Practically Classics Forum

I may be a boring diesel engine nut, but I wouldn't go for power in your conversion - torque will improve the car a lot more. As an example - I had a 1.6 Montego many years ago and when it got to a hill, I often had to drop a gear. I had tried a 2.0 Montego when I bought the 1.6 and hardly found any difference in acceleration - but a mechanic pointed out that I would have got up the hills without dropping a gear. OK, you have an auto box, but I suspect it will be happier with extra torque that it would be with more power.

I had an accident with the Montego a week over a year after I bought it. A mechanic towed it in to the bodyshop and rang me; "You'll be lucky if it isn't a write off" he said. "I'll be luckier if it is!" I replied. That car (and Rover's attitude to problems with a new Metro) was the reason I have owned VWs for 20+ years!

It was raining again, so back to my little tool shed.

The water filler neck adapter plate main hole was filed
smooth first with a industrial dremill bit then by hand
with a file.



Oh dear!!! I put the PT filler nect on it, & too much off







I could do another plate on top of these 2, in order to
solve this being little too close to the outer plastic
cover. Also the third plate wouldn't need to have the
2nd hole for the engine fixing depending on the counter
sunk screw/bolt.

I squeased a good layer of gasket paste between the two
plates bolted them back together and left them to one
side for it to cure.

As the thermostat I will be using will be the same as a
neon's and not the V6 one. I had to trim the PT filler
neck so that it could be placed in the base of the filler
neck the opposite way round so less trimming on the
adapter plates.





Then the final thing to do of the day, paint the metal
parts ready for a second coat tomorrow. Yes I know it's
red hammerite paint again!!! but it's the base coat and
I have limited black paint left. So the top coat will
be Black.

A nice clear but cool day today, so good to work on Christine.

I got the neon radiator hose out and trimmed an inch off the
end. A single bolt was used just to hold the PT coolant filler
neck in place. Now you can see a little gap between the filler
neck and the hole in the top of the engine.



Connecting up the hose made the radiator stay in place.





Okay grinder time, the parts cut ready for welding to make
the bracket for the upper radiator.



A time later dad did a little welding on this and the bottom
brackets for the radiator cooling fans.





Once in place I tried to close the bonnet.
Only to find that the bonnet wouldn't close as the middle
Mound gets in the way so I will have to have a rethink!

On monday morning I dropped the alloy intake manifold
off at Hartlepool Radiator Co. This is because they have
the equipment to weld aluminium and I damaged the
intake manifold!

I had tripped and fell against some wood and one length
fell ontop and hit the back of it where the map sensor
screwed into it.

So thats another £20 I'm out of pocket, and the reason for
me tripping up the dogs went nuts with someone setting
off fireworks on sunday afternoon.

Just finished Doing a little soldering and wiring.

As the temperature sensor on the V6 is two wire job and there
is no output to the instrument cluster.

I had kept the three wire temperature sensor off the neon and
the connecting plug with a few inches of wire.

I have patched in the Wires into the V6's wiring loom so either
one could be used.



I have exstended the length of cable the map sensor has as the
map is going on the back of the intake manifold.



The brown wire in the above picture is from the Neon's temperature
sensor to go to the instrument cluster.

I have also got the speed sensor plug connected to a long cable
ready to be cut to length tomorrow.

I did very little on the car today, as my neck was locked.

The original coolant temperature sensor was removed and
the neon's old one fitted with no problem.



I then took the nut off one of the front strut bolts as I
am missing one, I put a tag on it and a number of how
many to get, and put it with the tool shed padlock.

Okay the upper bracket for holding the Radiator!!
As it was at lunch time and that it wouldn't allow the
bonnet to close. So the middle bracket must go!!

Before



After



On the car





Still better but not allowing bonnet to be closed properly!

The left bracket needed altering, but as it had been welded
first I trimmed it with the grinder, and did the same with
an old neon upper mounting bracket.

Just hammering it or bending it wouldn't be possible
without the welds cracking ot snapping.

I got the blow torch out and heated the bits that needed to
be hammered into a curve.





I need to drill a bolt hole and a lick of paint before fitting
with some rubber between the two pieces.

Oh and a Coolant pre-heated I ordered for the screen washer
reservoir. As I cleared up and went to lock the tool shed up,
I couldn't find the padlock or the nut that I put with it!!

I will have a look in the morning in better light.

After quite some searching and a few questions here is what I've
narrowed down the information too

FLUID CAPACITIES FOR VOYAGER 3.3/3.8L
Fuel Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 L (20 gal.)
Engine Oil, With Filter . . . . . . . . . . . .4.3 L (4.5 qts.)
Engine Oil, W/O Filter. . . . . . . . . . . . .3.8 L (4.0 qts.)

