Building a hot vintage engine with Jonny69

Lol :D

Tonight managed to get the cam in and the new timing chain on. Couldn't shift the gear off the crank as it's stuck fast on the key but with a bit of shimmying and wriggling it went on in the right position. The new chain is very tight compared to the old one so this should pull the timing in nicely.

Popped the front cover back on with new gaskets and some gasket goo just to make sure. It was too much for me though and I ended up dialling in the distributor drive, fitting the oil pump and then onto the sump. Was meaning to take pictures but my extreme motovation got the better of me (and I'd have had to pack everything up to go up to the flat to get it ;) )

Damn it's getting heavy now too.

Later in the week I'll be doing the valve clearances and some final checks before I pop the head back on, then it's back in the car and fire up time!
 
Remembered the camera this time so on with the valve assembly. Before I put the valves in I want to scrape off the debris that forms on them. It's a kind of carbon build up but there was quite a lot on some of the valves. I used the Dremel at first but it didn't cut through it so moved onto a blunt chisel that got through the scale but didn't cut the valve:

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The adjustment for the tappet is here on the top. This is shown with the cam lobe up, when it's down this is all down the hole:

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Getting the new spring in is a bit awkward. They are longer than the originals and a lot stiffer so I reckon the stock springs could be forced in by hand. Not these. With the valve up I hooked the end of the spring over the bottom of the stem and over the valve guide. The spring holds that in place too:

16-08-07_1900.jpg


Then I get the cup on the bottom of the spring compressor round the bottom of the spring and with all my strength yank the spring up into place. This is a sitting on the floor job with the engine clamped between your legs and your arms round it:

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Then to get the spring cup on the bottom of the valve it's a matter of jam the compressor between two bottom coils and compress the spring as normal so I can slot the cup in

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I tried loads of ways to try and do the valve clearances. The problem is in the valve closed position the securing nut on the adjuster is buried down the tappet bore. The other problem is the nuts are very thin and all my spanners were too thick to get in there. The only way I could see round this was to modify a couple of spanners. Got the grinder out and minimised them a bit.

Before:

16-08-07_2002.jpg


After:

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This was better but to tighten them up full the valve needs to be in the open position and then the hole through the tappet is out of reach so I can't stop it turning in the bore. After much head scratching the only way round this I could think of was to set all the tappets with zero gap, then take all the valves back out so I can measure the length and subtract the gap. Then it's a matter of tightening it up at the adjusted length outside of the engine then re-assembling. I did one of them but it was getting late and a valve spring pinged down onto my thumbnail so I called it a night before I got too hurt.
 
Damn, that sounds well fiddley. It's the fiddley bits I find hardest, not because they're particulalry hard to do, just because they cause so much frustration. I often find myself muttering "calm down, calm down" like a Harry Enfield scouser, while the incredible sulk inside me screams "Throw the damn thing across the room!!!" :D
 
An older engine builder gave me a tip - drill some holes in the tappet bores so that you can pin the tappet. Then the clearances can be done in situ.

It's actually a really good idea except I don't have a drill capable of getting through it :(
 
Can you not turn the engine to raise the tappet, adjust it and then turn engine back until it's off the cam to re-measure it? A bit long winded but surely better than removing valves.
 
That's what I was trying to do but when the tappet is up there's no way to hold it to stop it turning.

On the Kent crossflow the adjuster on the rocker arm is an interference fit thread. This would be ideal because I can hold the tappet when it's down, but as it is I can't tighten the nut when it's down.

Either way it's easier than having to grind the valve stem but still a pig of a job :(
 
This is the final installment of my engine build and I will take you through some final checks and how NOT to fit an engine to a car.

Late Saturday after shopping etc I found a handy dodge doing the valve clearances. I took the valve springs back out and figured that the best way would be to stop there and do the clearances by pushing down on the tops of the valves. Then I could just poke the tappets up and adjust:

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Then check with a feeler gauge and adjust again if necessary:

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Basically I adjusted these tight to the lowest gap I could get away with, a tight 12 thou. The reasoning behind this is there's going to be a little wear at first as the cam and tappets bed in and because this is going to be a very tricky job once the engine is in the car I hope the total wear won't exceed the maximum gap of 15 thou. With a bit of luck it'll settle somewhere in between.

