Bit quiet

Been distracted.

Anyway did start knocking up something inside.
This steel piece will be welded in once its finished off.
I need to sort the middle bit, and some way to remove the side panels, so basically the majority of the tunnel will stay in place in engine out job.

Tunnel Part Duex

So Part 1 is basically complete ready for welding. Couple of tweaks needed but goes in and out just about perfectly. Its totally solid and rigid.
Can eventually be welded all around. With the double lips, double welded it should add some stiffeness to the general area than a piece of cardboard or fibreglass never would, it will be bolted in with M6 bolts in 14 places and 4x 7/16th.
Below will get tig'ed and ground back too.

Now I shall devise the rear section, but not the removeable piece. Need some materials and planning first though.

Tunneling

First piece.
2nd piece.
There will be NO need for a seal, I will seal it up with a smear of sealer or dum-dum. Biggest gap is 1mm anywhere on the sealing area.
3rd piece.

At this time its just screwed together. Completing it will be a staged operation.

This piece of the tunnel will never be removed, it stays in place and the engine can be removed with it there.

I will add a top plate next, it must be removed for that. I hope it stays in shape when removed. Should do as its only held in with 3 small screws...

Then I will get the inside seams TIG welded. To hold its shape.

Then remove the radio frame, bare metal it and the outside seams can be welded and the radio frame can be welded to the alloy.

Next job then will be adding a new face to the front, to extend the radio frame backwards a few inches and give a matting surface for the smaller rear section that will be removable.

I have accounted for a few things, firstly that the heater vents can be operated, also that the heater unit can be removed without removing the tunnel and obviously that the engine and box will be fit and is removable.

I will add a filling plate for the gearbox also.
Already 9hrs in the tunnel, probably40hrs work once its welded and painted and fitted.

Oh and also the radio slot seems the perfect place for a glove box, so I will make a boxed section and add that to the tunnel and make a lid. Be nice to have somewhere to put keys and whatever.

I can line the inside of the tunnel with some heat/sound proofing.
BWAAACCKKKKK

Few more things completed.

Boot wiring is complete, all other wiring is complete. Starter wire added.

Rear fuel lines added and checked for leaks. My fuel sender from the Rover gives me a gallon reserve.Carbs are calibrated, fuel levels setup, pump system balanced. They are now finally added to the engine and ready to go. Drilled the last few holes in the air filter backplate and fitted that along with the trumpets and locked all the threads with paint.
Been over the whole engine and checked all bolts.

Camshaft pulley bolts are uprated ones as the stock ones are barely up to the job and often fail. These are much stronger and loctited.
Engine mounts finally bolted down properly and all brackets. Oil block fitted properly.

So thats ready to run/fit.

So basically this leaves the gearbox tunnel and exhaust, painting the floors. Fit main fuel line, redo rear brake line.

Plus building the car/engine bay up, which is easy as it all fits! Cause I made it all! I need to get a new windscreen and the wilwood brakes. Bar that stuff have everything done.

I shall try to get my head around this gearbox tunnel front section over the next two evenings. Then the engine can go back in, the rear gearbox section can be fitted/made later.

Not sure what to jet the carbs with.

36mm chokes, which with a half decent flowing head should give me the required power. Afterall massive chokes are usually only needed on shit heads, like a Triumph head. I'd hope to squeeze maximum potential from the chokes @ 7000rpm.

This is a temp measure anyways...I guess if the conversion works to my liking I will wedge some fuel injection on it.

I shall use long-nose idle jets...I'll get some in 53-55-57 that should allow me to test 7850.1, 7850.3 and 7850.2 idle holders...Shall start on 57 with 7850.1.

Main jet probably 150.
Emulsion Tube 6
Aircorrector 170

Pretty standard main jet stack.

Pump jets 38.

200 needle valves fitted, fuel pressure already set @ 3.5psi using 8.5gram floats.

The LC1 should make light work of the tuning anyway. Plenty of Emerald maps to sort the ignition curve.

Forthward

A productive afternoon/evening

All alloy parts finished bar the swirl pot, which I forgot to take with me!
Water rail done.
Header tank additional fittings welded on.
Engine out again.
Gearbox finally assembled, engine is complete bar waiting for some pieces for the carbs, carbs must fitted before engine is fitted. Just need to calibrate the fuel levels and pump system.

Engine can go back in once I sort the front section of gearbox tunnel, hopefully get that done this week. Few small other jobs, need to add the alloy fuel line and plumb that in. There is then no reason I cannot I add fluids and have a pop at starting it, maybe at the weekend... I got a 1.5metre piece of 2" exhaust pipe I can ram up the manifold outlet, just need to blag a silencer. Once the engine is back in it'll take only a few hours to attach all the stuff to it.



If all that works and it goes, its just a matter of getting the exhaust pipe sorted. I shall need to source some steering arms and buy some wilwood brakes, basically just leaving brake lines, and a few others parts. Then off for MOT.

Cam Timing

Another job done.

New water pump in and new belt tensioner. Piper wide cam belt.

To save using a dial gauge to find TDC all the time when timing the cams I made a decent pointer that can be used also to check the timing. This is just as accurate as a dial gauge as you have a dwell period at TDC, I'd say its more accurate/repeatable in fact.
Made a little bracket to attach the dial gauge firmly to the head as magnetic bases do not stick to alloy.

Timing is done via lift at TDC. Exhaust according to DVA wants 0.023" of lift @ TDC. Which it has. Exhaust cam may need some minor tuning to get a sweet idle.
Inlet wants 0.039" at TDC.
All done.
Got some OAT Red coolant from Halfords, apparently its the right stuff.

Basically just have to stick some gaskets in the carbs and needle valves, set the fuel levels and it could be fired up with the exhaust manifold fitted an a section 2" pipe attached.

Will leave the cam cover off till I shows signs that it will run, allows me to keep lubing up the new cams between any periods of cranking it over. Then its 20mins @ 2200rpm.

Nervous 20mins, oil system needs to be checked for leaks, water system for leaks and pressure, the cam followers have to fill, the cooling system needs to work :) A lump cast iron it is not, things have to go well!