Berlinetta build and restoration

[cameronfurnival]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

red tops always look good don't they!

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Finally I got back in the garage after a busy couple of months doing the harvest on the farm. I removed the windscreen and didn't even break it, which was nice!

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I also sat the engine and gearbox in position so that I could measure up for a radiator.

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So the search is on to find someone that can make a radiator to my measurements.

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Dash board came out next. When I wired it I used multi plugs which made it easy to disconnect.

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Wiper linkage.

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Doors.

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How it looks now.

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The next job is to remove the windscreen frame, something I am not looking forward to given the chance of disaster! This time I will make templates of all the glass in plywood, a job that was on the list during the original build but never got done. After that I think I will sit the engine back in and measure up for a radiator and oil cooler, the idea is to mount them now and avoid welding to the galvanised chassis later.

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Next the rear wings were removed.

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Bumpers and towbar next.

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Rear tub.

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Battery and boot floor.

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Fuel tank came out next. I plan to have a new one made with a more straight filler and the fuel gauge sender on the top.

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Next the bulkhead starting with the heater.

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[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

At long last managed to get a couple of hours on the Marlin. The hardtop was mounted permanently with sealer and took ages to gently ease it off. A small step in the right direction.

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[Robert in Cumbria]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Thanks Scott, I do have one advantage, well maybe several! I am retired, my wife left me to get on with my own life, my two boys are so enthusiastic that anything is possible and I have been building cars, diggers, trucks and houses all my life.

My radiator is massive, four core and weighs a ton, it has had a close encounter with the water pump shaft though. Leak testing and maybe a bit of solder will be needed.

I set Christmas as the deadline for the Roadster I could have done it but all the garages shut over Christmas and my funds were depleted over Christmas anyway. It was tested early February.

I want it on the road well before Christmas so we don't have the same problem again. Note I didn't say finished, one of the attractions of these projects is that they are never finished.

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Looking forward to your build diary. Straight away I can see that your car has much more room for a radiator than mine, which was one of the reasons to replace the V8 in my car. Good luck with getting it finished so soon, my experience with kit cars has taught me one golden rule, never set a dedline! I am thinking mine will be on the road next summer but progress has been slow in the last 2 months, so maybe not!

[Robert in Cumbria]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Not to worry Scott, I have two engines and I think I will be able to make one half decent one from them. The camshaft is badly worn on the SD1 engine which was fitted to the car. One lobe has gone completely, so that is probably why the car was laid up in 1992. Cam lobe wear is common on the Rover engine, I have replaced at least three camshafts on my cars over the years.

I lifted the inlet manifold and cam cover on my 'spare' engine and from what I can see the cam appears to be OK. This engine is said to have been reconditioned but I don't really want 10.5:1 CR in these days of unleaded and increasingly ethanol based fuel, unless somebody knows different of course... Maybe Ethanol likes high CR's? I was hoping for a docile but very torque rich engine. I love the flexibility of the Rover V8.

The car is Cortina based, I have never met a Berlinetta before, it's much bigger than a Roadster, six inches wider and seventeen inches longer wheelbase. If it doesn't work out it was Lee's idea, if it does it was mine!!!

Sorry about the Album pix, I was so tied up with the build that I neglected the finer points of the web presence. I will start a new Berlinetta Progress thread shortly so any body who might be interested can see what I am up to. There won't be as much heavy engineering on this renovation and very little 'bling' My aim is to have it on the road in September. Yes... 2013!!! Depending on my back and what snags I encounter of course...

I don't have much in the way of good photo's of the Berli yet, it is in a tight space in an industrial unit, I am trying to record my progress with photographs but sometimes the really interesting bits are so interesting, I forget all about taking photographs!!!

These two are probably as good as they get for now.

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[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Hi Robert, sorry to tell you that the engine and gearbox were sold on Ebay just 2 weeks ago!

I have been too busy working on the farm for the last 2 months to do anything to the Marlin but I am eager to get back to it soon.

It would be great to see some pictures of your car. Is it Sierra or Cortina based? I suspect the Sierra car that I have has less room in the engine bay than the Cortina based car but I'm not sure.

I had a look at the pictures in the link at the bottom of your post, I assume this is a different car?

Scott.

[Robert in Cumbria]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Hi Scott, I have just skimmed through this thread, seems very interesting, I have just bought a Berlinetta in similar condition, unused since 1992. I pulled the engine and box out this morning and brought it back home a few minutes ago, a round trip of 500 miles today!

I am planning to write up an account of my renovation. I will be keeping the Rover V8 engine (That was the clincher to buy it, I love that engine! That and the auto box...), so if you still have your old one I may be interested...

