Valid question, but yes, am pretty sure it will be. Its total volume is just under a litre with about 2/3rds of that being under the filter. From the pics I have, looks very similar to the stock 930 item. Don't forget, it's draining back into the engine via the -4 hose on the underside.

I've run race engines before with very basic "beer can sized" catch tanks from dry sump systems, yeah they fill up fairly quick, but they're just catching and not draining back to the system.

The stock setup only has the breather feeding into the stock air intake/filter assembly, pre-filter....I didn't notice any undue residue when I stripped the engine. If there was a significant amount of oil, I would've been having some pretty major issues on the intake side.

Also, this isn't a track car; there's no way that I'll be able to sustain a high enough engine speed on public roads to cause that much breathing....but we'll see; being a tank of two halves, I could always modify later on.

Just a quick check-in to report....not a lot...

Have hit "the wall" in terms of enthusiasm frankly; you know it's time to go and do something else for a while when the day job becomes more enjoyable than the hobby, and the hobby results in blood pressure going into overdrive.

So, some light duties this last week. I've got to try and remember what I've actually done...

The new breather tank hose fittings are now with the plating shop (along with yet another bag of fixings that need re-plating....God knows where they all keep coming from). I turned a pair of adapters that Lewis then welded onto both a straight M30 tail (from breather tank to air intake), and a 90º M30 fitting (from oil tank to breather).

All welds were leak tested using the sprays below...of course, no leaks found, so off to the plating shop they've gone. I'll then go back up to Think Auto for them to crimp them onto the hoses.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...6F166F46B8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...2F4D5C8124.jpg

The brand new breather pipe from the dry sump tank has now been "modified" (hacked) to remove the swaged on 1" joining section. This is cut right back to within 2" of the inner wing, to allow the new breather tank top hose to fit in place. Measuring for the longer tank>air inlet hose is more complex, as everything needs to be in place (air filter, tract, cold IC pipework, IC itself, etc) to ensure it won't foul anything.

The throttle cable is now back in place. I don't know how, as I'm using the same mounting brackets as before, and I took measurements when I designed the linkage to ensure the cable socket/balljoint sit in the same place as the original...but...it was loose as hell, well beyond taking the slack up using the outer cable adjuster under the chassis. Anyway, another piece of turning resulted in a nice fitting plastic spacer that slips over the inner cable and fits onto the hex adjuster, to tension the out sleeve by 30mm or so. Just need a second warm body to eyeball the linkage versus the pedal being depressed. We'll then check the laptop in a few weeks to ensure the throttle pot is still being rotated fully as far as the ECU is concerned.

The clutch pipe, flexi hose and slave cylinder are all now fitted....now that's a job I wished I'd done before reinstalling the motor. What an utter s**t of a job. Lost count how many times I smacked my head on many things that are extremely solid. Like the vehicle lift. Swore. A lot. To add to the frustration, sods law saw an M8 nut fall out of my hands (whilst contorted), straight down the aperture in the bellhousing. FFS. Thankfully after a few attempts to not daring to move anything and using a magnet (which failed), a few degrees of rotation whilst in gear, saw it fall out the bottom again.

The new Mikalor stainless clamps arrived the other day, now the correct size for the hot air ducting pipework. My mistake, the pipe dia is bang-on 68mm, so I ordered 68mm clamps, logically. Unfortunately, they don't clamp tightly at 68mm, so 64-67mm is actually the correct size......but I also then noticed that the 1-ply silicon ducting hose for the HVAC system was also wrong. I ordered this a few months ago, 1m of 76mm ID. Yet again the idiots I ordered from sent me 70mm. Another fortnight lost sending it back and waiting for their painfully slow RMA process to kick in...then a chaser call from me, where I'm sure I was being setup for a wind-up TV show....please, tell me, am I being unrealistic in expecting somebody to grasp the fact that what I ordered was 76mm, what I recevied was 70mm, and could they please....pleeeeeease....send me 76mm?...Nope, this guy couldn't grasp it. Twat.

So, guess what I received yesterday? No, don't be daft....I got a silicone T-piece. Just like the one I ordered to use on the air intake. It is 76mm though, but WTF???! Why on EARTH would they send me this? Clearly I was speaking with the worlds most moronic individual.

