MoulaZX's Build Thread

Discussion in 'Member's Garage' started by MoulaZX, Sep 17, 2011.

  1. MoulaZX

    MoulaZX #TEAMROB

    When the time comes (probably Wednesday), out of curiosity I'll be trying all the suggestions listed.

    I like this one in particular because I already have about half a box left of Bi-Carb, and the dielectric grease was always a given. :)

    MoulaZX
     
  2. MoulaZX

    MoulaZX #TEAMROB

    Update: 'Strip & Rip' Part 2

    Took the day off yesterday but got stuck into it since 10am this morning, finished up around 10pm tonight.

    Finished completely stripping what can be done from the front of the Zed.

    Tomorrow I go to town on this b*tch with Degreaser & a Crazy High Pressure Water Gun. After that, will start prep'ing surfaces with rust for rust removal, then rest of the engine bay to be prepped then possibly on Saturday Engine Bay is completely resprayed.

    Ran into a few headaches today which you'll see, which is why I've decided to repair & respray the entire Engine Bay.


    Early on in the day, Sun was drilling into my skull, decided to throw up some sort of Shade. So, this is my Tent... Beta 0.6, it has some 'holes' in it :p

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    Random General Shots (Notice Tent has been revised... to Tent Beta 0.9) :p

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    First Headache - BAD Rust around Battery Tray, this'll be repaired and resprayed too :mad::mad:

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    Second Headache - Biggest Problem of the day :mad::mad::mad:

    Turns out my Radiator Support is completely broken, some idiot must have jacked from the Radiator Support recently (*evil eye at last Tyre Shop I was at* knew I should have stood by them...). Tomorrow after its cleaned it'll be repaired, plan is to straighten it, re-weld, then weld extra strips of steel for support underneath to reinforce even more. Hopefully Chassis rigidity will improve, it did feel a little unstable at times, hoping this was the sole cause. Also decided to install a Strut Brace when its all done.

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    Progress shots of removing the HICAS Lines & Carbon Canister Tank Return Line

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    Yes, I know, I haven't capped off that nipple yet.

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    Bastard Rear HICAS Solenoid

    Was too difficult to remove. Lucky POS lives to see another day... :mad:

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    Reeeally Tempted to move this thing to somewhere else...

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    Slowly accumulating pile of stuff to be re-used..

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    Slowly accumulating pile of stuff to be thrown out...

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    In show below: All HICAS Lines, Old Intake Pipes (Turbo to Throttle Body), Carbon Canister, Carbon Canister Return Line to Tank, Carbon Canister Under-Passenger-Head Light Lines, Old Rubber SMIC Hoses and Factory Single Pod T-Piece Pipe.

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    In show below: HICAS Engine Bay Solenoid, Complete AIV System & Hoses, PRVR Solenoid & Tank, Factory Boost Gauge Sensor.

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    Wing my Dad was working on behind me today. Wing comes off a Magna Verada and certainly has me wondering...

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    Intercoolers to be modified to 2.5" inlets/outlets soon...

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    And lastly, couldn't swing the mandatory 'Engine Bay' shot since I was alone 96% of the day so... :p

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    Its been a STUPIDLY long day, so I'm out. Night all.

    MoulaZX
     
  3. Anti

    Anti 14.7 x 14.7 = 44.1

    love your work.
     
  4. s_t_r_e_t_c_h

    s_t_r_e_t_c_h flammin zed!!

    wow she looks empty.. will look good after the respray tho :)
     
  5. Anti

    Anti 14.7 x 14.7 = 44.1

    Is a new loom on the cards?
     
  6. MoulaZX

    MoulaZX #TEAMROB

    No, can't justify considering I've had zero electrical problems with this one. I will however re-dress the entire Loom in the Engine Bay. I'll be buying a few rolls of that plaster wiring / cable cover stuff and stripping the old brittle / cracked crap off and covering it with the new stuff. It should look like a new Loom when I'm done, minus the new plugs. Trying to figure out a cost effective way of refreshing all of my connectors, even if it means changing the connector types entirely for those that I can. The ones I can't are for things like PTU, CAS, Idle stuff, Coil Packs etc, where I can't cut off both sides.