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

With the Rover engine out it was time to try the Vauxhall engine in position. I sat it in the engine bay on wooden blocks and it looked good, much more room than the V8. The Vauxhall engine is designed to sit at a seven degree angle for clearance in the front wheel drive Vauxhall. To convert it to rear wheel drive the bellhousing is changed to one that mates to a Sierra gearbox. Two types of bellhousing are available, one has the engine at seven degrees and the other the engine is vertical, while both keep the gearbox vertical. After a bit of jiggling and measuring I decided that having the engine tilted was best. I got a belhousing from SBD motorsport, they are specialists in the Red Top engine. I also got an engine mount kit from them designed for putting the engine in Mk2 Escorts, it looked like I could modify it to suit the Marlin.

A friend donated a Sierra gearbox from an abandoned RS2000 project, and it was fitted to the engine. This was then lifted into position and after a bit of trial and error I decided that 20mm over to the nearside would give me the most room for the brake servo, perhaps enough for the Sierra one. The height of the air intake was an issue when I sat the bonnet in position so the engine has to be as low as possible, the limit is the anti roll bar which runs under the sump. The mount kit that I had bought comes with lugs on a piece of angle steel which are welded to the Escort chassis rails. Unfortunately the Escort rails are parallel but the Marlin rails are not, being narrower and higher at the front. So it was easier to make my own lugs and weld them to the chassis, the rest of the kit was ok. My luck was in when I measured up for the lugs and discovered that the original Marlin mounts were just right for one lug on each side meaning I only had the rear lug on each side to make.

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Lugs were made to line up with the bottom hole of the original mounts.

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Nearside engine mount tacked ready to weld. The triangle plate, tube and bush were part of the kit.

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Offside engine mount.

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The floor and transmission tunnel removed to make a mount for the gearbox.

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New gearbox mount on the left, original on the right. The original crossmember supports the floor so will be left in position but the bracket will be removed. The new crossmember is lower than the floor.

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Gearbox mounted using standard Sierra mount.

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Engine mounts finished.

Well that brings the project up to date. Now with the engine mounts done I can take the engine out again and continue to strip the car down. Watch this space...

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

I took a good look at the Marlin and it was in reasonable shape, and I did consider just doing the minimum to get it running and looking presentable. But in the end I thought if a job is worth doing, then it's worth doing right. So I decided on a complete strip down and rebuild, this would allow me to change any of the things that I was not completely happy with. Top of the list had to be the engine. The V8 is a nice engine with plenty of torque and the sound is fantastic but as you have read it is really too large for the space available in the Sierra Berlinetta. The cooling system and the braking system are both compromised. The low MPG is another mark against it, although the Marlin with it's total lack of aerodynamics is never going to be frugal.

So I started thinking about what other engine I would like to try. To give more room I decided that a four cylinder would be the answer. It needed to either be from a rear wheel drive car or be able to be converted to rear wheel drive. I liked the 150hp of the V8 so the new engine should be at least that. I wanted fuel injection and four valves per cylinder to give good response and help the MPG. In the end the short list came down to either the Ford Duratec or the Vauxhall Red Top. There are plenty of parts available to convert both to rear wheel drive so both were evenly scored so far. When it comes to fuel injection the Ford seems to be more work. With it being more modern the fuel system ECU seems to be part of the DNA of the car and so the chances of using the standard system are slim. This would mean an expensive change of injection system and ECU. On the other hand the Vauxhall engine is almost self contained as far as engine electrics go, which is why it was so popular to fit it in smaller Vauxhall hatchbacks. The only thing against the Vauxhall is that it is an old engine that has been out of production for years, so the chance of finding a good low mileage example are slim. I decided to try the Vauxhall and found a Calibra for sale with a Red Top. The timing belt had snapped which usually means bent valves but it was cheap.

I thought it would be a good idea to mount the new engine before stripping the car, no use in having a nice galvanized chassis and having to weld mounts to it later. So the first job was to remove the Rover engine. For easy access I removed the wings.


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Outer wings and head lights removed.

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The inner wings and radiator cowl removed.

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Radiator removed.

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Propshaft, exhaust and gearbox mounts removed the easy way! Having a forklift can be handy.

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Finally the engine comes out.

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Rover V8 and 5 speed manual box for sale! Seriously, need the space. Probably try it on evilbay.

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Glad you like it Liz and Lee. I just looked at the old photos and wrote what came into my head. At first I had no idea what to write but I've ended up writing a lot more than I expected. There are one maybe two more posts to come then it will be up to date. After that I intend to keep posting but it will be in real time so could be a wee while between posts. Watch this space....

[lizbillings]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Really interesting read Scott.

[CosworthCabrioLee]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Bloody brilliant read Scott. ........... Not to far away from you in Carlisle if you ever want a meet, and your quite welcome to come to the lakes in June car or no car