M42 Rotrex (for sale!) + track build

[appletree]

Could you use some of that non heat transfering gasket stuff

[rix313]

Its the temperature of the air rushing through it.

Should be ok for the air intake and water pipes just not from the charger to the inlet.

[appletree]

Mine was running at 14,000rpm (max at 6500 engine rpm) and i was only seeing 70C above 4500rpm so you might be ok!

[rix313]

Ah thats interesting cheers bud! The R-Trex on the ones at work are pushing 120degs IIRC thats why I was concerned maybe something then.

Got my clutch today and found my camera so pics galore! Its a 30% stronger organic jobby with stronger pressure plate and new bearing and its red , got a good deal on the Bay and a 15% voucher:



Also picked up my goodridge braided clutch line today. Seems very short expected it to be longer but hey.

[rix313]

Spent my first hour or so working on it today

Mainly dismantled stuff. Took the fan cover and the cover infront of the radiator out so I could line up the electric fan and come up with some mounting ideas:



And where I want the air filter to go:

[rix313]

Righty managed to get my mate over and we had a good day working on the car.

Out in the garage in -degrees we were working away.

First thing we did was remove the radiator, I'll be taking it to work tomorrow to have a chat with the welders about making something for the fan to bolt onto.




While it was out set to work on looking at where to put the charge cooler. The first idea obviouslywas putting it right behind the grille was the favourite as we can get away with using one fan as it will sit just right infront of it.








Then the baby, the super charger. I am wanting to try and keep the engine looking fairly OEM and am wanting to keep the BMW inlet manifold. We're likely going to put the super charger 'upside down' and have the S/C out let facing up. The CAF will run underneath the charger to the back of the charger.
To make the charger sit where we wanted it to we had a look at the alternator and PAS pump. The PAS pump was disconnected much to my suprise didn't even notice. What we have done and are going to do is put the alternator down where the PAS pump was, then relocate the PAS pump some where else. The space and mounting points we gained by doing this also made it worth while. We're going to make up a sheild for the alternator to protect it from water.


Alternator moved down


From a different angle








So thats today.

Please comment.

[rix313]

Mooooore news.

Made up some brackets at work today to bolt the fan onto the rad. This is just rough atm will neaten them up and give them a paint now I know they fit. Works quite well:

[Gunni]

How much can you move the fan from the radiator ?
Cause as it´s pushing more and more air it may lift itself of the radiator and air will flow from it´s sides and not through the radiator ,

[rix313]

It's right up against the face of the rad and sternly fixed so shouldn't be going any where but will make sure. Thanks

[Weeman]

Great progress, I have no idea what your going mechanically mind as I'm a tard LOL But carry on your doing well.

[appletree]

Just a heads up you will probly need a charge cooling rad 4x bigger than that one.

Thats about the size of my first one and it was now were big enough. I had to use a jag XK/JR supercharger charge cooler rad. It fits perfect and is big enough to do the job, anything smaller and the water heats up to much.

[rix313]

Okey doke

Plan for the minute is to get the system running properly. I doubt the charge cooler I have as any where near man enough for its proposed purpose but in the interests of having a running system this is the set up.

[appletree]

Thats what i did to mate, got it working then modded it when i knew it worked ok.

Few pics of the fitting of my old and new charge cooler for you. might help you out abit. the old volvo one did a good job as it was right in the air flow and the air couldn't go round it

Made for the Job!






Holes in the right place for a nice easy bracket!




Fits perfect between the two brakets, nice tight slot






My old one Volvo 440 auto box fluid cooler

[rix313]

Sweet cheers

This of your charge cooler or rad? This the jag cooler?

The phrase fits 'like a glove' comes to mind lol!

[appletree]

Ya the big black one in the first pics is the jag one the volvo one is the small one i removed.

[rix313]

Okey doke.

Whats the rad behind it for? is that the BMW one which you are using for the charge cooler?

[appletree]

The small volvo one is no longer used, the large black one which fits tight is the superchaged jag xkr charge cooling rad and Used for my charge cooling and the silver one behind is the standard BMW one doing the engine cooling.

[rix313]

Got confused some where, I thought you were saying the BMW rad wont be strong enough to cope with the engine water temp? just because you mentioned water getting too hot?

Im going the intercooler route. Either way if you meant the small cooler I have behind the grille then yarp it be too small.



P.s. You'd be suprised at the size of rad we use on the charge cooler we have at work. Its no bigger then 300mm square and it does an awsome job.

[FreddieS]

Really liking this project, suprised at how much enginebay space there is when you remove a few things

[rix313]

Thanks Freddie

Nothing much gripping has gone on but few steps forward.

Painted up the brackets and got my new radiator so whacked it all together when I got home:





Quite happy with how it worked out, only problem that I'm thinking about comes with the introduction of the next part that arrived...my intercooler



Don't realise how tight 'a' fit it is until you look at it May have to move my rad inwards abit to allow for the fan but all to come.


Sourced another fly wheel to get sent off for lightening so I can hopefuly do all my gearbox work in one day.

[appletree]

Was that a new rad? if so weres it from as i could do with one with the boss for the temp prob.

