Project Korean Cortina - going back in time!

[Skizzer]

Bummer.  Well, at least you got home.  Fingers crossed there's no damage, these are fairly robust lumps I think.

[mat_the_cat]

I know it's daft, but I can't help taking it personally that I needed rescuing. Firstly for not being able to fix it at the roadside (I had taken my drill and bits out after the successful Stratford run), but also the fact that my engineering judgement was at fault for thinking the shortening job was acceptable. I'll probably be a little less critical after I get some sleep, as I was picked up at 4 so by the time I got back at 8 it was too late to go to bed.

 

Full credit to Flux Rescue, who accepted my opinion it was not a roadside fix, and sent out recovery rather than a van straight away. 20 minutes from the initial phone call to get confirmation that someone was on their way, and another hour to wait for them to arrive. Not bad considering the time of night.

 

Arrival back home - my mood did not even consider taking a photo at the time of collection!

 

But onto the practical stuff. The shortened pulley is (was!) held on with an interference fit, Loctite, and a couple of roll pins half in the steel shaft, and half in the aluminium pulley. Obviously not up to the job, so the question is how to modify a replacement pump without the same thing happening again.

 

 

 

The pump is a P6 type, bought because that was already the shortest one I could find. I've had a rummage and found another new RV8 pump (not sure what for) which although longer as standard, the pulley boss is steel so may lend itself better to shortening. If the casing itself is the same,  and I think it is, it doesn't really matter whether I start with a long or short pump. Hopefully steel on steel will be more robust.

 

All I then need to do is find out what engine the replacement was for, and buy a pulley suitable for mounting to it, and line it up with crank and alternator pulleys. Running for a couple of minutes once the coolant was refilled gave no pressurisation, and no bubbles so I may have got away with it. If so then I have even more admiration for the engine, after leaving it stored for 10 years with no precautions, pumping the oil flow through a reversed filter, running with no oil pressure, and finally overheating and boiling the coolant!

[Rocket88]

electric water pump perhaps............about £85 very compact, and can be mounted pretty much anywhere...........

[twosmoke300]

They are a great idea in theory and can be set to carry on after shut down etc . However , like people with aftermarket electronic ignitions have found , it all depends on the quality .

Personally I have more faith in good old mechanical engineering

[Rocket88]

I've used Davies Craig one before, without any trouble.

[mat_the_cat]

I did have a Davies Craig one around 10 years ago, near the start of the project and planned to fit it along with the variable speed controller. At the time my wife was working for Perkins and was planning to trial it alongside a conventional pump. The project fell through, so she acquired the pump for me...

 

The only thing which put me off was the rated lifespan given in the specifications. I can't remember what it was, but think it worked out as around 20k miles at 60 mph, so I figured it would be more suited for racing applications rather than road use. Anyway, I've sold it now so would be annoying to buy one at more than I sold it for, but I haven't ruled it out totally.

 

On a happier note, I got 25 and 26 mpg on a mixture of fast A roads, a little bit of town work and a few motorway miles, so it looks like the 29 mpg at a steady 60 mph was no fluke. I also got this video (from the dashcam mentioned here) while I was down there - hopefully the engine sounds OK although everything sounds rubbish on these laptop speakers!

 

[mat_the_cat]

It seems that I don't in fact have a P6 pump after all, just one fitted with a P6 pulley. The spare I have is from a pre-94 Range Rover or Discovery, but is also too long as standard. In addition to that, the normal pulley which comes with this pump would put the belt way out of line.

 

 

After much Google image searching, I found that the one fitted to '76-82 SD1s looked like it might fit (also having a 3 bolt fixing) and was much shallower so stands a chance of getting the belt on the right line. A phone call to Rimmer Bros showed it did indeed fit so I've got one on order. In the meantime I've now cut the bare minimum off the pump to allow it to fit behind the radiator - once I have the pulley I'll fine tune the spacing either by pushing the hub on more, or with spacers; and then see how much more I can trim off to get a balance between clearance and contact area.

 

 

On an unrelated note, I've decided to replace the vacuum gauge I fitted in the dash a long while ago. I put it in more for decoration than anything else, and it looks a little tacky. Plus if I really cared about economy, I wouldn't be driving a V8!

 

 

An oil temperature gauge might be useful, as on the BX I've noticed the oil can change in temperature (40 °C) quite a lot depending on load compared to the water, which stays pretty constant. In a car where the cooling system is still an unknown in terms of capability, and the oil capacity is reduced, any extra information will be useful. There's already provision for a sender on the pump, so all I need to do is find a gauge which looks OE in appearance, which may be difficult as all the classic style ones look too old, and the modern ones too blingy!

[mat_the_cat]

In the post today was my 'new' pulley; I wonder how long it's sat on the shefl for?

