After cutting the hole I folded the sides in welded in a 3mm thick steel plate to close the hole. Folded sides. Plate going in.
Rust proofed and etch primed the plate, i'll get the full treatment and seam seal when i do the underneath. The holes are to allow the shifter cable to go out to the gearbox. The cable start off inside the car then go through the holes, this will allow the cables to run between the exhaust heat shield and transmission tunnel.
Tonight I tacked in the Leon tunnel and test fitted all the dash with the centre console. Dash in place. Console in place. Couldn't resist putting in a seat and sitting in my new office.... even made brum brum noises, with dump valve wooshes thrown in.... This might just all work when it comes together.
Hi all, long time no post, had major laptop & internet issues. Firstly got some thank yous for people, Mook cheers for the exhaust manifold and advise. Sambo for making me think twice about ebay bargains. Bill of off Badger5, top bloke great advise and thanks for answering my simple questions. Ok, update time. Firstly I spotted a rather large crack in the exhaust manifold, which lead to all my questions regarding turbos and what to do. So now I have a lovely high flow ATP cast manifold and the turbo is off to CR Turbo Engineering for a K03/K04 Hy-brid rebuild. Back to the car, I've moved on from the interior to the engine bay. Had to positon the gearbox and cable before I can finish the centre console/transmission tunnel. Cut out the Leon engine mount plates. As i'm using the 6speed and wanted as much room at the front of the engine for the rads & intercooler I'm using the end engine mounts and underslung dog bone off the leon. Started by using the rear PB engine mount on the subframe to position the engine, but it set every thing up too high, making things difficult is my bag so i decided to scratch build the mounts. TOO HIGH. Got all my measuring done for position fore & aft, left to right, height, and square and then set too with the grinder. After cutting out I then rebuilt with the Leon monts and lots of strengthening. Not got many pictures of that phase, these are not the finished mounts. Then it was test fir no1 for the engine and box.
After mouting the sides of the engine and box it was then onto the dog bone underneath. As I' using the Mk3 front subframe and none of the mk3 mounts I cut the mount turrets off and smoothed the subframe for more room behind the engine. Then I needed to cut the bogbone mount out of the Leon front subframe. The engine then was set level and the dogbone offered up, a small amunt for the mk3 subframe needed to be cut away. Then tacked in place and the level checked again. The subframe was removed for full welding. Subframe re-fitted with the dogbone in place.
After the engine was mounted, some of the engine bay bit & bobs could be fitted. This is all mocked up work and will all be stripped, prepped and painted for final assy. Next its onto the rad mounts.
Brilliant read, Excellent work and looking forward to the next updates. A very tidy job you are doing there and respect for making up mounts from scratch to have the engine sat how you want!
How did you decide engine height? I'm thinking my mind would be boggled without knowing target driveshaft angles, & not being sat on the wheels and suspension I'd intend to use when finished.
The position of the engine is all relavent to a couple of factors. Getting the bonnet to close and allow the engine to move on its mount without hitting the underside of the bonnet. Getting the massive 02m diff housing to miss the subframe along with the rather large 108mm diff flanges. With the wheels off the car was set-up on blocks on my garage floor. (Not quite an F1 flat patch). Using measurements take from the sill to the floor off Monza valver we re-built in the summer, the same Koni/Eibach set-up is being used, same roll out dia on the tyres too. Once the car level was set the engine was offered in, a string line across the strut towers gave a datum point for a measurment to be taken down to the valver diff flanges. 4mm was taken off that measurement to allow for the difference in the flange dia. Measurements from the subframe to the diff flanges gave the position fore & aft and the engine was then levelled on the engine mount points and plumbed for square accross the engine bay. Hey presto job done..........LOL.............. In reality it took mutha hubard ages and made my brain really hurt..... NO I WOULDN'T DO ANOTHER.................. well not just yet.
the mount into the chassis leg worries me, you have reduced a lot of the depth of the section. I'd run a bar from the top of the strut tower diagonally down to forwards of that mount, to help brace/triangulate that section The mk4 has loads more metal in the chassislegs than the mk2, and it looks like you've potentially weakened things.
As my thread says the mounts in the photos are not the finished article, a load more work has been carried out to plate and brace chassis legs. Had to get the engine and box in in ordered to determin where the bracing could go. Needed to update my thread and only had early mock up photos due to my lap top eating loads of my photos and my internet connection playing up. Should be able to show more photos of them finished soon. thanks for looking and yes I do appriciate the possible concerns people might have..... afterall I have to drive it when its finished
Hi Sam, hope your well? See you at Cadwell I hope, if work doesn't get ya!!!! Sump guard is gonna be part of the construction for the rad mounts and under bracing on the chassis legs...watch this space.... Got the tube steel now for that.
Just a quickey Found some more photos of the drivers side engine mount. 3mm steel plates to add back some strength, both sides of the leg and the underneath, plated in the top too. More soon
Liking all the Fab work Agree with the previous posters, it looks bloody low, speedbumps will be a `challenge`
