With all the focus lately on my questionable rust repair techniques, I haven’t said much about the engine. I have a modest list of parts to source and buy, but basically, the engine is all torqued together and is just waiting for me to get the body done and drop it in. I have it displayed proudly on a wooden pallet so I get inspired everytime I turn on the shop lights. This is how it looks. I wonder how long after assembly it’s okay to wait before firing an engine up? I expect to fire it up in June.
The valve cover is loosely assembled because most of the parts on my ‘still to source and buy’ list are under it. Cams, tappets and shims feature prominently. Another unresolved issue is the holes in the valve cover these valve cover bolts go through are not big enough -I need to drill them all.
Yeah, see, nothing on the inside. I keep the valve cover on it so nothing can find it’s way down the timing chest opening. I still have some carb bits to plate and polish but they are cleaned and ready to hook up and run.
Very clean is how I like to have parts that I am working on, so when they all get together that’s how the assembly ends up looking. I even have a rebuilt Bosch Veloce 2 bolt starter ready to go.
You can see a need here -I don’t have the correct Bosch VJ4BR35MK distributor. Also need a thermostat and dip stick.
This is the side of the engine that seems to get dirty the fastest after a rebuild. Still to do? One stud is missing from the oil filter mount face. I need to decide what kind of filter I’m going to run -I am tempted to just use the original style for a while since I have a bunch of new elements laying around. Oh, and I need to buy another little ND alternator like my Sprint has.
These parts are ready for assembly as well. The day I decided to go for it with the body and ended up welding the headlight corner on I had originally intended to assemble the flywheel to the engine and dig out my best friction disk and pressure plate. I suppose the day will come when I don’t feel like welding and I’ll get back to this.
So what’s next for the drive train you ask? Well, in addition to the clutch assembly and sourcing the mentioned parts and installing them, I intend to layout the whole driveline back to the pinion out on the pallet so I don’t have to do any trial and error fitting or nut and bolt scavenging while the parts are under the car. Lot’s to do. The hours that got the engine to this point have already been subtracted so still 813 to go.
The previous installment is here.