[rix313]

I say 'new', it came off of a late 90's E36 and was completely intact besides a bit of light road dirt, got lucky with the bidding only paid £5 for it

Thought you had a spanker in yours?

I'll be hassling you for advice on how to fit the cooler soon so watch out

How much clearence is there between your rad and cooler?

[appletree]

Not enough for a fan. I wanted to put my fan there to! Thats why its on the engine side.

Mine is new but its a genuine one for an e34 518 auto with an oil cooler built in, so doesn't have the boss normaly its only aftemarket ones that have it. Or maybe genuine E36 ones to?

[rix313]

Bugger lol! tis a push fan and makes a funny noise going the other way will have to have a play at some point, need to wire it up.

I imagine they must do, my old rad had the indent for one but it was not drilled. Will have a look at it this weekend because not something I'd noticed, concentrated on getting the fan sorted.

Oil cooler will be preeeety handy for your charger or are you using a stand alone system for that?

[rix313]

Clutch and fly wheel assembly pretty much sorted:

On Monday, I popped over to see a man who knew about machining down my fly wheel. Long story short he said no problem and no sooner had I got home he rang up and told me it was done so I had to go all the way back. When I got there we discussed certain things and I then decided to have a bit more chopped off as it where. This will obviously save weight, cool the clutch quicker and aid acceleration.

Was finished yesterday (awesome service) and picked it up today:











20mm was skimmed off of the diameter with 1 or 2mm left at the bottum to retain some strength on the ring gear. The side walls were cut down to 1mm above the face of the wheel.

The wheel before machining was just over 12.5 kilos. Plonked it on the scales today and it now weighs 6.872 Kilos which I'm really chuffed with in regards with how much it has cost.

Next thing to do is get it rebalanced.

To get the machining done cost the princely sum of £40 and this guy is a machining god. I've yet to find out about balancing but pending how it all goes, I will be offering this service to 'Zoner's if any one is interested

[rix313]

More baby steps. I decided the IC I had was a bit big for my application. The eaton charger isn't that big and I'm worried that having such a big one may cause pressure to be lost or take longer to build up, apart from that I'm not wanting to cut my bumper up and 75% of it would've been covered up; SO I'm getting a smaller one to the tune of 540x140x63.



To make sure it was all going to be ok, I wasn't taking any chances so thought I'd make up a model of the cooler to test how it would fit

Some wood, tape and paint can lids later I came up with this:






It fitted in either way up (inlets at the top and the bottum) but it sat much better with the inlets at the bottum:







It'll require having some bits removed to allow the actual cooler to fit but just need the real thing to work out the mounting points and bolt it on It also sits just clear of my electric fan so I can keep it hidden away and out of the engine bay.


Friday I'm taking my fly wheel to balanced friday and also organising a new engine and a 3.91 LSD.

[hoshy]

Very nice.

How much of the car do you need to:

1. remove forever
2. strip and refit to get it in

[rix313]

To fit the new 520x140x63 cooler, there are two small brackets that need to be removed to allow the in and outlets to fit in. I have already undone them and the front end is still on firmly.

(Marked with a blue circle)



The wooden one I managed to push straight in with no troubles but, after spending the best part of £70 on the cooler, I won’t be taking the same angle.


2 ways I'm looking at doing it, either way I'll remove all the front grilles and head lights:

Firstly I'll try putting it in by popping out the radiator and angling it in that way.

Failing that I will remove the bumper and then unbolt the front end (only held on with 4 small bolts) and place it in that way.

All going well, the only bits that need to be removed completely are those two small brackets, the rad cowling and more than likely the two inside head lamps. I will be cutting away some of the white plastic crash bar to save weight but that’s up to you.

Everything else can go back on with out modification

[hoshy]

Interesting. what sort or % of the IC getting clean airflow?

I just ask because I know that getting enough air over mine is going to be a challenge.

[rix313]

I'd say that it would be around 75% in direct path of air through the grills and the rest only very marginaly out of the direct flow of air.

What I'll do is get a pen and draw around it then be able to see for definate

[hoshy]

Good plan. Looking forward to seeing how it all comes together

[rix313]

75% was pretty much on the money maybe a little more.

The upper line was the first attempt which was wrong then did the lower one. The red line going accross is where I'll take it from.





Can any one help me out regarding injectors? What flow rate do I need to be looking for?

[hoshy]

Matt used cream top injectors from a rover k series.

I'm using green ones from a Porsche 944

I think the flow rate s is 29lb/min.

Bosch part number: 0 280 150 811

Let me fit mine and I'll let you know if they are fully suitable. I hear they *might* be low impedance so you'd have to check your ECU will support them.

[rix313]

I am picking mine up this weekend, I went for the same ones Matt did, flow rate is 215cc/min and are high impetance. They've also been rebuild and ultra sonicaly cleaned so should be like new

[e30_Turbo]

Way back we worked out my 42lb ( 440cc ) injectors are worth @3bar about 80bhp per cylinder, so 215's and two less cylinders is saying 160 odd but do you guys run the same pressure?

If hoshy saw 209 on 29lb, if the sums are right, he's got a bit more to go, say 40bhp or so, do you know your duty cycle from the dyno? would be nice to compare actual with theory.

I've seen 75% dc so far, certainly feels like what the sums say