It was the best of times, it was the worst of times .......
.... but can anyone identify this load of stuff filling up the boot of my car. I think I've seen something like it but it was a long time ago in a a galaxy far. far away...
Apparently it's a thing called an "Engine", and it used to look like this
But after several weeks of frustration and getting the car as far completed as i could
I had to resort to helping around the house, and in the garden, and in cleaning lots of rusty old bolts. But EVENTUALLY the engine was finished, collected and after discussion with Tony Outridge, who has helped, advised and run around like a mad thing, I decided it was prudent to take the engine to Neil Bainbridge in Westcott ( BS Motorsport, although after spending a long long day with the man in my view he should call it No BS Motorsport). The engine had been sat for 34 years, three cylinders were filled with water, we had replaced all the pistons and barrels with s/h, and all the cylinder heads with NOS from Elevenparts (100€ each), but it still seemed a good idea to see what we had before fitting to the car where diagnosis and repair is so much more complex.
So I collected the engine on Friday and arrived at Mr. B's at 7:30am sharp on Sat am. Spent the day as the apprentice and learnt more than I have in a long time....
Anyway first we check the dizzy on his magic roundabout..
Fitted with Pertronix 1866. We can now inform Pertronix their quality control needs some attention....3 of the 6 triggers are bang on, but 3 are between 1 and 2 degrees off the ideal triggers. Not a big problem, but it will have an effect.
Then we check the compressions - all good (180-185) apart from no 5 (155). Good enough to keep going, but need to keep an eye..
Then onto the dyno and off we go (after a couple of oil leaks - union in the wrong way around, not something I would have known). The first time this engine (what's left of it!) has run in 35 years!
Run for 4 hours to run it in, on a series of pre-planned cycles, a bit of lunch, a chat with Mike Moore who rents a room there according to Neil, a look around Neil's place, a trip to the local petrol station for more juice, and then off we go on the brain-numbing 7000rpm power runs. All 10 of them. We change the idle jets, we change the advance, we tweak the progression jets, we fit my leads and filters, we test two cdi boxes...... and we end up with 145bhp @ 6700 and 123.3 ft.lb @ 5400. It's a stock rebuild with PMO's (pronounced as perfection where carbs are concerned by Mr. B), SSI's and a sports exhaust where design is 130bhp @ 6100 and 128 ft.ib @ 4200.
But more importantly to me - no oil leaks, superb steady and good oil pressure, very low blow by all though the range, very steady Lambda and torque curves, and great pick up from low revs without hesitation. Dizzy will need its springs and weights checked as the advance starts too early so tick over is expected to be lumpy..... BUT it didn't disintegrate into a frenzy of flying metallic elements and wasted cash during the 7000 rpm tests either. In fact we ended up with a lovely gold sports exhaust
So back home by 1:30am the following morning. Long day, and not cheap .....but great outcome
And then with two great assistants, and lots of hydraulics, into the car with the engine today
Just a bit of tinkering and electrical hook up tomorrow. MoT Tuesday with luck ...... but because it needs UK registration and a new age related plate malheureusement ce n'est pas possible to take it to CLM. So I and Mrs T will be there, but watch out for a Landrover Discovery, not a lovely 911 that now has its arse where it should be ... closer to the ground
Still perhaps a bit high front and rear, but I'll let the suspension settle a bit before doing too much adjustment. Looks level at least.