Work on the Engine

On Tuesday 10th my long awaited package arrived from Raceline! Inside: Lightweight flywheel, ARP bolts, Kent 210hp cams, valve springs, valve spring retainers, water rail, a cam cover and a host of other bits and pieces I needed, including a new clutch and a starter.

That evening is spent fitting the valves to the head. In a stroke of bad luck one of the little conical valve retainers goes PING! and is instantly teleported to the universe where these small parts go, never to be seen again. So I am one valve short of a full head. No matter I ordered another one (You can buy them singly!). On fitting valves, you can NOT pay me enough to do it again - it has to be one of the worst tasks you can do on an engine. I merrily assembled the inlet side, and then realised I had put the valves in, in the wrong order, I had not checked end which was the front of the head. Doh! Undo it all and do it again.

Advice to all: BUY A DECENT VALVE SPRING COMPRESSOR!!!!

My next move was to check the fit of the water rail to the head - something I should have done first. As luck has it the head I have is an old one and the water rail is meant for newer engines so my head has a couple of threaded bosses where the new heads don't have any, so it is off the the local engineering works to machine off the offending bits, so it can fit.

I move to the flywheel and thankfully that goes on to the correct torque - 95 ft lb!! =8O

Then I discover I have no clutch cover bolts. Grrr!!! So I can't fit the clutch and line it up using the input shaft.

I now have run out of things to do on the engine so last night I move to the gearbox with the intention of assembling the mainshaft. I assemble the shaft as per the instructions but to my chagrin I have a thin washer left over, which clearly has the staining of a splines on it so it fits SOMEWHERE but the exploded diagram does not show it. I dissassemble, check and reassemble - everything fits where it should. Then I see it is the same internal diameter as the 5th driving gear securing nut on the layshaft so it fits below the 12 sided nut, but is not shown on the diagram. Phew!!!!

So the mainshaft is assembled, I can only assemble the gearbox once I have got the selector shaft seal, and used the input shaft to line up the clutch once I have the clutch cover bolts.

The gaskets for the gearbox were toast so with the aid of some lipstick, gasket paper, a craft knife and a 11mm punch, I have created some new ones. It is quite simple, coat the surface with lipstick, press on the paper, you now have a pink outline on the paper, cut out with a craft knife and punch the holes. Piece of old takkie - very professional looking in a garish Revlon pink.

So to date I have a half finished engine, and a half finished gearbox.

We are getting awfully close to being able to fit the engine to the chassis and if I don't get the uprights and shocks soon I am going to be held up.