Locost - Budget Saab B204 build

shandylegs Yorkshire and The Humber Posts: 124	Locost - Budget Saab B204 build shandylegs @shandylegs
	Apr 19, 2024 16:49:55 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Just did a lengthy update which vanished before hitting the post button Car is now out of storage a little dusty but no harm done! I may live to regret this but I’m not going to mess around with a dry build. Instead the rest of the frame can get cleaned and painted, that way I’m starting with a blank canvass at home. First job engine out! One thing I did manage to get sorted was the steering column routing. Happy with the outcome as it will make sorting infill panels much easier. I really have got my mojo back for completing this so hopefully there will be some good progress in the next few months provided I don’t get distracted…..again 🤣 (best not make mention of the cheap wide body z3 I went to look at the other day 🫣)


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shandylegs Yorkshire and The Humber Posts: 124	Locost - Budget Saab B204 build shandylegs @shandylegs
	Aug 6, 2024 12:07:50 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Well the planned move from my rented space just never happened - I just don't have enough room at home to work comfortably and I'm too old to be rolling on the floor in the road. I had another distraction in the form of a Cooper S. I have a bit if a love hate relationship with R53 and 56's (love driving them, hate working on them if* they break). After a bit of a fight that's now all up and running and has been kept on the fleet to use for work and kicking-around in. With that out of the way I've restarted work on the 7. As the car has passed through at least 2 previous owners the interior alu panelling was a little past it's best with dings and some deep scratches. You can usually hide things like this with trim and carpet, but this car won't have any of these. I'd considered using raptor in the past but have been wary as I remember a bloke building a very nice Ariel Atom esque car, then ruining the look when he painted the metal frame with some crinkle paint - it really did bring down what was a quality build. Anyway, I went for it in a big way. All over the interior including frame rails (would have been too much messing masking them off) and I'm happy with the results. The build up can now commence for real. I've been making a few purchases when parts have come up at the right money - Decent inlet, sump and turbo. I'm going the throw these onto the engine and look at getting mounts made. Hopefully and few more updates in the coming weeks....


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shandylegs Yorkshire and The Humber Posts: 124	Locost - Budget Saab B204 build shandylegs @shandylegs
	Aug 19, 2024 16:12:56 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Started mocking up thr new parts on the engine, but not before a bit of a clean. When I removed the Exhaust manifold it was a delight to find someone had glued a couple of the exhaust studs in where they had snapped 😖. Managed to drill and tap both of them, but it's not something I enjoy knowing one snapped drill bit or tap and you're in a whole heap of sh1t. Anyway, onto the better stuff. Spot the difference - size matters 🤣 Turbo needs to be spaced out from the block (have spacer) and I'm going to have to do something with the pipe that goes into the rear of the water pump (need to think about this one). The other issue is space is very tight for an engine mount. I may have to consider other redundant bolt holes in the block. Other than that it's a straight fit. Inlet more or less bolted straight up. The cable mount for the throttle was very close to the bracket used for the serpentine belt pulley (another non-standard part), but nothing a grinder can't sort. Just the sump left to swap, then onto the engine and gearbox mounts....


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shandylegs Yorkshire and The Humber Posts: 124	Locost - Budget Saab B204 build shandylegs @shandylegs
	Nov 1, 2024 20:26:08 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Had a couple of hours on this today to mock up the engine (again 🤣) Inlet side is straightforward. Exhaust is tight due to the larger turbo. I should be able to get round this by using the redundant power steering mounting points. There are a couple of items to sort. Reverse sender looks tight, but not the end of the world. I was concerned about clearance for the alternator, but it clears the steering shaft without a problem. The real pisser is that with the tensioner fitted, there is no way the inlet will fit (which I need to use due to the height of the original), so I will need to lose the tensioner and go manual. I can't hinge the alternator due to cleance so any suggestions would be welcome... Although I knew it beforehand, it's a big lump! If my calculations are right I should have somewhere around 5.5" of clearance, possibly a bit more with the new sump - so could have been much worse. The good part is that any mods will be kept to the bonnet, rather than intruding into the nose cone area.


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