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Posted
Thought it best to start a thread on the rebuild of my engine out of my hill climb Lola sports racer:

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The car currently has a stock 3.2 engine with DIY headers, PMO carbs and a flat fan conversion made by Crispin Manners for the engine's previous owner.
I wont bore you all with the story (a long one) behind the car, but I've been hillclimbing it for over 10 years and have won lots of Class wins in the Midland Hillclimb Championship.

The gearbox is a mag cased 915 some special bits inside inc a LSD, bit more on this later.

The car is not fast enough for various reasons, so time to take this very heathy engine and modify it to take 8K rpm and maybe generate 300 bhp and 270 lbft.
This is the purpose of this project.

It will be the last evolution of this little car before we retire together.

This thread will detail the various things that can and will happen as I DIY this engine which ha to be fully tuned and running by the end of March 2022, the start of the season at Prescott hillclimb.
It will be a slow start then will get very busy.

Spec:
JE Pistons @ 10.5:1, Ordered, arriving Xmas 2021
Carrillo rods to 8500 rpm, Ordered, arriving Xmas 2021
GE 60 cams from Kent Cams
Light spring kit
Twin plugged heads if I can find someone to machine them!
Twin plug ignition from Clewitt
Keep the carbs
Replace all the bearings etc and build up from the crank.
Probably a few other things as we go along.

The 915 will get a WEVO Shift Gate mod done by the builder of the box, Mike Bainbridge, safe hands.

So, we have to get it apart which I have spent a few hours on. First time this drive train has been out of the car since the last huge engine blow-up...5 years or so ago.
Engine oil out, nothing on the magnetic pug ( :) ), box oil out after 10 years and clean, small steel filings on mag plug, nothing scary.

Exhaust and gear change linkages off, transmission cross member and support frame.

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With that lot clear, the drive shafts freed off, engine frame braces off, fuel line off and it's regulator, engine loom free, alternator off and finally the carbs.

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With the inlets fully open and with some trepidation, I shone a torch down each cylinder. What a lovely sight! All perfectly clean and looking new, love it!

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The WEVO kit is on order, ex stock at Twin Spark and I will call Mike when I have it to get the box to him. Be nice if he is coming to the Swap Meet to save me a run to the Lakes.

The 911 will go into professional storage in Nov so to free the 1/2 garage space to do the engine.

I just wish I could find someone to machine the heads for twin plugs!
People say they do them, but never respond when asked. :|
 
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Posted

Bob Walker engineering;  01993 868683 Now called "Fiennes Performance" posh website and no doubt doubled in price! Call and ask to speak to Rob.

Chris.

 

Posted
22 minutes ago, Chris T said:

Bob Walker engineering;  01993 868683 Now called "Fiennes Performance" posh website and no doubt doubled in price! Call and ask to speak to Rob.

Chris.

 

Hi Chris. I believe Rob walker has retired but the machine shop remains. I would suggest speaking with Tony Wright at Wrightune in Wallingford

Posted

Picked at the engine a bit more for an hour, very busy weekend, Bike show yesterday, Bicester today.

Exposing the flat fan, hidden for the last 5 years.

The fan shrouds hand made by Crispin Manners are fabulous. must have taken hours and hours

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Custom made cross bean with drive and angle drive box for the fan driven off the custom alternator pully belt

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A better view of same maybe

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Quickly getting to the point of until the 911 goes to storage on 1 Nov I can't do much more due to space. :?
 
  • Like 1
Posted

After 10 years of very very hard starts the stock F&S friction plate is down to 0.5mm of the rivets, so a new one for next year, but the flywheel and pressure place faces are great.
All a testimony to a light car despite the hillclimb slicks and my lack of sympathy off the start lines, but no slipping the clutch helps.

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Posted

Head machining now all sorted. Spoke to the man after sending an email, talks the right language in the right engineering way, you could almost smell the cutting fluid down the phone.
Quoted the price which also included VAT and I can take them/collect too (not far from me).

3 weeks lead time. good web site and good pics of the heads done on 911's and many others.
Proper engine remanufacturer.
 Happy. :) :)

Posted
a bit about the fan.

