SECTION 9 - ENGINE INSTALLATION PT 2

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Step 1

Moving Alternator to front position.

Update 13 September 2005: Well finally started on the alternator bracket. This was mainly because I started on the remote oil filter bracket but thought I should get this working first. So as you can see in image 10 I have started to make the backing plate to which the bar that will support the alternator attaches.

In images 8 & 9 you can see the bar just sitting there. Obviously it will be raised approximately 10mm up to clear the frame and allow for the movement of the engine. Then it is a case of marking off against the bar to locate the alternator. The next step will be to locate the locking arm and attach that to the engine mount and then she should be done don't worry I will supply more pics once I get to that area.

Update 19 April 2005: Well went back out to Queanbeyan to have a look at this alternator. Ended up finding the right one which are shown in images 4 to 7 to replace the previous one in image 3. This is a better setup than the first one I got as it has two locating lugs at the botton making mounting that much more secure. As as you can considerably smaller than the Starlet original. This is a 50amp unit but should be more than enough for the MIni setup as you take out alot of the additional load on the electrics by removing such things as electric windows, the massive heater and air con systems etc etc. As long as I don't run a massive stereo (which I'm not) I should be right. One way to find out.

Also the cranky Italian codger at Jap Parts was a pleasure to deal with. Wanted originally $110 but I managed to find an identical one which somehow was only worth $88 (why $88 not $85 or $90 I have no idea). And before you ask I'm not anti Italian, my wife is Italian!!! I also had a talk to the guys out at A&J Auto Electrics and they indicated that it should take them less than a day to sort out the wiring loom when the time comes. I intend to get it all hooked up and check the indicators etc are working and just get them to go over it to make sure everything is hooked up properly. Once I get to this stage of sorting out the alternator I will post up more info.

Update 15 April 2005: Well as you can see in images 3 & 4, I have managed to source an alternative alternator. There are several to choose from by the looks of it. And generally don't bother talking to a place that sells altenators as they ain't much help. The main tip is to try and get one of the same brand, in this case NipponDenso, which is lucky because they make approximately 50% of all alternators used on japanese cars. The best ones as far as size come off Daihatsu's and are approximately 55amps which equates to approximately 600watts which should be enough for the Mini's requirements.

The other issue to consider is to try and get one with a three (3) prong plug. This will ensure that the alternator sensor which is included in the Starlet wiring loom set up will work. It basically warns when your alternator has had the dick.

I may swap this one as I have seen a few others which have the same poly V wheel as the original Starlet item, but the guy wanted $110 which was alot for a secondhand alternator (and I dare say no warranty). So I am in a quandry as this thing is only $75. And lets face it there's still no guarantee that even with the smaller alternator that I can front mount it. I guess we will see.

This section was revised on 8 August 2004: Previously I wrote about placing the alternator where the air con compressor used to sit. Well, given that I will be sending one of the frame rails through this point I have decided to find an alternative arrangement (plus it probably is a pretty dangerous place to put your alternator). I will be placing the alternator next to the turbo, above the oil filter. This was all predicated on getting a smaller alternator, which was unsuccessful (see story below) so it looks like the original is the go. I spoke to an auto electrician and he said I wouldn't want to go much smaller than that one anyway?

If this is possible then no alternations will have to be made to the subframe or much else. But will still require some alterations to the engine bay design. But I expected this anyway. See images 1 & 2 for details. Well I have been through about a million different iterations in my head about what to do about the alternator.

Until I have the engine fully mounted it is a bit difficult. But the single belt system doesn't look like a goer because of the engine mount being in the way of the belt coming from the waterpump to the alternator. But Brad gave me some good news about just using a tight belt between the crank and water pump. Which negates the need for a lay pulley to maintain tension.


Steps for installing the Alternator

Alright now that I actually have something to report about the design of the bracket for the alternator here are the steps I went through which may give you some ideas...

