on the Chevrolet route.

Here is the minging lump I dragged all the way from Plymouth

The bores were almost factory (the important bit!). The ancillaries however were not...

(the tensioner was siezed too, lol)

Low mileage 85.94mm LET pistons (to give correct compression)

New KS rings

Steel rods with ARP bolts

Genuine GM everything, all belts, gaskets, seals, bearings... right down to nuts and bolts

Ported inlet, 3" tophat, standard injectors (to get it running!). Will be using big ones for mapping on big boost. Fuel rail is a polished and blanked FPR.

Turbo wise I'm looking at something in the 400bhp ballpark. This will be coupled to a tubular manifold, 3" (poss bigger) exhaust and a large intercooler.

The head is an early coscast XE with both XE cams on Kent vernier pulleys

Management wise I'm planning on getting the motronic live mapped. All this should see 400bhp. Nitrous is a *possible*, for later. I'm also looking for an X20XEV block to start building to a bigger spec with a mains girdle, oil squirters and a fresh 86.5mm bore.

The original, mint F28 lives on! I have a new LUK/Sachs clutch to fit. Here she is all sprayed up in bright silver. The block is blue.

Pistons and steel rods on fresh bearings going in after a fresh bore hone...

Meanwhile the interior is gutted

Modifications are just a cool Momo wheel so far:

Lots of gauges will follow, and some wrap around BTCC style seats.

Body wise, the standard vented bonnet was binned as it wouldn't look right on a DTM car. A replacement bonnet was found, flatted and primed

Carefully couriered to the bodyshop...

(I FINALLY found a use for a Corsa GSi)

And returned minty fresh...

Yes, it has a sunstrip :lol:

Super lightweight Compomotive wheels were next with sticky Hankook track tyres

Bodywork is a spanking new rare Calibra STC front bumper (£311!)

T**t here managed to put the windscreen through removing the dash, so a new one went in

More graphics added...

And more...

Here are the decals for the rear quarter and bootlid...

Wide arch kit awaiting paint...

End result is aiming to be similar to this:

There has been more progress since many of the latest pictures in this thread, the engine is actually better specc'd than planned

Bad Kid · « **Reply #2 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:26:43 PM »

Here's the front bumper back from the bodyshop

After a lengthy wait, the final spec cylinder head showed up. It was sent to the wrong address (partly my fault, lol), but got here in the end.
It's a pukka Coscast job, freshly built

Steel valves are made of only 3% steel. The other 97% is pure win

It's been fully ported and polished, to SBD developments spec

Controlling the steel valves are double valve springs and bronze valve guides

The block was finished weeks ago, bar a couple of minor bits and a lick of red paint. The gasket is a Cometic multilayer steel. Should seal quite well given the head has just been skimmed and the block face has been thoroughly checked twice.

Too late now, it's on! I may switch to headstuds at some point, but just normal bolts will have to do for now

Next up it was time to fit the cams and pulleys.

All I did was spin them a few times and polish the rusty water marks off the cam lobes. They are of course both C20XE cams (not just the inlet). This is common amongst 400bhp+++ LETs in Scandanavia.

Spot the "retard", lol

Here's Chip's ex-manifold

It's all a bit grimy, due to Chip's epic engine failure. I'll try and get a buffer on it at some point.
Not bad for a 4 year old bit of stainless. Must be a seriously good grade! The TIG welding is all very chunky and tidy.

The pipes are all collected properly as well. This should help keep the gas flow smoothly into the turbo without losing too much energy

Also from Chip came this oversize downpipe, ready for the big turbo. Again this is baked in oil

It's huge

I gave it a quick bit of love and indeed the baked on oil does lift. It may look twisted and deformed but that's just an illusion from the smattering of Mobil 1

And finally a brand spanking new meaty .60 A/R Garrett turbo (no decent pics yet, but it's here). If it doesn't do the job it will get binned for a GT series.

I've also got a Walbro 500bhp fuel pump on order for the weekend, a genuine dizzy cap and rotor arm, along with a whole load of brand new sensors and fittings for the engine. I'm praying Autovaux deliver. With any luck, the engine will be in this weekend along with the painted F28, shafts and most of the wiring.

Bad Kid · « **Reply #3 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:28:48 PM »

Well I've not had the best of days on the Calibra.

It started out well enough with making up a fully braided custom turbo oil feed, which fitted a treat. Here it is fitted to the oil pump at one end, and cable tied out of the way on the other end. It's all proper aerospace grade materials and fittings.

I decided on a banjo bolt fitting for the turbo, this gives a little more flexibility when installing and removing the turbo.

