Brett's Astra GTE 16v Turbo Trackcar Project - Page 4

**Brett** · 11-12-2006, 11:37

was working on the loom in astrasteve23's GTE yesterday and had a brain wave!

When I lightened my loom, I got petty into it and removed the check control. Of corse, on the Mk2 this contains oil, brake fluid and coolant level warnings. I had to do away with these, not ideal but Ive never ever had one come on in any car I own, so I figured could afford it

The idea is relocating them into the digi-dash. I gave it a go on my MK2 Cav (I put a digi-dash in the other night and had to do away with the brake fluid light) to see if it would work and was able to do it. The digi-dash even has the right symbol, so after swapping a few pins around in the black plug, I had a fully operational warning light.

I got home and went through the box of wires I kept when I went through the loom lighteing it last year. Found all the bits I needed, and I've got the loom from my spare 1.4 Mk2 here, so I can rob the pins out of that loom to add into the black plug on the digidash. Only thing is, while the digi dash has the brake fluid symobl, it lacks the right ones for coolant and oil. Will utlise the saftey belt red warning light for oil (as its red) and probably the choke warning light for the coolant, assuming I cant find away of cutting the correct symbols into the dash.

Its a bit more work, and going back on myself again, but this beast has to be perfect

slappycarp · 11-12-2006, 17:20

lo bret!!!
how ya getting on with the beast?
saw ya brother in hes gsi last week going past lunn garage!
cheers
the slaps

***Astra Dan*** · 11-12-2006, 18:15

Nice idea Brett. Cold you not cut the plastic film out of the check control unit, or any Mk3 Astra/ Cav/ Cally clocks, and glue these over the top somehow?

**Brett** · 12-12-2006, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by slappycarp

lo bret!!!
how ya getting on with the beast?
saw ya brother in hes gsi last week going past lunn garage!
cheers
the slaps

Yeah he working out that way at the moment mate! Ive got as white Mk2 Cav these days if you see me about anywhere!

Dan - thats exactly what I did last night, butchered the check control and taped them all in place. The symbols are slightly larger than the original ones which means I'm going to have to enlarge the surround of the digi dash but it should still work fine. Have pics but have no way of uploading them for now as home interweb is down!!

slappycarp · 13-12-2006, 14:20

you know for any good astra alloys buddy as after a set for mine!!!
got 30mm lowering springs coming so need better wheels!!! 16 really

**CraigGreen** · 13-12-2006, 14:32

Scanned this from my PV photos from 02 IIRC

**Brett** · 13-12-2006, 16:38

best picture Ive got of it craig, other than the TV feature - legend!!

makes me want it done even more that, looks lush!!

**Benn** · 13-12-2006, 20:05

do love these rims dude,

Dave Dempsey · 13-12-2006, 23:27

When was it last out on the road. Im sure Gary had it at Billing one year years back.

**Brett** · 14-12-2006, 01:35

I havent got the wheels sadly. Going to be on Cally Turbo rims, powdercoated black with maybe a polished lip. Splitter & skirts will be gloss black, and should get round front fogs if i can find the Fiesta Si ones I bought about 2 years ago

Bonnet is staying for now though, Im not really a fan although it served a purpose with Gary's engine being on TB's.

I dont know when it was last used on the road, I should get round to asking Gary a few questions as I've relaised tonight i dont know the mileage of the shell either

LET engine is on 96k.

DaleScaife · 14-12-2006, 23:18

I remember seein this car on SBD site now!!!
http://www.sbdev.co.uk/Main.htm
and click "Customers Cars" gots few paragraphs too!!

**Brett** · 15-12-2006, 00:11

those are the only ones I had of it mate, I made the decision to buy based on those shots. you know how it is, I know what the car looked like as I'd seen Gary post things about it but you look at it differently when your about to part with hard earned cash for it.

cheers for the thought though bud!

**Benn** · 15-12-2006, 08:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brett

I havent got the wheels sadly. Going to be on Cally Turbo rims, powdercoated black with maybe a polished lip. Splitter & skirts will be gloss black, and should get round front fogs if i can find the Fiesta Si ones I bought about 2 years ago

Bonnet is staying for now though, Im not really a fan although it served a purpose with Gary's engine being on TB's.

I dont know when it was last used on the road, I should get round to asking Gary a few questions as I've relaised tonight i dont know the mileage of the shell either

LET engine is on 96k.

sounds good dude,
summer shows?

Nemesis · 15-12-2006, 08:36

Sod that, he'll be at Speedshow I should hope

**CraigGreen** · 15-12-2006, 14:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chavtastic

Sod that, he'll be at Speedshow I should hope

Bretts in no rush. Dont hold your breath.

We South westerners like to drag our heels ya know.

**Brett** · 15-12-2006, 22:56

here's the latest progress...

Dial's are in place. Took me a cuple of nights to fabricate holders in place of the cold air vents and then I flocked them before bracketing the guages in. Wired them into the ignition lives from the LHD foglight switches.

Boost and AFR top, Oil Pressure and Oil Temp just below...

