My SE8

[James_Mould]

Thought I would start a build thread on my SE8 as I have been doing some work on it and coming up with ideas over the winter. I have acquired two cylinder heads one of them I don’t know the history of the other came off a mates 1999 Vectra which had only done 48,000 miles that got written off. I plan to strip one of them port it and polish it then rebuild it with high lift sports cams.

Recently I have ported and polished a four branch inlet manifold from an earlier Ecotec that has no EGR system (I plan to remove my EGR).

Here are some pics of the work I have been doing on the inlet manifold.

Here’s what I started off with

Photo0088.jpg (114.31 KiB) Viewed 89401 times

Marked up with engineers blue and in the process of enlarging and polishing

Photo0078.jpg (107.2 KiB) Viewed 89401 times

One of the ports after being enlarged, smoothed with a flap wheel then polished

Photo0102.jpg (76.66 KiB) Viewed 89401 times

All the ports enlarged and polished

Photo0112.jpg (119.99 KiB) Viewed 89401 times

All finished and cleaned up think I will paint it before I put it on the car

Photo0117.jpg (116.42 KiB) Viewed 89401 times

Need to get the EGR disabled before its put on the car otherwise I will just get engine faults. I will put up some pictures of the cylinder heads on over the weekend.

[James_Mould]

Got my new tyres delivered yesterday. Getting them fitted Saturday the she's booked in for an MOT next week then time to get her ready for the summer

Photo0124.jpg (110.75 KiB) Viewed 89399 times

[James_Mould]

Got the tyres fitted today. Next to get it booked in for an MOT.

Heres couple of pics of the cylinder heads.

SNV81380.JPG (178.59 KiB) Viewed 89369 times

Will get them both stripped and see which is the better of the two.

[James_Mould]

Well it passed the MOT this week with couple of advisorys. Rear brake line coroded and fuel lines coroded. Went back in today for new ones then the plan is to try and get it all under sealed over easter.

[James_Mould]

Thought I would start to get the rust sorted on my car this week. The drivers door has rusted/ rotted through ta the bottom and can't really be saved. I got a pair of doors from another Calibra last week that was being broken for spares. Got the drivers door off today (in between all the rain). Should get the new one back form the bodyshop tomorrow and then get it fitted before PVS hopefully.

SNV81553.JPG (153.22 KiB) Viewed 89249 times

SNV81559.JPG (153.65 KiB) Viewed 89249 times

SNV81565.JPG (165.98 KiB) Viewed 89249 times

I'm planning to get the sill and arch done between PVS and billing hopefully.

I also re-painted the center caps for the wheels today as they got chipped.

SNV81554.JPG (99.42 KiB) Viewed 89249 times

SNV81561.JPG (124.76 KiB) Viewed 89249 times

[stevo turbo]

looking promising mate, keep it up

[James_Mould]

Got the door sprayed and put back on. I was up untill nearly midnight Saturday trying to get it on and lined up before PVS on Sunday. Still doesn't quite close properly but I will tweek it when the car goes into the bodyshop to have the rear quater and sill repaired and sprayed before billing.

Photo0159.jpg (93.51 KiB) Viewed 89196 times

Photo0157.jpg (101.34 KiB) Viewed 89196 times

Hope to get the inlet manifold on before Billing but I've got exams at college and a holiday to Tenerife to fit in before then so will see what time I get to try and fit it.

[Allys Cally]

are you going to be painting the underneath of your bonnet James? would finish it off mate

[James_Mould]

Yes Ally painting the underside of the bonnet is on the list. If the bodyshop can turn the car around quick enough before Billing then I will get them to do it.

[James_Mould]

Now I've had the EGR system and secondary air injection system disabled with tech 2 I thought I would get the inlet manifold fitted.

Also getting the injectors ultrasonically cleaned new seals fitted and flow tested at work, I will fit them when I collect them from work tomorrow.

Masked and painted

SNV81587.JPG (132.95 KiB) Viewed 89161 times

Ported and polished four branch one compared to the old restrictive one

SNV81594.JPG (151.26 KiB) Viewed 89161 times

Thermal phenolic gasket to help reduce heat transfer

SNV81616.JPG (118.5 KiB) Viewed 89161 times

SNV81618.JPG (139.4 KiB) Viewed 89161 times

Decided to cut the braket of the egr valve cooler unit just to tidy it up I will fit a Z20LET one eventually as it doesn't have the egr system.

SNV81597.JPG (150.18 KiB) Viewed 89161 times

SNV81614.JPG (130.62 KiB) Viewed 89161 times

[rich30mex]

looking good mate

[saunders]

like it