I like the flat fan, if I close one eye the car looks a bit like a Porsche 908 (ok, maybe both eyes)

To return the engine to stock fan I would need an alternator (£120), a fan (£150 ish) and the shroud (£250 ish), pully fan belt parts, so about £500/£600.
That would buy the engine bearings etc.

Thus the nice (to me) fan stays and I'll carry the weight (7Kg)
Drive all cleaned and the oil leak on the drive box fixed.

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Posted
With all the space I need time for the engine to come out and see how things are down the exhaust ports.

Bit of a fiddle, but so easy compared to a 911 extraction, just keep on getting CV grease everywhere....
Remembered to get the light weight flywheel off before roping up:

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Removed the one header and that came off well, inverted the engine to get to the other and the dry sump scavenge pipe off, thought I had the flood of oil from every hole sussed, but not quite. :roll:
However, the 6 exhaust port are just perfect, this is a great little engine!

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A hole like this is one BIG opportunity..
Was originally to have a V8 but bought the 911 engine instead on the day.

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Posted
Bob Watson told me it takes a week to strip, clean and inspect a 911 air cooled, doubt he is far wrong.

The engine is down to the point where the barrels will fall off the pistons if I let them.
Everything came off to plan with one small exception and that was getting the cam housings off the heads. The large contact area of the sealent stops the parts parting with a tap of a plastic head hammer, so resorted to a good heating up with my hot air gun. Takes about 5 mins of overall warming before the sealant is softening, and a gentle lever with a good screwdriver saw them both ease off the heads.

Each head removed, but I was not expecting the difference in torque on the sleeve nuts, some 'loose' and some not so loose, not as tight as I expected. Studs all ok, so maybe a new digital torque wrench for me this Xmas!

The bores are to die for, the cams are exceptional, all 1986 parts, but the heads/pistons are quite carbon coated, far more than I expected, bit too rich maybe.

Pressure is on to get the heads 'clean' so they can go to the machinist in Warrington to be twin plugged.

Anyone know of a good quick way to get all the old orange sealant off?

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Organised!!

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Posted
On 07/10/2021 at 17:45, 911hillclimber said:

The car currently has a stock 3.2 engine with DIY headers, PMO carbs and a flat fan conversion made by Crispin Manners for the engine's previous owner.

Graham,

Was that engine previously in Terry Davison's Nomad then?

BR,

The other Nige

Posted

Yes, it was.

I bought the engine and box from the guy who bought it from Terry about 12 years ago.

on the day it was to be a rover V8 and Hewland box (all v expensive) or Terry's drive train.

I have done this engine twice now after various issues and the box was near scrap, so it had all had a very hard life as a circuit racer under Terry and Stoic Racing.

I often see Terry at various hill climbs and he goes misty eyed when he sees it!

Posted
Spent 3 hours removing all the hard sealant off the heads and cam housings in prep for taking them to Headshop in Warrington for machining.
Tedious and even had the tedious radio on to ease the boredom.

I think the Loctite solvent on it's way will remove te much smaller bits left and they are ready to soak overnight in neat brake cleaner to remove the last of the carbon residue in the ports.
The cam covers have a casting number of early 1988, so this engine s 1988, always thought it was 86.

Will order the Kent Cams and spring kit tomorrow, big outlay as ever.

Getting bothered about WEVO/Twin Spark and the gateshift order I have with them.
2 broken shipping promises and I'm not alone according to Impact Bumpers....

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Posted
Lots to update on:

Cams and springs arrived today, 56 hours after ordering them. :alien:
WEVO Shiftgate arrives tomorrow after a game, Government made more money than anyone else involved. :evil:

Split the crank cases.

Made a DIY quality splitter like the one sold by Stromski Racing (sorry to them). Cost me £8.75 and a few hours on my trusty 1939 lathe.
Undid a zillion case bolts and screw, even those that hide from you (3).

Assembled the DIY splitter and turned the socket set....

Pop!

