Over the last few weeks we've made pretty good progress with the engine. Only a couple of minor hiccups, but we got there in the end. The heads are now on. Next we need to install the rocker arms, rocker covers, inlet manifold and ancillaries.
Here are a few pics from the reassembly process.
Pistons in
Timing chain on. Those with a keen eye will notice a mistake. Behind that cam wheel are the ends of 3 oil galleries for the cam shaft. These are meant to be plugged. We didn't realise this until we'd put the timing chain cover and sump on and Dad spotted the plugs sitting on the bench "I think we've stuffed up somewhere...". Luckily we had that mistake fixed in half an hour :)
Moving on. The heads are now on. Before we put them on we noticed that the dowel pins were missing. We think the engine machinist must have removed them. I dropped into Repco and Autobarn, the two closest 'automotive stores' (and I use the term loosely), only to discover they don't carry them in stock. Ridiculous! These stores constantly disappoint with their lack of stock. If it's not seat covers, they won't have it.
The only solution was to make them ourselves. Looking around the garage, I found some spare exhaust studs that I'd had kicking around for a few years. 15 minutes on the bench grinder and I had them down to the right diameter (if only I had a lathe).
Now it's starting to look serious again. I can't wait to start her up some day.
Tim has this week off Uni, so he's planning to spend some time in the garage to get stuck into the chassis. It's about time he made up for all that time away. We're all looking forward to the chassi rebuild process.
