Colleagues:
This thread gives me an opportunity to report on my current rebuild. If
you are doing it yourself it is absolutely a must to get your hands on
both the Bentley shop manual and the Haynes manual. The Haynes is great
for the do-it-yourself type, and the Bentley has all the good data and
factory procedures. Follow both to the letter and give yourself lots of
time and you should not be frustrated.
As some may recall my engine seized after sitting for about three
years. I got it to turn manually after a couple weeks of soaking in PB
Blaster and Marvel's Mystery oil in the cylinders and then removing the
head. Subsequently I stripped down the engine including the studs, all
the attachments, the pistons and conrods, the sump and the oilpump. By
placing a transmission jack beneath the block and undoing the front plate
it was easy to lower the engine block down beneath the frame members and
roll it out from under the car. This is an alternative procedure to using
a hoist to remove it out the top, however you must have four large jack
stands to raise the car high enough to bring out the stripped down block.
If a transmission jack is not available this method could also be acheived
using a couple of small hydraulic jacks.
There are several aspects of disassembly that are daunting to the
novice, but don't be intimidated. Clean the block thoroughly and use the
proper tools to dissassemble the main bearing caps. You may have to have
your machine shop manufacture a puller from 1x1/2 inch steel bar about 9
inches long, to remove the end bearings. I did this because I didn't want
to hammer on them, and it works like a charm. The exact dimensions are
listed in the manuals for fabrication of the puller.
There are some things that the do-it-yourself type will likely not
be able to accomplish at home. These include accurate measurement of the
cylinder bores to determine if they are out of round or worn. I tried to
do this with calipers but could not achieve the accuracy required of
thousandths of inches. This is a job to hand over to a machine shop or
mechanic with a bore gauge (I priced a bore gauge with that accuracy and
it was around three to five hundred dollars). I also wanted to have my
connecting rods checked for cracks and twist, which I entrusted to the
machine shop. Someone else mentioned replacement of the camshaft bearings
which doesn't look too difficult if you have one of the Moss spring
compressers for the front suspension you could probably adapt it to the
job. However I also trusted the latter job to my machine shop. Of course
while you have the head off you're going to want to get it milled and also
get a valve job with new seats and the valves ground, probably new valve
springs etc. Check the camshaft and tappets for wear, I found trouble
there and I ordered a new set of tappets and a rebuild cam. Check out the
rocker arms for wear and excessive play, and the piston ring grooves for
wear. You will need to order a complete gasket set and new front and
rear oil seals and check the clearances on your oil pump to determine if
that needs rebuilding. While the crank is out of the car have it inspected
by your machinist to determine if it requires grinding on the main or
conrod bearing surfaces. Your machinist may also be able to balance it
with your resurfaced flywheel and clutch cover.
-Kevin
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