Mincing about

Finally have everything to complete the engine.... Bottomend is done...I found some OE 1960's Flexiod gaskets from a standard 8 gasket set and used them on the sump, timing chain and rear oil seal housing...Quite cool and where they always leak with those junk things everyone sells you now, maybe this is why most engines have profound leakage...They are twice as thick, look like decent material, Dellorto used Flexiod as OE they are great! :D

Anyway fun to work with, you fit the modern paper crap there is no compression as they are 1mm thick, a few goes round its all torqued up...These suckers are 2mm odd...They compress loads when using only 9lbs of torque on the bolts...It took me around 5 slow goes on each bolt at 10min intervals to gradually torque them up they kept loosing torque as they seemed to take a while to compress down...They look like they will work well! But proof of pudding. I get all my OE stuff in worcester,Dave at Triumph Spares still has two railway carriages full, untouched. I hunted for a copper head gasket everything but 1300, boohoo.

Wont be fitting the sump till I come to fit the engine as only then will I reach in and coat the cam in start up lube..and if anything happens to fall in the case? it wont mean a wrecked gasket etc.

If this thing leaks much (realistic guy) I will give up trying to stop it in future, last one blew it out of everywhere as I used poor quality gaskets and didn't spend much time detailing things.... I have leveled all the surfaces on sump, chain cover till you cannot see daylight of get a feeler gauge under anywhere! thats dedication... used a different rear main seal, degreased the surfaces with 2pack thinners, refaced them, used specfic torque everywhere, got the rear main oil seal perfectly centred....what more can you do?! The sump leaked like a bitch before as it had been off and refitted with the same gasket! nice work that, thats a sunday afternoon - oh f** it i aint waiting for a part - job.

I don't use those crap silver exhaust gaskets anymore ! they suck ! use the grey ones with the metal in the middle and grey coating on, thicker, and no holey surface...Fitchetts.

I will never add oil to the pistons or rings on assembly bar the lower oil ring which i will rub a little into, which then adds a tiny trace to the bore as you pop them in, I dont oil again...Dipping and pouring oil into the bores during assembly is the best way to ruin your rebore in the first 1minute of running as the bores instantly glaze and never recover - speak to any ring maker they all advise this, yet you see all the manuals with some plonker dipping the whole thing in oil! First minute is the most important minute some say...The rings never see oil in normal operation once run in, so why the hell do they want to be coated in the stuff on start up? No reason, just oil left the dribbled traces on the oil rings is more than enough for complete assembly including spinning the engine over for cam timing etc...

Before fitting the cam I micro polished the lobes a little and journals a bit more using a trace of metal polish and a big rag, the cam was a bit tight without it.. I span it in the bearing a few times before polishing and you see that black shit in the oil on the bearings after its removed again, and the oil on your fingers from the cam is blackened... this is the remains of the hardening process - without manual removal the surface is being worn off during the first minute running I guess, doing exactly what I have done against the bearings..., My effort saves the bedding in of the surfaces to some extent and stuff that comes off being in the engine and the filter, instead its in a rag on the bench...Same thing on cam followers etc. Its just a very gentle buff, nothing removed. After fitting the cam again it was good for go and dialled in.

Can assemble the head tomorrow...After I get the manifolds to match the heads perfectly and adjust the gasket ready for fitting .. I never bothered to dowel them before..

I can move the engine back 3 inches with a VERY simple move. 3inches behind the normal mount place is the centre rails of the towers...I can weld on a lug here to match the holes for the engine mounts, thats done easy...then the gearbox mount will go back 3inches in my car on the same plate! just drill two more holes. I need to adjust the bodywork by the clutch pedal a little to retain K&N...The engine will be right back on the bulkhead...I will shorten the gear mech 3inches (cut and shut), this means the tunnel doesnt need modifying...

Basically I am doing this to enable fitment off a strut brace between the front susp towers...With it 3inches back I can run a straight bar type affair from side to side without the pulley being in the way...a brace bar on rod ends which can introduce force or preloading into the towers via the same system of left and right rod ends as used on tiebars, turn the bar it gets longer or shorter! should stop waggle and stiffen it masses when combined with more roll cage bars from the front cage to the towers...Also better wieight dist!

Camera buggered poop