Project Korean Cortina - going back in time!

[mat_the_cat]

Thanks, only just noticed your post. Any thread on the Pony?

 

Last trip of the year today for the Stellar...I want to keep it away from the worst of the weather. It just gets so muddy (rural roads, plus our track) taking it out now, and washing it takes days to dry off So dosed with fuel stabiliser, and 'tucked up' in the garage:

 

 

The USB adaptor is working pretty well, although annoying to have an 8 character filename limit, and it doesn't display filename AND folder name without changing the mode. But a definite improvement over using a phone!

 

[RayMK]

Unfortunately, mine sits outside and is in use throughout the year.  Yes, it's going rusty, mainly around the rear arches.  My garage is hogged by my 1961 Reliant, a fibre glass bodied car.  There must me logic in that.  Possibly.

[mat_the_cat]

I had one more trip in it today, as the weather was OK, and it was still taxed There's a bit of a clonk from the front suspension, so I'll have to investigate that shortly - surprising though, as it was all brand new in the rebuild.

 

You'd think that by now I'd be happy with the sounds, but I'm clearly a picky bugger! Whilst I can't fault the sound quality, I'm just not getting on with the head unit. The buttons are mostly the same by feel, the white LEDs are a bit too bright and don't match the dash illumination (a pet hate), you have to fold down the front to load a CD (which I still do from time to time), and lastly, I much prefer the old Pioneer logo! A vacuum florescent display would be much more in keeping for an 80s car, but the chances of finding a suitable retro unit that I can get a USB input for are slim to nil I think

[Pillock]

This head unit looks quite subtle

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sub-Zero-ICE-Car-CD-MP3-WMA-USB-SD-MMC-Radio-Tuner-Aux-In-Head-Unit-Player-/111810774775?hash=item1a087106f7:g:fJ4AAOSwd0BV23iU

or

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Stereo-Head-Usb-Sd-Card-Unit-Sub-Zero-Ice-Ss5107-Free-Delivery-/281755875515?hash=item4199f578bb:g:dLIAAOSw3ydVr6U-

Google suggests backlit orange illumination

[mat_the_cat]

Aye, there'll be something out there. Shame it's orange illumination though. Alpines seem to have quite a retro design, so may look at them too.

 

I guess not a burning issue for the next few months though!

[mat_the_cat]

I investigated the front suspension clunking today - turned out to be nothing serious, just a loose front brake caliper 

 

Sorted that, and all seems quiet again. Puzzling why it's taken 4000 miles to loosen off though.

[mat_the_cat]

This seems to tick most of the boxes!

 

Pleasingly simple design, and green illumination to match the dash. Shame about the blue volume control, but otherwise good.

 

 

Or perhaps this, to match the fake wood already on the dashboard...

 

[mat_the_cat]

Finally, I have got something I'm 100% happy with!

 

 

There's something rather satisfying about getting old technology to work with a device which didn't even exist when it was made Sounds great, and another plus point over the last one is that is has a pause button - strangely the only way to pause playback was to navigate through a menu!

 

Next step getting DAB to work with it too, all controlled from the head unit?

[mat_the_cat]

Look what Santa brought!

 

 

 

A pair of adjustable dampers for the front, which I think feels slightly under-damped. I will probably buy the rears to match, and do them all in one go.

And a new keyring She's even managed to find one from the mid-80s, with the old Hyundai logo; must have taken some searching and I'm touched by the attention to detail!

[fordperv]

I think the gaz stuff is great, the after sales service is great from them also, the best thing I ever did for my sierra's were to fit gaz coilovers they give a nice firm but comfortable ride and to top it off they are fully rebuildable

[thedonkey]

As some may remember, I've spent a bit of time trying to improve the sound system in the Stellar - specifically getting music from my phone to play easily and safely. Initially I was playing them through an FM transmitter spliced into the aerial line, which wasn't perfect sound wise and also rather quiet. The aux-in lead had a button through which I could control basic playback functions, so was safer than using my phone screen!

