Well I think that I

Page 2, the continuing saga, but it's now going back together again!

Well I think that I've finally finished the pedal box. That was a bastard of a job! I even had to tilt the master cylinder over at an angle, so that it cleared the steering shaft knuckle. I just need to plumb some brake fluid to it & bleed it. I'll connect the accelerator pedal up, once the engine & carbs are in.


The top hose, with adapter for fan sensor switch, also the bottom hose. Both made out of stainless tube.

You can see that I've now got clearance between that plug, and the bulkhead.

plug.jpg (17034 bytes)

The next test! Tighten up the socket cap (Allen head) bolts, they are bloody impossible to get at. A "special Tool" is required, me thinks!
The fan (off a Volvo 340, I believe) is now mounted onto the radiator, and the fuel pressure regulator (from a Metro Turbo) is on the chassis side next to it. That's because I didn't want to put it where the fuel pipes come into the engine bay, right over the exhaust!

I finally got the master cylinder sorted out, it's now fed from a Porsche brake reservoir, remotely.

I've had to make a new bracket for the alternator, as it finished up about ½" from the exhaust pipe, now it's much lower, and farther away.

I've mounted the fuel pump inside the boot, just over the tank outlets. Not really the best place, but there wasn't much choice. The fuel lines come into the engine bay on the LH side of the car, (just right for the Pinto application) but the carbs are now on the RH side of the car. I couldn't put the pump there, it was right under the exhaust, and they don't like heat! so in the end it had to be the boot.

It will get tidied up later.

I've now got to that point. a few temporary wires, battery connected, fuel pumping, ignition................... BRMMMMM........BRMMMMMMMMM!

Yippee! it runs!! What a noise! I don't know which is noisiest, the exhaust or the carbs.

Anyway I ran it for about 5 minutes, but the hydraulic tappets are still somewhat noisy, the oil hasn't got into one or two of them yet, so the next step is to get the electric fan wired up then I can really warm it up.

The electric fan was wired up correctly so that it went through the ignition, but cuts off when you want to start the engine when it's hot (Link to wiring instructions) The engine was then run until normal temperature was obtained, then it was revved somewhat, the tappets soon settled down. I found that the carbs were way out of balance, and a friend of mine who knows a bit about them, balanced them up, near enough for now. (I admit that I know nothing about balancing these things.) The scuttle went back on, the brakes were bled and a test run was made.

YES!! It goes!! much better than the Pinto, and it sounds absolutely brilliant!

I found that the brake pedal was slightly too long, the accelerator pedal too far forwards, but I will give the non-servo brakes a try - out, and see if I can get used to them.

There are a few small jobs still to do to finish it off completely, but all in all, I am very happy with it.

I've had the brake pedal out again, and shortened it, I didn't want to shorten it too much, because I want as much leverage as possible now that there isn't a servo on the brakes. This is how they have finished up, and are spaced OK.

The brake light works from the Ford switch to a bracket welded to the pedal. (wire needs clipping up yet)

pedals.jpg (43886 bytes)

I have also fitted stops for the accelerator pedal, the top one is obvious, it is set at maximum throttle opening. This stops you stripping the ends off the cables or damaging the spindles in the carbs by forcing it too far.

The bottom one sets the "at rest" position of the pedal, set this first so that you are comfy with the pedal position, then set the "slack" in the throttle cables.

There we go! I got some socks for Christmas!

You can see the place where I've put the windscreen washer bottle. This will be covered over with a "box" but will have a quickly removable window to get at the washer bottle for filling.

I found that I was getting a serious misfire that could appear anywhere between 5000rpm upwards, it was finally traced to the foam 'socks' being sucked into the ends of the trumpets when the engine was revved hard. I now hold them off going full on by elastic bands, and I no longer have that problem.

socks.jpg (39073 bytes)

Ok, I've had a bit of a problem with the ignition. I bought a second-hand mapped ignition system, that went buggered after a couple of days, after much head scratching and swearing I decided to go for broke, and ordered a brand new, all singing & dancing, mapped ignition system from SBD. When it arrived, it looked like the delivery courier had used it as packing to jack the van up with, consequently it wouldn't work. I sent it back to SBD, who have not replaced it, but sent it back to MBE to be repaired. I'm not a happy chappy! and told them so!! unfortunately, they don't have any more in at the moment (they say!) so it looks like I will have to wait for it's return.

Meanwhile, I'm running on another older unit (same as the initial one) that SBD have "given " me. On the last test run, the car pulled like an express train up to 5000rpm, then it was as if a rev limiter came in, I was doing 105mph at the time (on private roads, of course!, officer!) so when the new ignition system comes, and it can then rev to 7750rpm, what then??????

Everything else is finished, but I'm not happy about no heater! so, I have a number of bits of heaters that I'm hoping to marry together to sort out that problem.

(nearly ) FINAL THOUGHTS

Am I happy with it? & has it been worth the effort? On both counts, YES! There is so much more power & grunt than the Pinto. It also looks good! and sounds even better!

Price. I have gone way over the initial budget, but this could be done much cheaper than any other engine swap.

Hardest part. The pedals! In this model of car, you can't keep the sierra pedal box, you need to sort out something else. It would have been very difficult if I didn't work where I do.

Would I recommend it? Yes, (with reservations about the pedals) and especially in a 2B, where it can be fitted and still keep the Sierra pedal box. in fact, I would fit it in the initial build.

Final photo's of the finished job.

Andy Campbell is putting the Vauxhall engine into his 2B as he builds it. There is much more room in the 2B (apart from the chassis tube under the engine bay (see below), and if you do it from the start, then you can run the fuel lines etc. up the correct side of the car. In fact it is as easy as putting a Pinto engine in a 2B, and easier than an EFI unit. You can even use standard engine mountings from a Vauxhall Carlton (I think, Andy will correct me if I'm wrong)

NOTE. The "plough" tube that crosses from one side to the other under the engine bay, does however get in the way, you can either cut the bonnet and lift a centre panel up like a wedge, so as to clear the top of the engine, or you could cut out this tube and redesign another strengthening tube to go across.

The ignition system on this conversion can be either cheap (ie. by using a 8v set-up), or expensive (mapped ignition)

I've found this explanation from a 16v user on another website, of what parts are required for the "cheaper" method, and it's as good an explanation as I can find.

Firstly, make sure it is a Bosch dizzy-thats the one to use (brown cap as a rule). Then, look for the type that is held on with two nuts clamping elongated holes in the dizzy body, as opposed to a clamp and pinch bolt. If you have got this lucky, next thing to do is whip the dizzy out, and see if the drive is compatable with the 16v-there are two different drives...
The dizzy I originally used was a hybrid of Mk3 Cavalier, and 1400cc Nova. Reason being I managed to source a correct fitting dizzy with the wrong drive, and a smashed dizzy with the right drive. Just swapped the drives over (just knock a roll pin out, drive slides off main shaft).