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Post by mrjingles705 on Aug 22, 2014 9:31:54 GMT
And more....  |
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Post by mrjingles705 on Sept 6, 2014 22:06:58 GMT
Things are happening.... just not much noteworthy.
Tons more stuff arrived on Fri as card took a battering - but some of the key stuff (MK2 Top Mounts, Gaz shocks, rear discs) on back order still, so not in a position to build up the running gear... yet.
Washed the engine again, and attacked it with the flapper/wirewheel (again)..... just wasn't happy with the first go at it so aborted painting this morning and went for it again. Problem is that some of this stuff has been on there for years it seems, so gunk etc are struggling to cut through it.
Also - sealing up the inlet/exhaust ports was OK, but the injectors and dipstick holes.... man, struggled to keep those covered. Ending up plugging them with whitetack.... nothing else seemed to work.
Flwheel bearings, rear wheel bearings out too.... it's all coming together, slowly.
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Post by mrjingles705 on Sept 15, 2014 9:09:27 GMT
Time for an update  Cleaned the engine again:  Looks a bit bettter painted up (still masked up and rocker cover is a work in progress....):   Decided to replace the rear bearings - was a PITA to remove, decided caution is the better part of valour and I've got the local garage lined up to press in the replacements:     Flywheel bearing though was a piece of piddle:  Started doing the service but had to stop half way through (family emergency) so locked off for now - not as impressed with the cam locking tool as I thought I'd be, seems to allow too much slack:  Calipers are in a terrible state.... was going to try and clean and reseal them but both rears have corroded bores/pistons and one of the fronts now has a snapped bleed. So I've bitten the bullet and put in an order for some refurb items from autolink.... |
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Post by mrjingles705 on Sept 22, 2014 8:06:50 GMT
No time to work on it this weekend, but did manage to snatch an hour during the week so pulled crank sprocket plus both cam gears & their seals..... looks like a slight weep on the main seal (and I do mean 'slight', more misting over time than anything dramatic) and a little around both Cams..... again, little more than a light mist so I suspect it's just a factor of time.
Waitign on a seal remover tool (hooks) for the main seal... tried the pilot hole + blunted screw on the cam seals and managed to put a scratch in the exhaust cam.... took me bloody ages to get that sanded smooth again, lesson learned!
*still* waiting on the suspension bits for gaz, and the mk2 top mounts, so I've held off the subframe build up (so short on space I really need to do it all in one weekend)
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Post by mrjingles705 on Sept 29, 2014 11:27:25 GMT
Frustration all round this week. Spent an hour hunting for my 1/2 and 1/4 12mm socket bits half way through finishing the engine on Sat.... eventually gave up and went to B&Q but reading had a home game and couldn't get close. Gave up, went to Halfords and got back having lost 2hrs. Then I couldn't get the bloody torque wrench in to put the thermostat kneck on.... even my 1/4 one couldn't fit in.ended up torquing it through a knuckle joint (straight as I could get) which I hate doing because there is so much slop in it. Then I had to take the bloody thing off again as I couldn't seat the water pump top rubber gasket with it on (forgot)..... soddy sody sod. And now the front crank seal has gone missing. f*ck my luck. No doubt I'll find it hanging out with the sockets! need to sort through the garage. Until now, kinda stuck:  In other news - shocks came.... but spot the deliberate mistake:   ... contacted mark @ mx5parts, just waiting for a bit in the post. Oh, and the top mounts. Remember my clever plan to cover to MK2 top mounts? still awaiting delivery, due ... end of October. I only bought the things new because it was a) oddly cheaper than sourcing a second hand pair and getting new bushes b) well, they *are* new shocks after all. But it's going to hold me up. Have contacted Autolink to see if they have any stock.... |
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Post by mrjingles705 on Oct 1, 2014 5:56:44 GMT
After getting the call from MX5Parts, Gaz put the missing bits on the post on the same day; and they arrived yesterday. Brilliant customer service as always.
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Post by mrjingles705 on Oct 16, 2014 23:18:36 GMT
No updates for a while.... time to catchup. OK - good news first; engine mostly assembled (cam cover not as nice as I'd have liked, but 20 hrs of polishing was as much as I could afford to sink into it. May paint, may polish, not sure.... but not for now. Good enough is good enough.)  Got my quick-drain oil valve also installed - excuse the mess, went a bit OTT on the sealant. This is a side shot to show you that you don't really lose any clearance.  Also figured out a bypass (need to put clamps on, but was going to wait until exhaust is on to check clearance... should be ok though right?):  Now for the bad news. 1) Still no bloody top mounts. 2) My low-range torque wrench went on the fritz..... went off for repair, waiting for it. 3) So, me being stubborn mule, I thought.... well, I can do the oil sensor right? I mean, I know it says 15nm but I can do that by feel. Wrong darren, so wrong. Turns out, the outer casing (with the larger, more accessible hex) is crimped on - doesn't take much to make it spin.   And when it does - even a smidge - the wire inside connecting the spade terminal to the sensor itself will break. There's just no slack in there at all.  So as well as my top mounts, as well as a fixed torque wrench, I'm now also waiting for a replacement (second hand sender). Next time, I'm going to tighten using the 17mm nut on the base. Lesson learnt. |
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Post by p5curly on Oct 17, 2014 18:35:06 GMT
What did you use to polish your cam cover apart from elbow grease
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Post by mrjingles705 on Oct 17, 2014 20:10:04 GMT
Nearly everything  Through degrease then small flapper and 'sponge' sanding wheels to get started, then Wet and dry (different grades) to go from there. Prob is, even with 20 hrs in, i reckon i'd need the same again to finish it as nice as i'd like. so many fiddly bits! Plus the surface is really porous ... Prob a side effect of casting, but it means crud gets buried in there *deep*. |
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Post by p5curly on Oct 18, 2014 10:08:17 GMT
I think I will paint mine then sems easier lol
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Post by mrjingles705 on Oct 18, 2014 16:31:30 GMT
Replacement oil sender fitted - autolink got me a secondhand one out next-day, top guys! Fitted as much as i can to the engine until i've got it in place so i tidied up a bit and flipped the chassis ready to fit floors and run lines...  (Need to have a look at some other builds to check pipe runs up bulkhead/at rear of tunnel... ) |
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Post by gwnwar on Oct 19, 2014 1:28:37 GMT
With your cam cover did you polish it with an electric buffing pad and jewelers rouge in different grades.
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Post by mrjingles705 on Oct 19, 2014 8:32:20 GMT
With your cam cover did you polish it with an electric buffing pad and jewelers rouge in different grades. My buffing pad was too big to get into all the nooks and crannies, so i ised some cutting compound (paint prep gear) and a clean cloth over se improvising sanding blocks. Didn't seem to work all that well, think the surface needed more sanding first. Have you don le one of these before? I'm thinking the only way to really get this going is bead blasting or similar before hand working it. |
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Post by gwnwar on Oct 20, 2014 4:20:25 GMT
No havent do one myself only know it has to go on a buffer wheel.. Had a cam cover and intake manifold done for a 1.6 cost was worth it.. $150.00.. some thing you just let other people do..
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Post by mrjingles705 on Oct 20, 2014 7:42:34 GMT
No havent do one myself only know it has to go on a buffer wheel.. Had a cam cover and intake manifold done for a 1.6 cost was worth it.. $150.00.. some thing you just let other people do.. I think you're right detailing doesn't appear to be pne of my strong points. $150 is very cheap for the amount of work involved!l, bargain! |
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