3.5L Top End Rebuild

More tinkering.

I got the oil pump on, should have done this while the timing cover was on the bench! Trying to check the gap and then fill it with vaseline and then clean it off, fit the gasket, do the bolts up. Argh!



Only slightly related to the engine, but got the exhaust manifolds fitted.



Then I couldn't help myself and fitted the rest of the exhaust.


Starting to look more and more like an engine...

oooo shiny shiny

marccleave said:

Ewww carburettors! Anyone got a complete hotwire injection system going?

Click to expand...

I prefer carbs (but not those Strombys) - less to go wrong unless there's a megasquirt on it.

MattMatt said:

I prefer carbs (but not those Strombys) - less to go wrong unless there's a megasquirt on it.

Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with strombergs if you like stupidly old outdated clockwork devices that just throw fuel in willy nilly! :lol: Not my cup of tea either... My eventual plan is megasquirt when the RRC passes its MOT and funds allow. But I now have acquired a complete hotwire injection system which is the first step towards megasquirt!

Engineers of a nervous disposition may want to look away...









So lets say you have a Rover V8 that you fitted skimmed cylinder heads to. Cylinder heads that you didn't know how much they were skimmed by...

... and now the inlet manifold doesn't fit, so ideally the two inlet faces of the heads skimmed, or if you've already fitted the cylinder heads then the two faces of the inlet manifold need skimming.

And you're broke so getting it machined is out of the question.

Take one cast iron surface table that weighs half a tonne. Its been a while... needs resurfacing. :|


Scrape off surface rust, then spend a long time resurfacing it, checking it with a straight edge and feeler gauge. Few low spots, but then this came from a welder who used to tack things to it and beat it with hammers... poor surface table, it was abused in its previous life. Don't worry little surface table, you're being taken care of now.


Even surface tables need feeding... 20W50 should do it some good.


Right then, what does a very flat cast iron surface table have to do with skimming an inlet manifold I hear you ask? Well... contact adhesive, first 80, then 120, then 240 grit sandpaper.


Before...


The beginning of a long process...


Mark up what you want to remove...


Then spend a long time pushing and pulling the inlet manifold backwards and forwards. If you can get someone to supply with copious amounts of tea and food, it saves you 10 minutes every few hours getting it yourself.


Fitting the ram housing distributed the weight better over the surface table.


Almost there!


Check it with a straight edge and feeler gauge, then deburr the edges and profusely clean the inlet manifold and ram housing, you do not want very fine aluminium particles being sucked into your nicely new rebuilt V8. That would be bad.


Then do the other face...





Please forgive me.

Excellent.........................................

There has been a slight change of plan, long story. The story is basically: I could fit EFI now, or I could fit some dirty horrible carburettors now. And then megasquirt it in one hit.




Couple more bits to do before the first start. Couple of bolts on water pump, coolant lines to heater matrix, pulleys for water pump and alternator... etc.

Well... Completely bricking it today, everything sorted. First turn of key with spark plugs out to check oil pressure, pressure came up nice and fine. Nothing blew up so far.

Spark plugs back in, turn key.... HOLY **** IT FIRED UP. Kept at 2.5k for 20 minutes, checking for leaks, topping up coolant, oil pressure good.

The result.



Uhh, there are some wires that need tidying up, and a few bits laying around the RRC. But other than that.

And yes, I need to sort out that rocker breather, the filter like that just won't work. Into the inlet it goes with the flame traps like its supposed to! D'oh!

Terrific work and especially the enginuity on the inlet manifold skimming, I think most would be having kittens at that stage.

I`ve experienced the `bricking it ...` moment only recently, pre and post what I thought was a b4llsup extraordinare?! but turned out fine.

Great sound it makes, let us know how it drives. Did you consider something like the Kent H218 or are you saving that up for the next rebuild..

I once set up twin su carbs with one at full throttle....... Did I say that out loud