Engine Teardown

 So with the engine now up and off the chassis and the gearbox on a temporary separation, it was time time to start the strip down and investigate what we have to play with. I have purchased an engine stand to help with all this and I’m glad I did as this has helped no end with the awkward access to all areas allowing me to rotate the block if needed. So first thing was the engine oil drain out and sump removal. The oil was black as black and had never been changes for some time, but it was smooth with no sludge or grit and no signs of water or moisture in it so that was a good sign for the likes of piston ring issues or bearings grinding out… so far so good.

 Next was the head removal to get a real good look at the valves and piston (especially pot 2 that was low on compression)  the head removal should have been a straightforward procedure however one stud had expanded with moisture and was a real twat to remove basically, but some lumps of wood and persuasion with a big mallet saw it out without any damage. The head gasket was in good condition also with no signs of any issues, but these engines have never been notorious for head gasket failure so this was all as expected really.

First look at the engine internals and apart from a shed load of carbon build up, everything looks really good. No lips or scoring to the cylinder liners, cam shaft lobes look good and the crankshaft looks all nice with no signs of any serious wear or damage. The pistons are all standard size and have the original markings from manufacture so all this is insinuating that this will be its first rebuild in 40 years from new back in 1981 which is good news really as I’m now not chasing any problems from previous poor quality rebuilds. 

My intention now is to get the block fully stripped to component form then get everything chemically cleaned and sparkling. Then get the head fully pressure tested and skimmed if needed along with new valves and valve seats. This is what I think was causing the low compression figure I got during testing, a sticky valve with sooted up seat. I’m unsure if an unleaded conversion has been done to the head throughout its life so far, so a full head rebuild will cover all this with just new bearings, thrust washers and cylinder honing for the bottom end. I’m not going to start messing on with increasing the bores and capacity for increased power etc… simply because I don’t see the point in reinventing the wheel. If I had wanted phenomenal power for this project then I wouldn’t be using a 1500 Triumph block as a starting point really, so standard rebuild it will be, maybe (budget allowing) a cheeky pair of twin Weber carbs to bolt on the side for a little “grunt” shall we say. 

Next on my list was to start a little clean up of some engine ancillaries. Most of the cooling/water side of things have been corroded beyond repair thanks to many years of physics and chemistry however the water pump and water pump housing compleat with viscous fan unit are all very useable and a few hours at the bench grinder with the wire wheel gets them all ready to be used again with only replacement gasket needed really. This is starting to be very enjoyable now as the really “dirty dirty” bits are getting done and so will allow me a clean environment to work with on the full rebuild, cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to engine builds. 

I even spent ages cleaning up the fan with thinners and cleaner…. If it’s not broken don’t fix it… just a bloody good clean. I don’t want to be replacing things like this with cheap modern day equivalents which claim OEM quality but are just cheap rubbish. Same mentality on this project as the Cobra build, everything belt and braces and built to last. I don’t even want to paint anything engine wise with exception to the block and head as I hate it when the paint starts to chip or peel as it just looks terrible. So a good machine finish on everything with a light coat of machine oil to keep looking good. 

Next I’ll be outsourcing the block and head cleaning along with the pressure testing and block honing. I have been in contact with a machine shop just the other side of Durham and so I will drop it all off to them for the next stage, then the real rebuild can actually start. 

Suppose I’d better start cleaning this chassis up next also….. more mess for sure!