  1. Well obviously you have to decide where to put the alternator. Now this might not sound like the most obvious place but once you have placed the engine in the car you will find that it is pretty much the only place. One guy has placed it at the front but he had to tilt the engine back by the looks of it. But anyway, the location is under the drivers side front guard. This will obviously require you to turn the alternator around to face the engine. The photo give you and idea of the arrangement

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  2. The next step it to create a bracket to sit it on. There is a fair amount of stuffing around here. But basically (and I think most people who have attempted it so far run it from this point) you use the bolting locations left over from the compressor (as seen in image 10).


  3. From here an arm must be constructed that reaches across at 90degrees to perpendicular (images 8 & 9 demonstrate)



  4. From here it is a case of welding this all together and then to create the bracket on the arm to take the pivot bolt for the altenator.



    This can be clearly seen in the image above (point 1 and below)


  5. A helpful hint is to make the bracket slightly wider than the actual pivot area on the alternator and to place the backet so that there is room for movement.



    This way you can pack some washers in between to make minute adjustments so that the alternator is well aligned with the engine pulley and the belt is perfectly perpendicular. There is a degree of latitude without the belt falling off but if it is too out of alignment there is a good chance that the belt will wear out and fail prematurely.
  6. Then you have to make the other retaining bracket that is used to retain the alternator in place and allow you to tension the belt.



    This should invariably be bolted to to the two bolts that are located on the top of the engine mount as everthing has to be attached to the engine otherwise the belt will obviously slip as the engine moves under load etc.

        
  7. Once the retaining bracket is made you are almost there the last remaining item is the belts. I went down to Auto Pro and got a bosch belt but this is way too short. What you are better off doing is if you still have the original belt (which is way too long) is to use this by getting around the alternator and engine pulleys and using a clamp (in my case a pair of locking pliers) pinch the belt after having made it taught this will give you a pretty decent measure ment of how big the belt has to be. Remember that you want the alternator at the bottom of its arc (in the adjustment arm as belts stretch and you want to belt able to adjust for this.

       

    The belts I used are the 4PK0975 for the long belt from the crankshaft pulley to the alternator. The reason I mention this as even having measured the distance (approximately 96cm) I ended up making 4 trips to the parts shop to get exactly the right belt! Also you have to consider a new belt for the water pulley. The belt I used on there was the 4PK0715 (715mm surprise surprise!).



    This was a tight fit but given that there is now no adjustment between the two pulley you probably want it tighter than looser. If you are wondering why there is no adjustment for the water pulley that is because the belt originally went around the water pump, crank and Air con compressor which had an adjustment arm with that removed, no adjust, tu capito?
  8. It seems simple but this took we three four weekends to sort out but I am getting there.



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SARD Fuel Regulator
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Step 2 - Setting up the EFI System

Creating the EFI Fuel System

Essentially what we are talking about here are the following items that require creation and they are:

  1. High Pressure Fuel Pump - probably located on the rear subframe close to the tank;
  2. New Fuel Line - Creation of a new steel fuel line to the front of the car (of equal diameter to the line on the Starlet. The original line in my opinion will be too small and create undue stress on the fuel pump as it tries to force the fuel through the smaller tube.
  3. Return Line - in all EFI system there is a return line that send excess fuel back to the rear tank. This bit could be a little tricky but what isn't on this car
  4. Fuel Pressure Regulator - basically a valve that ensure that pressure is kept within limits. I will hopefully be purchasing a SARD brand pressure regulator for this purpose.

These are explored in detail below:

Due to the fact that the car is going to be running EFI it is advisable (and some would say necessary) to replace the standard fuel lines with ones of a larger diameter. The existing fuel line is currently 1/4" and as a replacement I have opted for 5/16ths or 8mm tubing (The roll can be seen in Image 1). This is because the EFI system runs under greater pressure and also has alot more fuel being supplied in order to increase the amount of fuel sitting behind the fuel injectors. A smaller line will can do some if not all of the following things. Firstly, it may increase the already high pressure in the line by going from a larger to a smaller diameter tubing. Secondly, it will tax the pump alot more because it is trying to force the fuel through a smaller line. And finally it will lead to fuel starvation because even with the pump working harder it still can't get the fuel up to the engine at a high enough pressure and flow.

