Saturday, July 15, 2006

New engine! A real find!

Picked this sucker up from Birmingham today, its an FD-HE, Mk3 Spit Engine. I wasn't expecting much but I scored a result as first glance. The crank is in superb condition and never been ground, its been running lead copper VP bearings which are in superb condition and re-useable I think, not marked. A true find, its been rebored for some reason, odd as the crank has clearly done little mileage. I haven't fullt inspected it yet but it looks like it doesn't need a regrind as there is no wear. Thats double bonus cause there are loads of standard sized bearings about in good grades...So if I nitride it I can throw bearings at it obsessively and it'll last me for a good year years!

Its been bored to +20 and runs on stanpart pistons... The previous work was clearly done well and looking at the bearings the rods are in superb order and not oval etc.


It has a funny pulley, never seen one like it? its got a fat bit with timing marks on it, after and before 20 each way...


Doesn't look much atm, it needs an acid session and i'll build it up over many months. Might do a pop-up piston job on it to get more compression again without skimming my lovely head even more! Thats about it. Made my day I was expecting an abused and nasty old heap but sometimes things come good! I don't expect my current bearings to last forever anyways and its used hard and the crank is toast when its scored this time. I will bore it to +40 I think and do a proper job on it, run mine till it knocks or something breaks, change bearings if it gets that far and then swap my duplex kit and cam, if its ok into this one...

Forward planning pays, I was left without an engine for months after my last one gave in and I don't want that to happen again! there is a Mk3 head, if anyone wants it, its yours for free.

The engine came with some good rockers will be sonic washed in dishwasher cleaner and added to my engine before the ring trip, the ones on there aren't great.

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