Any interest in another Amazonian rescue? Back from Paint Shop

[Mr Pastry]

Piston to bore clearance has to be measured with the rings off, and on the thrust side with the piston (typically) 1"  below TDC.  This to avoid potential upper bore wear and because the piston is a complex shape.  If you have just put a feeler gauge between piston crown and bore above the top ring then  .020" doesn't sound unreasonable, but it doesn't tell you very much either.

[Ronkey]

I have got my head around this now I think . The 85.155mm dimension corresponds to the bore diameter for the +0.040" oversize pistons and I have checked all bores at the top and get this value. I have also borrowed a bore gauge and it varies by a maximum of 0.10mm in any of the cylinders (prob less tbh). Given the limit before a rebore is 0.010", or 0.25mm, then it looks like I am on a good wicket.  This was backed up further when I got the engine out and took the gearbox off. I was expecting the worst because there has been a steady drop of oil. On removal that is definitely coming from the gearbox so new seals required. It is filthy!

I got greeted by this:

And I didn't clean any of this! @juular , @warninglight and other amazon sniffers- what do you make of this? Is that a standard rear seal? Looks very advanced for 60yrs old. 

[juular]

9 hours ago, Ronkey said:

And I didn't clean any of this! @juular , @warninglight and other amazon sniffers- what do you make of this? Is that a standard rear seal? Looks very advanced for 60yrs old. 

That's an upgraded housing with a neoprene seal. Good news in my opinion as the original felt seals tended to slowly drip.

[warninglight]

Yes that seal is good news, I expect you have the same type behind the crank pulley too - I had my timing cover machined to take the neoprene seal when I had my B18 in bits a few years ago.

[juular]

11 minutes ago, warninglight said:

Yes that seal is good news, I expect you have the same type behind the crank pulley too - I had my timing cover machined to take the neoprene seal when I had my B18 in bits a few years ago.

Good point and worth doing at this stage if not there already.

Between the two scrap engines I had, one had a neoprene timing cover and one had the neoprene rear main housing.  It made sense to yoink them both for the final engine.

[PhilA]

Piston to bore clearance looks about right for that age engine- the expansion coefficient of the iron versus the alloy is quite significant particularly with hypereutectic metals so the rings take that up when cold.

It's also likely the reason people say these engines are indestructible, they don't bind up and score the sealing surfaces when they overheat, there is enough room inside to tolerate it.

Phil

[M'coli]

On 08/03/2025 at 23:01, Ronkey said:

Also - how do I find out what camshaft I have?

 

Short of taking it out, a dial gauge on a tappet will give you the lift, and a degree disc/protractor on the crank will let you work out the duration.

[juular]

1 hour ago, M'coli said:

Short of taking it out, a dial gauge on a tappet will give you the lift, and a degree disc/protractor on the crank will let you work out the duration.

If you do take it out, the revision is stamped on the end of the shaft. It will probably need a clean for you to be able to see it.

I rejoiced at having a 'D' cam below, but later after blowing the engine up I took it out and clearly saw it was a 'B'

[Ronkey]

@Mr Pastry, @juular, @warninglight, @PhilA, @M'coli - thanks for the replies. On it and will report back.

[Ronkey]

Much saving done and the Amazon is at the paint shop. First photos below - enjoy! Looks brilliant in primer but it certainly shows the flaws. Mostly minor - needed a fair bit of filler on the passenger side but not excessive. I'm not surprised at it has previous damage here. Guys doing it seem pretty happy with it though. 

 

 

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Absolutely fantastic. This Amazon is going to be a real credit to your superb work. Looking forward to seeing the new paintwork!

[bangernomics]

Looks really straight and proper. Are you going red per the old colour?

[Ronkey]

1 hour ago, bangernomics said:

Looks really straight and proper. Are you going red per the old colour?

Yup - struggling to work out exactly what the original shade is. I'm no paint expert and I'm conscious any of the small bits I have in the original colour may have faded. The paint number is 46. Does Carmine Red mean anything to anyone?

[jim89]

30 minutes ago, Ronkey said:

Yup - struggling to work out exactly what the original shade is. I'm no paint expert and I'm conscious any of the small bits I have in the original colour may have faded. The paint number is 46. Does Carmine Red mean anything to anyone?

If you make the flames up the sides really big no one will suss the red's maybe a bit out 👍🏻

Looking good 👍🏻👍🏻

[juular]

1 hour ago, Ronkey said:

Yup - struggling to work out exactly what the original shade is. I'm no paint expert and I'm conscious any of the small bits I have in the original colour may have faded. The paint number is 46. Does Carmine Red mean anything to anyone?

This website has been accurate for the paint codes for me.

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/paint_colour_codes.shtml

On here the '46' paint code translates into, drumroll please... "Red".

[Ronkey]

It is back! Woof.

 

[danthecapriman]

Cor! Now that is absolutely gorgeous!

You must be over the moon with it. Just got to put it back together now😄

[Ronkey]

48 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Cor! Now that is absolutely gorgeous!

You must be over the moon with it. Just got to put it back together now😄

I know! Now there is no rust and everything is already undone I reckon that is a head start. I've never had a car that looks this good before. I'm terrified of scratching it 😬.

[danthecapriman]

9 hours ago, Ronkey said:

I know! Now there is no rust and everything is already undone I reckon that is a head start. I've never had a car that looks this good before. I'm terrified of scratching it 😬.

