Hi Rob :
Rob Blubaugh wrote :
>
> TRF offers 10, 20 and 30 thousandths bearing sleeve inserts, but not
> .040". Moss does offer a .040" bearing sleeve. TRF also builds
> engines. Is there a reason they don't offer .040" bearing inserts? Do
> .040" bearings wear quickly or fail suddenly?
In a word, yes. .040" under is suitable only for 'show' engines that are
never driven hard.
> The machinist also says that the cam must be seriously worn where it
> rides in its bearings and this would also contribute to low oil
> pressure. Visibly noticeable was the gouging on the lobe for the fuel
> pump. He suggests a new cam is probably in order as these cannot be
> easily machined.
>From your description, I'd be surprised if your cam is too badly gone to be
reground. If it is, grindable cores are not too hard to come by (I might
have a few laying about). If money is really tight, you might just replace
the bearing inserts and reuse the cam, scoring and all. Check the journals
for overall wear.
> For engine #15848 would I have replaceable cam
> bearings??
Should have. Moss catalog says inserts were introduced at TS8997E. If not,
let me know. I know where there are some spare blocks about 60 mi away from
you ...
> Would I be silly
> to redo the valves, the crank bearings, the cam and leave the cylinder
> sleeves alone??
I wouldn't "leave them alone", but might well reuse them (with new figure 8
gaskets). IOW, pull the pistons and liners, clean and inspect, replace as
necessary.
> I have never clamped down the cylinder sleeves as in
> shown in the Bentley manual. I don't think I could begin to remove the
> stud bolts from the upper block to put in a shorter stud to hold a
> washer and a nut in place as a sleeve clamp. On an engine that has had
> several thousand miles on it are the cylinder sleeves going to come
> loose that easily??
Probably not, but it is one major PITA to get the whole thing back together
and have the fig 8 gaskets leak ! Also, if the sleeves are stuck in the
block, you may have trouble getting the head gasket to seal. BTW, you can
make sleeve retainers by piling up 1/2" drive sockets on the head studs,
until they are tall enough to clamp in place with a head nut.
> Perhaps with all the problems that my engine seems to have and the
> expense to make it minimally reliable, I would be better off going for a
> TRF short block at around $2,000. Would that include a ground crank,
> new bearings, new or reconditioned cam, new cylinder sleeves, pistons
> and rings?
Should, but I think you can overhaul your engine for less $$$.
> I would be pleased to
> hear from some of you who have been there and done this and that.
My experience has been that these engines will run quite well with the rings
and cylinders in deplorable states (even broken rings). Generally, power
output is down (but 80hp will still move the car quite nicely), and oil
consumption is up (but you can buy a _lot_ of oil for the price of a set of
liners). Besides, it's a Little British Car. If it's not leaking, it must
be out ! Reliability doesn't seem to suffer.
Put the hardened exhaust seats in the head, replace only the valves that
can't be ground. If you can afford it, replace all the valve guides, but if
not, just have the intakes knurled. Get the crank and cam out, and try
taking them to a different machinist. A .010" score looks pretty bad, I
find it hard to believe your crank won't clean up at .020" under. IMO .030"
is acceptable for a budget rebuild. It doesn't have to be absolutely
perfect, either. As long as it mostly cleans up, a small score or two will
just aid lubrication. Unless the journals on the cam are badly damaged, it
can probably be reground. If they are, I'm sure we can locate a core. Get
the lifters refaced. Pull the liners out of the block, so you can clean the
water passages.
As I think I've mentioned before, my experience was that the machine shops
in Rensselaer charge _way_ too much (mostly because otherwise they can't
make enough money to stay in business). Try looking for someone in
Lafayette, or even Indy. Let me know if you need some recommendations.
Randall - ex-Rensselaer resident
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