1514 replies to this topic

[Carlos W]

Well, I've run out of gas so I decided to go to an argon mix, but I need to get it ordered!

So whilst I had some time on my hands I decided to strip down my 4 pot calipers!

I got all the pistons out, but one of them took extreme measures!



Tacked the bolt on (with no gas) then pulled and twisted it out with a pair of mole grips!

I don't know whether I'll get any more done this year (still got the gas to order anyway)

[Carlos W]

I bought (what I hope is) a 1275 engine off ebay, picked it up yesterday and it's still in the boot of the Mondeo.

It's seized due to standing so I'll strip it down, hopefully free off the pistons, rebore and all will be well!

I'm sorting the argon mix next week!

Merry Christmas

Carlos

[hughJ]

Hi Carlos. Hope your engine will be good. Looks like you had a real tussle with the caliper piston! Hope you had a super Xmas.

All the best

Hugh

[Carlos W]

Thanks Hugh, I'll spend a bit of time on the engine tomorrow, don't think I'll get far without a flywheel puller though!

Welding the bolt on the caliper piston was done quite early on, I've got quite a bit of experience with motorbike calipers so I knew it wasn't going to come out easily without something drastic!

[Carlos W]

Well, the engine strip went fairly well, pistons were seized in the bores, but not any more!

From this


To this






I bought a flywheel puller from Halfords and off the flywheel popped!

Lots of cleaning to be done!

I could do with a hot parts washer or something!

Edited by Carlos W, 27 December 2011 - 03:36 PM.

[grahama]

Carlos,

the engine is my bit at the moment, but when I wanted to clean up the block and head I put them into my electrolytic bath thing. Very gentle, doesn't touch the bore glaze even and cleans the rust out of the water jacket. Have a look through my project's last few pages it's there. I am finding the engine rebuild very interesting and remember being like you are now with the block in the living room all stripped !!

Coming on nicely though, keep it up.

Graham

[Carlos W]

Well I popped to a contact of mine today with the gearbox and head and cleaned them both up in his parts washer!

Then I took the valves out of the head!

It's such a nice change from grinding!

[grahama]

Parts washer, that's cheating !!! All ok with everything when cleaned up??

[Carlos W]

Everything appears fine apart from the housing where the speedo drive sits, that is very broken!

Well today I decided to try and remove the diff, pot joints off, along with the covers on the diff, all the bolts are loosened off, but I can't get the pin out the gear change shaft!

I'll buy some proper punches tomorrow!

I thought I'd clean up the valves before putting them away



Before and after (a little more work to do on the after)



The exhaust valves seem to have come up a lot better than the inlet valves, in fact with the amount of pitting I'm considering new inlet valves anyway!

The engine strip seems to have given me a massive enthusiasm boost, it's all getting boxed up for storage for now!

[Brams96]

Doing well Carlos, keep at it. Hey do you want those fluro lights I mentioned when I picked up the scaffold pole? Let me know.

[Carlos W]

Doing well Carlos, keep at it. Hey do you want those fluro lights I mentioned when I picked up the scaffold pole? Let me know.

I was thinking about them today when I was trying to work by 150w floodlight and it was far too bright!

Can you drop me a PM with a good time to collect? I'm busy next Tuesday night but apart from that..................

[Carlos W]

I stripped the gearbox today, the nuts on the end of the first motion shaft were massively tight! (I think torque setting is 150ft/lbs)

Anyway, it's all stripped down now, I'm glad I'm rebuilding it



This is one of the first motion shaft bearings!

[grahama]

OO errr Carlos, thats a knackered bearing!! Have been bust sorting my rear subframe today and coming on nicely. However what you have done today is my job for tomorrow

I do hope that is in better nick than yours as I am hoping to re use alot if not all the components, subject to a few posts on here for guessworks to comment on !! How do the internals look, and did you have any crunching before the rebuild??

Graham

Edited by grahama, 31 December 2011 - 05:10 PM.

[Carlos W]

I've never had the engine running so I have no idea what the box was like, but that bearing was like that before I removed it!

You will need to lock the first motion shaft in by putting it in 2nd and 4th (my haynes restoration manual showed how to do this) to get the nut off which was massively tight, took two of us and metal bars and all sorts!

I am looking to replace all the bearings! I need to have everything else inspected by someone who knows what they're talking about!

[grahama]

Have a look on you tube at the Minimania videos. There a four to do with rebuilding a gearbox, and also Guessworks doing the same but no sound on Guessworks !! Mini mania also have engine rebuild videos, great source of info if like me you are a novice at it all !!


Graham