I'll skip most of the assembly because it's all nuts, bolts, gaskets and rope seals but to make life easier putting the engine in you can use a clutch centering tool. I don't know how you spell centering in real English. This lines up the clutch with the bearing in the back of the crank or flywheel and when you're trying to line up the splines on the gearbox shaft if the clutch is in line with everything it will slide on a lot easier. It's basically a ground shaft with a pair of tapers and you pick the two sizes to suit the crank and clutch spline inside diameters:

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I've used a 100E clutch friction plate as it has springs in it and appeared to be identical dimensionally. The Pop one is solid and is a bit rough taking up drive. This used one on my spare 100E engine has plenty of meat on it and no scoring so I scuffed it up a bit and on it went.

Sunday I had reserved as engine fitting day. First I had to run through a few last minute double-checks just in case anything was going to go wrong.

First a dry turn of the engine to check everything is clear. I put some blu-tack on the the tops of the valves:

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On goes the head without the headgasket, secured by a few studs and nuts:

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In with the spark plugs and turn the engine over a couple of times by hand. Then take the head off and see how thick the blu-tack is on top of the valve. Mine is just under 1mm, exactly as calculated. I could probably go closer if I wanted because the thickness of the headgasket will raise the head further but I don't know how much valve bounce this engine suffers from, even with the uprated springs, so better to be on the safe side...

Later it's time to fit the engine. Here's NOT how to do it. Don't do this by yourself if you can help it becuase it's so much easier with two people and don't attempt this without an engine crane. Engines are heavy, this one is about 85Kg, and as I found out I don't make a very good engine crane.

I put two luggage straps round the engine, deadlifted it onto the crossmember, then got up onto the chassis rails and deadlifted it onto a trolley jack:

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The it's a matter of wriggling it onto the splines on the gearbox shaft and sliding it into place. A hard job with no crane. I postitioned it close and I could feel it was on on the splines so I used a couple of long bolts in the back as guides while I shoved it on and used the bolts to nip it onto the dowels:

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Then it's on with the head:

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And finally it's in place and nearly everything back on:

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I knocked it all on the head at 11:30pm on Sunday, didn't quite get it ready to fire up unfortunately. However there's always Monday night after work...

Did I mention IT RUNS!!!

Get in.

You'll be wanting some videos:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/pop/videos/21-08-07_0806.3gp

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/pop/videos/21-08-07_0807.3gp

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/pop/videos/21-08-07_0810.3gp

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/pop/videos/21-08-07_0811.3gp

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/pop/videos/21-08-07_0814.3gp

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/pop/videos/21-08-07_0818.3gp

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/pop/videos/21-08-07_0832.3gp

Had it up to about 65 on the way into work this morning. It's exceeded my expectations and there's only more to come with the twin carbs and exhaust!!!
 
Pulling it up from 65 on a wet muddy road was interesting :D

I guess it's easier when you're not driving one handed trying to film things for the internet :cool:
 
Jonny69 said:
Pulling it up from 65 on a wet muddy road was interesting :D

I guess it's easier when you're not driving one handed trying to film things for the internet :cool:
Click to expand...
But you wouldn't know what it's like driving one handed trying to film things for the internet, would you? What with having your friend do it while you were driving with your full attention on the road ;)

Awesome job!
 
Well done Sah!

You do realise, your pop is even older than I am :eek: :D

Hope the rest of the tuning goes as well.

Alan Woodford
 
Looking good there Jonny. :D I guess it is a lot nicer to drive day in day out now.

Get the exhaust and carbs on now. ;) Then it is rolling road time, lol.
 
You've rekindled my interest in vintage cars. I've always liked old land rovers etc.. But i've been looking at things like Triumph GT6's(and tr6's), Austin Healey Sprites (the mg midget one), spitfires etc - Am a fan of 60s and 70s sports cars - i also like the tax exempt thing.. thats primarily what got me into old cars..

A mate of mine has an unfinished project, a 1970 sprite.. He's got a brand new heritage shell for it.. but he can't finish it, and has lost interest.. I'm SERIOUSLY considering it for me after reading your stuff. Really fancy doing a hot build on it... :D
 
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