Cement

Mounted up the Serial Nine CD999 shifter relocation kit and its going to work out pretty good ... just need to en-biggen the hole slightly for the main boss to stick through. This kit has an adapter for the shifter shaft so you can position it fore or aft of the pin shown in the image.

Fuel pump wiring now complete, pretty happy with how it turned out. Went for a 22A solid state relay for reliability and 12 gauge wire for the hot side to mate up with the 20A fuse. Finally got to the cavity wax application in the areas that were opened up and ground / welded etc. Got the rear interior pretty much all back in and its looking great ... can't quite finish as I want to leave the rear bumper off for now while more work happens some time down the track (exhaust mainly). Had an Amazon voucher from work so turned that into a nice set of crimping tools (Deutsch and others for when attention turns to the wiring department) and Torx Plus bits so I can assemble the ATI super damper finally (yea, Torx Plus is a thing ... who knew !!). Also got my centre console triple gauge mount all the way from Lithuania !!

Some odd jobs taking place lately: Hit the button to get the oil pan manufactured, ETA 4 weeks Completed the wiring under the back seat, just need to mount and wire the fuel pump relay in the boot Cleaned the unfortunate mold off the back seat from being under the house 😕 Installed the new ATI super damper Next up I'll be concentrating on getting all of the fuel wiring done plus spraying cavity wax into all the locations welded so I can start reinstalling the back seats / boot interior fully !!

Ya it came up pretty well !! I used Septone Ali Brite from Super Cheap with water blasting before and after application... its acid based so need to be a little careful what it goes on. https://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/p/septone-septone-ali-brite-aluminium-cleaner-1-litre/1747.html

Completed the tear down and replacement of the required items. Removal of internal oil pump looks to be incredibly easy and essentially just leaving it out !! Lucky. There was a damaged gasket under one of the notorious VQ oil galleries, so definitely a good decision to do this work now !! Also two of the original screws were loose, so again great to fix while its all opened up. Gave the front cover a nice acid clean and water blast so it looks spanky now. Final re-assembly still to come then can validate the last items before having the oil pan manufactured.

I used these chaps to get my gearbox from the US ... found them really good to deal with. https://extremeglobal.co.nz/

Big parts delivery days this week !!! Stoked to get this lot as it unblocks the next few phases of work Highlights are the Serial Nine shifter relocation kit, the beefy slip yoke (can get the drive shaft finished) and ATI damper so I can work on mounting up the dry sump pump. Other items are for fixing a common issue on the VQ (oil gallery gasket failure), completing the fuel pump wiring and doing general service pieces while the front cover is off. Front cover removed from the engine to complete the oil gallery gasket repairs, general service of items (water pump, gaskets, o-rings, thermostat etc). This is also the time to look at the internal oil pump and work out what needs to happen to it for conversion to the dry sump pump. Had some expert input from a friend of mine on the oil pan design and have reworked it significantly to move the three scavenge ports to the right side of the motor below an oil scraper plate. Only one close fitment to validate in the car (pressure port near steering rack) then can do final checks and get it made !!

I used to have a side hustle in boring out throttle bodies many years ago, you need quite a good seal on the butterfly to avoid leaks. I had a little angled jig and would wire cut them at my work. The I changed job and would turn them on an angled jig in the lathe instead.

That could be anyone !? Oh hang on, only one guy that stupid around here 🤣

Cool car, nice interior ... shame about the auto 😕

Cheers, trying to get anything I have to deal with tidied up and refreshed on the way through ... turns out thats basically everything 🤣 Funny you mention the fuel pump as just today I got the new AEM filter installed and worked out where I will run the new fuel lines (Gates Barricade). This included mounting the fuel pressure regulator in the engine bay as I am converting the VQ to run a return system as per the BMW and not returnless like the Nissan. Got some colour matched paint on the inside of the boot where I've patched up the access holes for the top side reinforcing. Slowly moving towards getting the interior back in !!

Doing a 3/4 scale of your V8 with a VQ37 into E46

As the title says I'm looking for recommendations on where custom sway bars can be made to a high standard. I need an E46 front made with some tweaks to suit my swap project (unfortunately !!). Would be great to get a recommendation rather than lucky dipping it. I'm in Auckland so local would be preferred but anywhere for the right skills / quality is also fine.

