Here, Here! If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right!
Les Myer
At 08:52 AM 1/21/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Good on you for having such a nice guy machinist, and for finding the
problem.
>
>After several heartaches, I now have all engines I build (for the first
>time, when I'm unfamiliar with the engines history) -
>
>Block is hot-tanked, decked (after a dry build to measure piston to deck
>clearance), bored and honed, line-bored, crank (even brand new ones) gets
>cracktested, measured for all bearings in terms of size, roundness, taper,
>ground if required, rod big ends resized, new cam bearings installed. Then,
>another dry build to measure all critical clearances. Only then do I
>actually build the engine. So I actually build the engine about three times
>before I get it assembled.
>
>You can use a simple vernier caliper to check a ton of stuff on the engine
>to reasonable accuracy. A $35 caliper is accurate to .001", which is fine
>for seeing what size the journals are, for example. So while I've got a half
>dozen Micrometers, they stay in the chest until needed while the Vernier
>gets used every day.
>
>Why am I contributing this to the list? Because I hated building a nice
>Cooper S race engine that lasted 45 minutes, only to be told after the fact
>"well, I always get the rods resized - didn't you?" Like, why didn't you
>tell me that LAST WEEK! Cost me set of rods, and a new crank, and
>ultimately a new straight cut gearset for the tranny, and that came to well
>over $2,000!
>
>Cheers, Brian
>
>
>At 04:40 PM 1/20/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>Paul, No I didn't check these things. I am sure you are right about
>>short-life motors but
>>
>>a) I can use plastiguage OK, but don't have access to accurate enough
>>dial guages or large enough mics. for checking the mains journals or for a
>>bent crank.
>>
>>b) If I pay an engineer to grind the crank and supply the matching bearing
>>shells, then I should be able to rely on him to do just that.
>>
>>Actually he now has the block, crank and bearings back and is checking it
>>out. I have dealt with him before, he is very good and he always does a
>>good job. He has offered to set up the crank for me (not apart of the
>>original deal) FOC. He rang thisafternoon to say that the problem is with
>>a damaged front bearing cap which is "out of round". He is trying to get
>>hold of another and then will line bore it to get it right.
>>
>>Engine wasn't running when I got (given) the car, and I don't know anything
>>about history or PO.
>>
>>Thanks also to Les, Daryl, Dave, Jim and others !
>>
>>I'll let you know the outcome.
>>
>>Guy
>>
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