Modification uk

In the past I have done a number of large jobs the the Suicidal saph, usually to simply keep it running and ensure I dont have to worry about it not stopping before it hit a movable object or something like that…. At the time I was doing relatively little modifications and spending a few hours working on the thing here and there and never really got the car running 100%. I got myself a reputation as a bodge artist over the forum due to the number of engines blown up etc etc etc and dont think I will ever live it down to be totally honest with you.

However since then I have spent a long time stripping the car down, cleaning off all of the underseal to provide a proper inspection of the state of the cars chassis, am getting the front wing replaced and the ful car repainted. It is getting a totally different Engine which will require a completely different under bonnet configuration, the gearbox is being cleaned up ready for going back in as is the prop shaft. The Rear differential is being upgraded to a better one for the purposes I have in mind, and the exhaust will need to be replaced.

In terms of the suspension, over the past 18 months I have been collecting new hubs, new bearings, new anti-roll bars and new bearings, add onto this the 4 pot calipers and bigger brakes, vented on the rear and the car is going to be pretty well specified when it is complete.

Sure I could have thrown another £20 engine under the bonnet and had it on the road running again very quickly – but that was getting monotonous and instead I decided to build the car I want rather than the car I had got together over time.

Well, so far I havent posted for quite a while, mainy because I have been busy with the day job of being a SEO Consultant, as well as becoming a father, this left a little time left for getting some of my tools together and building anything. However I have a few tough projects I want to get finished this year.

The MythTV Build has been progressing well, however I need to crack out the welder, practise my welding and merge some metal together to make this case – that and get some good pictures with my camera.

Now onto the other projects, Since I last posted the Annoying Azura only went and passed a MOT, and has had someone else try to take possession without my consent (thieving cunts), the Saph is still in its stripped down state awaiting me finishing off its underside and moving forward and getting it painted.

Well thats it for now, will update again soon

The Suicidal Sapphire is most probably – one of the best/worst looked after sierra’s around. For one it has me to care for it/break it. Since purchasing it in 2004 almost every mechanical part has been replace/uprated. This car has to have one off the most often swapped engines within the fsoc, with the count currently at is at 2xCVH, 4xDOHC. Amongst this time i have replaced/uprated almost every component, with the only original mechanical components on there being the steering wheel, pedals, handbrake handle, and the steering shaft.

http://image.nh-hosting.co.uk/cars/sierra/GLX/J131PNB/pic00001.jpg

well its died and been replaced again – i will get around to putting some pictures up on here soon.

Diagnosis of the problem – car drove well – felt really good at above national speed limits, parked up idling fine, started it 4 days later (i know use a crap fiesta diesel to get to and from work) and it sounded like a bag of spanners being thrashed about a tin toolbox!

well it had snapped a conrod – as i found out it had lunched a con rod

So after the list of 4, and ford fair rapidly approaching i chose to shove the spare 8v twink in there i was going to use for something else (Coming Soon to a blog right here) so i took stock of what i needed

• New Clutch Kit – This one had a release bearing that was sqeaking and basically just needed replacing – and i thought i may as well get a full kit for when i do the 2.3 anyway
• Inlet Manifold Gasket – I store engines without any manifolds to make them take less space up in the shed
• Exhaust Manifold Gasket
• sump gasket
• Standard service items – Oil Filter (have loads of oil spare – remember the leaking one from below ) Spark plugs – coolant etc

Well surprisingly the company i went to did a brilliant job and got all of this in for me at 1 hours notice! – now all i needed was the sump off the old engine as the replacement was from a 4×4 i stripped – and the sumps are different. if i get the sump we would be up and running in 10 hours (ha!). so i stripped the engine bay down – lifted the engine out and o…k theres a 50p sized hole in the cylinder block – so No.3 conrod has snapped – nice effort – starts inspecting the rest of the engine – and find a fist sized hole in the other side of the block – on the joint with the sump, There goes my trip to ford fair

knowing i want this car on the road as quickly as possible i sort out another sump – from stoke – about a 30 mile detour from my journey home to hyde in the evening and so i dont particularly mind this, plus i get to have a car chat with phil again