I did the garage at our previous house, same sort of deal as whats already been discussed ... installed some building paper within each timber cavity, insulated and lined with 12mm ply set the ply thickness off the concrete. Two coats of polyurethane and enjoy. To get the official information on retrofitting insulation you can refer to this standard ... speaking from an occupied / house perspective you're supposed to get a consent for insulating external walls. Unsure of the in's and out's of a non-occupied building. Just go for it: https://tenancy.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Tenancy/NZS-42462016-Energy-efficiency-Installing-bulk-thermal-insulation-in-residential-buildings.pdf

Just spotted this thread having not been a member for a long while, very cool and unique car !!

Ha, same thing I was starting to think about where my left side headers will be close to ABS unit and fuel lines etc ... staying tuned

Hopefully it will be nice ... really I just wish I didn't have to dry sump it at all but needs must.

I forgot to add another discovery ... the front sway bar won't fit so will have to get something custom made, at some stage 😕 Bummer. Also been looking at gauges which I'll want to have in place for initial start and testing. I figure I can walk a line between JDM bling and Euro class but trying to keep it as low profile inside as possible so might end up going with Prosports Supreme series with three in the console and two on the column.

A long time between updates, but the wheels have been turning slowly in the background with a lot of time spent designing the new dry sump oil pan and thinking things through now that the engine is mounted in the car on its proper engine mounts. Will need to get the trans mount sorted next but its going to be a funky design to allow the left side headers to have maximum clearance under the car. Only other bits completed are installation of the electronic throttle pedal instead of stock cable one which included: confirming the BMW throttle pedal is 'sensor compatible' with the Nissan ECU (yay !!!) and removing the auto pedal kickdown cam thingy. Also started laying out some fuel system bits which have been sitting in a box for ages as I need to convert the VQ to a return style system which basically involves a '4 way tap' fitting replacing the factory damper then installing an external regulator which will maintain set pressure and drain excess back to the tank. Oil pan is looking really good ... just have to confirm the exact hole locations, add in an additional scavenge port which I was not going to use originally and confirm some clearances on the car then can submit to have manufactured via an amazing service from https://www.3dhubs.com So I got a used four stage dry sump pump (with oil / air seperator) also which will need to be changed from a left to right hand mount. There is quite a bit of work and expense in getting the oiling system under control which is a bummer but should ultimately be a really good solution. May need to sell a kidney once I organise fittings, hoses, reservoir, breather, vacuum regulator etc etc etc A couple of snaps checking the dry sump design for clearance around the crank / rods as well as externally between the steering rack and subframe etc.

Certifier was ok with me welding the mounts so they are finished now, happy with how they turned out. Now I can get to the bottom of the engine again I'm plotting out where the oil returns are to the sump so I can model them into the new dry sump pan.

I think it was mentioned previously but the subframe itself is not the issue, its the car floor (RACP = rear axle carrier panel) and surrounds where the subframe mounts to. CMP Automotive have the most comprehensive articles I have seen regarding the issues. Part 2 of their material linked below, to follow on from part 1 linked above. https://cmpautoengineering.com/pages/part-2-it-s-not-just-the-subframe-mounts

Had to take the pedal box out again along with the brake booster to install the rubber firewall grommet properly for the clutch low / no pressure line. Glad to have that part of the job ticked off !! Got the engine mounts prepared and tacked up which is another milestone kinda job ... will talk with the certifier tomorrow to see if they are happy for me to fully weld them or would rather I get them done by somebody else. Next up I can remove the temporary frame from the subframe and engine so I can complete the required measurements for the new oil pan. Progress !!

With some tips from another thread I managed to get the clutch hard line installed in the cabin without taking the dash off and the pedals are now in place and looking great. I made up a wire template of the line before straightening it out enough to get it trough the factory conduit.

Thanks for the video guide @BM WORLD !! Managed to get the line in place last night, had to basically straighten half of the tube out but it sure beats taking the dash out

Making slow progress lately but managed to replace the driveshaft support bearing and started adding the clutch pedal to the pedal box ready to go back into the car once the clutch hard line is magic'd into place. The new M3 engine and trans mounts arrived also so I can start to fabricate up some mounts. Or I can use the timber mock up, just need some PVA ? The real 50x5 SHS steel should be here soon.