On the subject of frustration, first I had to endlessly chase the clutch hose people, now it's been returned I'm having to again constantly chase them to refund me. My life is spent chasing people or bollocking them for sending wrong things. Frankly it's getting boring (there's other stuff on the Lotus which is also wrong/crap/late, adding to the frustration)

Am I sounding frustrated? :rolleyes: (rhetoric Q).....Oh well, we'll see what arrives in tomorrows post.

Gearbox mounts are all now tightened...next job, and I do keep on saying it, is to run the fire extinguisher hose through and really think hard about how I'm going to mount 6x nozzles without drilling holes into the chassis for the brackets. It's got me worried, there's so little room in there, but I'm sure a couple of cups of tea will purge some ideas out of the grey matter.

In parallel, I must get back onto the AC lines project-ette, now that we know where the OAS tank is mounting.

Will keep you posted, but probably not a lot happening for the next week or so.

Maybe the worm is turning.....
 

Per #subject, perhaps 'im-up-there is giving me a bit of a break...ok, so I haven't moved things on massively this evening, but it all did go very smoothly indeed, no wrestling, swearing or bruising.

The silicon 1-ply ducting hose arrived this morning....cue drum-roll and blood pressure increase...and breathe. Finally, I've received the 76mm ID hose I need for the hot side heat ducting into the rear blowers.

All now cut to length and installed with new stainless jubilee clips, plus full stainless Mikalor clamps for the rigid ducting pipework onto the heat shrouds on the headers.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...09C3386593.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...54C7D3D079.jpg

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A quick lunchbreak tinker had me thinking about the AC lines again, and whether I could massively simplify the new lines project.

You may remember from a few months (and pages) ago, that one option is to buy from the US a pair of Denso > AN adapters, then use a pair of 90º AN fittings that are swaged onto the hoses. But, now that the engine is back in, I was a little concerned that the additional height of the 90º bends *may* interfere with the engine lid. Plus, more fittings = more opportunity for leaks. Of course, the additional time and cost (those adapters seem damn expensive for what they are) of getting them over from the US, on a punt, is very much my Plan B....so, my new Plan A....

Now that the old lines have been butchered to remove the lengths I need to retain (what I refer to as the Z pipes, that go into the inner wing and screw onto the lines which run to the front of the car down the LH side), it's left the other ends potentially redundant.

However....Looking a little closer at them, an idea I considered a few weeks ago struck me as feasible. I had a play to remove the old rubber hosing from one of them, and it got me pondering whether the outlet pipework was brazed into the "block" which bolts down onto the pump. If so, then potentially we can heat it, rotate to the new orientation that misses the IC, and re-braze or weld.

If it isn't brazed, and can't be persuaded out, then we'll just carefully cut-rotate-weld the pipework. That's the theory, anyway. Have left them with Pete for him and Lewis to play with. If successful, then Burgaflex can hopefully just swage new hosing onto them, job's a good'un.

Quick progress track....

Last night saw the rear anti-roll bar get reinstalled; this was re-cotated in the very first batch of parts almost four years ago, so it was quite satisfying not only seeing another bag of re-plated fasteners disappear, but also 3 more items from my home office (which hasn't been used as a home office for, well, almost 4yrs...).

All installed beautifully, although I did start twitching when I had to re-assemble the drop links; they've not been removed from the car, thus are still looking their age (you have to draw a line somewhere.....apparently). This will be addressed as the often mentioned Phase 2 project, which is the far simpler suspension upgrade and refurb plan.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...4A6E8A27AB.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...19BD960525.jpg

I collected the re-plated breather hose fittings for the OAS tank over the lunchbreak. Interestingly, when I questioned why they hadn't come up nice and shiny like the original parts were, I found out that there are 2 ways to BZP items; acid dip and cyanide dip. Most parts are simply acid dipped, it's the "commodity" process; looks nice and presentable, but actually isn't that robust. It is a lot cheaper though. The cyanide dip, however, does come up duller as you can see in the pic below, but is more robust. And more expensive. So there you go. I hadn't appreciated that until today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...5658646061.jpg

I had a long FaceTime chat with TK Chris again last night. Always great to catch up and talk "in person", and of course I'm extremely grateful for him taking the time, he's always busy of course, and just re-assure me on a few things or throw some ideas around. It's been said many many times over on the 930 Supercharging/Turbocharging forum, but he really is a stand-up guy.

