Day 63-65

Well, I had to go back and re-read my last post since it has been so long!  I see it has been about a month since the case went together.  Needless to say, waiting for my cylinder heads and then finding time off was hard to come by, so I was a bit anxious to get started again.

While I wasn't working on the car, Paul the guy I fly with, sold his house.  Since he hasn't found a new one yet and is crashing with a buddy, I let him use my ample storage space/living room :)






It is also now spring!  Err something like that.  It has been unseasonably warm and this tree (not sure what it is) has great maroon leaves in the spring/summer/fall and these awesome flowers!

I put the pistons and cylinders on the engine.  Installed the pulley and pulley tin.

Unfortunately, I had everything bolted on (even the heads which are in the next few pictures) and was putting on a final part called the rocker arm.  This, essentially, is what opens and closes the intake/exhaust valves.  Well, needless to say while doing that a washer slipped out of my hand and down a push rod tube into the engine case.  I tried rocking the engine, rotating it on the stand, cursing, and although I could hear the washer rolling around I wasn't able to fish it out.  After about 5 hours of work assembling the engine I had to tear the entire thing down to the case halves.  Just like how it was nearly a month ago.

I found the washer...

It went together a bit easier since I had done it before. I finished around 1215am and had to wake up at 5 for work.  Worth it though because we all know I wouldn't be able to sleep if I hadn't it done it anyway!

The next day on a break in between flights I put the rockers on (underneath the black covers on each side of the engine) and managed to not drop a washer into the engine.  Hooray!  I also put the oil cooler on which is that tall upright piece.

And finally today I spent most of the day messing with engine tin.  Some of the pieces have already been to powdercoat but I had to wait for the cylinder heads to test fit the rest.  So I did that and will send the remaining tin out to powdercoat.

Tomorrow I have to modify the fan shroud for some thermostat flaps and some other odds and ends.  After the powdercoat comes back, final assembly and hopefully running!

Waiting on parts

Well, I was doing some measurements on the engine and found out my cylinder heads weren't going to work for a near stock setup.  Well, they would have worked, but the engine would have run a bit hotter and not as well.  So I sent them back to the machine shop and they are getting worked on.  In fact, they're actually making a whole new set of heads, and machining them the way I'd like.

I washed some of my used tin to get the light dirt and dust off of them.  It was chilly out that morning so I figured why not do it inside! :)

I also sent away some pieces to get black satin powder coated.  They should look very nice.

Since I haven't had much to do and work picked up a bit, I built this little starter box for when I am finally ready to actually start the engine.  I plan on mounting  the engine on the pan, but since the body won't be installed there are no wires, lights, or switches.  This box solves that problem.

Starting from the left, the first switch supplies power to the other circuits.  A yellow light lets me know that it is alive!  The next switch is the starter switch.  So when I'm ready to start, I just flip that up and once the engine starts, I flip it back down.  I looked for a momentary switch but couldn't find one that would work.  This setup will work fine too, it just won't spring load back to off once the engine starts.  You mean I have to think!?

Then a green light will identify low oil pressure.  And the red light will identify a bad generator.  Both of those lights should be off if all is going well :)

So, besides waiting for my heads...I'm kind of stuck.  I have to wait for the heads to put the cylinders on and even then, I have to wait for the powder coating to put the heads on.  So I'm kind of trapped by scheduling of parts.  I can do some work on modifying my aftermarket fan shroud to accept the thermostat flaps.  I think that will be my next project.

I tried to put some of the parts on the distributor today but found that my aftermarket clamp is getting in the way of the condenser which goes on the outside of the distributor.  I have a proper, used one on the way.

Once I get the heads on, I'll test fit some remaining tin and send that off to powder coat.  Bolt on the accessories and should be good to start...slowly but surely!