ZMANALEX Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 2008 oem bulge bonnet. The definative fix Only one left in stock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted December 18, 2010 Author Share Posted December 18, 2010 Well guys call me a wuss, but I have decided that it probably isn't the best idea to take the engine apart this morning on a gravel drive covered in snow and ice. Had a couple of inches overnight and its now coming down thick and fast. Actually got the tools out of the shed and lifted the bonnet. Stood for a couple of minutes head under the bonnet checking out the positions of bolts how to remove the strut bar air intake pipe etc etc. No problem should only take 15 mins! Think a 10mm spacer might just fit. Looked around for the tools and they had 1/2" of snow on them. Mmmm when I drop a bolt dont think I'm gonna find it. Dont have a garage to put the car in since it became a downstairs loo and utility for the missus. Therefore wont be scanning the gasket this morning. Ho Hum no excuse now not to go shopping! Needless to say it will be in the Ka not the Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren-B Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 Another Zed from Crawley down I think you maybe better waiting for the 8mm plate as you may have an issue with clearances & rubbing with the larger 10mm spacer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 Another Zed from Crawley down I think you maybe better waiting for the 8mm plate as you may have an issue with clearances & rubbing with the larger 10mm spacer you'd need larger spacers under the strut, but i reckon it will still clear with no rubbing. the hirev bonnet is a good idea though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Another Zed from Crawley down I think you maybe better waiting for the 8mm plate as you may have an issue with clearances & rubbing with the larger 10mm spacer Well if I do cut the 10mm and its too big then I will just cut an 8mm one no real problem. It literally only takes a couple of mins, if that, to cut one of these on a laser cutter once you have the program. The cost is ( if its not a one off foreigner) £100's per hour but cycle times very low. I know that the existing kits come with nylon spacers for the centre 6 bolts on the plenum as this both spaces and seals in one but as this is a one off I think I will cut spacers from the ali plate the same thickness as the spacer and then use a gasket to seal top and bottom of the spacer. Does anyone see a problem with this apart from getting it all to stick onto the longer bolt once its upside down, and i think I have a solution for this. I have read somewhere in a guide to fitting a spacer that the gasket is metal, is this true? If so how does anyone know how thick is it and what metal its made of. As long as its not copper ( Reflection of the laser energy from copper can blow out mirrors and cost a lot of money) and 0.5mm thick minimum then I could just cut another gasket to go with the spacer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 don't forget the spacers for the strutbrace as you'll have to lift that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Well, as the snow has gone and I'm back to work I will try to get my gasket off on Sat morning and get it scanned. Can't scan the top of the plenum itself as the laser scans from the top with a laser mounted 2 meters above the scanning glass and reads from below as a normal scanner. Ideal for flat objects but not too good on 3D items. I have had a look at the space I need and am quite sure I can fit a 10mm spacer without a problem. 1m x 1m 0.25mm gasket sheet from E-Bay is about £6 to make my own extra gasket which I would prefer to liquid gasket. Spacers for the strut will have to be washers as now I have had a better look I can see the mountings are cranked, and so full plates are impractical even though I have access to a press brake. I have a few ideas about the central spacers. Watch this space for pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Mission Success Took the gasket off Sat morning. Only took the outside bit off by cutting the gasket in 2 places where it bridges to the inside bit. This wont matter as the bridge dosnt seal anything. Scored it with a knife and it broke clean on the score mark with a couple of flexes. Took it to the scanner and did the reverse engineering bit. I now have an Autocad drawing of the gasket which I can laser cut from Aluminium. I will get this done at some point during the week and will post photos of it being cut. (You can go here http://www.virtek.ca/products_inspection_LaserQC.asp and click on the reverse engineering link in videos if you are interested how the scanner thing works.) Photos below of the process. Gasket ready for scanning. Scanner Head Gasket being scanned See next post for more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 See previous post for start. Software writing drawing file. Drawing ready for export to Autocad. This now needs downloading to the laser software which will write the code to cut it with a few mouse clicks. Should have a plenum spacer by this time next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andlid Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 cool! do you not need the middle gasket though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 cool! do you not need the middle gasket though? Not for the spacer itself you dont, although I will need to find some way to seal the centre 6 bolts to stop them sucking air. Normally done with nylon spacers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andlid Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 cool! do you not need the middle gasket though? Not for the spacer itself you dont, although I will need to find some way to seal the centre 6 bolts to stop them sucking air. Normally done with nylon spacers. mmm my pure plenum kit came with the middle gasket to help with the nylon spacer's keeping tight in the middle, do think you might get air sucked up (down really) from the 6 middle bolts otherwise?, some DYI gasket on tube might sort that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 I have done a bit of work on the scanned drawing, widened it a bit, and increased the size of the holes to a 7mm clearance on M6 bolts, put a bit more meat around the edges etc. I got the gasket cut last night but still had no 8mm material. We had 6mm on the laser so just slipped it in with that. I will check out the fit make sure there are no modifications to the cutting needed and may make an 8mm one when we have material in. 2mm doesn't sound much but its 25% down on the 8mm. I have cut 6mm spacers for the strut brace and am having 6mm nylon spacers machined for the middle bit. Bolts are ordered 5mm longer than stock which I will pick up later. Finished product. If it all fits ok I may get a quote off my company to cut a few or if not I will be able to PM the drawing file in DXF if someone wants it.... For personal use!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andlid Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Well done! So the thickness of the spacers is 6mm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Well done! So the thickness of the spacers is 6mm? Thickness of plenum spacer I had cut yesterday was 6mm as we had no 8mm plate. Normally 5/16" (=7.9mm) or 1/2" with modified strut brace. Strut brace spacers cut at 6mm also but may have to use trial and error to get this right. Nylon spacers are thicker as they cup onto the plenum itself in the centre but will be machined to suit a 6mm rise at the moment. I may also cut my own 0.4mm metal gasket to seal the plenum outer edge The whole thing is still a work in progress and needs proving by fitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jollyranchers Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 watching with interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andlid Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Fair play for all the R&D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Got a spare hour or two today so did a trial fit of the 6mm spacer I cut a couple of weeks ago. Still waiting for 6mm and 8mm internal spacers to be machined from nylon , these are being done as a favour by a mate so I have to wait until he has time on his lathe, so I couldn't try it out with the engine running. The plenum spacer fits perfectly as I would expect as all the location holes are from the laser scan of the original metal gasket. I think I have added enough meat to the original gasket, blended out the profile around bolt holes and added meat where the plenum is wider than the gasket. Its not a perfect copy of the plenum chamber outline varying here and there by a mm or so but its close enough to look good and it will function with no problems. I fitted all the original bolts and tightened it up hand tight and it looks fine. Longer bolts will be used when fitted permanently. Just got to wait for the centre spacers and I will fit it properly and take her for a run. I am not sure whether to use gasket paper for the top of the spacer or to cut another thin steel gasket, the original metal gasket is 0.4mm thick which I can cut on the laser but we don,t carry in stock. The thinnest we go is 0.6mm, alternatively I could use a 0.4mm paper gasket, What do you reckon would be best all you mechanics out there.?? Don't suggest liquid gasket as its a pane to remove. Well on the way to a plenum spacer solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Nice job, I'm sure oiled paper will be fine if you're against using liquid gasket (there is more than one type), but TBH i can't see a problem, as your unlikely to remove it once fitted. One suggestion about using nylon for the spacers, if you're actually going to market a kit then i would be inclined to go for alloy or steel spacers, as it would stop any possibility of anyone over tightening and causing cracking of the plenum, or the possibility of the nylon splitting and being displaced/falling into the inlet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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