 

When I upgraded the head unit to the one I'd always wanted in my youth, I could then use the CD changer input as an aux-in, which improved sound a little but it was still quiet, and control of tracks wasn't the easiest with the button on the lead. But then I found that back in the early 2000s, Pioneer did an accessory which connected to the CD changer port, allowing a USB input! Full control from the head unit, and track titles too Presumably discontinued as it didn't encourage people to upgrade their head units...

 

I'd been looking for a while but any that did come up were used and over £100 Until I found one BNIB for sale over the pond for $25 - better still it was Canadian dollars so only £12.50! It was on a community sell/swap webpage, so I applied to join. Unfortunately they wouldn't let 'outsiders' in, so I emailed one of the admins to explain the situation. She agreed to contact the seller, but sadly they didn't want the bother of packaging it, finding the cost to the UK etc.

 

So I thought that was that. But the admin then offered to buy it and post it herself, and when I told her to add something on for the time and trouble, told me she didn't want any extra, just to pay the favour forwards! Anyway, long story short and all that, here's what arrived today:

 

DSC_61211.JPG

This now up for sale or keeping it? Id be interested in the headunit and usb adaptor

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[mat_the_cat]

I've sold the head unit I'm afraid, and I'm still using the USB adaptor!

[mat_the_cat]

I'd suffered from fuel vaporisation in traffic one day last year, so I wondered if there was anything I could do about it. Slow movement as OK, just stationary idling seemed to cause the issue so I figured if I could manually turn on the radiator fans, that could only help. They were only coming on for maybe 50% of the time which was fine for keeping the engine cool, but not enough to prevent heat build up in the fuel lines.

 

As I'm planning to fit AC at some point (and part of the loom was in place from the factory) I decided to use that as the switch, as whenever that's on it will need the fans anyway. Nice and simple job to run a wire from the AC relay to the fan relay, via a diode to prevent the AC being operated by the fan temperature switch!

 

 

I fired it up to keep everything moving freely, and to start with one of the valve lifters was sticking. It sounded pretty rough but cleared after a few minutes It has been a few months since running it I reckon, so not too worried. Idling a bit high though, so may be an air leak somewhere.

 

Next job is to improve the handing - I have a full set of adjustable dampers, rear bump stops (currently missing), and a front anti-roll bar (also missing!) to try and squeeze in somehow. Watch this space!

[mat_the_cat]

Now free of tapping, but it still sounds a bit crap on these speakers at least - a lot better in real life!

 

[Anglevan]

Progress is looking good. Enjoy the updates on this one. As an update from me, I bought one of those fuel gauge whizz things for my anglia to calibrate the nissan sender to anglia gauge and it worked a treat so thanks for the tip.

[mat_the_cat]

Brief update is that I've fitted the rear dampers and bump stops!

 

 

The latter were a real PITA, and in fact why I gave up fitting them when I reassembled the suspension many years ago. The problem is you have to push the rubber over a small 'mushroom' on the underside of the car. But all the rubber wants to do is compress!

 

I managed it by finding a piece of pipe the same diameter as the mushroom head, and then sliding the bump stop over it whilst in the open. Then it was a simple job of getting underneath the car, and sliding it off the pipe and into the fitting

[mat_the_cat]

I've put the front dampers on now, a nice simple job.

 

 

I've set them all to minimum, and if it ever stops raining I'll take it out and get a feel for it. I figure if I set them to be at one extreme, I'll just firm them up until it feels too harsh, then back off one notch.

 

So I've now got a set of barely used Monroe dampers surplus to requirements:

 

 

The rear ones are quite unusual in that they have extra springs, technically coilovers although they don't actually replace the existing springs. I vaguely remember them being an aftermarket mod aimed at estates, to cope with heavy loads better. I bought them as them they looked cool

 

Then it was on to trying to fit a front ARB. I've got hold of a 16 mm one for a Mk3 Cortina which looked like it would clear the sump - the Hyundai one fouled the crank pulley. I've got it almost in position and it looks as though there is just about space for it but very tight against the oil pump. However, neither the original brackets or the Ford ones will hold it in the right position, although the latter are closer.

