CIH Turbo EFI by RallyBob

[pvcar]

well im not going to be doing this modification to my gt in the near future but i just like to plan things out and work everything befor starting and look at all my options maybe ill wait and see how that engine turns out your talking about, thanks for posting the parts list there i was just wondering what everything was that u have used on this turbo mod. cant wait to see it finished wont be able to see it at carsile though.

[RallyBob]

No chance to update yesterday's progress last night, I was at my friend's chrome shop late dropping off the parts to be plated. While I was there, I decided to polish a bunch of aluminum parts....boy I forgot how dirty and grimy that work was! Props to my friend Dan at Allied Metal Finishing for promising a quick turnaround and allowing me access to his buffing machines.

www.alliedmetalfinishing.com

[RallyBob]

Closeup of the turbo compressor housing after polishing and buffing.

[RallyBob]

And here's the surge tank/expansion tank after polishing and buffing.

[RallyBob]

BTW, this is where it all happens. My little corner at work where I build everything. More specifically, everything I fabricated during this project was made on the metal workbench in the centre of the photo. I can't wait to have a real shop someday....

[madhatterpdc]

Originally Posted by RallyBob I can't wait to have a real shop someday....

Is anyone else pondering exactly what kind of blessed Opelness would roll out of a *real* shop, if the above is indicative of what is coming out of a "fake" shop?

[Old Hippie]

I second madhatterpdc! What I've seen in this thread is due to a true "Opel artist". Hat's off to you, Bob. Even with 20 years in the KS. Air Guard Fab shop, you have a talent to envy. :o

[Paul]

I think Bob got out of the Opel business too soon. I think with the help of the advertising capabilites of this (and other) site, he would have had an excellent forum in which to sell his "Artwork"!

Paul

[RallyBob]

Thanks guys, glad to see my work is appreciated.

Paul, as much as I'd love to make a living doing this sort of work on Opels, you have to admit there is a very limited client base out there willing to spend the kind of money I'd have to charge for this type of work. It simply takes a lot of time, and I can't charge $20 and hour and still pay the bills. If I build a workshop and open a business again, the overhead will be high. I'd have to charge at least $75 per hour. And as of today I have 63 hours into the Carlisle turbo project....

I'm trapped within my own automotive passions, had I decided to work on
Porsches or Ferraris instead I could probably charge whatever I wanted and have a 2 year backlog. But with Opels most people are just trying to keep them running for minimal investment....few are looking to spend 10k under the hood of a car they might have paid $1000 for.

I'm in the minority I think, I just ordered 2 more Opel roller cams tonight...I should be seeing a shrink!

I like my daily driver WRX, but I can't bring myself to spend any money on it. It just doesn't 'do it' for me like an Opel does. I've been trying for 20 years to find another car that has as much soul as an Opel, and as much driver feedback, but have yet to come close.

Bob

[Gary]

Amen, Bob!!! This is one of the best "How To" articles I have seen. Thanks for sharing it with all of Opeldom!
(What is it with this marque that makes it so addicting?)

[GTJIM]

Originally Posted by Gary (What is it with this marque that makes it so addicting?)

I take it that is a rhetorical question!

The neat people that own them helps a bit .......

[namba209]

Actually Jim, I think the people that own them is what makes the Marque. In that the cars are UNIQUE.

Ron

[Sander]

Originally Posted by RallyBob Yup, this is the one.....

Hi Bob, I'm fascinated by this thread. You're doing a great job. But I have one comment: Get rid of those hidious bumpers on this manta and get some european style bumpers!! If I had them I would give them to you

[RallyBob]

Well, the bumpers will be changed at some point, I talked the car owner into converting them last year. However there's no time to do that between now and Carlisle.

One nice thing about the '74 and '75 bumpers is the fact that they actually function as bumpers. The early bumpers are destroyed in a 3 mph tap, and it usually takes out the bodywork with it....

I'll be making some tubular subframes to slide into the OEM telescoping mounts, and the smaller early bumpers ('71, '72, not the '73 style with rubber trim) will be fitted over the tubing for aesthetics. The bumpers we have for this car are brand-new NOS parts, but old Opel chrome is isn't very good, I compared the NOS bumper chrome to some new parts plated at my friend's shop and the NOS parts looked yellow by comparison. So they'll get replated before installing them.

Last thing will be a new hood made from aluminized carbon fiber. It has a silver reflective quality to it which should look cool on a silver car, plus I think the darker hood will lend a 'Rallye' look to the car. But there's no way I have the time to make a mold and vacuum-bag a new hood before Carlisle....

Bob

[RallyBob]

Sorry, no 'cool' fabrications to report today. I basically scrubbed an old gas tank down clean in preparation to convert it to 'EFI compatible'.

I used paint stripper to remove all the undercoating and paint overspray, than cleaned the residue off with lacquer thinner.

[RallyBob]

Clean gas tank....

[RallyBob]

I chose to make an insert that installs from the top of the tank, it will house the fuel pump and wiring. I cut out the area above the 'dish' that's installed in all Opel gas tanks. As you can see, the inside of the tank is super clean with no rust, not bad for a 33 year old gas tank....

[RallyBob]

I still don't know why Opel puts these 'soup bowls' into their gas tanks. It's gone now!

[RallyBob]

I decided to keep the stock fuel sending unit, and use the OEM pickup tube as the fuel return line. While it was out of the tank, I dismantled the sender, and retensioned and cleaned the contact surfaces so the gauge would work more accurately.

[jordan]

wow, thats a really fancy hand metal shear, its like a tiny bevery shear. where did you buy such a tool?

[GTJIM]

They are known as "aviation snips" and come in several blade offsets also in Left hand and Right handed flavours. Can be found as any quality tool shop or even Plumbers supply houses.

[jordan]

yea, I have a few pairs of avaition shears but none with an offset like that, Ill have to buy a pair.

[RallyBob]

As I need to order some components to create my EFI compatible fuel tank, I decided to concentrate on the distributor for the engine instead today.

After the tear-down, all the parts were cleaned in preparation for modification to the advance mechanism. Here they are, layed out.

[RallyBob]

One of the more critical aspects after removing the vacuum advance, is making sure the upper breaker plate doesn't float around and alter the timing randomly. To ensure full accuracy, it should be centered in the 'neutral' position rather than advanced or retarded, at least more or less....

[RallyBob]

Once the breaker plate was centered, I riveted the two plates together to keep them from moving.