My Mk3 Roadster 3SGTE Build

[Gary Symons]

As some of you are aware I started my 3sgte into a MK3 swap last week, so here is my build thread as promised.
First, the standard disclaimer, this thread is to document what I have done, please do your own checks and use the information at your own risk!
Heres a pic of the unsuspecting car.



The first issue that needed investigation was the driveshafts, here is a pic of the mk3 outer cv:



Luckily the outer cv has the same spline configuration as the mk1 so my plan is to use the AE92 supercharger driveshafts from my mk1 swap.
Here is a pic of the AE92 outer cv:



As pointed out to my by Paul W there is an issue with the length of the splines, the ae92 cv's splines are simply not long enough and prevent the face of the joint from contacting the bearing in the hub.



As you can see in the above picture once fitted you cannot see the engagement, after alot of measuring I determined that approximatly 3mm extra was needed.
To test this I placed 4mm of washer in the hub as per the pic below then reassembled the joint.





You can see that the gap has increased by approximately 1mm, from this it is possible to deduce that inserting a 4mm spacer will allow face to face contact between the bearing and the joint.
My proposal is sketched below, the plan is to have the following spacer manufactured, note by doing this the abs ring will be in the wrong place so a second spacer is required to restore the 13.5mm dimension.



This method also creates another minor issue with the retaining nut, and a new hole will need creating



The next issue is the driveshaft lengths, sadly there is no way of easily checking that without dropping the engine, the thought of the shafts not fitting played with my mind more than a little as I really didnt want to have to reinstall the old engine again.
A shot of the engine prior to test fit:



bye bye 1zz:



After initially lifting the 3sgte into the bay it was instantly apparent that I would have to cut into the passenger side chassis rail to clear the gearbox (something I was expecting). The rear suspension crossmember also required a little grinder action.
The engine was fitted/removed quite a few times before I got it into a position I was happy with. After checking the end float of the driveshaft I could finally relax a little as they appear to be a perfect fit.
A pic of the chassis rail cutout:



pics of the chassis rail cutout:





Engine positioned on blocks:





A few pics around the bay to show clearances:









Next job is to look at the engine mounts. The gearbox mount base was fouling against the chassis so I repositioned the holes and cut it down to size.



The mount can then be fabricated to pick up on the existing chassis tapped holes. this will be fully welded with a closing plate on top. Note that I have allowed for approximately 10mm of drop in the rubber mount. I wont be able to test this until the other mount has been made.



Considering I have only been on this for 1 week I am pretty pleased with the progress. Sadly things will slow down a little now as I start a new job on monday.
much more to follow..............