    Also given the extra amount of work that I had not planned for, which includes fixing by broken Radiator Support, Fixing / Straightening any other miscellaneous other chassis bits, I have decided to veto re-locating the Fuse Box. I will still tidy that area up, cabling wise, but the Fuse Box stays there.

    Guess you'll have to just keep an eye on what I have in mind in the nearby future... ;)

    MoulaZX
     
  7. MoulaZX

    MoulaZX #TEAMROB

    Update: Clean & Bludge Day

    So took to the Zed with the High Pressure Water Gun and some Cans of Degreaser, marked improvement and got all the areas I missed before. Starting to get a little worried about the condition of my Chassis as you'll see. It looks like its been in a pretty severe accident at some point in its life and has had a partial Main Chassis rail replaced... just speculation, would appreciate if anyone could give me reason to think otherwise...?

    Cleaning / Bludging Day Begins (Love the 4WD looking picture lol)

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    Cleaned engine bay round 2.

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    Look at the main Chassis Rail, Driver's side, looks like another piece had been chopped off and another welded on, or am I making mountains out of mole hills...? :(

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    This is the Passenger side, no such signs to indicate any body work.

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    OMG, I thought this whole time I had Koni BLACKS on the Driver's side... :rofl:

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    This is the blanket I used to throw under the Zed during every step of ripping her apart... it was spotless before I used it. :eek:

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    Decided to leave Fuse Box alone, but I will be keeping it very tidy, very close to these...

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    Another Headache. Looking to buy a new set of Fenders to replace these. Both Fenders affected. :(

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    Zed Bank continues to grow... that smaller pile infront is the junk to be thrown out. Btw, if anyone wants any of it, more then welcome to swing by and take it.

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    MoulaZX
     
  8. MoulaZX

    MoulaZX #TEAMROB

    This stuff!

    Split Loom Cover / Tubing :)

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    MoulaZX
     
  9. rollin

    rollin First 9

    ouch, that has had a hard hit on the front, looks like a bad repair too. shame about that
     
  10. MoulaZX

    MoulaZX #TEAMROB

    I know :(

    But in all honesty, now having known more about the history of this Zed, I'm surprised how well it handled all these years, I have driven other Zeds that felt more awkward heh. At its height, was more then comfortable to let go of the steering wheel for a couple seconds on the Freeway and it'd be dead-straight-on, wouldn't veer left or right at all. It's only recently that its handling has mildly deteriorated which I suspect is the small bend in the Radiator support becoming a full blown crack, after numerous mountain runs and Sydney's shitty roads full of Pot Holes... :mad:

    I think after I fix the Radiator Support, brace it further, add a strut brace, it should stiffen it right up. Took a tape measure to it today, from multiple angles, lengths, etc... consensus seems that it is roughly 1cm shorter on the Driver's side, then the Passengers.

    MoulaZX
     
  11. rollin

    rollin First 9

    Its good that the damage hasnt gone as far as the strut towers, but those chassis rails are pretty important, so its not a good place its been joined and it does not look like a good join either..

    As you say, anything you cna do to add strength will be a good thing, bracing anywhere you can
     
  12. A-Bris-Z

    A-Bris-Z Carcraze

    Oh mt god Emile, I'm suffering anziety just reading this thread. This looks like an epic amount of work. I have a feeling you'll have more than a couple of screws left over this time :rolleyes::cool:
     
  13. MoulaZX

    MoulaZX #TEAMROB

    Considering the amount of junk that will not be making its way back onto / into my Zed, I think its more then a given lol. If anything I'm kinda liking that fact, which means by chance if I lose a bolt or a nut, I can just use any of the hundred spare. :rofl:

    MoulaZX
     
  14. MoulaZX

    MoulaZX #TEAMROB

    This is the current plan to attack this tomorrow, using a Mig Wielder.

