Ok lets get back to it!
I haven't updated the thread for several months but work has been plodding on. I've also got a new puppy, started a new business, been on holiday, had some major projects at work and got a new van. This is what I've been doing....
I've mostly been working on the engine and gearbox with a bit on the bulkhead when the sun was out in the summer. Let start with the engine, there's lots to read about rebuilding the engine online and in the manuals so I'll continue in the vein of describing what it's like to be putting things together and the unwritten lessons I've picked up.
A final clean of the block before assembly, lots of sharp edges in there and we both had lots of cuts and nicks before it was finished:
The main bearing shells go in next, they push in with a nice springing action and the small tooth engages with the notch in the housing:
Full set installed and oiled up ready for the crank:
The crank rested in place and oiled up some more and all the oil ways in the crank were filled, it's really heavy and there's surprisingly little room either side to move it about:
The bearing shells in the bearing caps were then fitted in the same way and loosely nipped down, the number 5 main bearing is different as it incorporates the dreaded T seals which fit between the cap and the block at its sides. If you have a three bearing engine I think you have to also fit some part of the rear crank seal now, on a 5 bearing you don't, it comes later. The T seals come too long and get stretched during insertion and then recede, so these get trimmed off in the morning. Looks a bit messy and I probably used too much sealant, some people apparently don't use the cork insert at all and just fill it with sealant:
All fitted, you can see the T seals between the bearing cap and block (2 small squares). The sealant used in the motor is Loctite Gasket seal (Oil resistant type) they also do a water/antifreeze gasket sealant and a manifold one:
Crank is now installed and main bearing caps torqued up, nervously grab the crank and see if it turns.....it does!! Nice and smooth with no tight spots, the first milestone of the engine build and it was pretty simple too:
Lets put the pistons in, new gudgeon pins inserted through the small ends and circlips installed:
The conrod has markings on it to ensure you put it on the right way round and is beautifully engineered, it has pathways for oil through it and a jet that sprays oil onto the underside of the piston to cool it down. Graham the codger still had a ring compressor from the days when you had to do this sort of thing every week so I let him tap the piston and rod assembly in with the hammer handle:
Big end caps fitted and torqued, the shell bearings fit just like the mains do:
Hooray! It still turns smoothly, that was the second major relief point!
With delusions of competence we then put some more moving parts in, cam goes in and into these bearings, this is what is under those greasy mucky chambers your fuel pump and oil filler tube are covering, they're 2 little oil baths for the cams (there's another where the dizzy fits), oil gathers in here and when it fills up, it overflows that little wall you can see and goes down the big hole straight into the sump. This keeps the lobes splashing in oil.
Being bloody careful not to scag the bearings with the sharp cam lobes:
Timing gear goes back on, crank to TDC and dot on the cam gear aligned as per the manual:
New tappets and rollers going in:
Right, lets move onto the first stumbling block, the skew gear shaft assembly. This piece of utter insanity slides into the hole where the distributor goes, its just a shaft mounted in a housing that has a bearing in it so it can spin round. The skew gear is on top and a socket for the drive to the oil pump is at the bottom. Basically you have to slide it in and insert a grub screw through the oil pump mounting face to lock it in place, only you have to make sure the skew gear points at the correct angle also. Unfortunately, as you insert the skew gear it turns so you have to work out how far you have to insert it from where it should be (about a 1/4 turn) and then guide it in. On top of that, there's no definite place where you can tell it's in far enough and the outer body is free turn (beyond your control) at any time, so you may never see the grub screw hole to get it in. With quite a few attempts and a torch shining down the grub hole to see where it has to fit we got it in. If you had to do this with the motor in place I can imagine it would drive you potty.
Skew gear in place and hole for grub screw:
The slot in the skew gear is offset to one side and with #1 piston at TDC compression it should point to #1 piston, it showed a specific stud hole in the manual that it should be pointing too but could I get it to do that, could I buggery. It was either the tooth just past or before. I chose the closest so we'll see if that's right. I can't imagine it matters too much seeing as you can turn the body of the distributor quite a bit anyway, although it's given me the willies that the cam isn't timed correctly. We shall see.
So that's the bottom end done! The oil pump is not yet fitted, I'll leave that for now as it sticks out quite a way and I don't want to knock it. It's all gone really well and nothing was difficult or unclear, not that it's started yet!!
Top end next...
