Project Rusty Triumphs in Scotland - To gas or not to gas(less MIG) - 09/11/24

[blackboilersuit]

4 hours ago, captain_70s said:

Christ, That looks like it was pumping sand...

That's a pump that's been run dry. Your pump looks like it's never been run dry but was pumping some very dirty oil for some time. 

Going by your pics and in your state of financial ill health I'd be doing the following. Rebuild the bottom end with all new shells, your shells are fucked but the journals don't look too bad. Use a proper assembly lube too go give everything a chance at first startup. Hone the bores and refit the pistons and rings as is. Replace all oil seals and gaskets. Refit any old head after lapping in the valves. Remember that the head of your original engine looked totally fucked but the engine was still running with that head when the bottom end failed.

That will give you a running engine that should last for a thousand or two miles. It might smoke and use oil but you'll have a running driving car again for probably under £100. It'll turn a liability into an asset and take a bit of pressure off you. Use it sparingly and you'll have a backup car for the acclaim for some time to come. If finances improve you can properly rebuild another engine and if they don't then you'll have a running driving fully legal car that's an asset that you could sell.

Two stories of knackered engines.

Mate #1 many years ago had an MG midget with knackered big ends. Shells worn out and journals miles out of spec. He got a full year commuting out of it by dropping the sump and lobbing new shells in it once a month for a whole year. It was still running like that when he sold it on. 

Mate#2 worked as a diesel fitter for the council. A bin lorry lost its sump plug at the tip and seized  solid and my mate had to rebuild it. It got new pistons and liners and my mate wanted to get the crank ground because it looked like a ploughed field. His boss refused because of budget and insisted he cleaned up the journals with emery cloth and just throw new shells in. This he duly did and much to his amazement that wagon ran constantly for the next three years without that engine having a single problem.

I have a honing tool if you need a hand cleaning the bores up. Just drop me a PM if I can be any help.

[dozeydustman]

21 hours ago, blackboilersuit said:

Mate#2 worked as a diesel fitter for the council. A bin lorry lost its sump plug at the tip and seized  solid and my mate had to rebuild it. It got new pistons and liners and my mate wanted to get the crank ground because it looked like a ploughed field. His boss refused because of budget and insisted he cleaned up the journals with emery cloth and just throw new shells in. This he duly did and much to his amazement that wagon ran constantly for the next three years without that engine having a single problem.

This was the sort of thing my late grandpa used to do. I remember helping him with OYM145Y a BMW E21 323i he brought back from Spain in 1992-ish (swapped his LHD BX for a the Beemer as UK reg & RHD); it started knocking and him and his best mate stripped the engine down at home, and refinished the crankshaft journals with progressively finer emery cloth, checking roundness with a micrometer to the next size down. It took them both about a week as I seem to remember they had to supervise me lapping the valves and a few small top end job. He used it for another year or so before PXing it against a new mingebag spec XM diesel, and was on the road until 1998.

Sorry for Fred Hijack

[Tadhg Tiogar]

1 hour ago, dozeydustman said:

This was the sort of thing my late grandpa used to do. I remember helping him with OYM145Y a BMW E21 323i he brought back from Spain in 1992-ish...

Also OT....my oul 635CSi was "OYM 71Y". Was your Grandpa's E21 supplied by Motortune Ltd. by any chance?

[dozeydustman]

38 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Also OT....my oul 635CSi was "OYM 71Y". Was your Grandpa's E21 supplied by Motortune Ltd. by any chance?

That I can't tell you. He moved to Spain in an Avenger in 1987, then in 1990 he bought a BX, and moved back to the UK in 1993 when he bought the 323i back, and first thing he did was have new plates made up.

[captain_70s]

On 9/12/2019 at 2:44 PM, PhilA said:

Suggests #2 spent a good while not firing (or not firing well) and the thing was run mostly on 3. Do the rings rotate in their grooves on all the pistons? What does #2 bore look like compared to the rest? Could have been something as simple as a bad spark plug too.

I've not spotted anything noticeably different regards No.2's piston/bore, although I've not looked massively closely yet. The plugs that were in it consisted of three NGKs and one elderly Champion.

On 9/15/2019 at 8:28 PM, blackboilersuit said:

I have a honing tool if you need a hand cleaning the bores up. Just drop me a PM if I can be any help.

PM senterated.

[Spiny Norman]

Spotted what I now know was you this afternoon up at Anniesland.  smart looking Acclaim.  ?

[Meter rat]

I came through Glasgow on the A82, I missed the Erskine Bridge turning, in the BX with a caravan. Didn’t see anything of interest until Outside Edinburgh, when two Cavaliers were spotted on the A720. Wasn’t too far from Annisland.

 

[Christine]

There was a demo at brands hatch years ago . Two capris were drained of oil and sent out around the track...One had been treated with Slick 50 the other nothing.. One seized up after  half a lap but the Slick 50 car kept going for 20 laps before pitting. Then the shells were inspected, and the treated engine shells were better than new ,  Apparently..;-)

[Christine]

Later they sent out 2 Triumph 1300s ......I think you have their engines !

[captain_70s]

9 hours ago, Spiny Norman said:

Spotted what I now know was you this afternoon up at Anniesland.  smart looking Acclaim. 

 

That'd be me popping to Morrisons post work! That'll have been you in the K11 Micra I'm guessing?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

8 hours ago, captain_70s said:

That'd be me popping to Morrisons post work! ....

