"KIMI" - The RPM 1st Gen S2 (with bits of S3...)

[shaunwil]

Sounds like you have had an enjoyable day !

Its the Diff swap that is an absolute pain. The axle in itself isn\'t too bad, just heavy !

You should be able to make your own gasket up out of the correct material sheet and a pair of scissors.

Have you got a welder to fix the exhaust ??

Shaun

[Casey]

Sounds like you have had an enjoyable day !

I did indeed!

Its the Diff swap that is an absolute pain. The axle in itself isn\'t too bad, just heavy !!

It certainly took both my my son and I to move it safely from under the car, with the help of two trolley jacks

Have you got a welder to fix the exhaust ??!

We\'ll probably just Gum-Gum or bandage it for now. May decide on a different strategy once we remove it for closer inpection.

OK, now after some help on what to do with the axle. I think is is salvagable, but would it be better to source a better one from a breaker, if I can find one? There are three main issues;

1. Rust on the diff housing (see pic) - I think the best plan is to remove the diff and take a look on the inside to see the extent of the rust there. If not too bad it might be repairable by some metal epoxy? Any other ideas?


2. The fill plug thread is badly damaged. Maybe best to tap to a slightly larger size and fit a short metric bolt with crush washer?


3. Watts link is pretty badly rusted, but probably OK once it\'s been cleaned up? I\'ve already sheared one bolt :o


Any advice form those more experienced would be most welcome!

[mpk490p]

i might have a good diff case

[Casey]

i might have a good diff case

Oooo! Is it for a Series 2? Please let us know more..........

[David Nock (RIP)]

Just my thoughts.....

I\'d out the axle case, keeping the internals (of course). There\'s at least 3 problems with that one (=scrap)

An S2 complete axle should be possible from a breakers if Mark doesn\'t have a spare banjo housing.
And perhaps the Watts linkage on the breakers axle might be more amenable?

[Casey]

Just my thoughts.....

I\'d out the axle case, keeping the internals (of course). There\'s at least 3 problems with that one (=scrap)

Yes, I that\'s pretty much the conclusion I\'ve been pondering. It all depends on how easy it will be to secure a better casing somewhere not too distant. If Mark has an S2 axle casing in better nick than KIMI\'s, then I think that will be brilliant.

[Casey]

Update - I was down in Poole last month and had arranged with Tim at RX-Motors to inspect an FB S2 rear axle he has on a car he is breaking. Come the time, there was an almighty downpour all through the night and the day of the planned visit. I called Tim and he said not to bother as we\'d have to inspect in a muddy field! Neither of us fancied crawling under a car in a field in a downpour.

However, I\'ll be down in Dorset again this Friday, so fingers crossed for better weather and I\'ve arranged with Tim to drop by to look at the axle.

In the meantime, progress has been slow on Kimi, but I\'ve spent a few hours recently on the lovely job of removing rust from under the o/s wheel arch. It\'s not too bad though and nothing that needs welding.

I also managed to dismantle a couple of stubborn suspension bolts with WD-40, two breaker bars and a lot of brute force! Still got two left which are proving to be really difficult......

Still hoping to get her ready to get to Rotorstock this year, as we did last year

[Casey]

Update - went to see Tim at RX-Motors to inspect the rear axle. Looks a lot better than the one we have, so agreed to purchase. He\'s now got to remove it from the "breaker car" then I\'ll go down to collect.

Progress is slow on Kimi. Once I started on the rust removal I decided it had to be done thoroughly, as I didn\'t want us to be doing it again in a hurry, so WIP shots here, after attacking with wire wheels, brushes, angle grinder and dremel No yet happy it\'s ready for chemical prep and POR15 treatment, but getting there.....






A while back the driver\'s side window had jammed shut and the motor wasn\'t moving it. It had always been painfully slow anyway, so decided to remove the motor, windows and regulator mechanism so I could clean and refurb those components and also get a chance to inspect inside the door. Glad to say the inside of the door is very clean and rust free, so need to treat that with some rust-proofing sealant before putting everything back together.

Here\'s the motor after taking it out;


It tested OK, but a bit slow - ignore the 24v on the meter on my homebrew bench power supply ;


Decided it was best to dismantle it to inspect and clean up;


Re-greased the worm drive ready to re-assemble;


After cleanup and test, runs much sweeter now!



Unless a miracle occurs, I can\'t see us getting her to Rotorstock this year, there\'s so much to do and not that much time to get it done.

[C J R]

WoW Malcolm, Thats a lot of effort and time your investing (and patience).
 
Keep up the excellent work ethic.
 
Chris

[shaunwil]

Some very nice work, wish mine looked as clean as that on the rust front !

Shaun

[Ian.Mothersole]

I wish my RX-8 looked as good as that on the rust front!

Great work there Malcolm

[Casey]

It\'s been a while since I\'ve been able to get some significant time to progress the work on Kimi, but spent a good few hours on her last weekend. I also took today off to collect a used "DoubleS" brand complete Stainless Steel exhaust from an ex-FB owner, Paul Osborne, down in North Kent.

Gwyn came down with me and we took a few hours out whilst in North Kent to visit Whitstable and had a lovely lunch there

The SS exhaust;



Rear Offside Wheelarch; "Marine Cleaned" and "Metal Prepped";







Two coats of POR15;










Also did the full derust, Marine Clean, Metal Prep and 2x POR15 coats on fuel pump bracket;

The wiring on the fuel pump and it\'s connector was a bodge, so soldered on new connector;

[rote8]

Excellent work Malcolm, coming on a treat and you have the whole of the winter months to progress it further. :evillaugh

Seriously looking great.

[C J R]

Malcolm, you have too much time
 
The project is coming on really well. Looking forward to seeing the finished article next year.
Keep up the good work.
Chris

[seanp]

Wow! Super work Malcolm