S1 Rebuild(s)

[Dave Adams]

some pics of the rebuild process,

the top trailing arm bracket is broke......

the diff is sloping back a little (looking up) so that will need sorting.......

As you can see there isn't a lot of bracing in an S1 chassis, that will be sorted.

[Dave Adams]

the Lancia despite being full of very expensive new tuning parts is seized solid it may have salvageable parts on it but i would need a good running engine and swap what i could. to replace just what is missing on the Lancia engine added up to over £250 and i haven't  made an exhaustive list yet.......sad but its just not cost effective. 

[Dave Adams]

some progress today....lots of measuring.....anyway the gearbox mounts are more or less welded in the engine......well not yet. it looked too high to me so i had to dig out one of my knackered bonnets to check and LO! it fitted.....snugly, but it fitted. The engine will just fit under the closed bonnet and the sump pan will be just lower than the bottom chassis rail. (i/2" or so....nothing at all really.)

the gearbox mounts wont move in a hurry.

i have a kit of parts to make new Zetec engine mounts......but the dutton Chassis looks like the front mount (as for the FWD Mondeo) could be used with a brace bar to keep the engine moving under its own torque.....dont know i am stil trying to decide.

[Dave Adams]

the engine is noticeably shorter than the pinto...about 3" or so...I was tempted to move the gear box further forward on the mounts to give me more pedal box room...but the gear lever would be in a weird place, also engine swaps would be restricted in choice....... 

[John Allen]

I've been playing engines today myself but just wondering what steering rack you're using as I need to purchase one.

[Dave Adams]

The Triumph one. 

i do have a new Mk2 escort rack but the Triumph ones are very good.

[John Allen]

Thanks Dave. I'll get ebaying for one.

[Paul Thomas]

I recon storage bins

[Dave Adams]

yup storage bins, i bought the shelving for £10 secondhand and collected empty "Ad-blue" containers. they are 10L drums i cut the side out of them and they are about the same depth of the shelf and 5 of them in width. they nake very good storage bins. and free....

[Dave Adams]

not a lot done today mostly fruitless trips to town to find an open scrappers or steel stock holders.....no joy.

also i have new kit form Zetec engine mounts and i have been looking to see where they will go. and where the chassis end of the mount will sit. the thing is the N/S mount bolts to where the alternator would fit on the CVH block (which shares heritage with the Zetec) this is also my current preferred position for the alternator.....so what do i do?

It occurred to me that the original Mondeo engine mount position would probably be OK if i also braced the engine laterally on the O/S. especially since the S1 has a cross member just in front of  where the Mondeo engine mount wants to be. the issue is that the engine when in the Mondeo is tilted over about 10 degrees so when you stand it upright the engine mount is angled relative to the cross member. so i am fabricating  a bracket to compensate for the miss match.

its still work in progress but the engine mount will be level and we are fortunate in the Dutton world that the cross member is so substantial and will take the weight of the engine with a little bracing.

the down side to all this is that cambelt and serpentine belt changes may well require the mount taking off.......just like you would in the Mondeo

[Dave Adams]

so far as i know it is of standard length, one thing that is different to my first S1 is the upright that the 4 links that secure the axle location is angled inwards on this chassis but was parallel to the direction of travel on the other one. 

[Dave Adams]

Modest progress today, but significant......

the engine and box is in the chassis....

the engine mount wants fully welding but the engine sits level in the chassis,

the engine is securely mounted, the mount is braced down to the lower chassis cross member, it is deliberately off centre so i have access to the crankshaft pulley nut.

the exhaust side of the engine....(the N/S) the Lancia mounts are still in the chassis but this one will have to go as its under the exhaust....

this is the drivers side....and this Lancia engine mount is just about perfectly positioned to use as the steady bracket for the engine, i just need to fabricate a small bracket to bolt it to the engine...its very low on the engine and will be well clear of everything i need to run through here.

I may need to raise the gearbox mount, which will be easy if i have to do it later........

[Dave Adams]

Yeah it has missed a few services......but it run lovely and no smoke.....i hope it will be a good one.