 

 

But first I have to get the drop link bushes in place, then I can work out exactly where the new brackets need to be. But they're being stubborn, not helped by being cold so I'll try dunking them in some boiling water beforehand.

[RayMK]

The new dampers and an anti-roll bar should considerably improve the ride and handling.  If the rain ever stops you'll be able to give it a good test.  I'll bet that you are longing for the opportunity.

 

A few years ago I had a Ginetta G26.  It sat on mainly standard Cortina MK3/4 suspension and I bought a NOS pair of those spring assisted dampers to raise the ride height a bit (I got fed-up with the floor clouting the road on country lanes and B roads).  I tried to fit them but could not get the suspension to drop far enough to accommodate the extra length.  My spring compressors wouldn't fit them either, and I could not find a safe way to compress them. I was probably being over cautious, due to some potentially limb altering events when the clamps slipped on the front springs of my Renault 12 a few years earlier. In a rare rational moment when tidying my garage I threw spring assisted things away.  I did swap the almost new standard dampers from the G26 to my Stellar and put the tired ones on the Ginetta, so the effort wasn't entirely wasted.  Sadly, the front suspension on my Stellar is different, otherwise I would have been interested in the front dampers.

 

PS: I'll probably attend Shitefest as a day visitor, so there may be a rare photo opportunity to catch two Stellars together.  I won't get mine too close to yours in case my rust is contagious.  May need some posts and rope to keep the hundreds of excited shiters off    .

[mat_the_cat]

I look forwards to seeing you (and your car!) in the flesh

[mat_the_cat]

One of those rare moments where everything goes much better than planned tonight!

 

I managed to get the drop link bushes in place, and connected up the anti-roll bar at both ends. Then lowered the wishbones on to blocks of wood, so that the weight was taken by the suspension rather than axle stands under the chassis legs. I could then see where the ARB needed to be in normal use.

 

I'd resigned myself to having to modify the ARB brackets, but as it happened if I swapped the Hyundai brackets over to the opposite side, they fitted the position of the new ARB perfectly to give (hopefully) just enough clearance for the engine.

 

Tight but looks like it was made for the job:

 

All done!

 

I'll probably replace the old bushes with some PU versions, as they came with the ARB and are of unknown age. But for now I'm well chuffed!

[dollywobbler]

An alternative to having the cooling fans coming on may have been a small fan near the fuel system. Didn't Renault 5 turbos have a fan for the carburettor?

[andy18s]

Maybe a bit of heat wrap on the exhaust manifolds? Silver foil on the fuel pipe or even just a slight re-routing of the feed pipe?

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[mat_the_cat]

Maybe a bit of heat wrap on the exhaust manifolds? Silver foil on the fuel pipe or even just a slight re-routing of the feed pipe?

 

I'd like some exhaust wrap, but the problem is space! Especially around the steering column.

 

 

I've deliberately routed the fuel pipe via the wheel arch (rather than up the chassis leg into the engine bay), then below the radiator to the fuel pump. So I think routing is about as good as I can get it at that point, so insulation might be the only choice, or maybe moving the pump so that there is no pipework in the engine bay which is under suction.

[mat_the_cat]

Good news and bad news tonight!

 

Good news is that a) it has stopped raining and we've had a decent frost so I could take it for a spin up our track without covering it in mud, and taking ages to dry out. It was fantastic to be behind the wheel again, even though it was only first gear stuff. Too soon to detect any suspension improvements, but felt smooth enough over the bumps.

 

Bad news is I have two problems to sort out. Firstly it has always been prone to steaming up since I got it back on the road, although I am pretty sure there is no rainwater leak. The giveaway clue tonight was a wisp of steam coming from the air vents, with a whiff of coolant. I've never actually had a heater matrix fail on me before, but I think it's a dead cert.

