Parts list for engine

With the block painted it was time to start getting all the bits I needed to rebuild the engine. I was thinking of buying the parts from Summitracing in the US as the parts are much cheaper over there. I looked into postage and it was going to be about $300 to $400 for what I needed. Then add on the 20% import duty, plus the hassle of trying to return anything - so I decided to buy in the UK.

I ended up buying all the bits I needed from Real Steel - I phoned them up and spoke to Simon who was really helpful and advised on what I needed for my engine.

Here is what I bought:

Edelbrock E-street Aluminium Heads - BY5089
ARP Head Bolts - BY134-3601
Felpro Top Overhaul Gasket Set - BHYS7733PT-2
Felpro Header Gasket - BY1404FP
Speed Pro Long Slot, pressed steel- Rocker Arms - BYR-1015R
Arp Inlet Manifold Bolts - BY134-2101
Mr Gasket Chome Plated Heater Hose Fitting - BY9744
Edelbrock Performer 600cfm 4 barrel Square Bore Carburetor - BY1405
Edelbrock Banjo Fitting Fule Union - BY8089
Clevite Performer Hydraulic Camshafts- “mild” Performance - BY2291730
Sealed Power Standard Hydraulic Lifters - BY550-16
Cloyes 3 Key Timing Chain Set - BYC-3023X
Edelbrock Elite Air Cleaner - BY4207
Victor Reinz 1 Piece Rear Seal - BYJV554
Edelbrock Elite Rocker Covers - BY4248
Edelbrock Elite Breather
Stainless Steel Rocker Cover Bolts - BY1434UNC
Stainless Steel Washer - KIT938
Grant Piston Rings +0.030 - BYC2271030
Brass Core Plug/Oil Galley Set - BYPE100BR
Clevite Cam Bearings - BYSH290S
Clevite Main Bearings - BYMS909P020
Clevite Con Rod Bearings - BYCB663P010
Loctitie 572 Thread Sealant - BY572
Running in Oil - BY1590
Running in Oil Additive for cams - BY159

Time for paint

So with the block back from the machine shop it was time to get on with painting it. I decided to paint the block chevy orange.

After doing a bit of reading on the web, por-15 seemed to get good reviews so I decided to go with that. I found a company called Frost who supplied the paint in the UK (http://www.frost.co.uk/).

After reading up on Por-15 it became apparent that as with most things, preparation is key. Por-15 recommend that you degrease the parts first and then prep them before painting. They provide the following two products - Marine clean to degrease, and Metal prep.

I made up a solution of 1 part Marine clean to 4 parts hot water and sprayed the entire block a couple of times. I then got the jet wash on it and rinsed off all the degreaser. I then used my compressor to air dry the entire block.
For good measure I decided to degrease the block a second time, followed by a rinse with the jet wash and dry with the air compressor.

Once I was happy that the block was degreased I moved on to the next stage which was to use the Por-15 Metal prep. This can be painted on and according to Por-15 it removes rust and provides a base for the paint to bind. You don't dilute this down - just paint it straight on to the block - it should only go on the parts you are painting and you have to keep the block wet with the product. So I gave the block a good painting with the metal prep and then every 10 minutes went over it again. After 30 minutes I rinsed the block again with the jet wash and dried it with the compressor. Once the block was prepped and dried, I decided to leave it to dry overnight just to be sure. I noticed when the block was dry a white residue where the metal prep had been - this is normal and can be painted over.

The next stage was to mask all the parts I did not want to paint. I used blue automotive masking tape which I got from Cromwell Tools. This was a really tricky job and took a couple of hours. I used a sharp craft knife to carefully trim the masking tape away.
I also discovered a video on youtube which showed a guy gently tapping on the masking tape with a hammer on the edges. I was a bit dubious about this as hitting a cast iron block with a metal hammer didn't seem like a good idea but I gave it a try on the bits that were difficult to cut and it worked really well. The trick is to use your finger to fold the masking tape over the edge, then very very gently tap lightly with the hammer on the edge and the tape will fall away.

