C2 Install & Pictures: 85,000 miles on

[spit]

For those of you with an interest in the C2 kit & stuff, this thread will cover the stage 2 install as it unfolds.

I'm taking pics as i go (more than you'll see here) so if theres anything you want, just shout and I'll do what I can. I'm not working at Gaspar pace though  s:P s:P , and still haven't nailed the picture hosting thing, so bear with me!

By the way, I'm not a mechanic or auto-electrician, and C2 haven't yet produced installation instructions   s:shock: :shock: s:shock: . So bear with me if I state the bleedin' obvious with qualified stupidity, and please know that help and advice from members will be very much appreciated.

First up is the kit:

Not as complete as the Hass, but I'm told (by Matt @ MWR) that its comparable on quality - even has the same IC dings as Dan's  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  . Unlike the Hass, it arrived within 10 days of payment clearing.
By the way, I'm compiling a list of all the little extras that are needed for the install manual.

....and the kit coated:

More details in Spynish's "Woohoo" thread

Lonely '2 and a bit of skirt   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  in the garage:

& on the ramps:

Enough space in a single-width garage to get to everything, but cat-swinging is not an option  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  Ignore the number plate - I know its sad, but if its good enough for our Club Secretary......

Bumper off & Oil out:

Oil draining is straightforward, but newspaper is very useful to have handy as this thing p!sses like a drunk on a friday night when you use engine flush  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  . Handy tip is to cut the side off an old 5litre oil container to drain into.....then you can transfer the used oil through its spout into another container (preferably one without a hole in the side!)
A friendly MR2ROC thread told me the bumper removal would be a quick job  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  . Its not too bad, but two pairs of hands are recommended. Be careful not to lose the arch liner clips when you pull the thing clear. One thing I should have done before removal was to measure the height between chassis rail and bottom of the bumper to help with exhaust tip alignment (anybody....?). Would have been easier to measure accurately with the thing on.....Doh  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  
Cheesy sportsauspuff twin pipe, anyone? make me an offer!

CAI, Manifold, Cat, Exhaust and Heatshields stripped out.....:

just like a Haynes manual when it comes to the swine jobs, I'm not going to say anything about this! Handy hint: Elastoplast.

....leaving a stonking hole!

The observant viewer will notice a deliberate mistake - now rectified - in the "battery still connected" department. Also, a poor choice of footwear...

Test fit:


First impressions are pretty good in terms of alignment, until you get to the exhaust tips. The whole cat/silencer assembly needs to be lifted by about 7cm at the o/s mount. Using the n/s mounting rubber as a pivot point, it seems that alignment with the downpipe flexi- isn't adversely affected.
(Gas informs me that kits shipping now will have an element of "adjust" built into them)

That's it for now. Everything is off and boxed up again. Looking at turbo brace solutions tomorrow - gas sent me a weld-on for the hot side that sits beautifully under the manifold centre point, but having seen the quality of the ceramic coating, I'm reluctant to hack into it for a weld & risk a hot spot. Creative thinking time.......

Ste

[LeeUK]

Awwww..  s:( s:(  ... I was hoping for a picture of the dump valve.  Looks nice from the small pic on the C2 site.

[Liz]

Oi cheeky!!  Do you have to climb out of the roof to get out of the car??

Be interesting to see how you get on with this...I envy anyone going down the turbo route..lucky things!

[Anonymous]

All very impressive, but like Liz said, that is one TIGHT garage!!!

How on EARTH do you get in and out of there?  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:

[spit]

Awwww..  s:( s:(  ... I was hoping for a picture of the dump valve.  Looks nice from the small pic on the C2 site.

Can't help you there Lee, sorry: Being an old fart, I'm going stealth with recirc - Gas put a recirc solution into the intake pipe and sent me a boring plastic Bosch BOV to pipe in. If anyone wants to check out the R2D2 though, here's the C2 link: http://www.c2power.com/node/137

Oi cheeky!! Do you have to climb out of the roof to get out of the car??

How on EARTH do you get in and out of there?

Sorry Liz  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Yes it is a tight squeeze with the car parked centrally. I was going to ramp-up off-centre but forgot to redo it before I dropped the oil out  s:oops: :oops: s:oops:  No real access probs at the back though.

I'll update the thread soon - other commitments got in the way of progress yesterday   s:cry: :cry: s:cry:

[Anonymous]

Nice Job Ste!!
  s:D s:D

[Anonymous]

Ste,

Give me a shout if you need a hand with anything - as you know I'm only minutes away. Wouldn't mind seeing the kit firsthand either. You have PM  s:D s:D

[spit]

Thanks for the support guys. Thought I'd post a quick update as a chance to throw some questions your way.

Progress is painfully slow due to away-from-home commitments, but I'm loving every minute that I do get in the garage  s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:  . Sadly, no chance until the weekend now  s:( s:(  , but will update again on Sunday.

