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I think Rob is away for a couple of weeks, there's an overpriced exhaust manifold on ebay at the mo so I'll wait for rob to get back. I'm busy this weekend then on call for the next two. I should get a few wednesday mornings down there and maybe a few hours in the evening. I'm going to sort out the inlet and rocker cover paint, repair the burnt out wiring in the boot and do a bit more bodywork fettling. I might talk to Shaun about doing the paint sometime in the next few weeks too. I suggest we target 28th November or 5th December to finish the mechanicals/wiring - as long as the manifolds are here.

I now have the slug sitting in the garage at home, the sooner I can swap it for a nice usable road car and do the various trackday jobs down at the workshop the better! Plus Wifey is complaining about the smell in the garage - mixture of Vpower, oil, burnt rubber and singed brakes - I think it's brilliant!

I'm back after spending a week at a Belgian industrial estate! I won't get any workshop time this weekend but the start of next week is looking promising. I'm likely to have the manifolds laying around, as well as the other bits so there's a good chance you might have them before the next weekend...

does your wife ever stop moaning tho jim? does she live in the garage?

Sadly the washer and drier are in there so she goes in there from time to time.

Already posted on someone elses thread about the manifolds Jim as i've just this weekend removed the ones from the E21 in prep for some SS fritz goodness although at the minute i can't afford them.

Should you need the manifold in a hurry then you can take these...they come with downpipes attached.

Rob has a set in the post to me so should be OK.

what weekend are you wanting my help again? i could do with abit of cash!

I am working again next weekend then have a few things on the week after. Might have to be in December - unless you can get a day off in the week to come over.

There's been a bit more progress, sorted most of the wiring except the coil wires and spade terminals on oil switch starter and alternator. Bought a battery and got the battery stuff ready to go, just need to decide the final position and weld a bracket into the boot. All the battery cabling under the bonnet is sorted. Fuel pump wiring and hoses done, and I've started looking at the AFM mounting situation. Gave the top of the engine a bit of enamel as shown in the pics.

You can check my car for the battery placement if you like. I initially had the one cut from the engine bay bolted in the boot. Now it's welded and painted it looks nice. I should have those HT leads, dizzy cap and rotor if you still need them too.

Don't suppose you have any idea how to put in a 1.3 wiring loom do you? I'm kind of tempted to have a go. So what if my car goes up in flames afterwards?

I'll be making a bracket in the boot, probably put it behind the arch on passenger side where I cut the metal partition thing out to help get at the rust hole behind it. Yours is over on the other side - although as you are in an LHD it is the same from weight distribution perspective as what I am planning.

I have leads, just the plastic casing they run through has broken mounting tabs - I can DIY some mountings. I hope the rotor/dizzy I have will work but keep the spares handy.

Wiring up a loom - I just followed Murrans idiot proof guide in his thread, minor complication when I found that the oil pressure switch wasn't wired to the pin his thread said it was in the C101 but a bit of wire tracery and looking at the e30 ETM sorted that. I'm going to cut off all the loom tape next week and strip out all the extra wires from the engine loom, so you are welcome to come and have a look at it all!

Hi Jim I'd be keen to come and give a hand, if there's anything I can help with as I'd like to get familiar with the cars. I'm completely new to mechanics/restoration so have alot to learn but t'would be good for me to be involved a bit (even if it means brewing up, at first!) I'll be picking my first one up on Dec 3rd, I've got a workshop manual and am cacking myself a bit as the car I'm buying will need work so any time i can get around these cars will be well worth it for me.
I'm around some evenings and can do daytime sometimes as well as weekends. Nice one

If anyone needs a Xmas E21 shipment to Manchester, I'll be up in Stoke on Trent for a full week leading up to Christmas Day . I might pop and see you Jim if I get fed up with the inlaws!

More bits of wiring sorted over the last couple of evenings, I think everything is wired now except the two wires that need to go onto the alternator earth spade connector. Drilled the hole for the ECU cables etc to go into the passenger glovebox region. There's far too much cable on this loom and it all bunches up where the screenwash reservoir is meant to go - I think it's getting relocated to the boot. I also connected up the heater hoses - partially by guesswork as I've not looked at the pipes on a 6 pot before. Also lost the e30 heater return pipe which had a T piece in it as Rob had kindly sent me the E21 ones. I've also connected the PAS return lines up using rubber fuel hose and fitted the radiator.

I've started another shopping list for Rob to send me...

Bottom radiator hose
Coolant expansion tank - I had one but can't find it anywhere
An alternator adjuster mechanism - it's basically the same as the one on the PAS pump and I can't find the PAS pump adjuster.

All these parts will be found the day after Rob posts the bits to me of course.

cool progress!
nearly ready for a test firing?