It was like that when I had my Capri painted. Everything is so minty fresh your scared to death to damage it. Just have to take your time and protect obvious places with old towels etc etc as your working or manhandling things into the car. I remember when I refitted the main dashboard and seats being absolutely paranoid about accidentally scratching the paint as I was moving stuff in and out!

It’s great though working on a car that’s as pristine as that! Nothing is seized or rusty. No dirt or rust flakes falling in your eyes etc etc. 

Enjoy the rebuild though. It’ll be an absolute beauty when it’s finished👍
 

[comfortablynumb]

Yeah, had the same thing with my mum's 'woody' mini, paintwork was beautiful, and it had to withstand hamfisted me putting it back together.

I did it the easy way, left it to my dad😆

Watching with interest

[Christine]

Dont leave that masking tape on for any length of time , it'll be a bugger to get off

[Ronkey]

The re-assembly has started. At first I didn't dare go near it but I've got over that now. A layer of dust has helped, I was in two minds whether to cover it or not but went with not in case that damaged the new paint. 

I started with the doors. New seals were fitted all round and I put the door locks and catches back on. They sit well and now the doors shut with a satisfying clunk. New window guides were made and glass installed. It does look the business now. Managed to nick the new paint putting the stainless trim on though, damn it.  

Now to the next most important part - the horns.  I put each cross the battery and nothing. Hell of a shame as they are original, so nothing to loose taking them apart. I had no idea how they worked when I started but gathered that it is an electromagnet pulling a diaphragm plate then once it moves by a set amount the plate is realised. The frequency of this cycle is controlled by a set screw which you adjust until you get a tone. Simple and clever: a good day at the office for whoever came up with that. In my case the contacts had oxidised and once cleaned and painted they looked and sounded as good as new. 

The photo above also shows the heater box in place. This had been painted with hammerite which thankfully chipped off ok and I pressure treated the heater core and all seems well. 

The core is really nicely made with fine fins of copper. Shame it is completely hidden. 

A bigger win was needed - so I started on the rear axle. It is the ENV type and there are no stampings to tell me the ratio. This is the none-overdrive car so checked that the ratio is 4.1:1. I reckon that the axle has at some point been refurbished: the bearings are perfect. Given that it had been stood for 30yrs I treated it to new oil seals. I did plan to find an overdrive for the car but the cost of an unproven M41 box and D overdrive seems to start at about £700 and after that paint job the funds are a bit low. 

The only other repairs I did were to the supports for the shocks where the holes at opened up a bit. Welded in washers did the trick. From a dusty, rusty mess to this:

I had a set of new seals for the rear cylinders so have changed them out. New brake lines have guides which a friend 3d printed to space them off the axle: impressive. Everything has been treated with phosphoric acid before being painted and reassembled. 

I've treated the underside of the car with Bilt-hamber UB prior to installing the axle. The underside looks nearly as good as the top. 

I've now started on the boot. The seal is a tricky job and definitely for two. Working steady with my Dad we got a good fit and finish. 

Boot lock mechanism and fuel tank install next. Then undersealing the centre of the car before starting on the front suspension. I plan to put the engine and gearbox on the front suspension subframe and lower the car over, how hard can that be?

[danthecapriman]

That really does look the absolute biz! It looks pristine underneath too.

I wouldn’t worry about accidentally marking the paint. It sucks, but it’s going to happen at some point so may as well get it over with. I did it on my Capri rebuilding that - dropped a big screw for the tailgate struts which landed right on a corner of the rear wing and left a tiny mark.

Id definitely avoid putt A dust cover on that car too. Even though the paint is dry it’s still new and soft. I’ve seen it before where a dust cover has sat on the paint for a period of time and left a permanent fabric mark in the paint surface.

[Ronkey]

16 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

That really does look the absolute biz! It looks pristine underneath too.

I wouldn’t worry about accidentally marking the paint. It sucks, but it’s going to happen at some point so may as well get it over with. I did it on my Capri rebuilding that - dropped a big screw for the tailgate struts which landed right on a corner of the rear wing and left a tiny mark.

Id definitely avoid putt A dust cover on that car too. Even though the paint is dry it’s still new and soft. I’ve seen it before where a dust cover has sat on the paint for a period of time and left a permanent fabric mark in the paint surface.

Thanks @danthecapriman. The chaps who painted it said you'll definitely damage the paint during the rebuild and not to worry but it didn't stop the air turning blue. The paint is definitely still soft so I did make the right move then! Any tips for removing the dust without scratching too much? I have tried an airline but that is only partly effective.

[danthecapriman]

I can imagine the air turned blue😆

When I did my Capri I did nothing about the dust. It just built up until I had the car at a point where it was water tight, then I just gave it a good rinse down with water then a warm soapy wash. I did consider microfibre cloths but I think you’d almost certainly scratch it without using water to rinse the worst off.

[Ronkey]

Took a look at the engine again today. Hasn't done much mileage since a rebore - just look at those pistons. 

Took one main bearing off to see how things look - I'll take that. Then checked the torque on the rest and the main bearings and left well alone

The seal between the oil pump and the block has blown so glad I took things apart to check. I'm sure I would have had low oil pressure and no idea where to start.

A baffle plate in the sump has been folded back on itself. Odd. So I straightened it and it hit the oil pump. Wonder if it was from a B16? Anyway, now cut back, welded and tidied. Forgot to take a final photo though.