The block was now ready to paint. As the Por-15 dries very quickly I decanted out what I needed into a plastic container and then resealed the tin. By the way, you need to mix the paint thoroughly before using.
The first cost seemed to go on well. I noticed that some of the raised bits like the casting number did not seem to cover well, the paint seemed to run off, but I thought I'd get this on the second coat.
Overall I was happy with the paint so far, but I could see that it would need a second coat. I left it a couple of hours and then applied a second coat. This went on okay but again the raised bits did not seem to take the paint.

In the end, I gave the block 4 coats of paint. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the Por-15 and wouldn't use it again. There are still some parts of the block where the paint hasn't covered well - all raised parts. But I'm probably just being too critical and once it's in the car with all the shiny bits on it will look fine.

A couple of other things to mention - mask off anything you don't want to get paint on. I didn't and the paint ran onto parts of the block where I didn't want it. I cleaned it up with paint stripper.
I also decided to paint the block with out the freeze plugs in. I then had to spend ages with a cotton bud and paint stripper cleaning the freeze plug holes to remove excess paint. I'd recommend masking these over.

Finally, as I mentioned, I'm not too impressed with Por-15 - next time I'd probably use a spray engine paint.

Kit Ordered

Yesterday was a milestone day in progress so far. I drove down to AK Sportscars to visit the factory and meet Jon and Wendi. I'd highly recommend anyone considering building a kit car does the same. You get a real feel for the build and quality of the product.

Jon and Wendi were fantastic and made me feel very welcome. Another prospective buyer was also visiting at the same time so Jon gave us a tour of the factory and explained how they make the chassis and all of the modifications they make to the Jag running gear. He also showed us how they make the body and fibreglass parts . Even to a novice like myself I could see the quality of the moulds and finished product.

It was interesting to hear about the Gen 1 and 2 chassis differences (and also the new lighter race spec chassis that Jon is working on). It seems that the majority (pretty much all) of customers are opting for the Gen 2 chassis now. This handles better and although is a little more expensive than the Gen 1, it is an easier build and overall the cost works out the same as it only has 4 shocks instead of the 6 that the Gen 1 has.

Jon also took us out in the demonstrator car - Marmite. This is an unbelievable car. It has a supercharged LS3 engine - 6.something litre and it is so fast. I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day after having a ride in it. I was also really impressed with the quality of the car - it was really solid and well put together. The handling was also superb - it went round corners like it was on tracks.

So at the end of the day I ordered the following:

Gen 2 chassis and body

Stainless steel engine bay cladding - fitted

Stainless steel fuel tank

Coil over shocks and springs

Factory fitted wishbone bushes

Twin 3 leg roll bars - fitted

Triple nose vents

At the machine shop

After striping the engine down I took it to Dave Rushton http://www.daverushton.co.uk/.
As the engine was now in bits I managed to get all the components in the boot of my car.

After inspecting the engine, the following work was required:

- Bore size within tolerance so just needed honing (0.030")
- Crankshaft just needs polishing (Mains 0.020", B\Ends 0.010")
- Reface valve
- Recut valve seats
- De-gasket and hot wash all parts
- Install cam bearnings
- Cylinder head faces are good


After a couple of days I got an email from Dave informing me that one of the cylinder heads was cracked.
The crack was only visible once the valve seats had started to be reground.
This meant that this head was basically scrap and I would need to get a new one.
Dave advised that these heads were prone to cracking so it would probably be best to buy a pair of new ones. I agreed so the rest of the work on the heads was left.

The block on the other hand was fine - thank god. The cleaned up really well and I was really pleased with the results. Same with the crankshaft and pistons that looked like they were new.

So after just over a week in the machine shop I drove down to collect the engine from Dave.

I have to say, Dave did a fantastic job and was really helpful. I'll certainly be using him for all future machine work I need.

Garage

So whilst the engine was at the machine shop I made use of time by getting the garage ready. I wanted to improve the light and cut down on the dust. I'd previously painted the walls white which made a great improvement to the lighting, and also fitted a rubber strip on the bottom of the garage door which stopped a lot of debris blowing in from outside.

