Practically Classics Forum

Mitsuru wrote:ERR David you need new glasses mate as the answer has been
stairing you in the face

No need to be rude, the guy's only asking a civil question.

Luxobarge wrote:

Mitsuru wrote:ERR David you need new glasses mate as the answer has been
stairing you in the face

No need to be rude, the guy's only asking a civil question.

Sorry I didn't mean to be rude
I thought that with the numerous photos which had the coolant
reservoir bottle had been in previously, it might have stood out
more.
So hence the glasses joke, as from experience if I where my
glasses for distance anything close is blurred, and without
anything at a distance is a blur.

Don't worry, it's these modern cars, My 19y/o land rover fills straight from the expansion tank, I'm now going to be poking around the cooling systems of the 15y/o Megane and then the Modus and Piccasso when I get back from uni to see how they do it!

David

On Monday I spent some time trying to put one plug back in!
It was for the solenoid coil packs on the gearbox. In the end I had
to resort to unbolting the battery tray and fusebox/TCU assembly.
Putting the assembly back together wasn't as easy as unbolting it!

An hour after I had started the reassembly, I had done my back in,
wrecked my shoulder and screwed my right knee up. And only got
two of the three main bolts back in the assembly which bolted the
frame to the engine bay. I quit before the frustration got so much
that I put the walking stick through the windscreen! (and I was
close to that stage!)

On Tuesday I thought it best to try and stay away from the front
end wiring and the battery tray area, and do some of the other fiddy
little jobs that needed doing. So I got a hack saw blade and a
cushion and layed on the ground at the back of the car and cut the
damaged and rusty bolt on the tow bar electrical socket(12n).

Once the bolt had been cut, the electrics of the socket inspected for
damage and making sure they were in order, I used stainless steel
nuts and bolts to avoid the same problem I had removing the original
ones. I just need to run a wire to power the can-bus bypass relay unit,
which will be done once the engine bay mess is sorted, and when there
is less junk in the car.

While I was looking for the stainless steel bolts to do the towbar socket,
I came across the blue rubber pipe adapter off the old CAI (Cold Air
Intake) off the off 4 pot. as well as the pipes I was working with for the
V6 throttle body to air filter.

As there needed to be a bit of length on the pipe so that the filter was
able to get past the fusebox and TCU, and be able to drop down so it
could not rub onto the underside of the bonnet. The first picture is
without the blue adapter rubber ring, and doesn't look good, infact the
white is slightly transparent and the pipe is out of the guts of one of
the Voyager's air boxes, and was never ment to be seen.

In the second picture you can see the difference with the blue adapter
ring just slid over the white pipe is only being used as decoration and
making it look neater.





I popped the filter and pipe onto the car just to check that I hadn't
cocked up! (Now you see why I put the position of the battery lower
in the engine bay)







And while I was trying to find my glasses, I found where I had put the
air/fuel ratio gauge that I had been working on previously. I had taken
one of the plastic filler plates used on face of the gauge, and given it
a couple of coats of black satin spray paint.

The original dial face plate on the left, mine just needs some lettering
to finish it off, but even without the lettering, mine looks pritty close to
an old smiths gauge and by far a lot better and less tacky than the
original. What do you think?





Sorry for the delay in posting but I misplaced my mobile phone which
had taken the photos on. And only found it late at night.

With it raining till lunch time, it was too wet to do any work on the
old girl. And thoughts of what jimbo said about his exhaust being
raspy, and what was left of an old used exhaust which I found under
the caravan. My thoughts turned to thinking what state Christine's
exhaust was in after not being used for over a year and a half!

So I put the mobile phone as low as possible for these photos.
The current pipe from the manifold to the first joint is bits welded
together to incorporate the cat and avoid the firewall and floor pan.

One question I won't really know till I fire up the old girl, is the exhaust
okay or will it need replacing sooner rather than later?







I was thinking of what has been done on the Neons in the states where
the exhaust back box is one in, two out like this.



But it would need to be able to handle the V6 without being raspy, and it
would need made from parts available in the UK. As it would be cheaper
than buying parts from the USA as the shipping costs would be crippling!

Any suggestions?

With reference to the magnaflow exhaust pictured in my previous
post, it is for reference perposses only.

I'd rather be silent but deadly!
I want the old girl to be a sleeper.
Walk softly and carry a BIG stick as they say
But I want the dual exhaust look for her too.

And I want to plan now incase it needs replacing for the MOT
or shortly afterwards.

I would prefer to have a system professionally made out of
stainless steel further down the line, but that would probably
be too expensive.

It's not that bad price wise, Longlife charged me 350 for my Land Rover's system. The exhaust on it looks pretty dead IMO

A little research on the exhaust in advance of actually needing to do it!

Chrysler/Dodge Neon mk1 Exhaust diameter 2.25"




Chrysler Voyager Exhaust diameter depending on where you look 2.25" or 2.5"





I came across a listing on ebay for a cat back/silencer/muffler for a Nissan
350z. It looks very similar to what I was wanting to do even if this example
might have seen better days. Something like this could do with the pipes
cutting and rotating so it could be mounted slightly differently to fit under
a neon.



Nissan 350z Exhaust diameter 2.5"



Note there are two Nissan 350z at a scrapyard about 5 miles away, I don't
know if they are the same exhaust system I have posted above.

What do uo guys think, am I close enoughor way off the mark?

As I like the idea and look that twin exhaust tail pipes give a car, I don't want
big fat ends on the car. One option I was thinking of was something like this
either side of the towbar assembly.



And the rear bumper of mine



So something subtle.

Yes the exhaust doesn't look in its first flush of youth, but I'd concentrate on getting the engine wired and running first before changing it. The Missus's Mazda has one that looks worse, and thats held together fine for well over 5 years in that state.

If / When you do need to replace it, a stainless custom one could be bent up for you easy enough. The run for it doesn't look that complex.