 

 

I tried it on the pump and it's a perfect fit, although the centreline of the belt would be 85 mm from the gasket face rather than the 73 mm I need. But that's a good thing, as it means once I find someone with a press, all I need to do is push the pulley hub on another 12 mm (there is space behind, I've checked) and it should work!

 

 

I'll have almost the same contact area as it was designed for, plus I'll be able to gain a little more clearance between the pump and radiator, all using fairly standard parts. Another bonus is the pulley is slightly smaller than the previous one, so the pump will spin faster for better circulation.

 

I can't believe it may be this easy, so I'm fully expecting something I haven't yet considered to come round and bite me in the arse...

[mat_the_cat]

I didn't get much chance to work on it at the weekend, as Friday evening was spent over on Anglesey for part of the 2CV 24 hour race weekend, Saturday at Chester races (where I had a big cash payout...into double figures!!! (just)), then Sunday at Cholmodoley.

 

Late on Friday afternoon I popped round to my local garage which I'm getting to know a little better now. They let me use their press, and declined any offer of payment - although not the bottles of beer I dropped round later.

 

 

I then trimmed the shaft flush with the pulley hub, and gave it a quick coat of paint. After I got back yesterday I managed to swap the pump over, and am quite pleased with the alignment.

 

 

I've yet to fill with water though, and I need to get a shorter belt seeing as the pulley is smaller in diameter. Hopefully will be able to run it this afternoon though.

[mat_the_cat]

I was working from home today, and they ran out of work to send me this afternoon; seeing as it was a sunny day I thought I'd cycle to the nearest town and pop into the motor factors. They had the antifreeze which I'd run out of, but no suitable belt although a possible size should be in tomorrow. I stopped in a cafe on the way back and had an extra large toffee ice cream to make up for the disappointment...

 

With the old belt on it does turn the water pump, but it's very slack so I wouldn't want to chance it on a run. I let it idle up to temperature and all seems well - no excessive pressurisation and no leaks that I can see.

 

Next job was a much more fun one - putting in an oil temperature gauge I'd found. Earlier up the page I said I thought the vacuum gauge was a bit blingy, so I was quite pleased at the oil gauge I'd found as it almost perfectly matches the OE dials!

 

 

As I had no idea what sender I should use with it I just bought one for a Rover V8 and fitted it in the usually blanked off port on the oil pump. Before I did that though I had to play around calibrating it in boiling water. I've no idea what temperature the oil in an RV8 engine usually runs at, but based on my one experience of a car fitted with one, it sits between 80 and 120 °C depending on revs and load. So I figured that 100 °C would be good for the mid point of the needle sweep.

 

 

To get this, and still have it sat on L when cold I needed a 5 volt input to the gauge, so I just glued a 7805 regulator on the back. Testing it with a 14 volt input showed it didn't get warm as very little current is flowing.

 

[mat_the_cat]

Just got back from a successful 80 mile test run over the moors...no leaks, and all seems to be running well.

 

 

 

The oil temperature has been sitting at a pretty constant 100 °C, which seems a 'normal' figure so all in all I'm pleased with that

[mat_the_cat]

All I've been doing the last week is tidying up stuff like wiring and hoses, which I find very enjoyable. It seems like the less vital a job is, the more I want to do it! So I've been replacing some of the old add-on wiring I've put in over the years, matching the Hyundai wiring colours and running it with the original loom. Also neatened the wiring for the electric fuel pump and incorporated the fuse into the extra fuse box I've added under the bonnet.

 

 

I've actually really been enjoying driving it - sure, it rolls a lot with no front ARB and it's not fast (I'm guessing early RR ~130 bhp state of tune) but it IS a V8, and goes reasonably well. I've noticed a few heads turning as I approach, but you can almost see the disappointment on their faces as they realise what's making the noise is not some sports car but a tatty old Hyundai...

 

And as M'coli said:

 

I'm enjoying steering with no power assistance for the first time in ages.

 

I like the way it loads up when cornering quickly - it feels like you can actually hang onto the wheel and there's so much feedback on what the tyres are doing. I even had enough confidence to take it out for a spin tonight without my toolbox...maybe I'm tempting fate?

[mat_the_cat]

I found a roll of insulation in the shed, so I thought I'd make a stab at trying to keep a little bit more heat actually in the engine bay.

 

 

It's bubble wrap foil we've previously used to insulate the van, and also a semi-underground room in the house. It seems to work well - if you put your face to it you can feel the heat being radiated back -  although on the bulkhead I can't keep an air gap both sides as it's recommended to. I peeled back the original sound insulation, and laid a sheet underneath:

 

 

I've also wired in a little box to connect my phone to (on which is my entire music collection in MP3 form). This is spliced into the aerial cable via an FM modulator, and the switch below the socket cuts out any other FM signals from the aerial itself. Sound quality is a lot better than the bluetooth devices which simply transmit to an unused FM frequency to be picked up by the aerial.