Ok so i gets home – and cleans ups the rather filthy sump and fits it to the spare engine – and it goes in on the saturday – now all its waiting on is me replacing one metal plate between the gearbox and the engine (got to drop the gearbox ) and hook up the starter motor and the car will run again

Watch this space – i now have the spare cylinder head i needed of the old engine – am just looking for a spare 2.3 bottom end

Suicidal Sapphire – Where do we go from here once again there appears to be a slight gremlin inside the engine on the SS, on a cold startup every morning we are getting a shedload of smoke when I give it some gas, so now im no longer a student, have some(read small) money what are my options for a straight bolt in engine conversion without too much chassis modification? Car: Ford Sierra Sapphire 1992 Engine: currently 1998cc So what exactly are my options – I have decided i want more traction and am going to make one small tunnel modification to allow me to fit the 4×4 system to the car – but what exacty are my engine options, and lets keep this as we like it – cheap and ford!

• Option 1 – Fit another 8v
  to put it simply – no – had 3 in there, good solid engine till they die for no apparent reason
• Option 2 – Fit a YB (Cosworth) 16v Turbo
  As much as i would love to do this – i would not want to ruin it with the 4×4 system, what a amazing engine, oh and costs are a rather large issue. Whilst this would give me a fun 200 bhp – for a minimum of a grand with that amazing kick of a turbo – i think im gonna have to drop this due to costs – and my preference to not ruining one of these great engines with a 4×4 system (sorry cossie 4b fans)
• Option 3 – Fit a 2.9 V6 BOA (Cosworth)
  This has to be one of the cheapest ways to 200bhp – get a BOA in a old granada – rip the car to pieces for hte engine, exhaust and other bits – sell what you have left and end up paying around the 200 quid mark for 200 bhp This is the way I will most likely go down – as it is a nice considerable hike in horses, theres lots of resources out there (and soon to have another – watch this space).
• Option 4 – fit a hybrid 2.3 8v in there
  Another great idea – take a scorpio 2.3 bottom end, mate it with the ever so easy to find in my workshop 2.0 8v cylinder head, hey presto a 2.3 8v hybrid. Pro’s can use most of what i have got Cons’s Expensive way to get the horses
• Option 5 – Fit a Zetec
  No Thanks

So I will be going with option 3 – watch this space for further updates coming soon as i source all of the parts on the shopping list, including the actual shopping list Nate

As part of the constantly evolving life of Nathan Hall – I am in the process of creating a number of websites for different purposes, but dont worry i havent forgotten about this blog, there will soon be a topic on converting a sierra to rear discs, as well as adding in the Anti-lock Brake System onto the car.

Ok – Here are some of the other sites i am currently working on: Click Discount – Provider of Coupon and discount codes – This is a website which I have designed as a bit of a dabble into helping others out, whilst earning a small (read miniscule) amount of money. It works by me providing companies with a link to there online shops, when a visitor clicks on one of my link a cookie is stored on there computer and i get paid a percentage of any sale during a set period . In return i get access to discount codes, coupons and money off codes for the website and provide them to my visitors.

Today i drove the car for the first time with the new automatic engine in and the Modifications as detailed below

Engine #4
Automatic Inline 4 8V DOHC, modified from automatic to manual via reusing sump and flywheel from engine #3. Flywheel bolts were replaced as was the sumpgasket. All parts were throroughly cleaned to ensure a good seal (a twinky that does not leak!)
4-2-1 Exhaust Manifold, I am currently trying to source a performance midsection and backbox for the car as cheap as possibled, as more modification are on the way which will render this exhaust useless.
Another modification I plan on for this engine, is exhaust wrap the headers and downpipes. This improves the gas flow due to less friction with temperature: as well as lower the intake temperatures as there is less heat under the bonnet, this moodification works especially well with cars using a induction kit.