    For the pictures with 2 options, not sure if I should use two smaller, longer pieces of steel to weld on. For every picture, 1st weld will be to weld the two pieces back together, the extra steel is just for re-enforcing.

    Any further suggestions?

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    Can't weld any plates on top of the Support because theres brackets that sit 100% flush onto it. Engine Oil Cooler is one piece, 4 out of those 6 holes are for it.

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    And yea, to top all of this off, when the engine goes back in, a Strut Brace.

    MoulaZX
     
  15. BADZX

    BADZX Grumpy old fart

    Guess that means me :rolleyes:

    boiler maker / structral welder / chassis ticketed / steel fabricator for a wage
    &
    body repairs/mods .... BADZX / K1NGZ / and too many other cars n 4x4's to mention as a hobby






    ok......

    yep she's been cut .... no medal there ;)


    Thats a 1/2 assed cut n shut job :eek:

    The inner guard is supplying the 'verticle support' for the chassis rail
    The engine cradle bolts either side of the join are holding the chassis rail in place thus completing the verticle strength.

    Unfortunately theres no lateral support ( sideways movement) other than the front radiator support, which I'd suggest has cracked due to the additional load being placed on it.
    ( The cracked radiator support is a stress fracture and NOT from the car being jacked up using the radiator as a jacking point)
    :cool:


    The repair:

    Its actually a fairly easy one :D

    use a 4" grinder
    you'll need a flap disk, the flap disk grit needs to be 40 or 60grit.
    & a standard steel cutting disk.

    1/ use the flap disk and remove ALL the paint in the vacinity of the crack for atleast for 200mm either side of the crack on both sides of the rail.
    The top and bottom of the rail will only need to be cleaned for 50mm either side of the crack.


    2/ fit the cutting disk ....... lightly run the disk down the crack itself so it cuts away outer steel and leaves a slight "U", this only needs to be a minor vee cut ..... 1/2 a millimeter deep is PLENTY...... DONT OVER DO IT !!!
    :eek:
    all you are doing is providing 'fresh steel' to weld


    3/ Mig setup..... crank the arosheild flow up to atleast 21lits/min, this will help significantly in perosity prevention.
    (NB: perosity is air bubbles in a weld and is structrally a weakness)

    practise a few verticle down welds on a scrap piece of material, alter the amps to suit so that you have both CONTROL and a decent flow of weld.

    then....... when your feeling ready
    run a pass down each side of the rail ..... then go for a coffee ......

    using the cutting disk GENTLY grind back the weld,
    DO NOT GRIND IT BACK TO THE POINT WHERE YOU ARE GRINDING BACK THE ORIGINAL STEEL ...... this WILL weaken the repair.

    Once done .... lightly run the disk down where the crack was so you are cutting another "U" into the weld, again NOT A DEEP cut..... then re-weld the weld and grind flat.
    repeat untill you have a flush repair..... yes it NEEDS to be a flush finish.
    & remember to let it cool between operations, if your not game enough to drop your old fella on it (yes I mean your peepee), then its too hot to work on.... let it cool some more.



    Chassis rail sides repair complete :D

    Kingy
     
  16. BADZX

    BADZX Grumpy old fart

    Top & bottom of the rail repair ......

    These two arent super important so the detail required in the sides wont be needed here
    :D
    the top and bottom are there only to keep the sides of the chassis rail apart, a spreader if you like, they do provide some latereral strength but the majority comes from the sides.

    so.......

    a good clean with the flap disk for 25mm either side of the crack will be enough, it wont be easy getting the grinder in the restricted area but you can use a broken hacksaw blade or wood chisel to scratch away the paint etc to get a good clean area around the crack...... you can also use them to 'dig' away at the crack thus removing the old surface in the crack, a sort of "U" if you like....

