Project Korean Cortina - MOT day

[mat_the_cat]

I have a moment of fame with this!

https://www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk/news/2018/september/11/meet-the-owner-mat-fenwick-and-his-hyundai-stellar/

[Guest Hooli]

Can't be a Cortina, it'd have rusted away before you got off that beach!

[Pillock]

Ha, love they fact they just drop the V8 fact in last minute!

[Lacquer Peel]

"Page Not Found"

[Guest Hooli]

"Page Not Found"

 

You need better internets.

 

 

MEET THE OWNER – MAT FENWICK AND HIS HYUNDAI STELLAR Tuesday September 11, 2018

In 1997 Mat Fenwick passed his driving test so naturally, he was on the look-out for a set of wheels that was affordable yet reflected his youthful zest for motoring. And then he found the ideal car – a Hyundai Stellar 1.6 GSL:

“I was actually looking for a BX (that’s another story), but this caught my eye as being a lot of car for the money. My Dad owned a Stellar in the late ‘80s, and I remember being drawn to all the gadgets - electric windows, central locking, rear reading lights etc.”

And so, Mat went to see this fine car – ‘and the rest is history’.  In the late 1990s, there was still quite a few examples of the Stellar on the road, and back in 1984 it was only the second Hyundai to be imported into the UK – the first was the Pony. At that time the sales material deliberately targeted Ford owners who regarded the Sierra as far too bold a design.  

The South Korean company had commenced building the Cortina under licence in 1968, and when the Stellar made its bow in summer 1983, it employed the underpinning of the outgoing Mk. V. Its running gear may have been sourced via Mitsubishi, but the chassis and the overall appearance of the Stellar were definitely reminiscent of Dagenham’s finest, even if the two cars had no complements in common.  

Mat’s Stellar is the flagship version fitted with alloy wheels, a stereo radio-cassette and headlamp washers as standard. Inside, the GSL boasted moquette upholstery that was in the Toyota Crown/Vauxhall Royale standards of chintz, and there was lumbar and tilt adjustment for the driver’s seat.

To say that these details would have amounted to considerable showroom appeal is an understatement, as 34 years ago a UK price of £5,494, which meant that it cost less than a basic-specification Austin Montego 1.6 or Ford Sierra 1.6 “Base”.

Motor tested a GSL in 1984, and they clearly understood its intended market – ‘It doesn’t pretend to be the ultimate in engineering sophistication, but for the average erstwhile Cortina or Ital buyer it is a car of great competence at a very attractive price…we were surprised how good it is ’.

The coachwork, by Giorgetto Giugiaro, looked substantial yet  ‘conventional’, and the Stellar appealed to those motorists who craved ‘a real car’ as opposed to one of these FWD hatchbacks. It was also frequently used as a mini-cab; a Stellar taxi was soon as familiar a phenomenon of life in the provinces as punk rockers heading towards their 30th birthdays.

In 1987 the Stellar II offered slightly more svelte coachwork, modified front suspension and the option of a 2-litre engine. The original model became increasingly rare during the 1990s – indeed Mat did not realise how rare it was until it struck him that he hadn't seen another for ages.

The Hyundai amassed 100,000 miles during his first five years of ownership and in 2004 ‘the engine was getting tired’, so he fitted a Rover V8 unit. The Stellar then spent quite a time in temporary retirement but in 2014 it was back on the road, where it creates a stir almost everywhere it goes. Just don’t ask if it is ‘a Cortina’…

[mat_the_cat]

Probably the last drive of the year in this, as off of holiday tomorrow and doubt I'll tax it for November. So I went for a spin in the hills seeing as it was a lovely evening.

 

 

 

Plans for the winter are to replace the carbs with either a 4-barrel Edelbrock, or possibly fit fuel injection. Plus generally tidy up the engine bay, and get the cruise control working again. Mileage is a shade over 198k, so should hit 200k miles next year

[Rocket88]

Or Holley 390............

[mat_the_cat]

Indeed. I'm concerned the Edlebrock 1404 may be a little too big for optimum drivability (for a 3.5 litre), but from reading around seems easier to tune and keep so.

[mat_the_cat]

I've found a suitable used manifold over in the US - works out around £130 plus postage/duty (yet to see what that will be exactly), but will be cheaper than the ~£300 they seem to be over here. I will probably try and go for a new carb for peace of mind and ease of set up, but yet to decide between Holley and Edelbrock. They will both fit the new manifold so no need to rush into a decision.

[Guest Hooli]

Any possibilities to swap axle ratios or fit an overdrive, it sounds like something it could do with.

