Our very own "barn find"...

[pancho]

Good to see your project moving again Evan!

Keep it up 👍

[Evan Bottcher]

It's only been sitting for 15 years, what could go wrong?

[Evan Bottcher]

After a few too-brief evenings in the workshop, the engine is stripped down.  Time to check out all the tolerances and decide what needs to be replaced.  I'll clean everything up and take the alloy bits off to be made shiny, and the headers off to be coated.

[Evan Bottcher]

The bare block.

[carlo rossi]

great blog guys
can I ask how difficult is it to re ring and change sleeves with engine still  in car

[Evan Bottcher]

great blog guys
can I ask how difficult is it to re ring and change sleeves with engine still  in car

Yep you can ask, just hit the "New Topic" button and fire away.  I'm sure someone will answer.

[LaStregaNera]

great blog guys
can I ask how difficult is it to re ring and change sleeves with engine still  in car

If you have a chamfer machined on the inside edge of the bottom of the sleeve to compress the rings as you slide the sleeve down, it's painfull but do-able. Without the chamfer it's impossible.

[Evan Bottcher]

Head already back from the machine shop (that was quick!) - reconditioned including new valve guides.

[michaeljc]

Only just had a look through some of this restoration blog Evan. Great to have these sort of stories available. Seeing the nice reco head reminded me of a Fiat head I had reco'd years ago. As with many good projects it was many weeks / few months before engine was complete + installed + started. Result was one or 2 seized valves due to the reassembly oil having drained away over the storage time and the guides being way too dry at startup. Bill Freame recommended an STP high viscosity oil to apply to the valve stems/ guides on assembly to avoid this problem. Just wanted to share this with you before you start your engine to save unnecessary extra work + cost. I cannot remember the STP product but I am sure advice is freely available and it could be applied and the cams rotated to spread it up/down the valve stems.

[Evan Bottcher]

Exhaust headers are back from Competition Coatings in Coburg, they were ceramic coated inside and out.  The result is a nice dark cast grey which should look good in the engine bay.

Not much progress since we've all been very busy, but the crank went to the machine shop and came back balanced and ground.  The pistons and liners are fine just need some new rings.  Time to order bearings, rings, gaskets etc to put the engine back together.

[pancho]

Good to see progress Evan, even if it is at a glacial pace. 

[Evan Bottcher]

Engine is back in one piece.  Time to get moving!

[avi81n]

Looks spectacular.


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[Colin Byrne]

Looking very good there mate!

Could you give us a bit more info on what you got done to the head?  I've Started giving my road car a bit of a freshen up and have pulled the engine down.  It was actually in really good nic inside, considering it was my old race engine!  but the head definitely needs some attention.

You said you got new guides, did you get new valves, or where they the original ones? did you have the seats machined?

it looks nice and clean also, did they do that or did you get it blasted or something?

cheers mate

[Evan Bottcher]

Hi Colin, sorry for delayed response - been a bit busy!

The head was sent away to a machine shop, I'm not entirely sure what was done I'll have to ask Bruno.  Yep, original valves.  They sent the head back like that, I assume they blasted it. 

Immediately after that I took the head with the rest of the engine (block, sump, timing cover, valve cover) to be water blasted at Blast Off in Heidelberg.  It all comes back fantastically clean, very satisfying.  It took me hours to clean the baked on grease off it first though :-|