A lack of flow will not only make your car run badly (if at all). It can also ruin your catalytic converter!

The other issue is also the creation of a return line which is a necessity in all EFI applications. This is simply a case of having a similar line running back from the engine bay to the fuel tank (well easy in theory).

Essentially I will have one line running along underneath the car where the original fuel line sat and coming up to the engine bay to be connected to the existing Starlet inlet. A high pressure fuel pump will be located at the back of the rear subframe to be fed under gravity from the existing fuel tank. Placement of the fuel pump will have to be precise to allow room for the fuel line and the line from the tank.

A similar line will be made to go from the engine bay back along underneath using the tray that carries the battery lead (a new one which can be seen in Image 4). Then enters the tank at a location yet to be determined (probably the fuel sender like most people do). I am thinking of welding a small inlet spout somewhere near the bottom of the tank, but this will have to be confirmed. On the engine side I will be using high pressure fuel hose to connect the line to and from the engine.

The final (hopefully) is including a fuel pressure regulator (image 3) as this is a necessity. Without a fuel pressure regulator you will have not control over the rate of fuel being delivered to the injectors. This means that given that the pump produces a reasonably constant flow (which really can't be altered) you may end up running a lean or rich mixture (probably rich) which cannot be altered. By increasing the flow through the regulator you let more fuel return to the tank thus in effect reducing the fuel pressure which reduces the amount of fuel passing through the injectors.

Anyway as usual I will post photos when I have ironed out this one.

Update 21 May 2005: Well I am finally starting to assemble all the bits and pieces I need to do the fuel system. The latest addition has been the flexible high pressure fuel hose (expensive stuff at $35 for 1.5 metres, image 6). This will help me connect the petrol tank to the pump and filter, and then at the engine bay end to connect both the fuel line to the engine, and the fuel regulator etc to the return line.

Now that the rear subframe is in I can start this stage. You have to have the rear subframe in so you know where there is space to put the EFI pump which is quite large. This is a fairly straight forward problem so I should have this knocked over during the week. Once this is done things will get easier (at least physically.

Update 26th May 2005: Well I have sourced all the parts I need to finalise the installation of the EFI system. The list of items is as follows:

  1. Bosch "VL Commodore" EFI Fuel Pump (400bhp rating);
  2. Bosch "EP501" EFI Fuel Filter (8mm inlet/outlet - bigger than necessary possibly);
  3. Flexible EFI Fule Hose ($34 for 1.5metres. Tip: Go to Clark Rubber, they have fuel hose rated to 60Bar for $9 a metre, wish I knew this previously!);
  4. Hose Clips for connections
  5. 8mm Coated Steel Line
  6. SARD Rising Rate Fuel Regulator (Rated to 500bhp);

I have basically bent the steel fuel line to roughly the configuration that is required at both ends. I am still in a dilemma about how to setup the steel lines. Orginally I thought about running the EFI line to the engine down the left hand side (looking from the back of the car) and the return line up the right. But the right tray is looking a little congested because of the battery lead and the rear brake line. So I may have the both the return line and EFI line running up and down the left hand side. This may be good as this would place the outlet of the return line close to the tank again. As you can see in Images 7 - 11 I have done the fuel lines it was a little trickier than I first through as you have to practice a bit to know where the bends are going to start with the pipe bender but I managed to muddle my way through. I get the barbs put on on Saturday and then they should be right to go. Once these are installed I can then set about reinstalling the subframes for the final time and getting the Hi Los in and then she's back to a rolling chassis.

Update 28 May 2005: Well took the lines out to Simon at Pirtek and put some very nice barbs on them (image 7). So that was that. I took them home and with a bit of elbow grease they are now in. I replaced the rear subframe and by the looks of it hasn't creased them though it can be a little hard to tell. But they look pretty good and I can jiggle them around a bit so I don't think this is a problem. The whole thing looks very neat so once the fuel pump etc is in place that should be it for this part of the fuel system, apart from running a wire from the fuse box to get the fuel pump running. But that will wait until I have installed the wiring loom.

