Jump to content

Kato Kids BMW M3 powered 71' 240Z


KatoKid

Recommended Posts

Ron would be a handy person to have on this site.

Let the cat out of the bag John  ;)

 

Not yet Simon................

 

And no it's not a BMW transplant but I think David will agree as ambitous and mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm well just wait and see if it all comes together Im just trying to finalise the deal.

 

I only hope I can pull off as good a job as David has.

 

No more talk about mine, this is Davids thread and deserves all the attention !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Had the pleasure of dropping in to the "Kato Skunk Works" today and chatting to David.

 

Apart from the immaculant work area, (I have to pull my finger out as mine looks like Sarjevo circa 1993) the work David has done with the transplant is sensational and inspirational, I know I spotted a comment here reffering to a thread on Hybrid Z about the same scenario and I'd just like to remind people with no dis-respect or inference in that way that a concept is one thing but putting it into practice and physically doing the engineering and fabrication is a hell of a feat.

 

Still love Kyle's XR6 transplant and always will, but David's will certianly be up there and on par along side it.

 

David, thanks again for the hospitality and sneak look.....

 

Cheers

 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

P.S.

 

Seems someone took offense at what i wrote, karma just dropped from 24 to 23 ...............LOL

 

Thats cool, keep taking 1 off each day, it will only take another 3 weeks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How is your G-nose going John? I was interested in your one piece G-nose as I would like to make one down the track sometime. There was a 260Z that ran a modified G-nose at Le-Mans in 1976 and yours reminded me of it. I would like to make one like it. Sorry for going off topic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brab,

 

When my son got sick last year and ended up in ICU for 3 weeks and almost didn't make it I stopped work on the Zed altogether, I'm only now getting back onto it, so hopefully some progress soon, you and a heap of others are keen to see it finished and in production which it will be, but this is David's thread so if you want any more info or chat post in mine or PM.

 

Cheers

 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the trans mount and RT mount finished the drivetrain is now sitting in its final resting place. This is a big milestone for me as it is the culmination of many months of research, worry and second guessing. I'm very happy with the critical driveline alignment, its an interesting exercise in understanding what manufacturers go through when designing cars. As it turns out it's a piece of luck that the original L series and diff is offset to the RH side as this provides the clearance between the M3 sump and the tension rod bracket on the LH side chassis rail, without this offset the sump would need some cutting and shutting.

 

Here's some better photos of the engine mounts in its final position...... the bottom of the sump is at exactly the same height as the bottom of the engine/steering rack crossmember.  The transmission is very tight in the tunnel with it being located well over to the RH side and as high as possible, there is only 8mm or so between the top of the trans and the tunnel at its tightest point. Should be enough room to allow for the engine torquing over on acceleration, the heavy duty rubber mounts will help here. I still need to install the shifter which is remote body mounted but think it will be OK.

 

The cylinder sitting over the LH engine mount racket is the oil accumulator for the Vanos system.

 

post-1672-144023611444_thumb.jpg

post-1672-144023611453_thumb.jpg

post-1672-144023611461_thumb.jpg

post-1672-14402361147_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Next up was the exhaust.

 

I really hoped that I could use the factory stainless steel headers and the first thing I checked once I had the engine roughly located in the car for the first time was to see how they may or may not fit. The headers are a separate pair of 3 into 1's and reassuringly it looked like the front would fit no problems and the rears would only require some massaging of the #6 primary which sticks out at a ridiculous angle compared to the rest, this is to clear the steering shaft as it was fitted in the E36. I figured that all I needed to do was cut the #6 primary near the collector and further up near the cylinder head and rotate it towards the engine, easier said than done as I had to figure out the axis on which it would rotate at the collector and then where and what angle to make the cut further up. I was pretty nervous and had a couple of beers before I took the saw to the pipes and fortunately I arsed it in on the first try. I still need to fill in the wedge I created at the collector but a quick tack (thanks to everyones advice on tacking stainless) and trial fit in the car revealed that I had adequate clearance. I might try and squeak a bit more clearance tonight as its I suspect the engineers will want more room between the pipe and the steering shaft.

 

Here's the thread for my Subaru power steering install http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,7174.0.html

 

post-1672-144023611495_thumb.jpg

post-1672-144023611525_thumb.jpg

post-1672-144023611532_thumb.jpg

post-1672-144023611539_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, will probably have to provide some shielding. I haven't shown it in the photos but they do come from the factory with comprehensive shielding, butt ugly though!

 

Mike, I only have 70mm to the back of the head so allowing some room for movement means 60mm is practically the longest I can go. I  may be able to mount the MC with the flange inside the cabin but may then run out of pedal stroke.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, will probably have to provide some shielding. I haven't shown it in the photos but they do come from the factory with comprehensive shielding, butt ugly though!

 

The Subaru PS rack has a LOT of dampening built in, so the isolator no longer serves it's original function. You could replace it with a machined aluminum part and never miss it.

 

Looking terrific, Dave!. I'll get to your email later today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Subaru PS rack has a LOT of dampening built in, so the isolator no longer serves it's original function. You could replace it with a machined aluminum part and never miss it.

 

Good point Ron, hadn't even considered that. I will likely leave the isolator in place initially and then once I'm through the engineers and registered I can replace it then.

 

David

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Peter A.

 

I always envisaged I would have to do something like a bellcrank arrangement under the dash but Mike is very resourceful and has come up with some great very short MC options that may work. For simplicity sake and time I would prefer to go with a conventional set up if I can make it work without too much drama. Time will tell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...