God didn't realise how long it has been since this has been updated. So for those who don't know a week before Christmas (as is always the way) my 1.8 engine decided it no longer liked oil flowing through the oil rail and starved the gearbox side of the engine of oil when I was halfway down the motorway to work doing 120 km/h so needless to say it was knocking very very badly after and then locked up completely just as I was pulling up to the house after work. So while I was pondering what to do with it I picked up a nice little Rover Streetwise in PBT with 80K miles on the clock for €900. With the ZS I was always going to be putting it back on the road as it means way too much to me to just scrap it or break it for parts so I decided I would put a 1.8T engine into it which was my original plan with it all along. So after spending the whole month of January searching I picked up a Rover 75 Mk2 connesuer SE for the engine. Less than 60K on it, engine ticking over like a mouses heart I thought I had a minter on my hands and after driving it home over two and a half hours from Banbridge Co. Down without it missing a beat I was pretty pleased with myself but then after a week or two of driving it the headgasket went but I went ahead with the swap anyway, obviously thanks to the snow we had in March it knocked things back abit and after I put the 1.8t into the ZS I stripped it down to discover why it had gone. Someone uses the MLS gasket when the liners were out of tolerance and there was 2 thermostats in it, the PRT stat should rule out the need for the one in the housing under the manifold but someone instead of fitting a blanking plate fitted a proper thermostat causing the engine to run hotter than normal. Anyway the head needed skimming but was abit too close to the limit and I managed to get a head from Sam Tomkins when I was at POL. Needed to get new valves and tappets which arrived only yesterday so now next week I hope to get it all built up and hoping to be turning it over for the first time by Saturday! Needs a few other bits aswell, needs to be mapped, I'm waiting for polybushes for the front lower control arms and also waiting for my 282mm discs, pads, calipers and carriers for the front. Hoping to have it NCT'd and back on the road the end of May then I can start working on my Merc again and my ZR that I got for free

Couple of projects on the go then .... good luck with it. Hats off to you guys giving stuff like this a go.

Yep, good luck, you deserve it.

That's not been ideal situation, but fair play for sticking with it all.

Hope this is the last of the issues with the 1.8T you have!

With the N-series head bolts and oil rail, coupled with the PRT stat and a good cooling system I should be well protected against future HGF, while it was all apart I rebuilt the turbo during my spare time in work so I know it will all be spot on once it's back together. To be honest rather be doing the HG now while it's off the road rather than have it all done and back together and it blowing after a hundred miles or so. Also gave me a chance to check condition of pistons and liners which all look perfect. I got the new valves into the head and fitted new oil seals, springs, caps and collets and have the new tappets in, beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel now

Time for another update on this I suppose. The engine is back together with a the newly built head and gasket, fresh timing belt and waterpump fitted and all the ancillaries fitted onto it. The intercooler and pipework is all back together along with most of the cooling system and all the fuel lines. Have the hubs fitted back with fresh wheel bearings and lower ball joints. I also have hardrace front lower control arms from a Honda Civic MB5 fitted and new upper control arms also so the front suspension is practically brand new. The engine has cranked over and a compression test gave me readings between 130 and 132 psi across the 4 cylinders and the oil pressure was reading about 3 bar which at cold is practically bang on so I can be confident about this engine. Just need to sort out brakes which I'm going with 282 vented on the front, get my exhaust sorted and then get it remapped and she will be good to go. Sorry I have no photos but my laptop is broken atm and I still have to find a decent hosting website to share photos on here. If anyone wants to have a look at them though and you are on Instagram feel free to give me an auld follow @ luke_zs96 as that's the platform I tend to update the most

Sounds like you've been busy.

Latest update on the 1.8T. She is running 100% now just to get the exhaust fabricated, the ECU remapped and a set of tyres for the 11s so hopefully she will be on the road very very soon and it will be at POL 2019. Here's a quick you tube video I've thrown together as a walkaround and the first start of the engine
https://youtu.be/U6nDjO9RxS0

WELL DONE, hope it all goes well.

Good effort - glad it started eventually !!!

Engine bay looks good - even though purple's far from my fav colour ... ;)