The kit is great - but its also the challenge I was looking for - everything fits "nicely but not quite!", so a lot of time has been spent pondering optimal solutions, assembling, disassembling and adjusting.....and popping down the shops for the odd bolt or clamp  s:P s:P  

This weekend's job will be to mount the IC and piping and start on the electronics (*dread*).

Two questions for you:

1) I was going to mount the IC with the scoop at the same level as the bottom of the exhaust tips. Is this low enough? (stock suspension at the mo)......and what sort of scoop angle is good?

2) Does anyone know what the best thread sealant is for a (ferrous) oil sender thread in an aluminium block. Normally, the sender seats on an O-ring, so no probs, but in the T-piece there's nothing to seat on. I guess it needs to be flexible and oil-resistant for a start, but also resistant to oil pressure (which might rule out gasket gloop). I also want to keep the first few turns of thread clean so's not to send bits of sealant through the oil line.

Please post your thoughts. Also, if anyone has a cheesy Boost gauge I can "borrow" pending delivery from a supplier who hasn't honoured his delivery time promise  s:( s:(  , let me know  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[aaronjb]

2) Does anyone know what the best thread sealant is for a (ferrous) oil sender thread in an aluminium block.

Plumbers tape (PTFE tape), a couple of turns or three on the first third of the thread should be enough. (Assuming it's a BSP or NPT, not BSPP or NPT-P, in which case PTFE the entire thread, IMHO)

Also, if anyone has a cheesy Boost gauge I can "borrow" pending delivery from a supplier who hasn't honoured his delivery time promise  s:( s:(  , let me know  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

Whereabouts are you? I have an SPA digital guage from the Nissan that isn't plumbed in to anything at the moment, you could borrow that for a bit if you like. (Just remember to give it back, last time I lent an SPA guage to someone I never saw it again.. At £150 a pop, that's a bit annoying  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  )

Aaron

[spit]

2) Does anyone know what the best thread sealant is for a (ferrous) oil sender thread in an aluminium block.

Plumbers tape (PTFE tape), a couple of turns or three on the first third of the thread should be enough. (Assuming it's a BSP or NPT, not BSPP or NPT-P, in which case PTFE the entire thread, IMHO)

I've tried PTFE - 2 turns, whole thread - and its not holding up against the oil (I've tested the new exhaust on tickover with normal induction kit on). Its working fine on the other oil connections where they screw tight onto a seat though (eg engine block sender hole and turbo fitting) Threads look fine, but I think its cos this joint doesn't "bottom" onto anything, its only the PTFE between the oil and the big bad world, and the PTFE is turning to mush  s:? :? s:?  Maybe use more tape!

Also, if anyone has a cheesy Boost gauge I can "borrow" pending delivery from a supplier who hasn't honoured his delivery time promise  s:( s:(  , let me know  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

Whereabouts are you? I have an SPA digital guage from the Nissan that isn't plumbed in to anything at the moment, you could borrow that for a bit if you like. (Just remember to give it back, last time I lent an SPA guage to someone I never saw it again.. At £150 a pop, that's a bit annoying  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  )

Manchester. V Kind offer Aaron, thanks. Is it a sod to install? Do I need a sender? Happy to tender a deposit/rental fee  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  Other option I suppose is get a £30 manual gauge and shove it on EBay afterwards....

[spit]

While I'm here, couple more pics to pass the time

Turbo installed and plumbed:

Note the missing bolts. I received 5 for this piece, but two are too small  s:? :? s:?  easily fixed I hope.

Exhaust tips finally aligned:

This was a pain. I'll tell you about it sometime! I still haven't quite sorted a clearance issue between DP and Gearbox but have a cunning plan  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  (Spynish had the opposite problem where the DP-Exhaust mount hit the chassis rail.....looks like they over-compensated.
Note the under-bonnet lamp.....might install one of these permanently   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[Anonymous]

It's all looking good - nice pictures by the way.

[Anonymous]

Ste, when you wrap the PTFE round dpn't be afraid to go overboard: Mark was telling me off for using too much, but as a plumber I use the stuff everyday and find that if you match the size of the thread to the number of turns, you can't go far wrong (i.e. 10mm, 10 turns; 8mm, 8 turns etc).

Kit looks lovely in situ mate, you're making a great job of it.

[aaronjb]

Threads look fine, but I think its cos this joint doesn't "bottom" onto anything, its only the PTFE between the oil and the big bad world, and the PTFE is turning to mush  s:? :? s:?  Maybe use more tape!

Yeah - like Dan said, more tape! heh  s:) s:)  I guess from what you've said (it was for a fitting designed to 'seat') that it's a BSPP or NPT-P thread, which is going to be harder to get a good seal on than a taper thread in my experience. Odd though - most oil fittings (with the exception of banjo fittings) are taper threads.

Manchester. V Kind offer Aaron, thanks. Is it a sod to install? Do I need a sender? Happy to tender a deposit/rental fee  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  Other option I suppose is get a £30 manual gauge and shove it on EBay afterwards....

