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mat_the_cat
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Am I mad?

Post by mat_the_cat » 26 May 2011

For keeping an undesirable Korean cheap car, and putting a proper engine in it? Probably...but I can't bear to lose a bet.

Back when I was learning to drive I was wondering what car to drive. I was really after a BX (too expensive) or a 205 (all the affordable ones had been boy racered to death), but then I saw a Hyundai Stellar for sale. In some ways this ticked quite a few boxes - it was big, and we all know bigger is better. It was also relatively cheap to insure for its size, had lots of toys (headlight washers, electric windows all round, rear reading lights (useful as a teenager for 'mood' lighting)) and for some reason a 12 year old example was rather cheap! So I bought it.
It served me well for 5 years and 100k miles, but I always felt that performance was lacking. As a joke I suggested putting a V8 in it, and a mate said it would never fit! So, a bet was made...
Work so far is as follows:
Apart from a small issue with the steering column (solved with an intricate exhaust manifold) and the radiator/water pump clashing it slotted in rather nicely. I've converted the original pedal box to hydraulic operation, and used a Mazda 323 brake servo/master cylinder/reservoir as that was a better fit, and also had a fluid feed for the clutch. Rear axle is from a Cortina 2.3, which is regarded as unbreakable (fitted almost straight on as the running rear is very similar). Front brakes are Princess 4 pot calipers, spaced out for Capri 2.8 discs. The shell has been strengthened, especially around the rear axle mounting points. All bushes have been replaced, either with genuine Hyundai ones (if they lasted 185k miles, they'll do) or poly bushes for the rear axle. Dampers and all ball joints, track rod ends are also new, as are brake lines, cylinders, pads, shoes and discs.
The windscreen had to be custom made, after Autoglass dropped the last replacement in existance on their way to fit it. As they had taken the old one out for me so I could weld around the screen, I insisted they should pay the not inconsiderable bill...
The gearbox is a reconditioned R380 unit, built for me as a favour in return for help I gave a customer in a previous job. I needed the short gear change linkage, only found on V8 Sherpa vans and very rare. Bizarrely I found one on a rotting farm vehicle, and shocked the farmer with my offer of £20 for it (on eBay they were fetching £70+)

Still to do are replacing the sills and making up some gearbox mounts, which is hopefully what I'll be posting in this thread at some point! I took some (crap) photos today so show what I've done so far.

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Fairly tight between the rad and the water pump - had to shorten the water pump to allow it to fit. Plus to change the rad involves taking the pump off...
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Rad was from an Audi 200 Turbo, which was the biggest that would fit between the chassis rails.

Again, a bit of a squeeze around the brake servo - the original was too big but this one slotted in just nicely. A bigger problem was converting the clutch to hydraulic operation, as there was next to no space under the dash to fit a master cylinder. I ended up welding and extension onto the top of the clutch pedal, and having the cylinder facing towards me rather that towards the bulkhead.
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Bit of a dark photo of the front suspension. All springs and dampers are new, and were uprated ones for a Cortina (an advantage of it being Cortina based!)
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Rear axle - there was a bit of a saga when I collected it, but that will have to wait for another day...
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Philhod » 26 May 2011

:D Great project Mat. I assume you are using the Rover unit? can't see that well.
Early Korean shit, sorry stuff, tended to be fairly (very) weak around the B post area.
When I've replaced sills on this model, unless the tops at the door shut points was knackered, I left them in and cut the sill away and left in the last down bend where it meets the floor side. That strengthens it a bit, however I then welded a tube from end to end, to two patches welded to the front and rear wheelarches, before fitting the new sill over the top.
This massively increases the rigidity of the whole shell, cutting acceleration vibes down to a minimum.
I explained how I did this with mini's also, in another thread on here, ages back. :)
Thinking about it they used to make sidewinder exhausts that bent outwards exiting just in front of the rear wheels. They would be easy enuff to make and would look great on that
72... AND STILL ROCKIN..........around the world...... NOT in a chair yet

Now XBX And into HDI.....as well as other ...err.... things.

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mat_the_cat
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by mat_the_cat » 26 May 2011

Yep, it's the 3.5 unit at the moment, but I do have the 3.9 engine in the old Disco (which had a recent top end rebuild) that might be a better bet? First things first though!

I've cut the sill off one side, but in a straight line roughly where the bottom of the door is. I bought a spares car a few years ago, with mint sills and cut them off that. My plan was to either put a tube inside the box section, or to thicken up the inner sill (in fact I've already cut some pieces to do that!) I'll have to build up the wheelarches first anyway though, but in reality what's left to do is fairly minor compared to what I've done so far.
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by docchevron132 » 26 May 2011

nice.. All it needs is a pair of turbos and thats Veyron material that is!
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Father Ted
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Father Ted » 26 May 2011

OrSum.
But I cant help thinking it would have been easier to fit Nitrous to the old engine.
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Stinkwheel(Matt)
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Stinkwheel(Matt) » 26 May 2011

I like it a lot. Good on you for using such an generally rare and undesireable car :)

If you ever find yourself in possession of an extra pair of ARB's for it give me a shout, theyre thicker than even HD cortina ones appparantly :)
OK, so i've got some stuff, some of it goes, some of it doesnt, some of it never will again!

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Re: Am I mad?

Post by mickey taker » 26 May 2011

Matt , ive always loved the idea of this project since I first heard you mention it probably two years ago if not more ,

I loved the steller when it first came out , poor mans cortina with gadgets

the ultimate street sleeper if ever there was one ,

to coin some dodgy foreign phrase

"vive la difference "
Light travels quicker than sound.That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Bx Bandit » 26 May 2011

Uber cool dude! You must of done a lot of searching for all the right bits and taken ages! More pics please! Wolf in sheeps clothing - I like muchos!
....There he goes, one of God's own prototypes, a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production......too weird too live.....and too rare to die

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Re: Am I mad?

