Great spot :ROFL::ROFL:

Good spot Sean +++

Did the drive plate bolts and the starter this morning

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

New spark plugs

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

Not sure if I've shown this tensioner trick before. The V8 tensioner is only available as a complete unit for £80-100 depending on brand, but the tensioner part itself is always fine. Its only ever the roller which wears out.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

So, remove the roller

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

and acquire one from a Hyundai 2.7 :D Febi number in the pic - INA make one too. If you're going to do this, make sure you get a good quality one which comes with a new bolt and washers since we need one washer.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

The Hyundai roller doesn't have the moulding to take the plastic cap from the original roller - instead it has this washer which goes under the bolt head. The washer has a 10mm hole though, and we need a 12mm hole...

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

Embiggen the hole with the step drill. Don't try and do this with a twist drill as it will grab and spin the washer. A step drill is much better for thin stuff.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

Attach the new roller with the modified washer and original bolt

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

Back on the engine and running smooth again but for £22 instead of £80.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

The clips for the header tank hose have dug in to the rubber.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

I don't have any spares of this hose as its a very common problem. The hose isn't split though, so the area is protected with heatshrink sleeve.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

Wiring harness back in place

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

The subframe is pretty grim!

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

Elbow Grease and the pressure washer mades short work of cleaning it

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1616959774

I stopped early for the Formula 1 so the engine and gearbox will go back on the subframe tomorrow, then after cleaning the engine bay it can all go back in :)

Don't blame you, what a race! +++

Cleaned the engine bay, cleared out the scuttle panel and drains etc.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617052559

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617052559

Hard to capture matt dark green with my phone camera, but its nice and tidy now and ready for the engine to go back in tomorrow.

It’s such a difficult colour to capture without direct sunlight. It can go from a very obvious green with flecks in it, to a matt looking green to pretty much black at night.

I’ve seen inside the bay enough times to be able to see it’s far cleaner now than it’s ever been in my ownership +++

Apologies all, for the lack of updates. I have a habit of pressing 'preview' instead of 'submit' which, followed by a few late nights to finish the car off meant I got a bit behind :rolleyes:

Clean gearbox mounts probably don't make the car run any better, but they do make it nicer to work on :)

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

Exhaust manifold bolts replaced with stainless

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

Engine back in

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

The subframe locating pins mean that I haven't lost any of the front wheel alignment which was done in phase 1 of the project, as I set the subframe with these before that was done.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

The right hand cam belt cover was cracked and I don't have a spare so this was repaired with specialist adhesive. These covers are nylon which is very difficult to glue as it has low surface energy so traditional adhesives don't stick to it.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

This was a bit of an April Fool's trick on me! I spent a good 5 minutes trying to work out why the intake tube wouldn't sit right before I discovered it was previously on backwards :ROFL: Speaking to Ricky later it turns out he did this while replacing something else, and tbf if you're not that familiar with this area its an easy mistake to make since the ends of the tube are in the same place regardless of which way round it goes.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

The coolant breather hose was repaired with a brass tee piece. I might do them all like this tbh as this is much more robust than 20 year old plastic.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

New front snub mount in place. This one originally had two 2mm shims under the bracket, but needed my last 1.5mm shim to sit flush with the new mount. I'll need to get some new ones laser cut for future projects.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

This single picture represents a full day's work! :o This is a new radiator attached to a replacement front panel, with the headlight surrounds, fan, and other paraphenalia rescued from the original panel which is a lot more work than it sounds. I've used modified aftermarket rubber mountings for the radiator itself as the originals are NLA. I also straightened out the undertray brackets and fitted new rivnuts to the panel as they always take a beating even on stock ride height.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

Home stretch now - all the engine bay back together ready for the the front panel

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

Front panel in place and ready for its first start and warm-up

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

Up to temperature and you can see the cam phasing on the lower right - zero degrees deviation between banks 1 and 2 relative to the crank :cool: This is what you get by setting the belt properly with the locking tools. I've seen them 6 degrees out when people have bodged the belt swap using just paint marks :tuttut: Note the duty cycle of both cam adjusters of 20.3% - the ECU is pretty happy with this configuration :)

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

This is the witness mark in the bottom of the bumper from the event which killed the front panel. This lines up exactly with the thread on the lower radiator mount, and there is a corresponding ding on the inside.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

All back together and looking smart

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

The final job was a brake fluid swap - as you can see, its a little past it's best! It should be changed every 2 years, but they are pretty much all in this state the first time I see them. I think most garages are wary of touching the braking system on the D2s, and with the Brembo calipers tbh its not that surprising since if you don't regularly exercise the bleed nipples they seize solid in the calipers and then you need a caliper refurb to change the brake fluid :( Luckily Ricky's are in excellent condition so the fluid swap was pretty simple.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

Before:

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

After flushing 250ml through each caliper

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

Just back from a most enjoyable road test :D The exhaust note is addictive!

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1617741236

and thats it! The Green Beast is safely home and on her original (now repaired) wheels, and back to waking up the neighbours :D

excellent work as always++++++ shame about those center caps missing

But are they?
I always take mine off my cars before I send them for any work, though going to MJ that might be considered an insult..... :D

Last time I looked those FL caps were readily available anyway.

Brilliant work (as usual) and the engine bay looks almost like new :):cool:

I knew someone would pick up on that :p Of course I put them on before I took it home +++