Right here we go.. I brought This..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/27102006030-small.jpg
and after looking at it a bit and planning to start, 5 mins after getting it back it ended like this
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/02122006073-small.jpg
that was it for day 1, time to go home but the weekend after and a lot of £ spent later we arrived back with one of these engine, box, wiring everything to get her running...
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/02122006053.jpg
So who thinks it aint gonna fit??
Any way a bit of elbow grease and we pulled the old engne out of the spit and had a car looking like this
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/28122006084-small.jpg
So that was early Dec / Jan and the whole project slowed down over christmas due to it bein so cold!!
but we managed to do bits here and there...
Lots of this
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/29122006096-small.jpg
and we ended up cutting out sections of the chassic and replacing them with 2 new smaller members as the sump was right in the way,
It'll be fine! hopfully... hehe but after weeks and weeks of measuring, re measuring, trial fitting welding cutting and gosh knows how much McDonalds food we got to this stage
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/28122006093-small-001.jpg
See it fits, just! A touch of the baulk head has been cut back but not as much as we thought!
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/28122006085-small.jpg
More delays due to bad weather, but delays did mean time for shopping so I've brought a new solid hood for the winter months with a funky glass top
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/29122006109-small01.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/29122006107-small.jpg
Right now we must be at mid spring by this point and a big step has been taken....
Are you ready??
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/01042007147-small.jpg
YEP IT FITS!!
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/01042007148-small.jpg
And even the gear stick will end up in a really good position for the driver
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/28122006094-small.jpg
Lots of measuring time well spent!
So now with the engine actually in i turned my attention to the wiring loom which came out of a bag looking like this
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/Spitsxoriginalloom.jpg
This is proberbly the biggest pain on the job so far to be honest, its taken weeks of sorting, its still not all sorted but i've done as much as i could (before my mum killed me for getting dirt everywhere inside) and the last few bits will be done on the car, this is what i've managed to squeeze it down to....
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/25012007118-small.jpg
Just a quick bit in here to mention the 'other' problem with doin this type of swap and wanting it to look 'correct' the dials have been fun, I wanted somthing custom but classic, Digi gauges were out the question, far too modern, so with some scanning, a bit of art work on a computer and with the use of some cusotm brackets i managed to re-face the Nissan dials into the Spitfire housings and ended up with this...
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/09022007123-small.jpg
And in the dash (note dash to be re-covered in wallnut)
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/22032007135.jpg
Ok peep's were now starting to come up to date, these next few shots explain themselves..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/01042007151-small.jpg
Bonnet on, ah poo it don't fit over the engine, so...
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/14042007005-small.jpg
Thats right, cut cut.. I had to get Sasky to do this bit, was too scared of buggering it up
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/14042007004-small.jpg
all braced out to clear the engine
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/14042007002-small.jpg
See it's only a little bulge!
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/15042007011.jpg
It's gonna take a lot of work to sort this issue out, but time will make it look better..
Yes I have no idea how to turn picture around, just turn your heads!
Ok, this was 2 weeks ago, lots been goin on including the order of new AVO coilover suspension which was fitted last weekend, pics to follow once i get then up loaded but for now this was how it was all comming together as of 2 weeks ago, my order at Demon tweeks came in and the first section of exhaust was built....
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/20052007075.jpg
Its tight to the body but its only the passanger side so I'm not worried..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/20052007074.jpg
The trouble with this is the car is goin to be lowered by "2's about so the exhaust will be even lower than you see above.
Anyway, uploaded a few more pics of what i got up to while you were all off at modded nats, New suspension fitting!
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/26052007089-small.jpg
Started by jacking her way up to make it easy to work on all round then, fitted the passanger side front, cleaned it up afterwards as things look ace when clean..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/26052007080-small.jpg
Drivers side was a bit of a pain as the engine was in the way of using the easy tools.. back to spanners,
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/26052007087-small.jpg
Rear damper number 1...
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/27052007091.jpg
Rear damper number 2... then came the pain of fitting the lowering block in under the rear leaf spring, has to be done by lifting the spring up but never easy, achieved with a little help from my friend.. Phil... haha, he only popped in to have a look at the springs...
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/27052007092.jpg
and so after swearing lots we finally got it in place..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Spitsx/27052007094.jpg
Its the shiney bit you can see...
And that brings us right up to date, lets see what the weekend brings us, more updates on Monday.