Next up, Ive been having a nightmare trying to find a way to mount the ECU on its bracket into the footwell. I just couldnt wrok out how its fitted using the only bracket I had which was from my old GTE 16v. In the end, I went to the local breakers which have a GTE 8v at the moment to see how the ECU mounted in that. I found it to be different so into the magic toolbox it went. Got home, and tried it. For som reason, it fits perfectly now.

8v on left, 16v on the right for comparison...

Last but not least, I had the digi dash apart and during spare moments this week Ive been working on that idea to relocte the coolant, oil level and brake fluid level lights there. Pleased to say that using the symbols from the old check control has worked spot on. Just need 3 more bulbs for the digi dash and to wire the switched into the engine bay loom.

Not very clear as its onlt the dash held up to a house light for now, but you should be able to make out the orange oil warning next to the engine managment light...

...and the coolant next to the choke symbol. Brake fluid was already in there and is the red one next to the ABS warning..

Up at the crack of dawn to get cracking. Having no garage in this time of short daylight hours is driving me nuts. At least its warm eh!!

Brett

ps. not been smoking ANYTHING for 2 weeks nearly now

Have been like a whirlwind this last week culminating in ordering the fuel lines tonight. If that and the brake lines get done over crimbo it may well be ready for the first shows of the summer. Ive even had time to wire a 1.6i VTEC mini, and start wairing another GTE 16v in between caughing up flem by the gallon load....

**Benn** · 15-12-2006, 23:03

good man on all fronts dude!

**Brett** · 05-01-2007, 11:57

Click to open a bigger picture!

Bored at work (hence the detail, its friday!) so knocked up this little plan of what Ive got in mind for the brake, battery and fuel lines. Where the lines are dotted thats where they are running outside the car, all other are internal. Battery has to stay where it is becuase thats the way Ive designed the loom and Im not redoing that! Others Im open to suggestions on... obviously I need to keep the fuel lines away from the exhaust, so some changes mite be needed.....

**Brett** · 16-01-2007, 11:46

won these on ebay the other night, bit of a bargain

eBay.co.uk: Calibra/Cavalier Turbo Alloys x4 16" 5 Stud (item 290070325010 end time 14-Jan-07 21:11:31 GMT)

spare set of wheels for trackday tyres

Ive done a fair bit of work on it in the last few weeks and will update when I get a chance

**CraigGreen** · 16-01-2007, 12:16

That is a bargain! Collecting?

Neil Adams · 16-01-2007, 16:34

Nice one Brett - I'm loving that dash and relocating the coolant, oil and brake fluid levels is a really nice touch mate.

**Brett** · 17-01-2007, 10:46

meeting him at Exeter serivces at some point in the next few weeks to collect, e-mailed him and arranged that before. Total price including delivery to Exeter was £60!!

Cheers Neil, Ive got massive problems sorting out bulbs for them now Ive done it, the little bulbs for the digidash no longer are supplied!!

**Brett** · 18-02-2007, 21:43

been a month with no updates, Ive done the odd job but this id the first weekend Ive been working on it proper probaly this year.

Anyway, heres what been done...

Doorcards. I discovered you cant bolt late type flat doorcards to my doors, either Gary cut some metal away fitting the leccy windows, of the door itself is different. I got some earlyer type for the scrappy but these were grey so they had to be covered with black material.

Also fitted this non latching switch to allow removal of the door pins.

few repars to where I hit the inner wing when the beam wouldnt fit, just a fresh lick of paint.

Ive put the front part of the cage in too. All bolts up the original cage mounts no faffing around as Garysg cage was also a Saftey Devices one - testament to the quality of the these cages that they are all so identical.

The only problem is at the bottom of the A-Pillars, where the legs bolt to the sill. The bolt holes have had it, which compounds the fact theres no nut the other side for the bolt to screw into. Strange. The bolts dont go tight, which reduces the strength that cage can add to the shell. Will probably have to have the cage welded to the car now.

Today I got on with fitting the swirl pot and fuel lines. Ordered up some fuel line from www.speedflow.co.uk who stt told me about, you can flare the line they supplied and on my mates VTEC mini the line he used wouldnt flare. I wanted the extra security so paid out a little more for this stuff..

got fthe hang of flaring them after a while, hadnt done it before...

Decided to mount the swirl pot behind where the rear seats would normally be, just in the boot area. The underside of the car is cluttered with mounts for the fuel tank, brake flexi hoses and so on so location was pretty hard. I'll probably put the swirl pot on to some rubber mounts to cusion the virbations. Theres a standard setup underneath the car acting as a lift pump from the tank into the swirl pot, and then a walbro high pressure one insdie the car where the rear seat cusion would be, above the tank. This feeds into the engne bay, the return comes back though, into the pot and then back to the fuel tank. Ive used two relays from the battery, operated of the fuel pump relay wire to switch the pumps without reducint the voltage at each pump.

Next up is to finnish the fuel lines, some are missing jubilee clips you may have spotted and finish the brake lines properly. Set the handbrake up and do the battery box. Then I think I might actually be able to look at the engine which i tool out of the Calibra a year ago....

**Benn** · 18-02-2007, 22:08

love the door cards,very sexy,
and thats a shiney swirl pot,very nicely done and layed out...very tidy!

looks great,

**Add_Gee** · 19-02-2007, 10:01

Nice update, hadn't read it for a while