Next job was to paint the floor. I'd done some research and spoken with a few neighbours who had already painted their floor and realised that the standard garage floor paint from B&Q or Wickes was probably not the best and I'd be repainting it again in a year or so. So I opted for an epoxy paint. I ended up buying it from www.regalfloorpaint.co.uk after reading a number of recommendations.

I bought the following:

4 x Clean n etch
1 x 2 pack epoxy first coat
1 x 2 pack epoxy top coat

I also ordered a few disposable brushes and a metal roller frame and roller.

So first job was to clear out the garage. You have to get the epoxy down in one go so you can't be moving things around the garage.

Next job was to clean up any old paint and oil stains. I had a massive oil stain in the middle of the floor. I tried various things on this but eventually found brake cleaner and then cat litter worked really well.



This is the oil stain after a can of brake cleaner. I thought this would be okay to paint over.

I then removed as much of the old paint from around the edge of the garage with a wire drill brush. It was now time for the acid etch. The idea with this is that it gives the concrete a rough sand paper finish so the paint can bond to it. I used a watering can and made up a solution of 1 part acid to 4 parts water. I then just went the floor with it - doing a quarter of the garage at a time and then rinsing. I ended up etching the floor twice as I had enough acid left. The key thing here is that the floor has to be completely free of any acid before painting. I found I had to rinse multiple times and I used a large rubber squidgy from homebase to pull the water out.

Once the floor was dry I painted the first cost of epoxy. I was surprised when I opened the tin that it was green (I ordered grey) but it was too late so I painted it on anyway. I wasn't sure how far the tin would go so applied it sparingly - but I had loads left at the end so could have put it on thicker.

One thing about this paint - it really smells. Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth - not a cheap paper one - a proper one with filters in it. Even with the mask on, towards the end of the first coat I was struggling.

Next day the first coat was dry enough to walk on so I decided to do the second coat. Here is the finished floor. I left it to cure for 7 days before moving anything back in to the garage.

Engine Rebuild - strip down

Well, here it is. I bought this a few months ago - it's a small block chevy 350.

It came with a few extras but is missing the carb and a starter motor.

The engine casting number is 10054727 so after a bit of research on the web I found that it was made in Canada and is the one piece rear seal, 1986 upwards

Stamped on the other side of the block were two more identification marks. The first was not very clear and looked like it said CK7/07362 - I think this is engine id number. The second was K0829TPM. The K means it's made in Canada, the 0829 is the month and day, so it was made on the 29th August, and the TPM is the suffix code. Looking at this website and searching for TPM I found out that this engine was made in 1989, was in a chevy truck, had 210 HP and was a TBI engine. The key piece of information here is the age. For the IVA you need to be able to prove the age of the engine, which then dictates the emissions tests they will perform. So for this engine the emissions test will be as follows:

Engine block Date- 1-8-86 to 31-7-95 = Visual & <= 3.5 CO & <= 1200 HC @ normal hot idle. HC can be tested at 2000rpm if CO passes at idle

So having identified the engine it was time to start the strip down. I have never done anything like this before so did a bit of research on youtube. I found this video very helpful.

I also purchased a couple of books:

How to Rebuild Small Block Chevy by David Vizard
Rebuilding the Small Block Chevy by Larry Atherton

Both books go into a lot of details - the second one comes with a DVD which shows the entire rebuild process. As I novice I found the second book easier to use.

I have also been very lucky in that my neighbour is a retired Chief Engineer from the Merchant Navy and he was really keen to help out with the rebuild. This worked out really well as I've learnt things that I'd have never got out of a book.

So we stripped the engine down over a period of about a week. You could actually do the entire strip down in a couple of hours but we took our time and bagged and recorded each bit we took off.

The engine is now at the machine shop. After looking on a number of forums, Dave Rushton came high recommended (http://www.daverushton.co.uk/). 

The engine was dropped of on the weekend and Dave is going to give it a good check over and advise on what work it needs.

Intro

This blog will hopefully track the build of my dream car, an AC Cobra replica. I say hopefully as at the moment I have no kit, no money and no mechanical skills whatsoever.

I've started the blog now as I bought a engine to rebuild so it will be good to track the progress of the engine.