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Post by james on Jan 13, 2020 23:58:55 GMT
Hi Guys, Just working on my new engine rebuild.... when I mentioned to the machinist that I would like to put +.60 though pistons in he sort of freaked out a bit saying... "Look I will do what you want but remember these engines rust from the outside in and they are 50 years old"..... so my question is..... Is +.60 too much to go for? How thick was the piston wall from factory? Are there any engine numbers/ranges that are better? (I am in Australia) It will have the standard stroke as I am not allowed to change this due to the class I am trying to get into... Also, I need a manual gearbox... I think I read that there are two types? one running just cables and one running metal rods? which is best please and would anyone know where I can get one? Thanks  |
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Post by james on Jan 14, 2020 2:36:08 GMT
Also, does anyone know where I can get an oil sump plug with a magnet in it please? I just have no idea what size/thread it uses so am not confident just to buy one off ebay... Thanks |
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Post by james on Jan 15, 2020 0:06:29 GMT
Hi Guys, Can anyone tell me... are there any engines that are literally a straight swap for the BMC B series 5 main cap engines? I am talking about removing the B series (1800 in my case) and literally plugging back in a more modern variant to the same traverse gearbox etc... not worried about electrics/induction or anything like that... the key for me is the sump/bolt pattern and ensuring the crank is in the exact same spot to match what the gearbox is expecting.... Thanks |
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Post by dave1800 on Jan 15, 2020 0:43:20 GMT
I would stick with +.40 to avoid possible disasters. Unfortunately? there are no other engines that are a straight swop, not even the MGB block. There have been a few engine / transmission swops reported but require major suspension and body changes.
David
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Post by andrewa on Jan 15, 2020 11:55:12 GMT
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Post by snoopy11 on Jan 15, 2020 18:05:50 GMT
I would go with the recommendation from your engineer. They are the experts at this sort of thing. You need to be certain of reliability.
As well as getting the displacement you will need the correct cam profile as well.
When my engine was taken out to 2L we had an extensive conversation with a rep from Kent Cams. Gave him all the details of what I wanted to do with the car and he advised the cam.
For suitable replacement pistons I have the Omega forged alloy.
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Post by james on Jan 16, 2020 2:11:44 GMT
Are "Forged Alloy"the same as "Forged" pistons?
At $1000 for a set they are quite expensive..... I may have the stretch the budget ...
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Post by snoopy11 on Jan 16, 2020 9:00:58 GMT
Yes.
They are lighter and stronger than the original
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Post by dave1800 on Jan 17, 2020 0:48:42 GMT
What mods are you planning for the brakes and suspension?
David
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Post by dave1800 on Jan 17, 2020 1:31:14 GMT
Hi Andrew Did you fit liners? How did your N Europe trip go? David |
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Post by james on Feb 3, 2020 4:02:10 GMT
What mods are you planning for the brakes and suspension? David I have a friend that is getting me a set of 3 piston calipers from some other car... a jag or something... that are supposed to fit with a bit of modification to the splash plate.... for the suspension I will upgrade the rear to the large hydrolastic units (I have new ones saved and ready to go) and install those large bump stops I have seen mentioned... for the front I want to install some shock absorbers like they did on the rally cars... I am getting the engine mounts re-done in urethane.... I also want to put a second fuel tank in the boot and have that fed from the original tank (the class I want to try first requires the original tank to remain in place..... move the battery to the boot for more engine bay room.... twin carbies, super duper cam which is being made for me now... it will sit between the BBP285 Ultimate Road and BBP300 Rally profiles, so should be pretty mean.... tuned extractors with the ceramic coating and wrapped in that heat sheild tape stuff... good stainless exhaust... I read somewhere that a sway bar on the front is a good thing but putting one on the back actually made things worse... though I do have the two original rear arms with holes drilled from factory for a rear sway bar... so I could test that at some point... A new alloy radiator with electric fan and shroud... it has to be mounted in the original location as it is a rule for the class as well... running engine with no fan on the pulley.... put in an oil cooler with a fan as well if I can... but was even thinking of putting in some sort of temperature controlled bypass so that the oil cooler was only used when the oil reached a certain temperature.... roll-cage, a couple of lightweight race seats, no seat in the rear... various gauges etc... oh, running the suspension fluid pipes above the floor rather than below it... seat belts... fire extinguisher.... oh and a electrical cut of switch at the rear of the car....I am thinking a really nice light green with a white roof... I have seen another car like that and it looked really good... I should get back to work....... |
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Post by dave1800 on Feb 3, 2020 8:23:56 GMT
It sounds like it will be quite a beast! The rear anti-roll (sway) bar improves handling and gives noticeably better stability under heavy braking. It was fitted as standard to early Mk1 cars. I'm not aware of any rally crabs having a front anti-roll bar but certainly shocks at the front was a common mod and also rear shocks were fitted, the latter requiring strengthening of the boot floor.
David
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Post by andrewa on Feb 3, 2020 11:31:32 GMT
Hi - similar-ish spec to mine to be honest - and I didn't bother with liners. I started off with a 285 cam which was great but ended up doing less track work and more road rallys so went went with a 270 profile - horses for courses. Tommy on here pointed out good tip that if you remove one of the "bars" on the inner wing behind the rad you can then change the cam relatively easily - i.e. no engine out.
My biggest challenge which you will also have is getting the fuel and timing optimised. The SU's tend to run lean at max revs so you end up having to run quite rich at idle to compensate - I and many experts fiddled around many times with different needles and eventually you get a compromise - with the timing I went with a 123 programmable distributor in the end (which you may or may not be allowed) - it's a great bit of kit which allows you to programme and alter the timing from a laptop + you can have two different curves which I use depending on quality of fuel available and then you really need a rolling road to set it up properly IMHO anyway!
On the suspension - the rear ARB transforms the handling, and the addition of separate rubber suspension assisters at the back (as per rally cars) help enormously. They also help save the displacers if you have a heavy landing.Mini shocks up front and bigger bump stops up front help as well - it actually handles well. If you look at some of the videos of my car on here it corners remarkably flat.
The other thing that makes a massive difference is getting the front suspension and steering as near to factory/new as you can by which I mean as good as when it was new. Even if it looks alright and seems to work alright there will be bits on there that are 50 years old and were sealed for life (!). My car was great, but i had this laborious task undertaken and the difference is like night and day - the steering is lighter, it turns in quicker/easier. Hope some of this is of use!
By the way I've got a diagram of the ARB with all the measurements if you need it.
Cheers
A
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Post by 1800heap on Feb 5, 2020 9:55:41 GMT
Did you have an ARB made for your car Andrew?
Nick
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Post by andrewa on Feb 5, 2020 21:10:40 GMT
Yes it cost me about £180/£190 from memory - not particularly complicated.
I got an outfit called Gartrac to do it (Ford Escort guys if you google them), just sent them the pictures and the measurements and a few weeks later it was done!
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