3.5L Top End Rebuild

marccleave · Jan 12, 2015

Anyone want some V8 porn pictures?

Replacing some bits on my V8, thought I'd take some pics.

This is what I started with, and yes I know two oil filler caps, one was almost undone anyway to let the crank case pressure out.

I was just meant to be changing the timing cover but it kind of escalate...

slack chain...

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

Getting inside that V8 now. Knees are going bendy. Dirty V8...

Cylinder heads off... because why not we have 'better' ones to go on.

Dirty V8 with Black Death that needs cleaning!

Engine looks so tiny in this state! Excuse to fit a bigger one?

Best way to clean the insides of the V8 that are low down? Sit on the inner wing of course! :lol:

Ooo whats that going in?

Nothing too exciting, just a 3.9 camshaft in a 3.5!

Cylinder heads going on are 10 bolt type, so smaller combustion chamber increase CR to over 10:1 so either higher octane petrol or LPG and more advanced timing.

Question though, whats the best way to clean the mating surface where the head gasket goes on the block?

J.A.P-LR · Jan 15, 2015

Gasket remover and a very steady hand with a scraper flat-ish to the mating face is the best way I've found...just try not to score it at all!

marccleave · Jan 15, 2015

Thanks for the reply! Will give that a go.

Hopefully more progress tomorrow depending on the weather. Everything is coated in oil at the moment and can't do anything in the rain as water and fresh metal don't go at all.

adies_v8 · Jan 23, 2015

love to know how this all goes...

marccleave · Jan 23, 2015

adies_v8 said:
love to know how this all goes...

Ask and you shall receive!

Getting true TDC was slightly annoying. Ended up using a protractor from my old school stuff from way back when, putting a hole in it so I could mount it on the crankshaft. Oh boy.

This needs cleaning!!!

Two snapped bolts as well, got those helicoiled.

What happens when you clean it off with diesel and then throw it in the dishwasher? Errr I mean...

Thats better.

Putting in a new crank oil seal as well!

Timing cover on and bolts torqued down.

Head gaskets on and cylinder heads on. Will be torquing these down tomorrow!

Next up... oil pump, sump, valley gasket, inlet manifold... etc etc

forever · Jan 23, 2015

Nice work

adies_v8 · Jan 23, 2015

Nice,
Once my front end is back together i am thinking a 3.9 cam, dont know about heads yet... We want to keep as standard looking as possible for historic rally's.
cant wait for the next installment!

got a snapped bolt on my water pump casing so will need to heli that like you have...

marccleave · Jan 23, 2015

Thanks forever! See - may look intimidating to start with but its all basic spannering. Making sure everything is clean is a must. Don't want anything falling into the bores!

Cheers adies!

Cylinder heads look the same from the outside so you wouldn't know unless you took off a rocker cover and peeked at the casting number. As above, I'm using 10 bolt cylinder heads but with tin gaskets as opposed to composite gaskets to increase the compression ratio.

marccleave · Jan 24, 2015

Got a few things bolted on today.

Water pump on and then found, cleaned and painted the power steering pump bracket - the original reason for tearing the engine apart. Then I went too far!

(i am aware there are some missing bolts on the water pump.)

Push rods and rocker arms installed, crank pulley on but not torqued down. I've misplaced the huge washer that goes on before the crank pulley bolt! D'oh!

adies_v8 · Jan 24, 2015

niiice

for missing bits, check under the fridge, even if you don't have one in your garage, still, check under the fridge

marccleave · Jan 24, 2015

adies_v8 said:
niiice

for missing bits, check under the fridge, even if you don't have one in your garage, still, check under the fridge

Thank you!

I'll make sure to check! :lol::lol::lol:

Wanted to get the oil pump gears in and the pump cover on but it seems I didn't order a new pressure relief spring when I got my last lot of bits. So that will be with us some time in the week hopefully.

I'll fit the gears and cover tomorrow and put the spring in when it arrives.

zen · Jan 25, 2015

adies_v8 said:
niiice

for missing bits, check under the fridge, even if you don't have one in your garage, still, check under the fridge

if no fridge NO BEER!!!!

marccleave · Jan 25, 2015

zen said:
if no fridge NO BEER!!!!

More of a cider man myself.

cooltide · Jan 25, 2015

Playing to stereotypes Marc

marccleave · Jan 25, 2015

cooltide said:
Playing to stereotypes Marc

No idea what you're talking about!

Rigghhhttt okay. Got the sump on - what a pain! You could eat your dinner off the inside of this sump - its spotless.

Slight issue... because the heads have been skimmed (and I don't know how much either) then the inlet manifold doesn't fit! D'oh! So going to have to either enlarge the holes on the inlet manifold or get the surfaces skimmed so the inlet manifold sits lower and the bolt holes line up.

cooltide · Jan 25, 2015

I had similar problem with hotwire manifold. Fit OK with composite gaskets but really awkward with tin, just say got it tho. Have you got the front 2 ?

marccleave · Jan 25, 2015

cooltide said:
I had similar problem with hotwire manifold. Fit OK with composite gaskets but really awkward with tin, just say got it tho. Have you got the front 2 ?

I've got tin head gaskets and a composite valley gasket.

Front two bolts in? No, as you look at the picture the bolt on the right hand side is screwed in a few threads - fits nicely. The bolt on the left hand side you can't even get the thread started as the hole in the inlet manifold is too high.

Hopefully I can get away with enlarging the holes in the manifold- can anyone see any issues with doing this or should I get the surface skimmed so the actual manifold sits lower?

cooltide · Jan 25, 2015

Whichever you do, worth checking port alignment on the inlet

marccleave · Jan 25, 2015

cooltide said:
Whichever you do, worth checking port alignment on the inlet

Good thinking! Best way to do that?

cooltide · Jan 25, 2015

here's a blatant cut & paste

"Generally I'd also rather do the port matching and bolt holes exercise than skim, which may be what Mike is driving at.

I use card the same thickness as the valley gasket and anally blue each side to work out which face (head or manifold) should / can be opened. I make alignment marks all round the flanges and last of all open up the bolt holes. Its really painstaking work - but quite enjoyable really. I honestly don't think you get to understand the shapes the air has to flow without getting into this kind of detail studying the ports at a very detailed level ? Last of all port match the valley gasket to your heads and everything will line up"

3.5L Top End Rebuild

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