I thought I might start a thread on this project so if anyone else decides to do it then they can get some ideas. Also if anyone can give me any tips it would be awesome, as this is the first time I have done this and I am not a mechanic!

My engine(SR20DET, formally an SR18DE) has a blown head gasket so I took the head off to get reconditioned. I got the head returned last week after being planed, having the valve guides and stem seals all replaced, full valve grind and a good wash.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9155.jpg

This is it last week before I started attacking the delooming. Yes, now you can see how bad this needs a tidy up :eek:

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9149.jpg

I removed a whole lot of stuff and started to unravel all the wires

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9165.jpg

The biggest loom is the relay box so I decided to hit that first.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9167.jpg

And this is where I plan on mounting the relay box. All the plugs on the side of the box actually come off seperately and can be hidden in the guard leaving just the relay box. The power steering resevoir I will be relocating to the front running some new hoses either through the guards or down low and ill delete the ugly lines that you can see that run to the front for cooling. Im going to install a wee power steering radiator up the front to cool it down instead.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9168.jpg

The power steering resevoir I will be relocating to the front running some new hoses either through the guards or down low and ill delete the ugly lines that you can see that run to the front for cooling. Im going to install a wee power steering radiator up the front to cool it down instead.Remove the hardlines going to the front, install the stock SE-R mini-power steering cooler, which goes directly under the reservoir, and use the B14 reservoir, it'll be much cleaner looking, and doesn't require any fabrication other than shortening the rubber line coming out of the bottom of the reservoir.

C

Ive relocated all the wires at the front of the car to the outside of the engine bay!

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9176.jpg

Ive taken out the power steering lines that run to the front and the also the resevoir. I will sort the rest of that out when I get my new power steering cooler next week. For the relocation of the wires of the relay box, theres a small loom of about 6 wires that needs to be run through the guard. The rest can just be rerouted around the front under the headlights.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9175.jpg

This is where I will be joining everything on the drivers side. All the wires are long enough to be joined without extending them. Sweet!!

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9180.jpg

On the passenger side, the plug you can see is the only thing that needs to be run through the guard. Everything else can be run out the front. Oh wait, another thing that will need to be run through the guard is the main feed for the fuse box from the battery.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9174.jpg

looks good.

Ive been slack lately, but I spent a couple a hours on it last night. Removed the gearbox.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9242.jpg

I bought a power steering cooler as I removed all the piping from the front

http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoserver/tq/82/12223082.jpg

I removed the power steering line that runs up behind the strut and to the left of the brake booster. No one seems to be giving me any info on the topic so im just going to go ahead with my idea and see what happens :teeeth:

BEFORE
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9239before.jpg

AFTER
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9239after.jpg

Since you have got things torn down that far....... If there is the slightest question about the power steering boots, replace them while they are easy to get to

looks like its coming along nicely. Ill be watching

Lifted the engine out last week

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9253.jpg


And tonight I removed a few more things from the front and the bay


http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9255.jpg


And I started stripping some paint away. The stripping wheel I got for my grinder didnt last very long!!

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9254.jpg

I wish i had a garage. I live out in the country so i have to work out ion my dirt driveway lol.

keep it coming, good luck - H.

sub'd


ill be doing something similar soon also :biggthump

looks good.

Looking good. 1 recommendation though. Dont use those crimp connectors, use solder and heat shrink.

Looking good. 1 recommendation though. Dont use those crimp connectors, use solder and heat shrink.

Thanks for the input, but I think I will stick with the crimp joiners. What is the advantage of soldering with heat shrink?

wickeddd ita giving me ideas...

Less chance of failed connections and once you heat shrink it it will keep the elements out of it and help fight corrosion.

Ive just been cleaning up the engine and various other parts this weekend, but have bought all the filler, etc for doing the engine bay. I have decided not to fill all the holes in the bay as its going to be too much work for my lazy arse. It will be painted black anyways so you wont see them that well.

Heres some pics, note that they are not painted they have been polished.

Before
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9273.jpg

After
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9303.jpg

Before
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9300.jpg

After
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9305.jpg

Before
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9306.jpg

After
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9314.jpg

And I also painted the panels below the windscreen
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9317.jpg

looking good so far!

would suggest gettin some high temp engine paint in cast aluminum and spray everything down...it will keep the engine looking freshly detailed much longer....as aluminum reacts to everything and will not look that nice in a few days of being on the road....

Im borrowing the welder from work this weekend to fill in the holes, but Im just wondering about the seams. I have grinded the seam sealer so its flat, can I just use filler straight over the seam sealer? I already started filling over some seams but thought I better ask before I went any furthur....

Time for an update, I borrowed the welder from work and started getting rid of all the holes. Bear with me as this is my first time using a welder haha. I have learnt a shitload doing this and as some of the metal around the guards is uber thin it makes it very hard as even with the welder on the lowest setting still blew new holes. I ended up tacking steel plates behind most of the holes.

Heres a progress pic of the filling of the holes.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9334.jpg


And heres after an age of grinding and dead arms.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9343.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9345.jpg


So I have about another night or 2 of welding and grinding the last of the holes. I am keeping the two holes on the floor of both sides as I am going to have the power steering reservoir and the overflow bottle caps sticking out pretty much flush where they come out. I have also welded all the holes in the radiator support but I couldnt get any good pics of it.

The slowest progress thread has another update! Ive finished welding up all the holes I wanted done. Did most of them on the guards, the top of the radiator support, and the top of the firewall.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9386.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9387.jpg


I gave it a coat of etch primer coz its taking so freakin long and rust is starting to appear lol. Ive started the smoothing of the holes.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9408.jpg

And I bought a new radiator last week.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/nxtacy/DSCF9401.jpg