 

There is no way to remove the matrix from the heater unit in-situ annoyingly, although there's enough room to one side. The factory workshop manual reckons it's a dash out job, but I think there may just be enough room to wiggle the whole thing out on the passenger side. Then split the heater casing and get the matrix recored - assuming my Hyundai dealer doesn't have one on the shelf...

 

Second problem is electrical - normally my cup of tea but this is a bit of a puzzle. Battery is good, and I rebuilt the alternator with new brushes, regulator and diodes in 2014, to try and cure the same problem! Below about 1000 rpm the charge voltage drops right down, dragging the whole system to around 9-10 volts, depending on electrical load. All the lights flicker, which suggested a failed diode and why I got a rebuilt kit for the alternator in the first place. However I never checked what the true cause was.

 

It improved when I rebuilt it, although the flickering/low voltage was still there, but I think magnified now due to the cold weather. I'm wondering if the alternator is simply turning too slowly due to a pulley size mismatch? It's a bit annoying having the radio cut out at idle when the cooling fans kick in! Dashboard voltmeter gives 14 volts of so when revving, but I've not put a meter on the battery (to get a more accurate figure) when running yet as I'd need an assistant for that.

 

Tempting to throw money at the problem and get one of these:

http://www.ratsport.com/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=9667763&XMLOpt1=0&XMLOpt2=-1&RelatedPdtIDs=

[mat_the_cat]

After 6 hours I've got the matrix out! It was quite a struggle, although better than removing the whole dashboard. Main problem was the water connections, as there were rigid pipes attached to the back of the heater unit, which went through the bulkhead. So you have to move it forwards to some extent before you can slide it sideways.

 

 

Out!

 

 

Would have been so much easier if you could just get the matrix out without splitting the casing

 

 

I've pressure tested it and the leak seems to be between the plastic and aluminium. No idea whether this is repairable, or if I need a new one making from scratch. I've emailed a company who build them, so let's see what they say...

[Rocket88]

Phakt.....all vehicles are constructed by dangling the heater matrix from a rafter in the factory, and then building the rest of the car around it...............

[Noel Tidybeard]

try putting a 2w bulb in the battery light instead of a 1.2w if that is possible- this is the genuine fix to sort out lazy alernators on metros etc from ealy 80's

 

all the montegos and maestros i had also had a 2w bulb designated by a red holder instead of white!

[mat_the_cat]

That is a very good idea, thanks! It will lower the revs at which charge starts...thinking about it the Lucas ACR may actually need a higher wattage bulb than whatever alternator Hyundai fitted!

[mat_the_cat]

Bad news is my matrix isn't deemed repairable - it's not crimped construction but the end tanks are moulded onto the core. Good news is they can make another from brass and copper, including the fitment for the original heater valve on the side of it. That was my worry about getting one made from scratch, but it doesn't seem like a major problem although obviously extra cost.

 

Regarding the ignition light, I've read of 2.2 watts being used with Lucas 18ACR alternators, and I've only got a 1.2 watt fitted to mine so I thought that might be the problem! But, according to the Hyundai wiring diagram there should be a 65 ohms resistor across the bulb giving a combined resistance of around 42 ohms. A 2.2 watt bulb has a resistance of 65 ohms, so assuming that resistor is in place the excitation current will be lower in this application than most. Hmmm. Might still try a different bulb though...

[mat_the_cat]

More shiny bits! Well, blue and not shiny actually... 

 

 

I've replaced the bushes on the newly fitted ARB with some PU bushes. Not so much for the harder feel, but for the longevity seeing as aftermarket rubber bushes are a complete lottery regarding quality. Even if you pay more you don't know whether it's going towards increased profit rather than better quality! I've had Superflex on the rear axle since 2000, which have lasted well so they've gone on most of the other suspension bushes during the rebuild.

Suspension upgrades now complete I think, apart from adjusting the dampers