It's pretty easy to install, once I've soldered the loom back together (butchered it to remove it from a previous car  s:oops: :oops: s:oops:  ) - comes with a big electrical sender, loom, guage etc.

It's one of these btw (top left) :



I absolutely love these guages - peak hold, multiple warning levels, feed to drive an external warning system or other system (like water injection) - very neat guages. Not to everyones taste, though, I know  s:) s:)

Will probably cost a few quid to post though, as the sender is fairly weighty, plus big loom, guage etc, you might be as well getting a cheap boost guage - you should be able to pick one up for £30 or so really, maybe less if you get it from eBay in the first place (just be aware that a cheap boost guage will only be accurate to within a couple of psi unless you're lucky) - in fact, Demon Tweeks do a TIM boost guage (I had one on the Renault) for £20+Vat, was actually pretty accurate, too.

[spit]

......if you match the size of the thread to the number of turns, you can't go far wrong (i.e. 10mm, 10 turns; 8mm, 8 turns etc).

Kit looks lovely in situ mate, you're making a great job of it.

Thanks for the kind words Dan (and Russ too). Lets hope it runs at the other end of all this! Not sure if the joint'll take many turns of PTFE - its a fine thread - but I'll try again & see if it holds up against hot oil. Gas used some orange sealant gloop on Spyni's car, but no idea what it is.

I absolutely love these guages..... - very neat guages.

I agree - they're great. I nearly opted for them, but with my ageing eyesight I'm going with Greddy Silver EGT & Boost flanking an XD-1. I'll check out the Tim at D-tweeks.... I'm going to have to pay them a visit anyway when it comes to working out the actuator and bov plumbing  s:? :? s:?  (and that'll be my next question  s:wink: :wink: s:wink: )

Must go bed - sunny Solihull tomorrow  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  Meantime, any IC scoop positioning thoughts for me to come back to at the weekend?

[Tem]

I'm going with Greddy Silver EGT & Boost

Great choice!  s8) s8)  Will you get the warning series? I find it very nice to be able to check the maximums after run(s).

[spit]

Will you get the warning series? I find it very nice to be able to check the maximums after run(s).

Yep, they're the ones!

[Anonymous]

Gas used some orange sealant gloop on Spyni's car, but no idea what it is.

Oil sealant paste. Usually red, and can be found at any plumbers merchant. 'Tis good stuff.

[Tem]

Will you get the warning series? I find it very nice to be able to check the maximums after run(s).

Yep, they're the ones!

Where/how will you mount them?

[spit]

Where/how will you mount them?

Still pondering that one, Tem.

[aaronjb]

Will you get the warning series? I find it very nice to be able to check the maximums after run(s).

Yep, they're the ones!

I have two of those as well  s:oops: :oops: s:oops:   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  (EGTs that is) - the sensors got tapped into the exhaust manifolds on the Z, and installed, but I never did get around to actually putting the guages in before it expired. Grr.  s:) s:)  Nice guages, though.. although finding somewhere to put the (two, in my case) giant control boxes was going to be interesting.

[Tem]

although finding somewhere to put the giant control boxes was going to be interesting.

I put mine under the drivers seat. The sensor wires weren't long enough to reach behind the dashboard/stereo and I didn't feel like lenghtening them  s:? :? s:?

Plenty of room for 6 boxes there  s8) s8)

[aaronjb]

I put mine under the drivers seat. The sensor wires weren't long enough to reach behind the dashboard/stereo and I didn't feel like lenghtening them  s:? :? s:?

Plenty of room for 6 boxes there  s8) s8)

I never thought of that  s:) s:)  Would mean some bizarre wiring routing in the Nissan (front engined and all that) - but still an excellent place for them!

And you can't lengthen the wires on the EGT probes, I don't think, as they use matched wiring for the thermocouples  s:) s:)  (Or so I read, from someone more knowledgable than me when it comes to thermocouples  s;) s;) )

[Tem]

And you can't lengthen the wires on the EGT probes, I don't think, as they use matched wiring for the thermocouples  s:) s:)

I think there are two cases here...one as you described above and one where the sensor does "all the work" and the wires are just wires. I think GReddy electrical series is the latter, but not 100% sure though...

(then again, any bad joint increasing resistance even a bit will throw the meter off)

[spit]

OK guys - IC positioning time. There's a lot of scope, from "flat" to "angled", from "high" to "rabbit decapitator". Currently got the thing propped in a rough position.

I'd appreciate your views, so using the following pictures as a reference point, please let me have your thoughts/reasoning on alterations before I fasten the IC in place. Not easy from the perspective of the pictures, I know, but have a go! Cheers

As you know, the C2 already has a scoop on it, as highlighted on the pic:


Here's a view from the front of the car - I've marked "ground" level and leading edge of the scoop. Looks like it should come down a bit? (I'm on stock suspension at the mo):