Cooling System 3.3 or 3.8L Engine . .9.5 - 12.5L (10.5 - 13.23 qts.)
Automatic Transaxle Service Fill. . . . .3.8 - 4.5 L (4.0 - 5.5 qts.)
Automatic Transaxle
41TE/O-haul Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.6 - 11.3 L (9.1 -12 qts.)

Please let me know if correct or if way out and by how much!

I did very little as it kept raining in short bursts all day
which ment I was unable to get the drill out to drill and tap
that bolt that snapped off when getting the waterpump off.

So I got the bottom radiator to water pump hose peices sorted
out and mocke up.







After these pictures the battery died, however I did take the
hose parts off. Then I drilled and pop riveted around the end of
the stainless steel 90 degree connecting pipe.

By placing a couple of pop rivets near the edge on each end of
the pipe, when the jubilee clip os clamped down on the pip it will
stop the hose from sliding off the pipe under pressure.

I then squeezed some gasket paste around the end before sliding
the rubber hoses onto the connection pipe and tightening the the
jubilee clips. So they are NOT coming off.
The hose/pipe was then put back in place so the gasket paste can
set.

The coolant outlet on the oposite side of engine from the coolant
filler neck, was removed, and the bent pipe cut off. A lot of filing
and a but o hammering and a 15mm compression fitting went on.

The steel pipe from the front near the water pump to round the back
where the rubber hose to connect to the heater matrix will hopefully
be remade out of one length of 15mm copper pipe which is normally
used for house plumbing.

The reason for the copper instead of steel for the pipe, the original
metal pipe has rotted in places and the copper pipe is the same size
and fittings are readily available. (Dad's a plumber so freebies )

I still can't find the sheds original padlock or the nut I took off to
get a few of!

Yesterday was shopping And picking up parts, and dealing with
paperwork.

The new track rod end was actuallt £11 not £22+, so that was
good as I went to the Chrysler dealership to ty and get the
correct amount of transmission fluid and needed that little
money I had saved.

As 6 litres of transmission fluid was £53, I didn't get
anymore than 6 litres as I was unsure how much was left of my
bank account!!



Next was the DVLA office in Stockton, to hand in the logbook
and receipt of purchase of the engine and transmission.

This is so details can be changed to incorperate the v6 details
for legal and insurance purposes.

Change to engine and cylinder capacity (engine size)

DVLA will need written evidence of any changes to engine number
and cylinder capacity (cc). Written evidence can be:

* a receipt for the replacement engine
* written evidence from the manufacturer
* an inspection report provided for insurance purposes
* written confirmation on headed paper from a garage if the
change in engine size took place before you bought the
vehicle

Now that is a direct quote from the DVLA's website, I handed a
receipt in which did state what the engine and transmission were
off. But it didn't state the engine number which I have written
on the logbook.

So only time will tell on that score!!

On the way back from Stockton I called into Hartlepool Radiator Co.
The chaps had done the weld filling of 2 small holes which I had
drilled in the wrong place for fixing the 1998 map sensor which is
held in by 2 screws.

The old map sensor which was original to the 1992-93 intake manifold
screwed into the back of the manifold through a large sticking out
bit. As that bit wasn't needed, and had been damaged, it was blocked
off. Now it just needs a little filing off and repainting.
& two new fixing holes need to be drilled & tapped for the map sensor.





Today it took HOURS to get the old track rod end off without damaging
the tie rod end. Vut it's done, but the car will need the tracking done
later by a garage.



The fans bolted temporary into place whole I sort out the lower fixing
brackets tomorrow, yes out will come the grinder!!

And tonight's challenge remove injectors from the rail,
replace injector filters and 'O'rings and put back into the
fuel rail.

In order to get the little filters out a screw was screwed in
and pulled out with a pairof pliers.

Half way through.



Job done, and the smell of petrol not over powering as none in
there but the smell off what had been absorbed, intoxicating!

Time for a cuppa tea with a bit of fruit cake and insulin!

KennyL on neons.org wrote:I spent some time reading through your project log over the past few days,
and it's really incredible. Seeing V6s stuffed into Neons is pretty awesome,
even if there's a question of practicality...it's not about being practical
anyways, right? Eh, having v6 torque in a lightweight car is perfectly
practical I suppose, gets you up those hills more easily.

My response to his coment
You're not familiar with British roads are you?



And there are plenty of others far worse.