Next up it was time to sort out the PAS pump. One dirty mofo...

After the first pass of the wire wheel

2nd pass, starting to look cleaner. Note the caps on the fluid unions to stop any crap getting in there

All fitted up nicely on the front of the block, just above the engine mount. I also threw on a newer aux belt tensioner for good measure, and checked it has good spring tension.

The block was looking a bit more complete, with a few more extras added (like breather pipe/dipstick tube complete with Roose motorsport hose)

The (still dirty) manifold was offered up next. It fitted very nicely, as expected. It still needs a good polish and modification to run an external wastegate.

The turbo, however, was a different story. This is where the failure started. Check out the clearance between the PAS pump and the turbo!!!

It wasn't actually too bad, the oil feed has plenty of slack and is not going to rub or be squashed anywhere.
The real problem was the engine mount...

For those of you not familiar with how the mount fits

The red bolt is fitted into the block, as normal. The mount needs to swing clockwise to line up, for the blue bolt to go in!! But it's catching on the compressor housing, with no chance of the 3rd bolt going in.
Plan is to cut the ****er along the yellow line. This particular mount's role is to support the weight of the engine, not stop it twisting. So IMO, 2 out of 3 bolts (red and blue) will suffice. Remember, power is exactly five times more important than safety.

Bad Kid · « **Reply #4 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:29:35 PM »

A little more progress today
Autovaux delivered with some goodies, and a big invoice. First up was an Auxillary belt and some new hydraulic lifters

The air intake temperature sensor is vital, so I got a new one.

Here it is fitted to the custom 3" stainless steel tophat. It's a good fit.

Autovaux also sent a genuine Bosch rotor arm and dizzy cap... essential to change regularly on any standard or modified C20LET engine.

Here they are fitted, along with some shonky leads until I can get some Magnecores.

I also got some late-spec droplinks, which will be polybushed if all goes to plan, to help reduce body roll.

I have an early spec Motronic ECU (PJ type) which has no immobiliser. This will be live mapped in the next 6 months :-)

The engine loom has been inspected. There is one break I need to solder, and I need to find a CTS wiring section as well. Not a problem as it's easy to access when fitted, I'll probably cut up an old XE loom if I have to.

Here is the loom, pulled up to the hole on the bulkhead. Might dab a bit of silicone round there to keep it watertight.

Inside the car was feeling a bit moody, with the distinct lack of... well... anything! I am starting to plan an epic dashboard, with the biggest rev counter I can find (for getting those Santa Pod launches just right)

The three plugs plugged in, therefore mating the car and engine looms. Note to self: Get a new fuel pump relay

Bad Kid · « **Reply #5 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:30:48 PM »

Update for the weekend:

Wayne451 (MIG) kindly offered to come down to help with the engine fit. All was going to plan until his (Mum's) Corsa threw a tantrum on the M1. A conrod decided it wanted freedom and punched it's way out of the block, beaching him onto the hard shoulder. Check out the hole!

RIP X14XE engine.

I should hopefully be going up to Manchester to help fit a replacement engine next weekend.

More help was on hand with the Nottingham boys. Such a good looking, respectable bunch. Whilst one 4WD supercar was being built, another showed up. It's like Bicco's scoob, but better :p

All the distractions and delays meant we were left with an hour at sunset to fit the engine to the Calibra. We towed it to a top secret location...

The painted F28 first needed mating to the LET

Not a problem, all lined up and engaged

Up she goes, in through the top

Down onto the mounts

The car sat much better with the correct weight up front.

We did a little more to the engine including fitting the clutch cable, distributor and some of the wiring loom. We ran out of time in the end!

Bad Kid · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:34:06 PM »

Since the engine went in...

This is what's happened:
The manifold has been modified to run an external wastegate. This meant welding on a stub where the manifold runners collate, before the turbo flange.

The stub is welded solid, but the flange for the gate has been left as an interference fit for the time being, so I can decide on the best alignment before getting it welded up.

Here it is with the wastegate fitted

Obviously it can't point downwards as the exhaust elbow sits there. It can't point forwards either else it may interfere with the radiator fan. I'll most likely have it pointing upwards and then turning 135 degrees down towards the N/S/F wheel. I'm tempted to mock it up using the centres of toilet rolls!
Here is how it looks now, coming along nicely

Tarts among you may spot the aluminium opel plug cover. I'm undecided on a colour scheme for the cover, but thats the least of my worries. It'll probably be powdercoated black with polished lettering, or chromed.
I also swapped the gay yellow oil cap for a black one from a 1.2 Corsa, and added some Magnecore KV85's to make sure the leads aren't a weak point in the ignition.