Update 30 May 2005: With the subframe (and fuel lines) now in place I can't start to fiddle with the location of the fuel pump and prefilter. The prefilter is essentially a standard carby level fuel filter placed before the pump to reduce the level of contaminants that can get into the pump. The final EFI fuel filter will be placed at the engine end of fuel line, this is mainly due to space restrictions. I had a look at Brad's setup because I was having trouble picturing how I was going to sort this. Brad's design solves alot of my dilemmas and takes into account the possible installation of twin tanks (another story to be tackled at a later date). Anyway in Image 19? you can see my adaption of the design. I will also be putting a protective plate from the subframe to the bottom of the wheel well to protect the pump and filter from the heat of the exhaust and from mud etc.

Update 4 September 2005: As stated earlier I had suspended work on this until I had the exhaust etc done. Well I am now in a position to start work on it again. This should happen soon.

Update 22 October 2005: Well finally got the exhaust completely finished. So now I can go onto the fuel system with a clear conscience. As you can see in Image 14 I have made a dummy placement of the fuel pump. This will essentially pump through the hose in a horseshoe shape and then obviously into the bundy tube fuel lines that you can just see poking through to the left of the pump itself. Why this arrangement well essentially because you don't have much choice. There ain't a lot of room there to play with and unfortunately the surface is not flat (or at least not everywhere). Anyway all going well I should have this part of the system polished off by tomorrow as really it is essentially plug and play.

Update 25 October 2005: A bit further along. Here you can see the HP EFI Fuel filter now in line. I will have a go at welding in some balance pipes for the fuel tanks on the weekend.

Update 6 November 2005: Moving on from my last update I had a change or mind. Originally I was going to route the return line underneath the car. But obviously this would mean directly over the back of the exhaust. Not a real good idea so brainwave, run it into the boot as along the back and all sorted. So over the weekend I managed to do this. I was hoping to get the whole thing done front and back but had some friends down for the weekend and so another weekend gone. Anyway here is a pic of my progress. I used the nutsert tool for the first time and it works a charm. I used these to do the bolting points for the little metal tabs that hold the hose in place, makes for a very neat solution (first image).

I also managed to get the right hand tank in. It is not the most perfect installation but I am happy with it and it looks a pretty neat solution. I painted both tank as you can see in the first image (the right one wouldn't dry properly so at some stage I will remove it again and do a proper job but for the moment it is fine. The last thing to do to finalise the fuel system is to basically run the hose from the left hand tank into the back of the fuel pump and connect that (with the fuel filter in place) into steel line running to the front. Then connect up the fuel rail on the engine, which is very straight forward. Anyway I think I should have this licked by midweek and then (yes I know I say this alot) I should be onto the electrics. I have spoken to my wife and told her not to invite anyone over for the next few weekends...Wish me luck...

Final Update 10 November 2005: The fuel system in finished. I managed to get the hoses connected to the fuel rail tonight. This completes the fuel circuit. A new set of issues may arise when I start the thing up but I am pretty confident about the quality of the installation. The only concern is the balance pipe between the two tanks hopefully this will work as planned. Anyway below is a pic of the hoses from the steel fuel lines to the fuel rail.

   

EFI System Completed
10 November 2005

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Step 3

Installing Right Hand Tank and creating a balance pipe.

Well that would have to be the longest title for a section so far. Anyway onto the information. Now given that there is a chance that someone else doing this installation wouldn't either have access to or want to put in a right hand tank. But there are several good reasons why you might want to:

  1. Obviously you vastly increase the distance you can run on one fill up;
  2. It looks cool and ties into that whole racer for the street look;
  3. You can have a separate return tank. Which means is a whole lot easier to run the return line to. But this necessitates in most cases running a balance pipe.

Q: Why do you need a balance pipe?

A: Simply because if you run a system with two tanks with return line into one and the fuel line in the other this creates problems with the return tank overflowing because it cannot balance the fuel levels in each tank quick enough. This has been relayed to me several times by several EFI converted Mini's. So what do you do? Well simply you create a secondary route for the petrol to escape back and forth between the tanks so that they balance. The big problem is that there only one outlet from each tank which is not enough for tanks the size of the mini's or the outlet itself which is less than 5/16 (internal diameter). The picture of the system I am running may be of more help.