 

 

What I could ideally do with if they exist, is a bluetooth steering wheel remote so I can at least change tracks on the move. Using a touchscreen (where you can't work out what you are doing by feel) is not safe on the move, and it's a pain to stop faff with the phone. I've been spoilt by USB/bluetooth stereos in the rest of the fleet, but don't want to update the one in the Stellar.

[Anglevan]

I started to get this, then you lost me when you mentioned Mp3 / Bluetooth / FM !!

And there was me at the weekend marvelling at the quality of the pushbutton Unipart radio in my 1979 Marina - pure quality

[Pillock]

 

 

What I could ideally do with if they exist, is a bluetooth steering wheel remote so I can at least change tracks on the move. Using a touchscreen (where you can't work out what you are doing by feel) is not safe on the move, and it's a pain to stop faff with the phone. I've been spoilt by USB/bluetooth stereos in the rest of the fleet, but don't want to update the one in the Stellar.

You could do play/pause/skip depending on the phone.

 

If you look at a headset, it uses a four-pole 3.5mm jack - audio left and right, ground, and mic. The clever bit is most of them have a button or two on the cable where the mic is, and they can talk to the phone by (I believe) putting a resistance between mic and GND. Different resistances give different controls, or sometimes its combinations of presses - one for play/pause, two quick for skip, hold for volume.

 

Does depend what phone you have though but I'm sure you could emulate the button presses to control the phone via something on the dash or steering wheel.

[mat_the_cat]

/\ That is excellent news, I will look into that. Volume is OK, as I have the controls on the head unit for that which I can easily operate by feel. But pausing and skipping are what I need - I tend to just play all tracks at random, and every so often you'll get a filler track or one you aren't in the mood for. If it's resistance driven, I could build something into the connector box and run a 4 core cable between that and the phone. Then hardwire some buttons/a stalk into the car rather than have something spliced into the lead.

[DS20]

I hope that the insulation works well; I've never known an engine like the Rover V-8 for heating up the passenger compartment, and it'll be a more comfortable drive if heat soak is reduced, I'm sure.

[mat_the_cat]

Well, anything's got to help! The exhaust manifolds run quite close to the bulkhead (as is the engine!) so wrapping them with insulation is a possibility but I might then run into steering column clearance issues.

 

If you look at a headset, it uses a four-pole 3.5mm jack - audio left and right, ground, and mic. The clever bit is most of them have a button or two on the cable where the mic is, and they can talk to the phone by (I believe) putting a resistance between mic and GND. Different resistances give different controls, or sometimes its combinations of presses - one for play/pause, two quick for skip, hold for volume.

 

Bingo!

http://www.wisebread.com/build-a-cable-to-control-your-android-phone-while-you-drive

 

Not sure if there's a standard for Android phones, but it's a good start. And my FIL is giving me a huge quantity of precision resistors tomorrow, which will be useful as I never seem to have the right values in stock for anything!

[Pillock]

There isn't a standard so you might have to look up values for your phone. For example, my Samsung has a headset with a play/pause button, plus skip tracks. The HTC I then had just had one button, hold to skip.

[mat_the_cat]

I confess that I cheated with the controls, and found a ready-made lead:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141021626502

 

Arrived today, and with the aid of the Smart Key app I can customise the button presses to suit my requirements. Plus I can take the lead and use it in the van too, as although the head unit in that has a USB connection, folder navigation is a pain so easier to use the phone's music player.

 

I went along to the XM/AS meet at Cosford at the weekend, and all went well. The plugs seemed a bit on the white side when I had a look at them prior to the run, so I'm wondering if it's running slightly weak. Although, on the way back it was noticeably more powerful as the temperature dropped, which would suggest the less dense hot air coming from the exhaust manifolds is an issue. To be resolved... But I really do feel like I'm living the (admittedly fairly modest) dream

 

And in other news I have my 5 minutes of fame!

 

 

I'd emailed Practical Performance Car with the idea that they might put a paragraph and photo in Reader's Cars. But they liked the story enough to run a full feature!

[Danblez]

Thoroughly deserved too!

[mat_the_cat]

Minor update - went to meet Mrs_the_cat for a meal on her way back from work, and as it was a clear sky the temperature dropped quite quickly. Such a difference in performance! So I do need to look into cold air ducting.

