Astra sport v6 conversion......

bowman · 03-07-2007, 12:56

This is probably not the most interesting thread, but it might entertain someone!

bought a very clean but mechanical challeged astra sport. was 1.8 but had a 2.0 dropped in.

Ran well, very quick, but was using more water than petrol!

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-03

bowman · 03-07-2007, 13:00

so the other weekend i decide id had enough when it cooked itself on a 5 mile run

horrible lump of cack!

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-03

now to find a motor!

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-03

Galahad · 03-07-2007, 13:05

You won't regret it, V6 in an Astra is full of grins and the noise doesn't hurt either

bowman · 03-07-2007, 13:06

found one 3 feet away

It was in my nova v6 project. The car needs so much welding and paneling it wont need that engine for a least a another year (besides i have a 3 litre v6 for it!)

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-03

bowman · 03-07-2007, 13:13

v6 out of nova......easy as it wasnt plumbed in!

flywheel from c20xe, flat type as it is nice and light.

Short of 2 flywheel bolts as the v6/xe has 8. so i used 2 from my 3.0 saab block

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-03

xe clutch fitted, f18 box from sport used. I have an f20, but its untested, i hear the f18 is better for the v6 due to longer 5th gear?

In anycase it worked, had manual speedo drive and was already in the car, so saved me even more time!

bowman · 03-07-2007, 13:16

oh, yes the flywheel face was cleaned up before the clutch went on!

bowman · 03-07-2007, 13:22

quick shot of yet another on going project! (this one is in danger of getting finished!)

YZF R1, dynomite tuned, with piper cams stage 2 dynojet and an akroprvic exhast which is wrapped in lots of bubble wrap!. Paint is candy orange but the painter has bollock'd it up. So it will be going back in for more paint.

dyno run 148.9bhp (rwp)

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-03

gsidave · 03-07-2007, 18:52

nice work but my moneys on the r1 being the fastest lol

bowman · 03-07-2007, 19:22

hit rev limiter at 187mph on last run out! might try the standard gearing for a little more!

bowman · 20-07-2007, 15:35

engine in with very little drama.... gearbox was a bit fiddly on my one, really a 2 man job.

O/s engine mount had been shortened to match the width of the nova, so had to spaced out even further than normal. I put the aircon pump back in so that i can run the standard belt. When i get time i source a non air con mount set up from a cav.

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-20

made some home made reducers for the water pipe out of 2 different bore steel tubes welded together. Not ideal, but i'll hamerite them for now, maybe get some samco's made up later.

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-20

Now the real pain inthe arse!!!

........i'm having a nightmare with the fuel pump! I've connected the red/blue and black wires on the v6 harness to red/blue and brown on the car that run along the sill to the pump. Nothing happened.

Shot with K800i at 2007-07-20

I then put a feed from the ignition to the red/blue on the cars harness. the pump buzzed very loudly, got faster and faster and then stopped. Now it wont work at all! I'm think its popped. Also just before it gave up the pipe into the rail spewed petrol out from the crimp joint!

bowman · 22-07-2007, 22:58

Right....after a lot of head scratching and searching on here i found the problem. The black wire on the fuel pump plug was a switched live to turn on the ecu! I connected it to the ignition and everthing came to life! runs like a swiss watch

Next jobs:

Make an exhaust
Fit v6 brakes
Bracetry for radiator
paint and fit GSI bodykit
tidy wiring
fit some cally turbo rims!

bowman · 08-09-2007, 10:19

got my body kit painted the other day.. started to fit it. What a pain in the arse!

got to get rid of the glue from the side strips next.

Starting to look like a car now! (wheels will be black 18's)

New problem.....

When the key is removed the engine still runs! I've found the black switch live is getting 4v! I feed the ecu from this so everthing including the pump still goes. When I interupt the ecu feed the engine stops (obviously!) and the 4v dissappears? any ideas? Also lost my hazards and indicators! ggrrrrrr

Galahad · 08-09-2007, 13:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowman

got my body kit painted the other day.. started to fit it. What a pain in the arse!

got to get rid of the glue from the side strips next.

Starting to look like a car now! (wheels will be black 18's)

New problem.....