One of the questions I had was around the gear shift feel; you may remember that I installed an FD Motorsports "Golden Rod" rear shift linkage a couple of years ago, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what the shift feel felt like the last time I drove the car. I only had it for 6mths before taking it off the road, of course. My concern was around the spring tension when moving across the gate, from the 3-4 > 1-2 position - this felt nice and strong...compared to the 3-4 > 5 gate movement, which feels a lot weaker. I had a horrible feeling that something had become dislodged inside the gearbox.

A quick requisition of my Brothers services to actuate the lever while I crawled under the car to inspect the rotatation of the selector shaft proved that it was moving the same amount in either direction. Apart from bolting the Golden Rod on at either end, there's nothing that could go wrong, so was pretty sure there was no fault there, but you know what it's like, you replace something (and sent the original back over the Pond in exchange..) and immediately it raises a doubt. Was I imagining this strange, weak, shift feel?

Turns out I was - Chris ducked outside....into the 108ºF Arizona sunshine....grrr....to check a C2 Turbo that happened to be in the shop. Ahhh, thank you Apple...the beauty of FaceTime allowed Chris to examine my shaft and vice versa....er.....you know what I mean.

(come on, a gearbox innuendo gag was dying to be had...)

Nothing to see here, move along. Both shift actions looked to be the same, and I'd simply forgotten (got paranoid....). Which is good, something less to worry about.

Oh...almost forgot...those clowns with the silicone hosing? I received another parcel today...another metre of 76mm 1-ply ducting hose. Sublime to the ridiculous!

Lol good catching up with you, Spencer. Technology is brilliant when it works.
Too funny about that ducting. I think they're just messing with you now!

Innuendo remark sure to get a response from Paul and/or Ronnie in 3...2...1...

Sssshhhhh!!!!


I know Paul has been reading this thread, but I don't know about Ronnie...For gawds-sake don't mention it, I don't want this diary becoming a insult-fest!! :D:D:p

And I was worried that you were over-detailing the project! And here you go leaving these un-anodized with Sulphur, like the Argus fittings!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...5658646061.jpg

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...1&d=1340171506

I'll say it again . . your attention to detail is unbelievable. . . and your patience and persistence with this project are LEGENDARY! Persevere my friend!

Haha, thanks John. Really do appreciate the comments ;)

Well, with that perseverance, a momentous couple of events that I've not yet documented. Firstly, last weekend saw Dad and I crank the engine over for the first time. With the lower plugs removed, it only took a few seconds for the oil pressure to build.

Next job was to check the fuel pumps. It's been a busy week this last few days, so no real opportunity to play around in the garage, so with some time yesterday and the car still on the ramps, I removed the front fuel pump hatch, just to be able to keep an eye on everything. With the MBE s/w (and I imagine most other brands), you can manually trigger the output pins, only for 10secs or so, but one of the o/p's is the fuel pump relay trigger. Doing this has pumped the fuel around nicely, both pumps whirring very smoothly. They certainly don't make the racket that some users of the Bosch 044 complain about - I can only presume its the rubber sleeve capsule that Porsche uses, which damps the sound this much.

Anyway, at the moment, I can't register a fuel pressure reading on the MBE dashboard. There's definitely fuel pressure at the sender, that's all checked, and the configuration setting in the ECU looks to be fine.....so todays job will be to buzz the loom through.

With my neighbour Ian available as another set of eyes and a handheld extinguisher operator, I took the brave-pill, lowered the car off the ramps and got it outside for the first fire-up. Exhaust tailpipes quickly pushed onto the silencer, no intake system or IC in place, just really wanted to see the engine turn over before bolting everything back in place for the final time.....see video below!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9wIUJXn84_o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Bearing in mind that I don't have the throttle pedal back together inside the cabin (todays other job), this fire-up was purely on the key....which I'm pretty chuffed with, that's not too shabby at all. Interface to the tacho also worked perfectly - it may have been necessary to use a pull-up resistor, depending on the type of tacho drive the guage uses, but clearly this isn't necessary.

Really do like the exhaust note - not shouty or track-refugee at idle, just sounds (imo) pretty damn menacing....a little like the Nissan GTR's I've heard.

Fuel pressure sensor check - without this I can't set the fuel pressure regulator, so as long as the weather holds, the car will be rolling back out shortly for me to apply ze meters.

Back later with another instalment....

Well, that was a productive morning!

I noticed the other day that the dash oil pressure gauge was mis-reading when we cranked the engine over last weekend. It was reading 0 then flew off the top of the scale when the pressure increased. My suspicion was correct, simple case of the wires to the oil pressure sensor being reversed. I was a little concerned, as this loom was a new one that I made about 3yrs ago, replacing the stock one that became largely redundant after the removal of the CIS setup.