    weld it with a quick pass, try NOT to allow the weld to grow in height, better with a flat weld than a high weld.
    once its cooled (peepee temp again ;)) run another pass of weld so that the centre of this new weld is along the join of the 1st weld and the rail, in other words your welding the weld...... more cooling time .... run a 3rd pass on the other side of the 1st weld.
    If your using say a 200amp mig with 0.9 wire then the 3 welds should appear to be around 10mm in total width..... You'd better tell me the exact mig & wire combination for a better guess at the sizes.


    top n bottom repairs completed :D

    dont need to grind this part back, just leave it...... its FINISHED
    :D

    Kingy
     
  17. BADZX

    BADZX Grumpy old fart

    Sides of the rail........ step 3

    Dont do this part untill now......
    You HAVE to do the inital sides repairs and then the top and bottom repairs to the chassis rail FIRST.

    spose you wondered why I wanted the sides ground off clean for such a large area..... well now you need to plate the sides for maximum strength...

    you'll need a plate ( 1.6 to 2mm mild black steel plate will do nicely) and you need 2 pieces, one for each side of the rail...... they need to be around 350mm long and 5mm LESS than the depth of the rail.
    If for example the rail measures 125mm then the plate wants to be 120mm wide, you'll be welding it to the rail where the radius of the bend starts ( the corners of the rails where they go from verticle to horizontal)

    So now you have a plate thats 350mm long and 120mm wide......
    mark the ends of the plate (the 120mm ends) at 60mm, then mark the long sides the same @ 60mm aswell, draw a line between these points.....
    should end up with a rectangle with a triangle on either end....
    <___>
    :rolleyes: you get the idea ;)

    The pointy bits spread the load out into the chassis rail, if you just leave it square then you will get fractures along the verticle welds

    again... weld it with a fast pass on the pointy parts and a slightly slower weld on the corners of the rail.
    the plate must be fully welded all the way around.

    IF you decide NOT to cut points into the plate then DO NOT weld the verticle parts fully, only weld 20mm down and up from the edges. and leave the rest un welded.
    NB: ---> That style isnt as strong as the pointed plate repair ... :eek:


    with the cutting disk.... lightly grind back to a neat finish, again DONT over grind.



    rail repairs now complete

    :D
     
  18. BADZX

    BADZX Grumpy old fart

    step 4.......

    radiator support repair .....


    use a combination of the 2 repairs I've listed.

    the top of the support uses the same process as the top of the chassis rail.

    the bottom uses the same process as the sides of the chassis rail repair, and YES you need a plate on the bottom.... and again cit points into it for max strength and load spreading ability.


    radiator support repair completed

    :D
     
  19. BADZX

    BADZX Grumpy old fart

    OTHER REPAIRS:

    ues a 3/8 drill bit...... grind the angle of the cutting edge back to a lower angle, the flatter the better, if you have a look at a wood drill then thats what your trying to acheive only in a steel drill bit, its known as a spotweld drill bit.

    drill a couple of holes where the folded up part of the chassis rail meets the inner guard, these holes need to be about 40mm apart, DONT DRILL RIGHT THROUGH..... thats why you grind the angle back so it only cuts away the rail and not the inner guard.

    plug weld through the hole to the inner guard.




    At this stage the repairs are all done..... and in all seriousness I'd be considering the choice of having the car put on a rack (CarOliner) to check / adjust chassis alignment..... nows the time to do it, .... no engine or other things in the way thus making it a simpler task for a panel shop to jig it and check / adjust the alignment .... & because its a simpler task it will be cheaper than ususal.
    I had one aligned recently for $450, normally its around a grand and that extra cost is because of all the shyte that they have to remove or work around..... you dont have that issue....

    :D

    Kingy

    p/s
    a racked car WILL handle far better than an unknown car..... couldnt belive the differance it made to my supercharged beastie, now it handles like its on rails

    :br:

    p/ss
    if you need to then give us a call on 0418 322 475
     
  20. Wizard

    Wizard Kerb side Prophet

    Nice Kingy

    Good detailed instruction and action plan to follow.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
     

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