ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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1994 M Corsa 1.4 Mpi 8v SRi in Flame Red
Having decided not to stick my let in the astra gsi, i started looking for a corsa gsi with a worn out engine. Eventually found one local for £ 500, but i had this car part ex'd into work a day later for similar money. Im not really fussed on the way it looks, Im looking to sell the lights, bumper, bonnet, wheels etc, to get a bit of money back towards the project.
I planned to go for a standard looking GSi, 5 stud and Calibra Turbo Fanblades, lowered, and clean. The Sri has the GSi skirts, the rear bumpers are the same, and all id need outside is the front bumper to finish. Im now also quite pleased i got an SRi shell, as they dont have a sunroof and ABS to mess about with.
So.. weathers been terrible here of late, here are a couple of pics last night, just before i got to work on it..
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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I ordered my type 1 engine mount kit, f28 mount, lowered tie bar brackets, and 5 stud big block hubs from www.ChrisAstleyMotorsport.co.uk
They arrived next day too. Quality Seems good, will let you know how well they fit when it comes to it.
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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Spent a couple of hours removing the engine.. Easy peasy with a crane and 2 post ramp 
All removed in one, and for sale!
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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update.
friday night, i welded a small plate to the bulkhead, some strenghening round the bay, cleaned up some rust and painted.
Sunday, i worked on getting the LET mounted.
Firstly, some small modification to the corsa rear engine mount bracket. i had to grind two lips back in order for the spacer plates to sit flush and the anti crush tube to sit in place. coat of matt black later, and it was ready to use.
3 gearbox holes were drilled and tapped (f28)
For driveshafts, i am using the std calibra turbo short one. i had to modify this by shortening one end 10mm and moving the circlip groove back 10mm. i simply used a grinder and cutting disk in both cases. then fitted to modified 5 stud big block front hubs with big block cv's.
The engine went in easily from underneath, turbo, inlet, gearbox, the whole lot still attached!
In fairness to Chris Astley Motorsport, the engine mount kit was spot on, and lines it up perfect.
The Tie Bar and Anti roll bar needed to be lower, so i went ahed to fit the spacers supplied, but i then realised you need longer bolts for the cross member (not supplied). fitted a 2 of the 5 spacers each side for now, just to get the car back on all fours.
Further jobs for next weekend..
Fit equal length driveshaft once i can get hold of one. (rob phone me if u read this)
Coolant pipes
Oil cooler sandwich plate removal
Mount a Radiator and fan
Purchase a Front mount intercooler of some description
Throttle and clutch cables.
Run wiring loom into car and get soldering!
Once running, i will get on with the timing belt and tensioners before it turns a wheel.
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
User status: Offline
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Conversion Pictures are on my phone.
Here are some pictures from today..
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
User status: Offline
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Small update. Not had alot of time to do much. Just waiting on some parts..
Ive completed the wiring, Fitted the F28 Conversion Plate, Used some old head bolts to fit all 5 tie bar lowring spacer plates each side, removed the oil cooler plate using an old cavalier oil filter thread.
there is no PAS on my corsa, so the non adjustable LET altenator and Bottom Pulley (multi grooved type) is no good, so im just waiting on an XE altenator and brackets, and will fit a spare single V bottom Pulley i have.
Ive decided to keep the Corsa SRi radiator, but i will re drill the cross member holes further to the front of the car and position it centrally so that i can run a boost pipe either side to an intercooler.
Also ordered a new twin outlet header tank, as fitted to corsa diesels, 1.0/1.2 xe, and corsa gsi. Once i get this i will finish plumbing the engine.
I was going to spend out on a front mount intercooler, but with a gsi front bumper, you wont see much of it anyway. so i think a frontera 2.8 td, land rover, vivaro type intercooler will do the job ok. Any recommendations on which one to use? (looking at some engine mods once running)
All that is left then is to tidy the engine bay, change the timing belt, plugs, rotor arm and cap, before i take it on to have a stainless system made.
Pictures to follow once things look a bit more exciting.
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
User status: Offline
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Sourced: XE Altenator, Bottom Pulley, Brackets, Equal Length Shaft, New Twin Outlet Header Tank, Oil Cooler Plate Remover Thread,.
Some usefull part numbers:
Oil Filter Metric Thread 90144360,
Twin Outlet Header Tank 9129478.
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
User status: Offline
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Wiring..
Engine Bay..
LET Starter/Alternator/Oil Switch Loom:
Cut the big round plug away, junk the oil level sender wires.
Leaves 3 wires to join to the Corsa Loom.
