Re: Larry's 1951 Club Sedan Project

Posted by Larry51 On 2013/9/1 18:20:47

Progress with the engine rebuild is going well. Feeling like I'm getting ahead with this project now.

Here's the engine painted, head studs in, and I'm ready to install the manifolds. Tappets adjusted to a reasonable gap also, and timing has been done.

Man, those head studs take some effort to wind in, even when lubricated with stud sealant!


Painted the manifolds with the correct heat-proof POR paint. The wife was not too impressed with me baking these on the stove for a few hours! (I had to take her out for dinner as the house smelt very toxic from the paint).


Had to do some checking of photos etc to get the distributor fitted in correct position in relation to #1 cylinder. I wasn't sure it was oriented OK until after contacting someone with a 288 same as mine for a pic of the #1 plug lead.

So here I've marked #1 with a pen cap . . . .


Also, looking into the dizzie mounting hole I could check that the tang on the oil pump shaft was in its correct position to take the distributor. Pic shows tang sitting horizontal, like the manual DOESN'T really tell you . . . .

I found the Manual quite a bit deficient in some areas, like this one


Here are sump (oil pan), oil pump and reconditioned fuel pump all fitted. I had wondered what the plastic bushings on fuel pump were there for, and later realised they act to insulate from heat passing into the pump and causing vaporization problems.



Now I'm almost ready to move the engine from the workshop (- which is under my house) around to where the car is, in the garage. That will prove to be quite tricky as the lawn slopes every which-way, and front drive slopes quite a lot too. Lucky I have hospital insurance, just in case!

Here the engine is on the crane and ready to move out and around to the garage. Head, water pump (previously reconditioned), oil filter and other parts all fitted.