Mgf donor car: building an MG Allegro VVC!

[edk83]

I'll have to go through all the photobucket images and swap to flickr. Annoying.

On a brighter note my spare engine is almost ready to lift out my other zr, what could I park there after the shell is gone? Hmm

Finally got all the engine wiring figured out, it wasn't charging but just needed a live to the alternator via an led to get it going. Also tested the fan works, managed to get obd working just needed an extra earth adding.

Tested the vvc by revving it to 7k, all good seeing as I changed the vvc cam belt along with the main cam belt.

Now to get soldering and mount the Ecu, fuse box etc. Keeping the engine wiring separate from the car wiring, just borrowing couple of live feeds for relays to pass power to the car.

[Rob Bell]

I know you Ed: you'll be itching to get a new project in that vacated space!

[edk83]

I do fancy an mgf or tf lol. I've broken two down for parts now but did enjoy driving them up from Wales both times.
Could probably get a classic policy on an mgf as well, wife might not be too impressed mind, but then that could leave me with even more space!

[edk83]

So had some issues with the K series not fueling right, the ecu reported misfire low fuel and cold starting was not great. Turned out to be a bad 02 sensor (the only sensor that wasn't on the engine when it ran in the blue zr)! I was under the impression the 02 sensor is ignored until fueling reaches closed loop but it defiantly effected cold starts in my case, it could be because the ecu was unable to learn fuel trims.

I now have a space on my driveway, the lad helped me lift my spare 160 engine out today and the shell was collected by a scrapper, engine worked out pretty much free



This afternoon I was on baby duty while the mrs was out, needed somewhere to put all the stickers that came with parts I've bought and the rear / boot area sealing panel is galvanised so didn't like paint sticking to it, now looks like this

[edk83]

Got all this lot mounted today, one good thing about the Allegro is there is lots of space around the inner wings.



Wiring is still all in the engine bay with just a switch and a button, now things are mounted I can get routing it.

[Rob Bell]

Love the sticker bomb panel

Interesting that it was the Lambda sensor - glad it was something so simple. Wiring getting there by the looks of things?

[edk83]

Thanks, I'm pretty pleased with it as it's easy for these things to turn out naff.

The 02 sensor annoyed the hell out of me for about 3 days until replacing it solved the running issue, can relax now

I've just been through this thread and fixed all the images, bloody photobucket!

Most the jobs on the car are now time consuming and fiddly, went round an secured the engine loom last night - managed to reuse most of the oem mounting points for the loom. I've chopped a load of connectors out the green zr so I should be able to use some of those

[Rob Bell]

Good plan!

[edk83]

Fitted new handbrakes cables, lots of wires tinned up but run out of heatshrink!

Some bedtime reading on my garage wall

[Rob Bell]

[edk83]

So the wiring mission continues, I'm done in the engine bay, started wiring in the cabin. My desk looks like this at the moment!



Fuse boxes mounted on my center panel, couldn't find a nice location in the footwell so went for the rally car look

The fuse boxes are each fed by a 40amp line from the MG fusebox, 2 of them switched via relays.

[edk83]

Had it running again today, all wiring from the engine loom is soldered up and built the center consolse up. Took about 20 hours but painsteakly noting down every wire color on every connector paid off, all works and no magic blue smoke from anywhere!

I'm using this fabric tape for the top of the loom, has a nice finish to it so will get around to covering the rest at some point. Next task wire up the 3 52mm gauges and digital dash, not done with the soldering iron yet.

I made use of the original engine to car plug and some I cut out the zr before it went, the big round fan plug I cut off and soldered up, used the bracket from that to mount the grey engine plug as the fitting is the same, painted them up and happy with the outcome.



Everything is now wrapped up in the single big loom from the engine.

[edk83]

Another 3am wiring session last night sees the gauge pods all done Taking my time and soldered all connections to an 8 pin plug to make them very easy to fit / remove. Also started connecting up the Acewell dash, fuel sender configured and working Got the factory oil light wired up but its bringing the handbrake led on instead of the oil hmm, handbrake one doesn't bring the oil one on, oh well don't have a handbrake switch anyway so that will do!

[edk83]

Another hurdle today kinda, first move under it's own power

Clutch all seems happy and 1st, reverse are tested lol. No brakes on the front yet so was handbrake and holding some wire for the throttle, made it interesting. My lad is happy he had the first ride even though it was only 25ft!

Last night the eldest son helped me fit new steering rack boots, fitted the mg tf weather protection panels and sorted out the air filter mounting.

Next jobs are brake lines and finsh wiring then get ready for paint.

[talkingcars]

Nice progress.

[edk83]

On it again with the fabric loom tape, took bloody hours but much better

[edk83]

The random tin of brake caliper paint I had nearly matches the car

[Rob Bell]

It's all looking remarkably "factory" in the engine bay Ed! Nice work!!!

[edk83]

Brake calipers on, I've moved the braided line since that was taken. Doing the hard lines tonight



Last bit of the wiring labelled up, I'm only using about a foot of the original Allegro loom from the indicator / wiper stalks.



Shiny new wiper motor fitted and tested

[Rob Bell]

Shame you're unable to use any of that "world leading" ribbon loom the car originally came with Ed