Turning my attention to the fuel system and pressure readings, all the loom connections buzz through fine, +5v on the pink wire, 0v and continuity to Gnd, with the orange signal wire going to pin A34 on the 9A9 connection. The MBE configuration for programmable input pins looks to be fine as well. When I swapped the Oil P harness onto the Fuel P sensor, it also read as I would expect...anyway, I've now got a fuel pressure reading on the EasiMap s/w, albeit not quite the "panel" in the dash I was expecting to give me the reading (and conversely, the one I was expecting it to work on, still reads 4psi). So everything looks good, it may well just be something that needs to be configured deep in the settings, but it's working well enough for me to adjust the fuel pressure regulator.

Time to fire her up again, keeping an eagle eye on things as everything warms up. A quick break in the warm-up cycle to check and top-up the oil level (in anticipation of the thermostat opening and needing to fill the oil cooler circuit), then another restart and about 30mins of warm-up.

Oil pressure at cold idle was 4bar on the dash, 54-55psi on the laptop. I was surprised how long it did actually take to warm up fully, but once the oil temp gauge on the dash started registering, the oil pressure dropped nicely down to 2.5bar; again, the laptop reading ever-so-slightly less.

I could just about reach inside the RH wheel arch to test the temp of the oil lines....flipping hot....but as the car is right up against the garage wall on dollies, I haven't yet had a good inspection for leaks.

A couple of observations; over the last few days of just turning the ignition on, the rear blower fans were switching on - not full blast, but I'm sure they never used to do that. After a full temp cycle, I now notice that when switching ignition on, the fans are off! So, whether the 964's over-complicated cooling system has caused the CCU to re-calibrate itself, I don't know, but as I type, they're behaving as expected. I also noticed that whilst sitting in the cabin, the ventilation system would only blow hot air, no temp control. Time for me to dust off the paperwork for the climate control system and refamiliarise myself with it.

Second observation is that both the laptop and the multimeter are reporting a charging voltage of only 11.6v. Chris and I talked the other day about whether some damage *may* have happened on the dyno. The alternator belt was disconnected, as we were not loading the alternator with a charging circuit. Leaving it open-circuit but being driven would've blown it, however, bearing stiction in the fan assembly meant that it was being driven very slowly. Thoughts are that this slow speed unloaded drive shouldn't have caused any damage to the regulator circuit, but I'm now wondering whether it has. Engine fires-up beautifully, no hint of slow cranking. So the behaviour doesn't match the readings, but I could really do without having to remove the alternator, a complete cow of a job.

This afternoons job will be to shuffle the car over to the other side of the garage, and do a thorough leak inspection. If ok, then I can finally start re-installing all the inner arches and the RHS "shark-fin" bodywork.

The interior can be refitted again as well - loom looks to be good, and the revised plan to run the fire extinguisher lines in the centre console means the carpets can go back.

The throttle pedal needs to be re-assembled, then I think the clutch pedal system can be filled and bled.

I forgot to mention, that the hoses for the oil-air separator tank are now finished with my custom couplings swaged on perfectly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...E9E541F9D7.jpg

Tempting to refit everything, however, the extinguisher lines are going to be a little easier to install without the air filter and breather assembly in place.

Bravo Spencer !!! ;-)

Thanks Pat! You well?

Ah well, looks like I've got to bite the bullet and remove the alternator to rebuild it. :rolleyes:

Hooking up the multimeter directly to the starter motor contacts reveals only a marginal improvement, reading 11.9v at 2,000 rpm. 300mV voltage drop to the front of the car; not great but tolerable (and in fairness, the 11.6v reading yesterday was at idle, not 2,000, so it may not be as much as 300mV). So, unless I've managed to completely cock up the new engine loom that connects the alternator to the starter motor - I'll check end to end resistance later - then it's a safe bet that it may be past it's best, perhaps worn slip rings and brushes, rather than a failed regulator pack....or both.

While I'm at it, I'll replace both bearings, daft not to for £9 each, plus the slip ring and plastic bearing receptacle cap.

If anyone needs it, there's a great rebuild how-to thread from JWPATE here ....I'll let you know how I get on.

Well...lucky break time!!