When the key is removed the engine still runs! I've found the black switch live is getting 4v! I feed the ecu from this so everthing including the pump still goes. When I interupt the ecu feed the engine stops (obviously!) and the 4v dissappears? any ideas? Also lost my hazards and indicators! ggrrrrrr

Check all the black wires you have connected to the Positive terminal of the battery, I'll bet money you've connected the ignition live to it.

Check the loom that plugs in near the battery tray (should be the big twist lock plug with about 8 wires going into it), your ignition live should connect to the black wire in that plug.

Below is a picture of the wire that needs to goto the black wire in the twist lock plug.

bowman · 08-09-2007, 19:18

cheers dude! I check it out on monday.....

Its a funny thing because it started when i fitted the remote locking kit. However i completly removed it and the problem remained?????

sim_the_great · 09-09-2007, 09:14

thats gonna flyyyy are u still putting a v6 into the nova too?!

bowman · 09-09-2007, 16:01

yeah, im building a new engine for it using a saab 3.0 block. let pistons and a small turbo. hoping for around 250bhp for the nova (any more will be silly as the torque will be nasty!)

bowman · 24-09-2007, 20:48

first day off in 2 weeks so had a little tinker about.

Galahad was spot on about the black wire! I had it to the battery +ve. Soldered it the switched +ve instead, problem solved. So with all the electrics sorted, time to fettle the body some more.

Got the front bumper painted and fitted. Needs the side bracket gluing on as the seller had pulled them off! I was going to remove the v grill, but i might try painting it like the new vxr's

Colour coded the engine cover and wing mirrors.

I ve ordered new cav v6 discs and pads all round, and a full sportline suspension kit, new ball joints, top mounts and arms. My struts have come back with new bearings and 5 stud hubs in, having been shot blasted, I'll be sraying them up tommorow. Hopefully get my new rims this week too......

bowman · 24-09-2007, 20:55

new wheels will be 17's similar to these:

black spokes should contrast well with the pinapple yellow paint.

I know the styling is not exactly original, but i the mk3 astra is much like the nova, stray from gm's styling to far (aftermarket kits etc) and it will look toss.

Any thoughts?

bowman · 24-09-2007, 20:56

forgot to mention a front splitter will be added

Galahad · 24-09-2007, 21:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowman

first day off in 2 weeks so had a little tinker about.

Galahad was spot on about the black wire! I had it to the battery +ve. Soldered it the switched +ve instead, problem solved. So with all the electrics sorted, time to fettle the body some more.

Vauxfan · 24-09-2007, 21:55

just holding on to this thread, nice job! you should put a wireing diagram up for all the extra wires that need conecting, ease for the conversion virgins out there!

DaveB · 24-09-2007, 22:33

looks ace mate. Credit to ya

bowman · 25-09-2007, 10:03

r1's finished!!!!!!

, so i should have more time for the astra! (the front wheel can wait till winter!

)

bowman · 25-09-2007, 20:37

My spare struts have been shot blasted and fitted with new bearings and 5 dtud hubs, today i gave them a few coats of hammerite smooth finish. Have'nt turned out that bad. I cant build them up yet as the shocks and springs will be another week

Got the rear hubs from the cav v6.

stripped them down and found the handbrake gibblets to be rotten. So i will retain the handbrake parts from the astra (which look recent and just swap over the hub assemblies).

all back together, with new discs and pads, gave the calipers coat of yellow hammerite aswell to tidy them up.

New rims arrive tomororow (hence crappy cav v6 rim), Shame the fronts cant go on until the new struts are built!

bowman · 07-10-2007, 18:32

good and bad news.... My new suspension kit arrived. It s a streetline kit from Evolution r. I guess it similar to gmax stuff. 40mm loweering springs and 25% uprated and shortened dampers. At £179 it cheaper than gm stuff, so we'll see if its any good.

So i started by removing the old strut. Removed the bottom arm as i have new ones to go on. I accidently split the cv boot, so went to change it. I started to tap the cv off the driveshaft when a piece of metal flew into my right eye! I looked in the wing mirror and to my horror it was sticking out of my eye!

Trip down to the eye infirmary and had to endure a very unpleasant eye surgrey whilst awake...NOT COOL... So i now have a very poorly right eye and a memory of a procedure that rivals somthing from HOSTEL!

Moral?...... dont even lift the bonnet with out saftey glasses on! I know it doenst look cool, but niether does being rushed to hospital with a lump a metal lodged in the first three layers of your eye!