I've got the thermostat fitted, along with new coolant temp sensor.

The stat housing isn't as bling as I'd hoped for, seeing as meh chrome one didn't fit (different mounts for the stat itself!)

This mucky shot is all I have of the driveshafts being fitted. Trust me though, they are on. Here is the 2WD kit fitted to blank off the transfer box mating face.
I'm still fully intending to get a Qrew box when they become available, because 2WD makes me want to kill myself.

Turbo wise, I've made a little progress. I'll be moving the PAS hoses tomorrow and I have a silicone hose for the compressor outlet that fits really well. However I'm going to have to use a twin-pass intercooler (end tanks on same side) because of the awkward pipe routing near the subframe. So yeah, it's still on the floor.

My only real hold-up at the minute is waiting on an exhaust cam to arrive. I did manage to get a lot of the inlet wiring done including the water pipes, bypassing the hot start valve and carbon canister... and all the fuel pipes / throttle cable stuff.
Meanwhile my stack gauges showed up. CRAP PHOTO, IM SORRY! There is boost pressure, water temp, oil temp, oil pressure and they look really trick all lined up next to each other. Coming later will be EGT!

The TPS switch was a pain to get past the giant tophat

On to the interior, things started off quite depressingly. Have you any idea what these do? Nope, me neither. Still, there is a fair amount of weight saving to be had if this can be thinned out.

So thats what I did. I've only removed wires I was 100% sure about (eg radio aerial). I'll wait till the engine is running before tackling other stuff. It's all cable tied out of the way

The clocks can possibly be cable tied in place, if not then a fairly crude bracket can be knocked up. I want a giant 2ft rev counter if possible

It's well dark, innit

I may end up throwing a couple of gauges onto the a-pillar, but the majority will go in a custom carbon fibre dash I'm making.
The lower arms/balljoints were also changed for new genuine ones. I'll do the droplinks too

Body wise not much has been happening. I've been let down by my vinyl supplier who cannot match the paint colour used on my bumper

That means the sides of the car are still bare. All I can do is remove the rubstrips and start cleaning it all with my tears. I'll be onto a new vinyl supplier next week

I did manage to get the rear quarter Opel decals on without problems.

In case some of you have forgotten the "dream". Well, this is one of many variations on the DTM car...

Finally I felt like chilling out and practicing some close up macro shots. Not bad for a crap camera like mine...

Bad Kid · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:35:48 PM »

Today we plotted out the rough dimensions of the yellow decals on the doors. Vinyl is arriving tomorrow.

Messed around with the fuel tank breathers

Connected filler neck

PUT FUEL IN HER

New sender for water, this will read temperature at the back of the block

Put the bumper on the roof

No time for mincing now. FMIC was fabricated to size, bolted on, with the support bar modified carefully with an angle grinder!

Bumper fitted OK
Get your black paint out (to stop rust on cut metal)

...

Bad Kid · « **Reply #8 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:37:38 PM »

Now I'm back on task, I want this thing finished.

The big hold-up on the car was the timing. I was getting lock between the valves and pistons at TDC on #4. After a LOT of head scratching, it was revealed that the Kent verniers had been assembled at the factory willy-nilly, just bolted together. What they didn't do was ensure the keyway lined up with the timing mark. This is how it SHOULD have been...

Anyway, its all sorted now. Cambelt is ON

I've also modified the engine mount to allow the turbo to fit

It's all mocked up nicely, ready for some final tweaks before final fitting. Basically I need to get the external wastegate pipe made, add the gaskets then bolt it all up.

Meanwhile on the outside, I bit the bullet and went for the side-vinyls

Epic fail, even with 3 people helping

I'll be getting them professionally applied once the car is moving.

In the engine bay, I switched to a chrome rocker cover.

I'm undecided on the plug cover, but Im thinking of chroming that all too.

The intercooler pipes are coming along nicely. Mikalor clamps throughout!

Just needs a couple of bits trimming down with a hacksaw, and it will all fit. Then they need de-burring and flaring at the ends, should be done this week! Im trying to keep a fair amount of silicone pipework instead of alloy, to allow the pipework to flex as the engine moves.

I have it booked in for an exhaust this week, so we aren't far from being able to start it! I'm going for an unsilenced 2.5" stainless system, possibly with a quad exit under the rear diffuser

Still not sure where to send the screamer pipe to...

Bad Kid · « **Reply #9 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:38:36 PM »

Well I got a bit more done today.
First off the heatshields came off, I can't see them doing anything but adding weight. So what if the floor gets a bit warm?

