RX323 Project - Chassis Brackets

[travellinbob]

I think that Steve, dubber, was selling one a wee while ago.
 cheers, michael.

[MikeLMR]

I think Steve has one (Dubber91 ?) and KiwiMazda had one off the other RX323 for sale.

[MikeLMR]

Got the engine cradle built today ... I can guarantee its different from the usual front/side mounts and very strong. Engine and box will go back in the car tomorrow to finish up the other side of the engine mounts. Will sort some photos too. i\'m hoping now we\'ve made this we can start to move forward again.

[travellinbob]

Good stuff mike. Jealous of your progress. Guess I just need to pull me finger out! Looking forward to seeing photos of the cradle too.
 Oh and I recieved the manifold from carl today so please cash the damn cheque!:)
  cheers, michael.

[MikeLMR]

It feels like a long while since we achieved something (it\'s been a month in fact!) but yeah it\'s good to be doing something again. Are you pretty busy then ? I cashed the cheque the other week, thanks LoL I was broke after my IoM trip

Will have to let us know when you get round to fitting it all

[MikeLMR]

Ok here are some engine cradle photos. It will look a lot tidier once it\'s all painted but theres some more fabrication work to go on with the engine mounts so it\'s "raw" for now. Engines not sat in the right place yet as I need to trim down the the front bar as it was left long until we decide on the position of the mountings.

Pretty cr@p weekend all in, got some work done but made some fcuk ups + hacked and burnt my hands countless times ... one to forget I thnk :2Confused

[travellinbob]

So whats the go Mike??? Hows progress treating you? have you had much mor time on the yella terra?
 Cheers, michael.

[MikeLMR]

spent last week changing both CV joints and both wheel bearings on the v6 323 (mostly spent waiting on correct parts and then getting bailed out by a friend when my attempt at changing the bearings using the press at work didn\'t go to plan)

the CV joints were just noisy and the boot was an MOT fail so that had to be done, and I killed a wheel bearing by cooking it with the brakes on the mountain road in the IoM LoL all the grease ran out ! (the seals must have been fooked to start with ... thats my story and I\'m sticking to it!!)

so it\'s not looking likely I\'ll get chance till later this week. + I have next week off work so might get a load done then if I can get the metal work cut during the day and the welding done in the evenings (I can\'t weld ... very well anyway!) Fingers crossed the weathers OK too as I\'m hoping to get down to SantaPod for the FIA euro finals qualifying on Friday.

[MikeLMR]

made a brief start on the engine mountings today. Hope to have the engine in and X-member 100% done with the engine mounts by end of play tomorrow  I can make a start on the gearbox mounting and tunnel then. Hope it\'s going to come together quicker now these tricky bits are sorted (I doubt it )

[MikeLMR]

Got the subframe finished up 100% and painted today. I bit the bullet in the end and redrilled the suspension mounting holes further out by 13mm so I should be able to run a little negative camber rather than the ever so slightly positive camber it had before.  We welded up the old holes and welded washers over to strengthen the new ones ... no going back now LoL.

Engine mountings have been fabricated too and the whole thing boxed in. It\'s looking a lot neater than it did before. This car really is taking longer than I thought it would. Not having a lot of time to solidly work on the car is the main problem. Hopefully this being totally done now will give us a boost. No photos again I\'m afraid I really have got out of the habit with working on the car when I can

[MikeLMR]

pictures of the latest progress ... or lack of it :Giggle

The engine mountings have been welded in place now and the rest of the cross member boxed in and the lower arm mountings redrilled to give some negative camber again

anyway piccies ... the paint job om the x member really is shocking, the first go was good but it\'s been ground down welded and held in vice etc. since then lol !

[oldone]

Not being to able to read the pics...are your engine mounts solid ?:Typing

[dubber91]

nice carbie man!

[travellinbob]

Looks like the exhaust manifold will have to be a work of art mike!!!
 Not too much clearance between it and the steering box. Rack and pinion conversion I hear someone say??
  Oh yeah, nice carby!
   cheers, michael.

[MikeLMR]

Not being to able to read the pics...are your engine mounts solid ?:Typing

They are poly bushes, not much play but a little "give"  I hope it\'s enough, the are mounted so far outboard of the engine that a little give should allow enough engine movement. If they don\'t work we will change the shore rating of the bushes, if that doesn\'t work it\'ll be out with the angle grinder LoL !

Michael, exhaust manifold isn\'t bad at all, engine is offset to passenger side a fair bit, I could easilly fit a standard RB manifold I reckon ... but it\'d be too low Loads of room.  If we were to fit a turbo it\'d sit right up the front so no problem with that either

Thanks for the comments. work on the transmission mount and tunnel starts this week. Hope to have it looking a bit more solid and less fred flinstone soon !