It only worked perfectly. Amazingly easy, so worth the faff of making one (Stromski is a lovely design and $370)

No effort to open the cases at all, ridiculously easy.

Crank out, mains are perfect, pump feels super smooth, laygear looks ace.
Drips of oil all over the floor, but hoping to get a 'charity payment' parts washer this weekend from a DDK'r.

So much cleaning to do, but then a BIG wait for an uncertain delivery from the USA at Xmas.....

Pictures here:

DIY splitter parts. The stud is M20 to scale it.

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All in place on #2 conrod, set at BDC.

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Posted
WEVO gateshift actually arrived, an expensive small box of natty bits.

Took the rods off the crank, bolts much harder to unscrew than I thought, but all big ends are wonderful. Crank RINGS and RINgs and rings, and ring, and rin,ri,r :)

Cleaned the cases of old sealant, bagged a lot of parts up and had a big tidy and de-oil of the floor, the bench and me.

So wish the rods and pistons were coming soon.
Heads having a final clean/soak overnight ready to be dropped-off for twin plug machining.

Started a ring binder to put the BIG BILLS already amassing away, out of sight, out of mind. :roll:

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Posted

Read on here there is a shortage of bearings for these engines, and that is dead right.

Placed a good order for all the rebuild bits with Design911 (7% discount) but chains and crank main bearings out of stock and no re-stock date....

At least all the other bits arrive for the shelf next Monday.

Fingers crossed they all arrive for Xmas along with the pistons and rods.

Posted

Make sure you get the correct bearings with the correct markings….

Posted
16 hours ago, 911hillclimber said:

Read on here there is a shortage of bearings for these engines, and that is dead right.

Placed a good order for all the rebuild bits with Design911 (7% discount) but chains and crank main bearings out of stock and no re-stock date....

At least all the other bits arrive for the shelf next Monday.

Fingers crossed they all arrive for Xmas along with the pistons and rods.

I have used FVD Brombacher for parts earlier this year and they were very efficient. They appear to either have bearings in stock or available within 1-3 days from their warehouse. https://www.fvd.net/de-en/shop?term=&searchtype=fvd-product&search_mode=&view=thumb&order=score&fq[0]=332&fq[1]=353

Posted

Thanks Ian, but they are on order with Des911 now. Awaiting a response to when they expect them and the chains back in stock. I can't do anything to rebuild the engine until the pistons and rods arrive end of Dec, so hope that will work out.

Posted
16 hours ago, 911hillclimber said:

Thanks Ian, but they are on order with Des911 now. Awaiting a response to when they expect them and the chains back in stock. I can't do anything to rebuild the engine until the pistons and rods arrive end of Dec, so hope that will work out.

Yes I understand, good luck with the build!

Posted

Spent a lot of time chatting to Greatworth Classics engine/box builder today at the DDK swap meet about my build.

 

Really helpful esp on who supplies parts and installations to give a good engine after all the investment.

I have 2 months to get bearing shells and chains, must be long enough!?

Posted
Greatworth Classics will be installing the WEVO Gateshift for me at the end of Nov, back to me for Xmas.

I've been cleaning and degreasing etc the main cases and various bits, and taking the heads to the HeadShop tomorrow for twin plug machining.
They will be back for end Nov latest, and if I can get some titanium valve spring top hats I can at least build the heads up read for the Big Assembly.

Found I had ordered some wrong parts through Des911, but they have sorted that, so have a small(!) list of things to order, again so if the pistons/rods turn up in Xmas ish time I'm ready.

I really want/need to have the engine built by end Jan/mid Feb (2022).

I think I will be forced to sell the lovely Honda CB 175 and my Peugeot BIMA to help things along and keep the peace a bit, but that will be late spring time.

So financed, I can go Clewett twin spark module.
 
Posted
Getting bored now while I wait for parts which are about 2 months off yet from the USA.

Made a knock-off of the Stromski Racing wrist pin clip insertion device.
Anyone who has inserted these know they ca be a very free spirit when they escape, and hard to find after landing.
Made it, tried it, and it sure works well!

Cost: £0.50 :alien:

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