Next up it was time to blitz the turbo fittings. We mocked it all up on the manifold

Complete with a cometic gasket...

And a custom 1/2" BSP oil drain (large bore to reduce pressure as much as possible

The turbo oil feed is still being a bitch (can't find the correct thread banjo bolt!). Other than that, everything is going to plan.
Then we swaged the 2.5" aluminium boost pipework, to stop the silicone popping off at high boost pressure. I've kept a lot of the pipework as silicone to keep it flexible.

The boost circuit is now complete, from turbo to inlet manifold!!!

Part of it is only temporary to get the car running, as I've decided to modify the subframe to allow more room around the turbo. This means buying another subframe, chopping/welding it then getting it powdercoated.

Random shot of the inner chassis leg, very clean

Here's what we have so far for the downpipe. I almost went for a titanium system but the price tag was well over £1500! I'll stick to high grade stainless, note the argon shield inside the downpipe...

And mounted up on the car

Actually we got a bit further, the exhaust now runs to the centre section but I ran out of battery power.

Bad Kid · « **Reply #10 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:39:24 PM »

Today was another good day.

Supervisor cat decided we weren't working hard enough

Another day breaks at the race engineering workshop (lol). A can't remember the last time I couldn't see TIG flashes when I closed my eyes at night

First off we did the oil return for the turbo, that's all done

Next up was adding the lambda boss onto the new downpipe

Thanks to Chris Astley for these spanky coolant hoses

I got these for improved reliability, especially in a hot engine bay

Finally the car was taken back to my new place, alongside the SE8. We washed it down

Then decided to give the compomotives a bath, t-cut and polish

Bad Kid · « **Reply #11 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:41:30 PM »

The fruits of todays labour...

I felt a right tw*t picking it up off ebay (obviously bright silver then, previously on the ROOF of an L-reg Clio)

Next the engine oil was added, crappy 10w40 for running in.
I then tensioned the cambelt.

The engine turned over fine by hand, without any sticking or binding. After two full crank revolutions the tension was down a little, so I wound it on a bit more with the allen key

Next up we swapped the coolant hoses over to the Roose ones and added water.

...not forgetting to plug in the new water temp sensor

We then added one fully charged battery. The electrics are mostly working, I'll be finishing them ASAP.

It was now time to turn the key! Granted there's no fuel or turbo oil feed but we just wanted to see if it turned on the starter. It didn't! $:-\$ Must be a missing earth or immobiliser problem

On went the spoiler

I may possibly modify the legs. Im happy with the rest of it, just not the Fast & Furious style legs.

Then it rained

...and thundered! We decided to call it a day

I'll be ordering full braided fuel hoses tomorrow morning, and hopefully a turbo oil feed banjo (nightmare!!). We should then be in business!

Bad Kid · « **Reply #12 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:43:02 PM »

Not much more progress today, due to lack of essential parts.

I've started to fit the fuel system. The pump is a Walbro 255 external, with aeroquip hoses to run through the car

The hoses will run along the top of the prop tunnel, between the two front seats. I've ordered a wet fuel pressure gauge to keep an eye on the pressure under load. That will go next to my wideband.

I started filing out an existing hole under the rear seat to accomodate two fuel lines and the fuel wiring. I'll try and get it to the right size for a larger grommet.

I think I found the reason it won't turn over on the key, the immobiliser is cutting in. I can see a red LED (used to be in the dash) lit up, so I'll have to bypass it. Anyone want to make 50 quid?

I also fitted the Cossie weber adjustable FPR (pic didnt come out right!)

Bad Kid · « **Reply #13 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:43:42 PM »

Today I finished the turbo/manifold build, once and for all!

The four bolts joining the turbo to the manifold are an odd 7/16" UNC, so I had to order some special stainless ones.

Here is the finished turbo oil drain flange

After an absolute NIGHTMARE in finding the right banjo bolt, I carefully re-tapped it to the popular 1/4" BSP thread. All sorted

And fitted on the car

The whole is now all bolted up, looking all sexy and ready to rip!

The engine now spins on the starter motor and has power to the fuel pump. All I need now is a bit of pipe for the turbo oil drain, and to figure out why there is no spark (should be fairly easy)

Bad Kid · « **Reply #14 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:44:00 PM »

First off I got the fuel pump working 100%. It dragged up some fuel and dumped it in a coke bottle. Kind of satisfying!

Next up I started on removing the sound deadening tar from the floor

It's harder than Al's bicep

The biggest pile of crap since my MIG gag

Here's the rear bumper back from the bodyshop. It's the original bumper re-sprayed and smoothed, along with a diffuser thingy which will have carbon sections added to it

Also back are the mirrors and door handles!

