P38A Project Car - 1998 Autobiography Engine Rebuild

pwood999 · Jul 7, 2016

Not in an Autobiography !! Besides too much messing about with ECU's, mounts, gearbox adapter plates, etc.

So far it only owes me £812 plus the trailer home. Once I sort the engine, it's door locks, head-lining & radio, and then it will be on the road. Then air-con checks for HEVAC. Last bit will be LPG testing & diagnostics. on the LPG system.

Everything else works.

Enuff · Jul 8, 2016

'Everything else works' ... not now it won't.

pwood999 · Jun 9, 2019

Finally got around to getting the engine back in. Car has been wrapped up for quite a while. Did the bell-housing bolts before the engine mounts while the hoist still supported the lump. Had some trouble aligning torque converter bolt holes, so loosened the bell housing bolts again to about 1-2mm so it was easy to get the drive plate positioned & then spin the converter to align the bolt holes. Then finally tightened everything up. Finally lifted the block up as far as possible, & inserted the engine mounts.

Top end next week weather permitting.

Henry_b · Jun 9, 2019

Totally stock rebuild i take it?

Looks good..

Need to pull my lump eventually.

pwood999 · Jun 10, 2019

Yes totally stock bottom end. Car has LPG system with empty tank, but will get petrol working first.

pwood999 · Jul 12, 2019

Heads installed today with ARP Studs. Much easier than stretch bolts. ARP say torque to 80 ft.lbs in three steps, which is definitely easier than the LR stretch bolt method. Got mine from http://www.realsteel.co.uk for £149 incl. VAT which seems to be best UK price at moment.

I also did a small modification to the exhaust manifolds, which now means the heads can be installed & removed without removing manifolds first. The main reason is the default manifold flange overlaps the head casting buy about 3-5mm, which prevents the Bolt (or Stud Nuts) being removed & installed while the manifolds are in place. My solution was to grind about 3mm from one side of each flange. The flange still covers the gasket properly.

pwood999 · Jul 15, 2019

Started to fit the inlet manifold, even though my head skim was only 9 thou. the bolt holes are way out of alignment . . . hmm. So I checked the head height against RAVE, and it seems somebody in the past has skimmed an extra 30 thou, i.e. 39 thou in total or approx 1mm. RAVE says maximum 0.5mm, but luckily the valves don't meet the pistons as far as I can tell. Valley gasket looks like it can be persuaded to fit !!

So dropped my inlet manifold off today for skimming the port faces so it fits. (Yes I know I should have done the head port faces to keep the manifold standard, but it's already customised with LPG ports, and much easier than stripping heads plus rockers & valves again.)

pwood999 · May 9, 2020

Engine top end now fully rebuilt.
New Nissens radiator, so the cooling plumbing now holds pressure.
LPG vaporiser plumbed in parallel with heater.
Throttle Body heater bypassed for now - cannot find correct gasket anywhere online.
More pics to follow . . . . . .

Ready to fit new alternator, but cannot find the two bolts in my garage

.
Anyone know the correct part number ? I know they are M8 and about 110 to 115 mm long.

Pete

RangeRoller dt · May 9, 2020

@kermit_rr
see post #24
RE : door ajar/cdl switches

Henry_b · May 9, 2020

I'd keep the throttle body heater bypassed, it serves no purpose, it just leaks!!

Datatek · May 10, 2020

Henry_b said:
I'd keep the throttle body heater bypassed, it serves no purpose, it just leaks!!

No purpose until you suffer from the carb icing up in winter

Mark Piercy · May 10, 2020

Datatek said:
No purpose until you suffer from the carb icing up in winter

Good point but does it get that cold on Englandshire? Mostly wet from my memory

Datatek · May 10, 2020

Mark Piercy said:
Good point but does it get that cold on Englandshire? Mostly wet from my memory

My company Ford Anglia van regularly suffered carb icing in winter in Norfolk, it was bloody dangerous, put your foot down to overtake and suddenly there would be a loss of power

I have had the same thing on a Triumph 2.5pi I converted to carbs.

Mark Piercy · May 10, 2020

Datatek said:
My company Ford Anglia van regularly suffered carb icing in winter in Norfolk, it was bloody dangerous, put your foot down to overtake and suddenly there would be a loss of power I have had the same thing on a Triumph 2.5pi I converted to carbs.

Connect it back in then!!!
I remember passing a wagon iny 1970 p6 rover in the rain, the spray from the truck blanketed the front of the car and it cut out and restarted... Scared the bejesus out of me

It was a quick car. 2.0tc model with fixed rear quater lights for that year only.

Henry_b · May 10, 2020

Datatek said:
No purpose until you suffer from the carb icing up in winter

Carb!!

No carb on the Gems V8

The SU's on my Granddads shadow never iced up in our winters

Tenebreaux · May 10, 2020

Mark Piercy said:
Connect it back in then!!!
I remember passing a wagon iny 1970 p6 rover in the rain, the spray from the truck blanketed the front of the car and it cut out and restarted... Scared the bejesus out of me
It was a quick car. 2.0tc model with fixed rear quater lights for that year only.

Ooh, my next door neighbour had one of them when I was a kid. I lusted after it.

Mark Piercy · May 10, 2020

Tenebreaux said:
Ooh, my next door neighbour had one of them when I was a kid. I lusted after it.

F*cking awful rust bucket... But a cool looking car, especially the early models.
I started with a 75 2.2sc, I got a 72 2.0sc for spares... Then I got rid of them. Later I got a 70 2.0tc and after that a 69 2.0sc. All rusty....

pwood999 · May 11, 2020

following the usual diversionary discussions . . . . back to my last question:

Ready to fit new alternator, but cannot find the two bolts in my garage

.
Anyone know the correct part number ? I know they are M8 and about 110 to 115 mm long.

Mark Piercy · May 11, 2020

@pwood999 Stc2340 and stc2341.

http://new.lrcat.com/#!/1234/90127/90128/7123/90152

MrGorsky · May 11, 2020

pwood999 said:
Throttle Body heater bypassed for now - cannot find correct gasket anywhere online.

ETC7353? I have one here you can have with pleasure. Came with the gaskets kit I bought from Turner Engineering when I did my headgasket, but I never used it. I'm only over the hill I think.

Is this it? This is what I have.

P38A Project Car - 1998 Autobiography Engine Rebuild

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