I added oil and spun the engine to check for pressure. I’m getting 25 lbs while cranking, I installed the 850i v12 sr-444x starter and it sounds like an F-16 firing up - love the sound. So all good there.
Headers are off to the ceramic coater, I test fitted them and no bending was necessary, only about an inch trimmed off the length. I’m glad I went through this exercise because there is a process to getting the headers in place without banging them on each other or the block, this should help when installing when they’re finished. The method I came up with is:
-Protect everything with towels
-Steering all the way to the left
-Lay front pipes in and rest on subframe
-Install rear pipes loose on studs
-Place front pipes on studs and tighten
-Tighten rear pipes on studs
So hopefully this will minimize damage on install.
While waiting for them, I am attaching peripherals. AC compressor is on one of Layne’s brackets which is great. Since I am using the flexible reduced barrier hoses, I routed them under the frame rail and though the front clip to clean up the fender area. I also installed all the hoses and fitting connections for the entire system so it’s ready for vacuum test:
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Next I had to get the PS pump to line up with the later model crank pulley (I’m not using the stock system of driving it off the water pump). So I made 3 stand-offs out of 8mm x 16mm aluminum pipe to extend the pump on the existing brackets (I never could track down the later model brackets to do this), 2 are 18mm and one is 19mm. The 19mm is a little longer in order to tilt the pulley on plane with the crank.
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Alternator is cleaned up and installed also. It takes a lot of time to do these because I am making changes/improvements to wiring etc as I go.