I can't quite believe this...but after trawling the 964/993 forum for alternator rebuilds - see above - I also found a thread in the search that briefly mentioned the warning lights, "christmas tree" effects and the clock module. The thought occurred to me whether by having that clock module unplugged, would/could that influence the charging reading?...Of course, mine's no longer a clock it's a boost gauge, but the warning light architecture remains the same.

Well, it turns out that it can/did. Quickly plugging the gauge back in, then firing the engine up with the DMM still connected to the starter motor and engine ground....and I now have 13.9v at idle. Was only a quick check before having to jump onto a conf call, so didnt have time to warm the engine sufficiently to check at higher revs. But, it's far closer to what I'd have expected and it saves me having to remove the fan.

Beers tonight!

A huge congratulations.

That ain't no GTR sound. It sounds like an awesome flat 6 ;)

Absolutely no drama, as expected.

Thanks buddy!....yeah I more thinking that the idle note was deeper and smooth....very smooth actually, as opposed to a shouty "cack-cack-cack" racecar sound. I always hear GTR's and think they sound quite baritone. Don't get me wrong, prodding the loud pedal a little and it's very distinctively a flat-6.

"No drama, as expected"? :D ...I certainly wasn't that confident, I was cacking it! In the end I just went for it....

Was saying to my mate Matt this evening that something occurred to me earlier today whilst sitting in the car; no NVH harshness at all, sewing machine smooth despite having 964RS engine mounts and TurboKrafts uprated gearbox mount. I was half expecting something a little harsher (but glad it's not...that wasn't the brief, remember?)...guess all that OCD behaviour with balancing the rods/pistons/gudgeon pins, then surface grinding my set of valve spring seat shims, actually paid off.

The 964RS flywheel and GT2RS clutch assembly is also drama free; no idling issues like so many folk experience. Dying to see how well it all picks-up under load!

Not too much activity tonight. Dad walked over and heard it fire up for the first time. Got one of the inner arch sets fitted, along with the RHS shark-fin panel, then a considerable amount of head-scratching about the AC lines. Again. I think I have a plan, finally. More after I speak with Robert at Burgaflex tomorrow.

Cooking with gas today....

Spoke to Robert at Burgaflex, and we have a plan with the AC lines. After researching options that potentially use SAE screw on fittings, I think the height clearance to the engine lid is going to prevent this from being a good option, apart from anything else, we'd be looking at about $80 to get a pair of Denso adapters into the UK, then the cost of buying the wrong fittings, plus the time involved.

So, the plan as I see it, is to re-use the Denso blocks but modifying the inlet/outlet pipes to avoid the intercooler. Scabby looking but they'll clean up a treat, and will (of course!) be re-plated once modified.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t/IMG_7310.jpg

A week or so ago, I took the fittings along for Pete to have a go at heating; the pipework looked to be brazed or soldered in, certainly not welded. However, the fittings weren't playing ball, and one of them tore off when twisting.

My Plan B last night was to re-use the tails of the original hose fittings, i.e., the part sitting inside the hose and onto which the ferrule will be swaged, then order some 1mm walled mild steel tube in the correct diameters, and bend them myself. A simple case of welding at either end would then give me a bespoke fitting to clear everything.

However...there's a Plan C! Speaking with Robert, an easier solution would be to purchase a couple of 90º fittings, remove the nuts from one end (leaving the hose tail) and then welding these onto the Denso blocks....reduces the number of welds needed. A little neater and removes half of the leak risk.

The pics below show my thinking, albeit I was using the old tails to illustrate to Robert what I was looking to achieve and also what I was looking to clear in terms of hardware. I need to ensure that I don't obstruct the M8 AC pump mounting bolt; that could really ruin a day, should the pump need removing or belt tensioning.

Without the intercooler fitted....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t/IMG_7312.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t/IMG_7311.jpg


Then with the IC installed, showing the overall window of space I have available...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t/IMG_7313.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t/IMG_7314.jpg

For the pressure fitting (the smaller, inboard one), I can't decide whether to try and use another 90º coupling or whether to use a straight tail into the side of the block. Ultimately, I think it'll be determined by the bend radius of the pressure fitting and whether I can get it close enough to the Denso block so as not to impinge on that mounting bolt....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t/IMG_7315.jpg

.....For the sake of a few pounds, I've ordered one of each.

So, 2 x 1.5m lengths of hose plus 3 x fittings are now paid for and winging their way south. All I then need to do is accurately cut the original ally "Z" pipes that interface onto the chassis lines, then mock it all up with indexing marks, and ship it back up to Bergaflex for crimping....hoping that I get it right!