[mat_the_cat]

Yeah, I pondered that a few posts/pages back. I think the top priority is getting the fuelling right first, especially given that it's mostly under 60mph on the roads around here so having a relaxed cruise is less of an issue. Next on the list I think is air con, followed by a diff swap - but at least that will keep me busy for a while!

[Guest Hooli]

I couldn't recall & was too lazy to scroll back

[mat_the_cat]

Tidying up the engine bay has commenced! This is what it looked like before; you have the relocated oil filter vying for space with the electronic speedo drive unit, the cruise control servo, an aftermarket alarm siren, and a bank of relays. Plus an auxiliary fuse box tucked behind the header tank, which I was unable to easily relocate at the time due to the length of the wires

 

 

It all looked a bit of a mess, and not like a 'factory' installation.

 

So with a bit of jiggling things around, I've managed to fix both the cruise control and speedo drive tight to the bulkhead, meaning I could do away with the steel bracket I'd made for the oil filter head. That I fixed directly to the bulkhead, so I was able to move the alarm. The fuse box was replaced with a new unit, complete with LEDs indicating whether a fuse has failed, and was fixed in a more accessible position after extending a few of the wires.

 

 

I still need to wrap the loom, but have run out of loom tape so that will have to wait for another day. I may tidy up the paintwork a bit, but not a top priority.

[mat_the_cat]

I took this for a quick trip out last night, seeing as it was dry and only the hill roads are being gritted. It was fun for a while, until I came to a stop and saw clouds of oily smoke billowing out from under the bonnet! I lifted the bonnet to find oil everywhere - while relocating the oil filter I had slackened off the unions, and forgotten to re-tighten

 

I nipped them back up, and made my way back home, burning off the split oil on the way. I confess that I hadn't bothered taxing it, as it was only a 10 mile round trip on quiet roads. So the last thing I wanted to do was smoke my way past a couple of police cars! Fortunately they seemed to ignore me, but I'm probably riding my luck a little.

 

I've been tracking the progress of my inlet manifold as it moves its way towards me from the US. All seemed to be OK until today, when the online tracker showed it's now in Turkey!

 

 

This is not looking promising...

[mat_the_cat]

It got worse! Yesterday it was showing back in the US again.

 

 

But then this morning it had been scanned in the UK, and even more surprisingly, later on it actually turned up!

 

 

Happy to say it looks in great condition, not that there's much which could go wrong with a manifold anyway. Plus it comes with the heater hose connection stub, saving a few quid. Next to find a carb!

[Rocket88]

Weber 500 worthy of consideration.....Holley 390 good option

[rainagain]

What about one of those self teaching fuel injection setups that they alway seem to use in Roadkill? Should be a fit and forget solution.

[cort1977]

Have to say that would be a good option. Think you can get the fi tech ones for 800 usd now. I would be happy to assist with shipping if required.

[mat_the_cat]

Looking at it logically, that would be an excellent option. A lot easier to tune, and more fuel efficient, EFI is superior to a carb in just about every way - my favourite description of a carburettor is "an incredibly ingenious and complex device for providing the wrong air-fuel ratio under all conditions of load and speed."

 

But if I looked at everything logically, I wouldn't be driving this car at all. For some reason I just like the idea of a purely mechanical device controlling the fuelling, plus with EFI the choke knob would be redundant! I haven't completely ruled it out, so the head may yet overrule the heart...

 

In the meantime a new roll of loom tape has arrived, so I've finished tidying up the wiring.

 

[Zelandeth]

Loom tape. Something I really need to get to finish off the injection system on the Lada...

[mat_the_cat]

Everything I've read suggests that the Rover V8 requires a small amount of coolant circulating even with the thermostat closed, so I had to pop out a blanking plug on the new manifold to allow this:

 

 

On the old manifold this was a separate stub, so this meant a new thermostat housing - unfortunately not of the highest quality as the casting fouled the manifold:

 

 

Any US readers know whether FourSeasons are the cheapest of the cheap?

 

 

Anyway, soon rectified with a bit of filing:

 

 

I had a package of gaskets arrive, so time to crack on with the job!

 

 

Out with the old...

 

 

 

Any interest in the old carbs before I stick them on eBay? New only 4 years ago so may appeal to a RR fancier after originality.

[anonymous user]

If you do end up going down the efi route, keep the choke control, but get an extra long cable that you can route up the windscreen pillar, across the headlining, dropping down to a small noose above the passenger seat, an ideal accessory to deal with ungrateful passengers.

[Bren]

The weber is a better bet. The holley is a bit much for a 3.5 - better suited to a larger capacity engine.