 

Had a nice meal in Betws y Coed, and then I followed her home...kept up with her MINI Cooper well, although she definitely had the edge on cornering It was a great drive though - you know how it is when all the corners just seem to flow together perfectly? Very happy with it all, and still got 24 mpg when I filled up

[Bren]

I confess that I cheated with the controls, and found a ready-made lead:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141021626502

 

Arrived today, and with the aid of the Smart Key app I can customise the button presses to suit my requirements. Plus I can take the lead and use it in the van too, as although the head unit in that has a USB connection, folder navigation is a pain so easier to use the phone's music player.

 

I went along to the XM/AS meet at Cosford at the weekend, and all went well. The plugs seemed a bit on the white side when I had a look at them prior to the run, so I'm wondering if it's running slightly weak. Although, on the way back it was noticeably more powerful as the temperature dropped, which would suggest the less dense hot air coming from the exhaust manifolds is an issue. To be resolved... But I really do feel like I'm living the (admittedly fairly modest) dream

 

And in other news I have my 5 minutes of fame!

 

 

 

 

DSC_8905.jpg

 

I'd emailed Practical Performance Car with the idea that they might put a paragraph and photo in Reader's Cars. But they liked the story enough to run a full feature!

 

Suprised it was'nt along the lines of " knock up a V8 hyundai stellar in your lunch break" or something similar to what they normally print.

[mat_the_cat]

No problems to report, and clicked over 1000 miles since getting it back on the road. Last night I thought I'd better take a look at the roof gutters, as the driver's side especially was looking a bit fragile.

 

 

 

They have a plastic trim (yes, I know about the overspray ) on which I'd always been wary of trying to remove, in case the brittle 30 year old quality* Korean plastic shattered. But there' no way I'd be able to do a proper repair with it in place, so I bit the bullet and amazingly got both sides off in one piece!

 

The passenger side looks to be OK underneath, a bit of pitting but I reckon I should be able to take it back to bare steel without going through. But this is the worse bit, although it's better than I thought/feared.

 

 

The gutter lip will obviously need to be replaced, but it shouldn't be too tricky to match up and in any case will be partially hidden when I put the trim back on.

 

[Six-cylinder]

Tricky repair.

[RayMK]

I was looking for information about the Stellar's front wheel bearings and the search engine brought me here.  Glad it did!   Congratulations on a tenacious rebuild and it's so nice to see people showing enthusiasm for the Stellar.  Early in the thread someone posted a photo of a Stellar spotted at Stanford Hall (E591BRM).  That one is mine, and no, it has not been bangered, it's in daily use.  I have owned it since 2010 but bought it simply because I had one brand new in 1986, keeping it until 1991 and 100.000 miles plus.  That was an SL, no electric windows, fewer instruments and generally very Cortina underneath except for the engine and gearbox which were Mitsubishi of course.  My current Stellar is a 1988 GSL, bought with 32,000 miles recorded (seemed genuine), now showing 67,000.  All four electric windows are still in perfect working order  .  I have no idea why such a conventional, hum-drum car is so enjoyable to own and drive, but I love them.

[mat_the_cat]

Anotherfan Yours are likely to be different wheel bearings being a 1988 model, but I often see them popping up in my eBay alerts. Back in 2000 I had a wheel bearing fail on me part way through a 600 mile trip with a trailer to collect a motorbike. It was a pain at the time, but with hindsight getting recovered saved several hours of driving, plus probably a tank of fuel. New bearing was a tenner!

 

My dad had the SL version, so I guess I have him to thank in a way, as if I hadn't spent much of my childhood in one, I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought as a first car! Nostalgia has a lot to answer for...

 

BTW, if you need any bits give me a shout. I obviously want to keep a reasonable stash, but I do have a few duplicate spares, as well as some (bought in error) parts for the later facelifted cars.

[RayMK]

b***er.  My post escaped before I had finished composing and has now gone to the moderators because I'm still on probation.

 

Good luck with your gutter repair.  As someone commented, it looks a bit tricky, though seeing what you have already repaired, well within your obvious ability.

[mat_the_cat]

Cheers, I'd have to say that my repairs are probably best described as functional though! In my favour though, are the facts that it's mostly hidden, distortion shouldn't be an issue and it looks (ha!) to be pretty localised. Biggest worry is damaging the one-off windscreen with grinding or welding sparks, so utmost care will be taken!

 

I'll probably not be using it much over the winter, so plan to tackle the bodywork at leisure and eventually get it resprayed in the original silver. Doing it in bite size chunks, without it being in pieces for ages I think will be the key - as it's all too easy (for me at least) to lose motivation on a bigger job. Still wondering about trying the respray myself...I think I could get a finish I'd be happy with (i.e not perfect) but not sure how durable it'd be compared to a pro job?

[dollywobbler]

My 2CV was treated to a pro job almost nine years ago. I wouldn't worry about durability. It's knackered now! I'd also avoid two pack, because it's crap.