Blue & White
Black & Red
Blue & Green
Join these Colour to Colour with the Corsa 3 Pin Plug which runs out of the bulkhead.
In Car
To keep things neat i cut the multi plug from the corsa engine loom, chopped away the let multi plugs x 3 (2 Black, 1 Green) Then began joining wires colour to colour.
The wires to join are..
Blue
Blue & Red (Thick)
Blue & Red (Thin)
White & Brown
Yellow & Brown
Blue & Brown
Green & Green
Thick Red With Black Insulation, Very Long, Runs back to the Battery +.
Left Over and Ignored..
Calibra Engine Loom
Black & Green (Air Con)
Red & White (Trip computer)
Blue & Brown
Brown & Black (Trip Computer)
Corsa Car Loom
Thick Red ( Live )
Insulate and Tape them up out of the way.
There will also be a Thick Black Wire left on the Corsa Loom, This needs to be Joined with a Single Black Wire towards the end of the LET Engine Loom, Down near the gearbox. It has an odd shaped single pin plug. I ran a wire through the bulkhead from the footwell to join these.
The Fuel Relay Block remains Untouched.
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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Just sticking any 5 stud wheels on the front for now while i repaint my fan blades and get some low profile tyres.
Plan is to run it in "chav mode" untill i find a gsi front bumper and standard bonnet, then it will all be resprayed
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
User status: Offline
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Rob: Calibra Front Hubs Machined down to the Corsa Bearing.. purchased from Chris Astley.
Nothing much to report on, its all plumbed, runs fine. just need toi change the timing belt.
Was meant to have an exhaust made today but ive missed my appointment. Having thought about it since, stuff spending another 300 quid, im gona see what i can do with my old nova 2.5" system, wonder how similar the corsa nova exhausts are?
Waiting on a couple of stupid things like the top alternator bracket rubber bush.
Heres a few pictures..
Calibra Turbo 5 Stud Disks and Calipers with New Brake Hose Flexis.
Brand New Frontera 2.8 TD Intercooler. All Alloy, No Plastic End Tanks!
Radiator Brought Forward and Centered. Intercooler fits perfectly and boost pipes can run either side of the radiator. Bit of rust going on the front panel under the drivers side headlamp, will plate it and paint it!
Tie Bar Lowring Blocks to Clear the Gearbox etc.. Fitted with Vauxhall Headbolts (Much Longer)
2WD Conversion Plate from Regal with F20 Driveshaft Seal. Equal Length Driveshaft, fits unmodified!
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
User status: Offline
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Ok. Had a running problem. Car would idle ok for a few seconds before cutting out. It also wouldnt rev without popping and banging. Having changed the distributor for a known working one (t/c hall sensor), this got rid of the management light and gave me an idea that all sensors were ok. Fuel pressure was very low to the fuel rail.. 1 bar.. needs to be around 3 bar. I suspected fuel pump all along.. BUT... the Corsa SRi 1.4 MPi pump runs on 300kpa, which is the same pressure as the calibra turbo system runs. So in theory the corsa pump should be enough to run the car! The car seemed to drive fine on with the 1.4 mpi engine and this pump. Any way, Wiring was ok, fuel lines were ok, so i changed the pump just to see. It ran fine on my astra gsi ecotec pump, so i went about sourcing a pump to fit into the corsa fuel tank. Ended up with a Vectra GSi V6 pump, which fits nicley into the corsa cradle and the wiring plugs in as is. This fuel pump is also fitted to Vectras from 1.6 16v > 2.6 v6, various Astra G's and a few more. Can get a list off EPC if anyones interested!
Ive also had the exhaust done. I was all set to go to longlife to spend £300 on a new 2.5" system, when i remembered i had a 2.5 " system (made a few years ago) which i took off my nova doing nothing in the garage. Took it along, £100 pounds later, they had the front pipe straight and mated to the LET downpipe.. a few hangers moved around and job done! The tip doesnt suit the car (big letter box thing), but i plan to go back to change this once the cars all painted and finished!
Also invested in some new tyres for the fanblades. Got some 195/45/16s instead of the drag inspired 205/50/16s that the calibra wore.
Changed 2 bottom ball joints and track rod ends too. well worn to say the least. 
I have a few small things to sort out..
I am waiting for a Corsa GSi bumper to be delivered from East Yorkshire, i can then go about making some brackets etc for the intercooler and modify the bumper to suit!
The Turbo to AFM pipe runs tight between the engine and slam panel and causes the timing belt cover to rub the belts. not a nice noise! Looking for a pipe to suit before i go cutting about.. any ideas?