So here are the steps you need to take.

  1. Remove the two tanks if you haven't already (also remove the battery before you remove the tanks, especially if they still contain some petrol or you will possibly have a fatal accident, trust me I know;
  2. Identify you location for the outlets. I chose the points at the back closest to the hinges of the bootlid. This helps in two ways as you can then use the cable tiedowns that run along the lip of the boot edge to secure the pipe in place, neat and out of the way.
  3. Drill the holes. Make sure these are exactly the same diameter as the tubing you are using to make the nozzles. I used steel bundy pipe left over from making the fuel lines. Perfect stuff, 5/16" and steel.
  4. Make up the nozzles. I just bent the pipe a bit so that when in place the nozzle end inside the tank basically sits on the bottom of the tank.
  5. Place inside the tank and weld/braze in place. Now here the deal, you should probably have the pipes brazed in place. Brazing is different to welding, in that it occurs at a lower temperature and is very similar to soldering, where the parent and child metals are not melted together or not really to the same extent. This is both easier to do on thin metals and quicker and also leaves less chance of fucking up.
  6. You're done. Place the tanks back in place, secure them and then join up the flexible fuel hose with hose clamps, and that my people is the balance pipe done. With that done you can go back to installing the EFI system which I am about to do.

How to install the Right Hand Tank (RHT)

  1. Get a RHT. Easier said than done, and be prepared to pay a bit for even a second hand one. They are producing new RHT's in the UK but these were priced at 495 pounds!!!!!
  2. Now if like mine there was no hole for a RHT, you will have to make one. There isn't a lot of room for trial and error on this one so you will have to get it right first go. So make a template of the existing hole and then simply turn in over and you get a perfect mirror image (hahahahahhah). Well close anyway and then make lots of comparison measurements from reference points (see large version of image 7)
  3. Draw the circle and then cut it out. I drilled around the circumference of the circle and then using a steel cutting blade in the jigsaw cut it out and then filed it to the correct shape. Why not use a hole saw I hear you say. Well simply the hole is about 68mm in diameter and I couldn't find a hole saw the right size. I found a 63 but you end up have to file away a good 5mm all the way around which is a pain the arse!!
  4. Anyway once the hole is done you will probably have to create the tank anchoring system similar to the original. Basically it is a band of steel that goes over the top and anchor to the floor of the boot.
Update 6 November 2005: As stated above in section 8 on EFI I have installed the right hand tank and while not concours level I am pretty chuffed with my efforts. Image 13 shows the tank in place and all bolted up. So another one down. Getting close now.
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Step 4

Sourcing Custom Driveshafts

This will actually prove to be one of the most difficult parts of this operation. Why because this part is quite complex. Also just to let you know, I rang a driveshaft specialist a while back and he indicated that to get them exactly right I should bring the car in so that they can make precise measurements with the car sitting there, which makes sense so at some stage you are going to have to hire a car trailer I would say.

When getting custom driveshafts made up you're trying to get an engineer/driveshaft specialist to:

  • Create two shafts of unequal length
  • Create driveshafts of different weight (preferably)
  • Have driveshafts that go from a modern Japanese engine/diff into Mini CV's. So you are talking about different spline configurations and inputs into the diff.

Now the first two should be something that anyone worth their salt should be able to produce, it is the last point that is a little difficult. But even so, this should not be a problem for a decent fabricator. Now I am going to make things just a whole lot more difficult by seeking out the possibility of creating a layshaft setup for the longer driveshaft mounting this to the engine in some way and then creating a short actual driveshaft into the lefthand CV joint. I will investigate the possibility and report back.