In other news....

• A pair of Mikalor W4 full stainless clamps have now been ordered for the exhaust tailpipes, along with a tonne of other M6 fixings, that I always seem to be running out of...
• The intercooler mounts are now set in the correct location to ensure that the engine lid doesn't foul the IC...and it doesn't, so that's another long-standing To-Do item off of the list.

And that's about it for this evening. The Lotus is now ready for its annual MoT and it's time for me to get back to work (proper work, not car work...)

Good evening.

Huzzah! The AC fittings and hoses have arrived already! A look of confusion greeted the courier delivery man whilst I was wondering what on earth I'd ordered/forgotten about. Great service!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...E25A1FD4E9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...4ECE86344B.jpg

So, tonights job will be to start looking into how, where and what to drill and cut. Robert was absolutely correct when he said that the hosing "these days" is of far smaller and lighter construction. By comparison the older suction hoses are massive, heavy and very rigid. Measuring it, 29.3mm OD vs 23.5mm OD.

Finally we may be getting somewhere with this blessed AC sub-project!!

The other hardware also *partially* arrived today....one Mikalor clamp missing, but in todays post. No biggy, not in a rush for it.

Hi Spencer, For me that drags on near the body which is in Belgium, the painter left! I have to get back parts engine over there which are restored, the problem is that the company is closed because of the holidays, thus I am blocked to go back up my engine.
Thus I am a little disgusted, he(it) is going to need me some patience, many!

I am very satisfied for you, you motivate me, you work great well! ;)

A small photo of my modified exhaust. :)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1438191288.jpg

Ah no!! Nightmare mate. I know the frustration...even getting (what should be) very minor and insignificant jobs finished can become very tedious and soul destroying. My family do keep reminding me that this project should be FUN....stop beating myself up, there is no deadline for completion...not really....it's all just self-imposed pressure. So I do try and listen, take heed and step away for a day or three, then resume.

Love the headers....ceramic coating looks very clean...for the time being! ;) Have you also coated the piston crowns and combustion chambers/valves?

Evening everyone....some great progress this evening on the AC project.

First job was to tidy-up the Denso blocks, so that they can be welded closed. Into the 4-jaw chuck on the lathe, and carefully bored out to a depth of 6mm and chamfer the edge.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...47A9021C91.jpg

Next job, turn some mild steel bungs, with a chamfer on the outside face. Together with the bore chamfer, a nice weld channel should ensure good weld penetration.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...D963A53211.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...F9C45E4A1E.jpg

Some pics showing how the new AC fittings will interface to the blocks. Mounting the suction (larger) hose fitting onto the back of the block was almost an option, apart from it would have to be cut so tight to the radius of the bend in order to avoid the mounting bolt for the pump, it didn't look quite as nice as the option I went for, which was a top entry on the block. As you can see in the pics below, doing it this way means that the two hoses now neatly sit above each other.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...710C2B6150.jpg

Suction fitting was then cut at the correct angle, then time to mount the X-Y bed and vice onto the pillar drill. The table of the drill was then rotated so that I could drill the new hole on top of the block at the same angle as the hose fitting....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...8988F40E37.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...B802B5913B.jpg

...all turned out very nice, with a final cut to 13mm ID, matching the ID of the fitting.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...88E2317AA4.jpg

Next job was to drill the side entry hole into the block for the pressure line. Easy job, and I've retained the flange on the hose fitting, so that there's more metal to weld with.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...34A40845ED.jpg

Final positioning of the two hoses....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...6F274EDEF5.jpg

Next task was to start routing the hoses around the back of the engine. No pics of this yet, but the ally "Z" pipes have been repositioned and screwed onto the chassis lines. Against these, the ferrules were fitted to the end of the hoses in order to see where they're going to sit, relative to the hose retaining clamp on the rear firewall. Ally pipes then marked, rubber hoses clamped into position in said firewall clamp, and then cut to length at the pump end.

I may look into making a bracket that mounts off of the back of the power steering pump. Onto this, with a 90º return, I'll see if the hoses are flexible enough to pull down and be retained using a giant P-Clip. I'm not convinced it's actually needed - there's nothing that the hoses will rub against, and it's unlikely they'll move very much over that short length...it's just a tidyness (OCD) thing....

Plan for the weekend is to get the AC fittings over to Pete for welding and leak testing, then they can go to the plating shop for a quick dip.