Post by mat_the_cat » 26 May 2011

Too right - mucho searching! I found a spares car (which I *may* have the rear ARB from still, I've got most of the car in boxes!) and transferred the pristine bootlid over just before we moved to North Wales. I loaded the Stellar up with all my tools/spare parts and we had to tow it up from Gloucester with the BX (the guy who was supposed to be towing it for me with his Shogun let me down). With hindsight the BX was towing too much (I guess about 2 tonnes) and stability was sadly lacking, not helped by the lack of brakes on the trailer (I found out later). After a mega stressful drive up I backed the trailer into a garage and winched the car off. Then the clutch failed on the winch and the car rolled back into the workbench and dented my new bootlid! :cry:

So if Jay can grab the one in Basingstoke next time he's there I'd be grateful!

The rear axle was a comedy of errors though - I'd borrowed the works van to drive down to Dover and pick it up one weekend. The guy was breaking a 2.3 Cortina that had apparently done 23k miles (he was a hot rodder and had taken the bits off it he wanted). There was also another bloke who was after the front axle assembly, but had sent him a message saying not to bother as it was too wide. Which got the seller confused, as sat on his garden when I turned up was the front axle, and the remains of the car (and rear axle) had been taken for crushing.

So off we went to the scrapyard, which wasn't a vehicle yard but a metal merchants. I had no tools with me, so you can imagine the reaction I got turning up at quarter to 5 on a Saturday afternoon and asking if they would kindly remove the rear axle for me before they crushed it! A bit of money waving eventually managed to bring out a petrol powered angle grinder, which got the job done... The Cortina looked excellent - it could have been 123k miles as there wasn't the extra digit, but condition wise suggested not. I fitted it with new wheel bearings anyway as with the front, just for peace of mind. Bit of a result really!

It's difficult to take pics where it is, but I may have some old photos I can scan in?
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Stinkwheel(Matt)
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Stinkwheel(Matt) » 26 May 2011

Funnily enough i sold a spare 2.3 cortina axle last night. Mine is good on the car so monies free'd up seemed sensible. They are quite good the late HD axles as they could take pretty much any power you wanted. Also if you get the LSD from a 2.8 capri they will fit into them nicely.
OK, so i've got some stuff, some of it goes, some of it doesnt, some of it never will again!

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Re: Am I mad?

Post by mat_the_cat » 26 May 2011

Interesting about the LSD - it will need one I think. I used to be able to slide the rear end out with 74 rampaging horses from the 4 pot lump, so 150 to 200 may be a little more tail happy. That was great fun, and about the only thing my mates were jealous of as they all had Fiestas, Novas and Metros! (Although I did overcook it once on a greasy roundabout, and ended up blowing a rear tyre out on the curb…)

I may have posted this video before, but any excuse to repeat it!
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Stinkwheel(Matt) » 26 May 2011

Damn, myspazz is blocked at work.
OK, so i've got some stuff, some of it goes, some of it doesnt, some of it never will again!

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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Vanny » 26 May 2011

nutter
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Bx Bandit » 26 May 2011

You've given me bad ideas now Matt - a V8 in my Triumph 2000!

Awesome work though mate, I loves it.
....There he goes, one of God's own prototypes, a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production......too weird too live.....and too rare to die

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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Philhod » 26 May 2011

Goes in easy Bandit. I've seen it done.

Why was it only running on 5/6 there Mat :lol:
72... AND STILL ROCKIN..........around the world...... NOT in a chair yet

Now XBX And into HDI.....as well as other ...err.... things.

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Re: Am I mad?

Post by mat_the_cat » 27 May 2011

Carbs needed/still need some work. You can hear the other bank kink in when you raise the revs a bit. At the moment I have a choice - current engine with rebuilt Zenith carbs, current engine with 4 barrel carb, Discovery engine with same carb, or Disco engine plus its injection system (more work). Gearbox is out at the moment, so if I'm going to swap the engine now would be the time...but fitting an injection system kind of goes against the grain - dunno why but I'd prefer to stick to carbs.
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Philhod » 27 May 2011

:) I know what you mean but that 3.9 with Inj and throttle bodies can produce up to 400 bhp
Now that would be fucking awesome with a suitably stiffened body.

I can just see it with some sidewindwers made up, spitting flames in front of the wheels. :lol: 8)
72... AND STILL ROCKIN..........around the world...... NOT in a chair yet

Now XBX And into HDI.....as well as other ...err.... things.

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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Stinkwheel(Matt) » 28 May 2011

Mat, another silly question. The rear suspension on your car, what is it? who makes them? The idea of a coilover arrangement seems better than the cortina spring and damper seperate idea.

Im now seriously considering rebuilding one of the 2 rover v8's i have here in bits to put in 'something'
OK, so i've got some stuff, some of it goes, some of it doesnt, some of it never will again!

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mat_the_cat
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by mat_the_cat » 29 May 2011

I think they were Spax, but I can't check till Monday. They are coil assisted dampers rather than true coilovers though.
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Re: Am I mad?

Post by Philhod » 30 May 2011

True "Coilovers" are a single damped coilspring unit, mounted horizontally, across the frame. Attached to the top of two L shaped wishbones. The shorter Piece of the L carrying the hubs.

That is all :) :wink:
72... AND STILL ROCKIN..........around the world...... NOT in a chair yet

Now XBX And into HDI.....as well as other ...err.... things.

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