Remove the aftermarket dump valve.. i much prefer the noise of the std kkk dump valve through the air filter.
Tidy some wiring, vac hoses, fit an air filter, battery jacket, exhaust manifold shield, re do the coolant hoses from the headertank and the heater matrix, some the wrong way round.
This weekend i intend on removing the sri badges and side strips, re fit the gsi skirts, fit the gsi front bumper, and basically get the car prepped for paint.
Once back its a case of Cavalier V6 5 stud rear disks on a converted beam, and i think this would almost conclude Stage 1 of the project!
Will update with some pictures later this afternoon! :beer:
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
User status: Offline
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Not long after wiring that update, the UPS man arrived with my corsa gsi bumper.
Not at all bad for £60, but someones cut the two ends off where the bumper meets the splash guards and arches! Means some work plastic welding some ends onto the bumper i guess. 
Went for a quick mock up tonight..
And a couple of mins with the grinder and job done!
Not noted above is the bit where i snapped an engine mount bolt! Engines on a cradle at the moment, drilled the old bolt out, time to tap it tomorrow and get the mount back on again.
Pain in the ass, but dont fancy driving with only 2 out of 3 bolts!
Oh, i also got my hands on some standard rear lamps for a tenner with bulbs and holders.
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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Oh, to add. im not 100% on the way it looks, too much of the IC is covered, but if i go cutting the number plate recess out, it may look a bit of a dogs dinner.
Opinions Please
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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Lowered the ramp to the floor..
Cant wait to get it painted and slap some coilovers on!
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Nice project! Loving the 5 stud conversion 
Tidy up that rust and junk those cable ties though! 
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Robbo_Corsa
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Registered: 5th Jul 06
Location: North Lincolnshire
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is it 5 stud conversion?
Looks like its only attached with 3 studs..
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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it is a five stud. earlier photos are in early stage of developments when the wheels were regularly on and off and the car wasnt going anywhere. hence the 3 studs lol.
all 5 studs are present and correct now. once i get the car painted ill hopefully have cav v6 rear disks (5stud) and get the back wheels on!
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Ian
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Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
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VegasPhil
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Jan 05
Location: Fareham, Hants Drives: Octavia VRS
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Corsa 2.0 16v Vegas - Sold
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Nic Barnes
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Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
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personally id have fitted an oil cooler instead of getting rid of the sandwhich plate. those engines run at some rediculous temps at times, so a method of cooling the oil helps greatly
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SteveW
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Registered: 15th Jul 02
Location: Up in the clouds
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bloody hell.. good project mate.
more corsa turbos on the road these days well done sir
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Jambo
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
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Fecking awesome, fans + LET + Gsi =
Bet you cant wait top drive it!
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
User status: Offline
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OK, time for some updates
Finally got round to fitting a new corsa radiator, made some tidy brackets and drilled the front panel mounting holes over to center it all.
Then, made some brackets out of some wall ties and some pipe for my intercooler. Pictures to follow!
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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Moving onto something a bit more exciting.. I Spent the weekend prepping and painting the car myself.
For now i painted all but the bonnet and GSi front bumper because this needs work and the bonnet is in mint condition off a newer red corsa sport.
Basically I started off with some bodyrepairs. Althought the car is quite straight, the B Pillars had cracked, The skirts were poorly fitted, I wanted rid of the wiper hole, Some rust on the Roof edge above the windscreen, and various other little blemishes and chips around the car.
The Pillars..
I ground them back and welded them as required. A lick of fibreglass, one skim of filler and some high build... and voila.
The wiper motor unbolts from the inside with one large nut on the outside. I then welded a small plate from behind. Again a touch of fibreglass, one skim of filler and some high build and vanished.
Here is the roof edge after i ground the rust, skim of filler and high build once more.
Next, some rubbing down!
Heres the car before..
600 Wet and Dry Later
Throw in the repairs listed above
Ready for a wet scotch with grey pads..
Some time out masking..
In preperation to paint, i had a space heater on full for about an hour before. All rubber seals blown for trapped water. Workshop floor soaked to keep the dust down best we could. (Carefull not to splash water with the airline). Degreased thoroughly, then Tack Ragged the car just before paint for any unwanted bits.
First Coat..
No further photos were taken from this point untill the next morning.
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ELG4N
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Registered: 25th Oct 03
Location: Carmarthenshire
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And heres the finished item freshly unmasked this morning
The fun doesnt quite stop there, a few areas need to be flatted back a touch then buffed. I will probably flat and polish most of the car to get rid of the "just been painted" shine/finish.
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