Friday 7th June. Engine back in.

Not much to report really. The engine has been returned to the Red Shed but with a new clutch plate and pressure plate (Free of charge courtesy of Matt George-fellow RBRR competitor and deputy editor of Classics Monthly)  and release bearing. It also now has a PI cam installed so that should 'up the power' a bit.

I've also fitted an oil cooler to aid the damn good thrashing it's lined up for.

The reason that not much else has been done is that I still haven't got the head back yet. It's had to go into the acid dip three times because it was so clogged up! The guys at Specialised engines think that the engine must have had a water leak in the past that was never dealt with properly. They think that the head was blocked up with years and years of Radweld etc. Not knowing much of the cars history, who knows?

Hopefully the head should be back with me by Friday 14th June, so I can get on with getting this bloody thing on the road!

Friday 31st May. More engine work

I had a day off work today, so I took my cylinder head down to specialised engines in Grays to be acid dipped and then chemically cleaned. I had removed all the valves and springs the night before so I could get down there before Mr & Mrs Commuter could clog up the A13 with their crap modern Eurobox 'jelly moulds'. The guy at specialised engines was very friendly and gave me a guided tour of the premises and showed me all of the machines that they use for modifying engines. Cars in his workshop being worked on included a Spitfire, Capri, an RS2000 Mk2 Escort, a Scimitar and a GT40 that had just had a V6 engine removed and V8 fitted instead! I came away from there suitably impressed.

I also took the valves down there as well and when the head has been dipped and cleaned they're going to do a vacuum test on them to see if any of them need re-seating.

After a few more chores, then a lunchtime session in the pub, followed by an afternoon siesta on the sofa, (well I am on holiday!) I went back out into the garage to get some more done.

I removed the clutch for inspection and found that it was actually quite low. It also looked like the original Laycock centre plate as well, but I cant be certain. What I was certain of is that it was bent in the middle though. Strange!



With the clutch and flywheel removed I then managed to get the engine set up on the engine stand. The next plans for it are to give the waterways another blasting with a hose pipe and airline to try and get more crap out. I removed the drain plug on the side of the block and found it totally blocked! While the engine is out of the car I'm probably also going to remove the standard cam and fit a PI one that I have lurking in my loft. That should improve performance a tad.