Delta Integrale Evo1 long term project
Posted: February 28th, 2009, 7:59 pm
By request of Guy, I am going to post progress of my long term Delta Evo1 project. Also will give some information about competition prep for the Integrale that may bee a good guide for anyone that takes on a similar project in the future. I started approximately 4 years ago now.
It took me about 8 months of looking to find an Evo 1 in good enough condition to satisfy me that it would be solid for many years.
This is what I started with 1992 K plate Integrale Evo 1
After 1 year on the road I decided to build my dream car, timescale (its done when its done), budget (unknown, whatever it takes).
1st the car was stripped to the bare shell and wear and tear cracks, slight bits of rust was assessed.
I must point out at this stage it is very important to take a close look at your bodyshell as with all integrales the stresses in the shell create cracks in time. Below is an indication of where to look for these cracks. They should be dealt with properly, with care and thought.
After the cracks were repaired I cut a set of plates as seen in the works cars used to strengthen these areas. The following picture will give you an idea of the shapes, it was best to make templates on the car then cut to suit, then shape and weld.
I proceeded to fully seam weld the bodyshell and fit the Sparco 23 point roll cage, this included making some braces to fit along the sills to make mounting the feet of the cage much stronger. Note also the seat mountings are strengthened with 3mm steel plates.
Take note again, the Sparco cage does not fit if you have a sunroof so you will have to find a solid roof to replace it with. If you are competent then fitting a roof panel is not so difficult, it is just time consuming to do the job right. Make sure you support the shell correctly before removing the roof. I fitted the cage first then put the shell on blocks made from railway sleepers to keep it level. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REMOVE THE ROOF PANEL IF THERE IS NO PROPER SUPPORT.
Take note on all deltas that have not had a new roof panel this rear seam is a place prone to rust. This seems to be due to this being a point where 3 panels are joined together, which may have caused a discimilar metals problem (hope my spelling is correct).
Other weak spots are the front anti roll bar mountings, one of mine had cracked so i decided to beef them up properly (over engineer) so that there would never be a problem. I used 3mm steel for the base plate then made the mounting with 3mm box section.
After all the underneath welding was finished all of the underseal and paint was removed, the bottom was treated with a chemical called Metal Ready which puts a coating of Zinc Phosphate on the metal. Then the whole underneath was painted with POR15 anti rust paint and the seams resealed.
POR 15 paint was then primed with a special primer, then painted white and covered in stone chip. The underneath now finished the shell was then prepped for paint inside and out.
Now just over 1 year from the start of the project the shell was back in paint. A PROUD MOMENT TO SAY THE LEAST
TO BE CONTINUED............................
It took me about 8 months of looking to find an Evo 1 in good enough condition to satisfy me that it would be solid for many years.
This is what I started with 1992 K plate Integrale Evo 1
After 1 year on the road I decided to build my dream car, timescale (its done when its done), budget (unknown, whatever it takes).
1st the car was stripped to the bare shell and wear and tear cracks, slight bits of rust was assessed.
I must point out at this stage it is very important to take a close look at your bodyshell as with all integrales the stresses in the shell create cracks in time. Below is an indication of where to look for these cracks. They should be dealt with properly, with care and thought.
After the cracks were repaired I cut a set of plates as seen in the works cars used to strengthen these areas. The following picture will give you an idea of the shapes, it was best to make templates on the car then cut to suit, then shape and weld.
I proceeded to fully seam weld the bodyshell and fit the Sparco 23 point roll cage, this included making some braces to fit along the sills to make mounting the feet of the cage much stronger. Note also the seat mountings are strengthened with 3mm steel plates.
Take note again, the Sparco cage does not fit if you have a sunroof so you will have to find a solid roof to replace it with. If you are competent then fitting a roof panel is not so difficult, it is just time consuming to do the job right. Make sure you support the shell correctly before removing the roof. I fitted the cage first then put the shell on blocks made from railway sleepers to keep it level. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REMOVE THE ROOF PANEL IF THERE IS NO PROPER SUPPORT.
Take note on all deltas that have not had a new roof panel this rear seam is a place prone to rust. This seems to be due to this being a point where 3 panels are joined together, which may have caused a discimilar metals problem (hope my spelling is correct).
Other weak spots are the front anti roll bar mountings, one of mine had cracked so i decided to beef them up properly (over engineer) so that there would never be a problem. I used 3mm steel for the base plate then made the mounting with 3mm box section.
After all the underneath welding was finished all of the underseal and paint was removed, the bottom was treated with a chemical called Metal Ready which puts a coating of Zinc Phosphate on the metal. Then the whole underneath was painted with POR15 anti rust paint and the seams resealed.
POR 15 paint was then primed with a special primer, then painted white and covered in stone chip. The underneath now finished the shell was then prepped for paint inside and out.
Now just over 1 year from the start of the project the shell was back in paint. A PROUD MOMENT TO SAY THE LEAST
TO BE CONTINUED............................