Here is a link to a webpage that discusses measuring driveshaft distance for custom driveshafts (rear wheel drive but the idea's the same) and what's involved. Opposite you will find a visual depiction of what I am going to try and do. I am not sure one way or the other whether it is possible, though I have seen similar type driveshafts on websites. I guess I will just go into a driveshaft shop and talk to them. After I have done a bit of research on who can do this and keep you posted. It may have to be a trip to Sydney, which would be a pain, but worth it if they can do what I want. Keep you posted...Note: After speaking to the engineer he recommended an engineering firm in Canberra that might be able to help me out.

Update 13 September 2005: Well I got my driveshafts back which is great and as I said $550. More than I had budgetted for but this place is about the only one in town that can do this kind of job and obviously I need the driveshafts. Unfortunately I can't give you too much advice except leave this too the pros unless you are obviously a fitter and turner.

There is one piece of other advice I can give you. I ended up obliterating my dust boots on the driveshafts and was about to pay $108 for new Toyota OEM ones, but decided just to see if any of the auto parts place had replacement ones. Repco ended up quoting me the same price but I popped into Auto Pro and they have OETIKER replacement boots for $15 (Part no 55-3780-K). I also got the replacement Mini outer CV boots for even cheaper at $11 each so well chuffed. So this weekend I might get a chance to put them on. Pics to follow.

Update 30 August 2005: Today I ordered the tilt tray towtruck to take the Mini out to M&A Engineering to have the driveshafts made up. At this stage I have no idea of cost so I could be in for a shock hopefully it is no more expensive than the quotes I have got off others who have done the conversion (ie. $300-$400). After having spoken to them, I got the feeling it was a walk in the park for them. I don't know how long it will take but I will give them a ring on Friday 2 September.

Update 4 September 2005: Well Mick at M&A has made the measurements for the driveshafts but unfortunately I forgot (I need I should have thrown it in the back of the Mini, but anyway) to include a Mini driveshaft so he could get the splines just righ and also the grooves for the two spring clips. That should be there tomorrow so I should have the driveshafts done before the end of the week...

Update 28 September 2005: I managed to get the retaining circlips off with a bit of ingenuity (a screwdriver and a pry bar, it sounds worse than it is). Getting these off was going to really hold me back so a bit of luck going my way for once. Anyway tomorrow is Thursday so I think I should have them in in a day, all going well so that will be another big item off the list, anyway more tomowrrow.

Well following on as you can see in images 4 -6 I have managed to get the driveshafts in complete with dustboots on and clips in place. It was a bastard of a job but now it is done and I can move onto some more entertaining bits and pieces...

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Additional Step
(Specifically required by my engineer so for info purposes only)

Create a strut brace to the left engine mount

My engineer requested that I create a strut brace to the left hand front engine mount. He said it wasn't absolutely necessary but that it would vastly lengthen the lifespan of the subframe and make it a little more rigid. He knows his stuff so I didn't argue. Plus it provides for another engineering challenge which I like.

Anyway his description was to use the mounting point on the bulkhead where the heater hoses go as one mounting point and a strud rod running down to the bolt that goes through the engine mount. This took me about 2-3 hours to measure and fabricate.

I essentially used a piece of 5mm flat steel based on the original thin metal that went in that position to hold the rubber in place. I then create a tab that sits on top of this with bolt through it and a hole in the base plate. I essentially did the same thing at the other end and the notched a piece of steel tube to connect the two. Pretty simple really but should do a good job. I had to do it now as it was holding up the installation of the electrics.

Update 13 November 2005: Well finished it off today and I must say it looks pretty good. The mount that goes on the bulkhead required a bit of work but overall it was pretty straightforward.

 

FINAL NOTE: While I have endevoured to give you as much information as I can, I am not a professional engineer, not even close. So anything you take from this website is at your own risk. Due to the increasingly litigous society in which we dwell I am will also be unable to develop or send out full specs for the subframe. For the same reason I won't be making subframes for people. The fact is as much as people like to say that they won't seek you out when things go wrong they will and usually with a lawyer in tow.


ONTO SECTION 10 - ENGINE INSTALLATION PART 3

BACK TO SECTION 8 - ENGINE INSTALLATION PART 1

BACK TO THE START - STARLET GT CONVERSION


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