I looked at that photo again. Were you indicating right at the junction, or had one of your front marker lights failed?

[captain_70s]

15 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I looked at that photo again. Were you indicating right at the junction, or had one of your front marker lights failed?

Indicating right. The sidelights are so dim you'd not be able to tell they were on...

[Spiny Norman]

16 hours ago, captain_70s said:

That'd be me popping to Morrisons post work! That'll have been you in the K11 Micra I'm guessing?

Indeed it was. With a boot full of reduced to clear pies and chicken.

 

[captain_70s]

No update for a million years, but now there be this:

Yes, I built a new engine, and by I built an engine I mean I had a man build an engine for me, and that man was @Jikovron

Essentially the bedroom based is entirely rebuild-able for not all the monies and I still fully intend to do such, but it isn't currently practical to do so given my lack of facilities - That is is now going into long term storage (either under my bed or in the basement I'm not supposed to use). Mr @Jikovron saw a 1300fwd motor local to himself for much cheaps and asked if I'd like to purchase it, so I did.

Now, there was some worry about the fwd engine not being compatible with the rwd running gear but we've done a few measurements and comparisons between the engine he has and the ones I have (especially with regards the crankshaft) and have yet to find any evidence that it won't fit, even the dipstick position for rwd cars was still present in the block, just plugged. This engine also has the added bonus of being a pre-rationalisation engine with a better bottom end, so the decision was made to build this one.

Now, I've not been present for the build and @Jikovron has all the details but so far the engine has had a re-bore, new pistons, skimmed head, re-ground crank, new bottom end/small end/main bearings, new thrust washers, new tappets, timing chain and tensioner, new seals and core plugs, oil gallery plugs were removed and the galleries cleaned. The remainder of the work is fitting the Dolomite specific bits and putting it in the car. Needless to say I now owe him a respectable amount of money (although less than either of us thought), and endless gratitude.

Now I just need to get said engine from near Chesterfield to Glasgow. Doesn't need to be any time particularly soon although I'd like to get it in the car come Spring. Anybody travelling this way with a free boot?  I'd go down and get it myself but by the time you factor in fuel costs and time it is pretty much cheaper to have is sent by Shiply, not to mention if I took the Acclaim the weight would be a killer. So I figured I'd ask here on he off chance one of you fancy popping by for a cup of tea!

 

TL;DR - I had an engine built that might fit the car I need it for. Anybody want to move it several hundred miles?

[davehedgehog31]

Great news mate. Top shiting.

Regards Chesterfield, if you have no other options the Polo of Diseasel Doom is available for a lend. Would probably do that shlep at 60+ mpg. 

[Saabnut]

Will probably be doing Worksop Aberdeen sometime in January if that helps

[Tadhg Tiogar]

16 hours ago, captain_70s said:

No update for a million years, but now there be this:

That looks excellent. Assuming it fits.....

Having had a closer look at the skimmed head, are the corners nearest the camera (circled in red) supposed to curve downwards like that? Could they be a potential leak spot later on?

[SiC]

Is that not just from the curvature of the camera lens?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

6 minutes ago, SiC said:

Is that not just from the curvature of the camera lens?

I'm not seeing curvature anywhere else on the head, so is it the lens?

[Jikovron]

It's not a optical illusion ,nor is it curved upwards lol.

it's where the raised inlet/exhaust boss meets the  HG face so it flares outwards.

[captain_70s]

Can confirm, the two heads I have here are the same to varying extents, they just catch the light oddly.

 

[Broadsword]

Rebuilt engine looks lovely!

[captain_70s]

Nothing interesting to report, but I drove up to see the parents over Crimbo, here is some photographic evidence.

[Yoss]

Engine looks good, sorry I missed it when you first posted it. If it doesn't fit I might be interested in it, it'll fit mine ?. 

[Richard]

On 12/6/2019 at 9:51 PM, captain_70s said:

Now I just need to get said engine from near Chesterfield to Glasgow. Doesn't need to be any time particularly soon although I'd like to get it in the car come Spring. Anybody travelling this way with a free boot?  I'd go down and get it myself but by the time you factor in fuel costs and time it is pretty much cheaper to have is sent by Shiply, not to mention if I took the Acclaim the weight would be a killer. So I figured I'd ask here on he off chance one of you fancy popping by for a cup of tea!

 

TL;DR - I had an engine built that might fit the car I need it for. Anybody want to move it several hundred miles?

Chesterfield looks to be reasonably close to Cannock, I should be able to pick it up on the 31st as long as it isn't too incontinent.

[captain_70s]

I was half arsedly pondering various plans for 1850 repatriation yesterday. Today I got a text "frost shattered the windscreen last night"

Naturally. That'll be the rot in the screen surround I should think...

[SiC]

I wonder if that is how my Dolomite screen cracked previously? I know it has because there was broken glass down the dash and the windscreen has a tax disc holder with National Windscreens on. Afaik replacements are available off the shelf.

[captain_70s]

Could be. The 1850 had a toughened screen from an earlier car because it had an MOT fail chip in the original laminated one when I bought it and I just fitted whatever I could get my hands on and they don't have much forgiveness in them for pressure.

Certainly back then the word from the TDC was that the supply of new screens had run out about a year before, not sure if the situation has changed since.

[vulgalour]

Superb news on the engine front, fingers crossed it's a nice easy transplant!

[sdkrc]

You're essentially a celeb now