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[Healeys] Engine Rebuild Modifications

Subject: [Healeys] Engine Rebuild Modifications
From: bspidell at comcast.net (Bob Spidell)
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2017 16:22:01 +0100 (CET)
References: <CAKWU37g3TCoOkYY2fFMRAG6_UgXs9eAZG9KuCdQumEv4AYk_-Q@mail.gmail.com>
Well, the snide answer is: "If you want a 'modern' engine, buy a modern car."  
But, there are things you can do to a Healey engine to (marginally) improve 
performance and reliability without changing the essence of the car.  Here's 
some of the things I did for a recent rebuild:


* Denis Welch DWR1 cam.  This cam is 'slightly better' than a stock BJ8 cam, 
and is gun-drilled to provide extra oil to the lobes and lifters
* 84.5mm Omega forged pistons.  Way overkill for a street engine, but I 
couldn't find 'out-of-the-box' pistons that were of sufficient quality  with 
'modern' features like the 'latest ring design'--the top ring is about 1/16" 
thick!--from any of the usual suspects.  My builder was impressed with both the 
cam and the pistons; the pistons were not much more than half the weight of the 
older, more-or-less stock pistons, and the cam was of extraordinary quality
* DWR high capacity oil pump with upgraded shaft (DWR sells this shaft and 
thrust washer for about half of the 'usual suspects,' esp. with the favorable 
exchange rate)
* adjustable vernier timing set.  My builder said it took almost 4deg to dial 
in the cam perfectly.  Timing set is of excellent quality.
* fully engineered PCV 'system.'  Still just sucks gasses from the crankcase, 
but my builder designed piping to equalize flow to both carbs, and I can run 
K&N filters without modification
* instead of cork and fiber ('cigarette') gaskets, my builder used a modern 
sealant ('Right Stuff') to seal the rear main, engine plate and pan.  Several 
hours on the test stand and 'hasn't leaked a drop'
* Jet-Hot coated exhaust manifold.  I believe ethanol-blend fuel was causing 
some stumbling on hot starts and I'm hoping this solves the problem

I have some video of the engine running on the test stand (LARGE files), and my 
builder wrote a detailed list of all the work he did to make a strong and 
reliable street engine.  If anybody's interested I'll scan the list and post 
URLs to the video, but I can't do it until I get home Saturday.


Bob

--------------------------------
Bob Spidell - San Jose, CA

> On March 2, 2017 at 6:07 AM 1 2 <healeydohdahman at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>     Hi All,
> 
>     Is there a list of commonly done rebuild mods for the 3000 
> engine/transmission to modernize it?
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