Week 24 update.....
And so on to the engine trial fitting....
The Royal Sabre chassis that I have, was designed to take the Ford 'Cologne' V6 engines. These engines are very heavy and relatively low power for their CC. They are also hard to come by in good condition and second hand ones on ebay can be a bit of a gamble. Other Sabre builders have used the Rover V8 engines but my preferred choice at present is the BMW M52 in the 2.8 variety. These make 190BHP in stock form and there are plenty of cars about to choose an engine from. If I can get an early 1995 model I might escape having to fit cats. The Sabre gearbox tunnel will likely need some modification but as this is made of fibreglass and not structural it should be relatively easy to modify.
The big question still to be answered is whether the M52B28 will fit and still have room for the brake servo due to its 30 degree slant mounting angle. I have a 'gash' M52 engine from a previous abandoned project that I'm going to use to see if it all fits before committing to the final engine.
So I first bolted together the gash engines sump, block and gearbox. I then rested this combo on a 10mm thick offcuts of MDF on the chassis crossmember. I need to get the engine as low as possible but still need some clearance for the engine to 'rock' under acceleration. I'm using very stiff Land Rover engine mounts so there shouldn't be much vertical deflection.
I then cobbled together a gearbox mount from a Marlin part and some old Ford parts to bring the engine block level.
Engine fitting trials by
marlinpeter, on Flickr
This combination created just the right height to get the engine block level. A more elegant mount will be made if this works.
(Since posting this picture on my Flickr site, Ian (Morris) has pointed ot that the BMW engines are mounted in their cars with the back of the engine sloppy down by about an inch, so I will experiment with dropping the back of the gearbox down further but I'm concerned about the propshaft working angle deltas.)
I then made up some 'stays' to hold the engine in the right position and at the right cant angle. Even without the cylinder head it tends to roll over if not supported.
Engine fitting trials by
marlinpeter, on Flickr
Engine fitting trials by
marlinpeter, on Flickr
The disposable stays are able to be adjusted fore and aft and sideways. Since taking this shot I've slotted the holes on the stay to the rubber mount so I can adjust the engine side to side.
Engine fitting trials by
marlinpeter, on Flickr
Engine fitting trials by
marlinpeter, on Flickr
Now I've got the engine in position, the next job will be to refit the body tub and see where I need clearance. That's a job for the weekend when my sons are around as it's a three man job!
I've also now swapped my Granada power steering rack track rods for the ones from the Sierra manual rack. This has given me the correct track width to adjust the front wheel toe-in correctly. The track rods have the same screw fitting inside the rack so it was an easy swap.
....peter