[mat_the_cat]

This would be the sexiest option, but at £2700 I'm ruling it out. For now...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-V8-4-x-Weber-45DCOE-Crossram-Carb-And-Manifold-Full-Kit-Webcon-UK-ADV/352212232970

 

Anyway, I was going to install my new manifold, so I turned on the garage heating, and removed the old gasket. Still pleasingly clean inside:

 

 

Only to realise a numpty mistake! I'd only ordered one of the valley seals So it'll have to wait until the next parcel arrives before I can get any further.

 

To cheer myself up, I had a spot of retail therapy and bought something shiny to sit on top of my manifold Watch this space!

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

At least you remembered one! I ALWAYS forget the damn things……  I'm now reading up on the learning FI setup mentioned.

This is a lovely old beast…. but how long before the Disco has and MoT? Don't neglect the disco!

Watching and learning.

 

Is the carb swap as simple enough plug n play or are you expecting to reroute major linkages/pipes etc...?

[JimH]

That made me smile

 

1. Notice thread title that probably relates to a Hyundai Stellar
2. Open thread, see that it indeed relates to a Hyundai Stellar
3. Smile at the idea that back in the day a number of people commented that they looked very like a Maser Biturbo.
4. Notice that the thread is over four years old and is very long.
5. Jump to last page
6. Fail to understand the relevance of a photograph of an inlet manifold from a V8.
7. Twig that this Stellar not only looks a bit like a Biturbo but probably has about the same amount of power.

 

I like it when people do daft things well.

[Rocket88]

The weber is a better bet. The holley is a bit much for a 3.5 - better suited to a larger capacity engine.

 

I had a 390 on this engine in my Consul......it was fine...........

[mat_the_cat]

Is the carb swap as simple enough plug n play or are you expecting to reroute major linkages/pipes etc...?

 

Simple answer is I don’t know for sure! I’m expecting a bit of re-plumbing of the breather system and will probably have to purchase or adapt a throttle cable to suit. The original manifold had a steel pipe bolted to the underside as a return from the heater matrix, which the new one does not have provision for; however the pipe is so pitted on the hose stubs I think it was starting to weep slightly. At £50 for a new pipe (which wouldn’t be the right shape anyway) I think I will just run one continuous hose back from the heater. Less joints so less potential leak points.

 

Fuelling - I may have to upgrade the fuel pump to cope, but it’s a case of suck and see! 

[mat_the_cat]

I now have another valley gasket seal, and I thought I'd splash out on an OEM part rather than pattern - partly to see what, if any the difference was. If you're as sad as me, you may be interested in the next few photos...

 

 

First obvious difference was the manufacturer's logo on the OEM seal - made in Wales!

http://www.bjsparts.com/

 

Second difference was the cross-hatching, which was coarser on the pattern part...

 

 

...and extended all the way up to the part of the seal which sits in the block and head notch, but not on the OEM seal.

 

 

The most noticeable difference was the feel though - the pattern part felt a lot more supple and less 'plasticy'. So in a blind test I'd have gone for that as feeling of a higher quality!

 

Onto the valley gasket itself; I've always used the composite version previously and not had any problems, but then I read this:

http://rangeroverworld.blogspot.com/2011/12/rover-v8-critical-engine-failure-from.html

 

So after the rebuild I was slightly paranoid and went for the plain tin gasket, but then I thought to myself, if there really was a widespread problem with the composite gasket, it would be all over the forums and surely would have been sorted by Land Rover when they were still a current part. I'm inclined to think that the one in the link was just a one off, so went for a composite gasket this time.

 

 

The guidance I've always read is to fit the end clamps loosely, torque down the manifold and then tighten up the clamp bolts. This is so the gasket can slide around if needed as the manifold is torqued into place. However I've found that with the gasket only loosely in place, it's a bugger to get the manifold bolts threaded in (as you can see in the photo above) because it's slightly too flat to follow the V exactly.

What I do is to fully clamp the gasket down to start with, while visually checking the gasket is sitting squarely. Once all the bolt and port holes line up well, I can then fit the manifold loosely, then release the clamp bolts, torque down the manifold and finally torque the clamp bolts.

 

Job done, and just waiting for shiny new parts to arrive!

 

 

The only slight fly in the ointment is that the new thermostat housing fouls the distributor vacuum advance, so I'll have to see whether I can twist the dizzy body to a different position (in multiples of 45 degrees (360/8)) and refit the HT leads in exactly the same position relative to the rotor arm (but a different position on the cap).

[mat_the_cat]

Christmas has come early!