The sides of the car will be vinyled tomorrow hopefully!

Bad Kid · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:45:19 PM »

Did a little bit more today

Well today I bust out the pinstripe tape. It makes a big difference in separating the white from the yellow

I almost taped over the indicator wires, lol

The stripe is applied on a clear holding tape, which just peels off. This is VERY satisfying, I can only compare it to peeling panties off a hottie to reveal a vertical seafood taco sweeter than love itself

Coffee break time, found a nice surface for the mugs

With all three thicknesses of stripe, the flashes look very 3 dimensional! It's a very cool optical illusion

We then cracked on with the sound deadening removal. We're about 50% done now. A wallpaper scraper and heatgun work wonders on it.

Dusk, and one bizzle Calibra

Bad Kid · « **Reply #16 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:47:44 PM »

Right mini-update time

I found the cause of the missing spark. Get this - the wiring loom plug for the coil wasn't plugged in! lmao

It's now sparking at the king lead, I'll check it's got sparks at the plugs asap (I dont see why not)

Next up it was time to start tidying the sides of the car up. Where we removed the rubstrips there are metal studs on the body. These were ground off and then filled...

Before...

During

After

I went for a soft mask, then polished out the overspray. It came out very well

Spanky new BBS sticker

Finished painting... and more pinstriping

I'll do the other side tomorrow

Apart from that we cleaned all the glass and boot/door shuts and did a few more measurements.

Bad Kid · « **Reply #17 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:48:34 PM »

Today it RAN!

My seats also came today!They are the style I want, but I'll be going for a retrim before they are fitted

Yes

Test fitted...

They need custom subframes making (extra low!) and I'll be getting the cushions (not pictured) retrimmed either yellow or black. They run down the centre of the chair, and the outer will remain black. What do you guys reckon? Yellow would match the graphics but also get dirty and be hard to sell on.

I finished up by doing some polishing work (inside of the doors came up mint, no need for door cards IMO) and filling the gearbox oil.

Bad Kid · « **Reply #18 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:49:39 PM »

Today I did a few more things for the MOT and general road-usage

Firstly the seats need subframes

A few feet of box section, and some welding later...

I was able to retain the factory height adjustment and slide!! Win!

Before they go in I must finish removing the sound deadening, and the sticky sh*t it leaves behind afterwards. This stuff is the bizzle:

Here you can see before (right) and after (left)

I've got a bit more to do on the passenger floor well, along with securing the braided fuel lines and fitting a fuel pressure gauge to them

Next up I got horny

Mr Miaw came over to supervise and ensure everything was done right. Don't be fooled by his lazy appearance. He is actually a deadly killer

Wiring in the new horn meant I needed a button. Using the steering wheel buttons is tricky because the wires will obviously twist when you turn the wheel, so I went for this brushed alloy button!

It's pure quality

If I was being gay I'd wire in the LED, but thats for girls

Carrying on with the interior, these showed up

The finishing touches were some clear side repeaters (kind of vital, lol)

And some Clubcalibra.com window stickers

Bad Kid · « **Reply #19 on:** April 05, 2009, 18:50:39 PM »

Okay, update time

Well the car starts and ticks over quite smoothly but then cuts out after a while. I think it's a sensor problem, probably the lack of airflow meter. Anyway I had a spare brand new knock sensor so I thought I'd fit that to begin with.

It's only a 13mm bolt holding it on to the block

Next up I'll be trying a few other fault finding measures.

I've gone for a square motorbike style numberplate for the front windscreen (passenger side, in the corner). For aerodynamics, of course

Next we stuck on the EDS stickers to the roof and side skirts

And as per usual one of the vinyls was wrong. This is meant to be black, not sodding burgandy!!

We couldn't do much with it... however the new Bosch logos were really nice

Meanwhile on the inside of the car, it's looking much better. I've tidied some of the wiring up and the floor is now free from sound deadening residue. I'm just waiting on the harnesses to arrive then I can bolt the seats in and hook them all up.

I've ordered a few more bits to hopefully see her running smoothly!

I'm also fairly certain I'm going to build a second engine for it, to a much bigger spec. Things I'd definitely want to include are a fresh 86.5mm rebore with new Mahle pistons, under-piston oil cooling, stronger clutch and a custom inlet manifold. A possibility is a much bigger turbo (GTK Turbotechnics) and perhaps some more tricks.

On the plus side I've already got a well specc'd head so that's already sorted, and steel rods, good manifold etc.

Author Topic: Calibra turbo touring car project- Start to present, regular updates, no spam (Read 12248 times)