Subject: [Fot] What a week. What a month. What a year.

From: Rick McCurdy via Fot <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 13 May 2019 07:17:13 -0400

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Some of you may have heard about a New Yorkers=E2=80=99 attempt to get to th=
e=20
K Cup last weekend, but here=E2=80=99s the skinny:

After long weeks of long days, I finished repairing bodywork from when I sma=
cked the wall backwards at the Canadian Vintage Gran Prix at Mosport last Ju=
ne, and the car reassembled (just) in time to depart New York=E2=80=99s Huds=
on Valley on Sunday morning,  April 28. Of course, the one thing I didn=E2=80=
=99t have time to do before loading was to get the car running. Since I was p=
lanning on passing through Dayton, I called a long time Sunbeam club friend a=
nd asked for help. (How tough is it to get a tractor engine to run?!) Doug J=
ennings, who owned Tiger Auto in Dayton for decades before retiring a few ye=
ars ago was the perfect choice.

I arrived at Doug=E2=80=99s around 8:30, had a quick bite of his wife=E2=80=99=
s (wonderful!) Lasagna, and winched the car into his garage to get the tr3 s=
tarted. 3 hours later, nothing. Bupkis. Nada. We could not get the car to ev=
en cough using starting fluid! New plugs the next morning didn=E2=80=99t mat=
ter. The car would. not. start.=20

I left Dayton for home sometime after noon the next day, an unhappy camper. D=
isappointing as it was, there still is no sense in dragging a dead race car t=
o California and back. So, I went home.=20

There is spark, fuel and (barely)compression. When I got home I took it to a=
nother Brit car friend who owns a shop and offered to give it a look. We mea=
sured an average 105 lbs for comp (it should have done SOMETHING!) and timin=
g was judged to be correct. What we did not do was a leak down test. I don=E2=
=80=99t know why we didn=E2=80=99t think of that before removing the head...=
 Where the heck is mine when I need it?!

Head removal revealed some scoring of the walls, ugly corrosion in the chamb=
ers, but nothing blatant. When I crashed last year, apparently the top rad h=
ose popped off the spout and water was introduced into the intake. Who knew!=
? I hit the wall backwards after rounding turn 10, and the little birdies we=
re flying around the little stars before I shut down the motor and gingerly e=
xtricated myself from the car. I didn=E2=80=99t know for 6 more weeks that I=
 had a handful of broken vertebrae (thank you, HANS device..!), now fully re=
paired with the neurosurgeons approval to race, by the way. I discovered the=
 water evidence when I had to remove the manifolds to weld up the ripped exh=
aust collector. Inside the ports were rust remains that definitely should no=
t have been there- and the starter didn=E2=80=99t spin the motor until I pul=
led plugs, squirted WD-40 into the cyls and bumped the started button until i=
t loosened up and spun freely.=20
Next season, when the water is drained for winter, it will get the cylinders=
 lubricated! That is, when I finally get the darn thing to run...

My big adventure was a bust. Bummed I missed it (a good one, from all the gr=
eat comments!), bummed I didn=E2=80=99t get to see west coast friends, but s=
till determined to be at Mid-Ohio next year!

Since I=E2=80=99ve had the head and manifolds off a number of times, it=E2=80=
=99s time for a new gaskets (both head and manifold). The solid copper gaske=
t worked great, but took me at least three tries to get it to seal after the=
 prev head gasket failed at the =E2=80=9817 Lime Rock Historics. I ended up u=
sing silicone ll. It worked, but it=E2=80=99s messy and unorthodox.

So, does anyone have a suggestion for replacement gaskets? I=E2=80=99m not t=
rying to be a frontrunner, I just crave reliability at this point- a weekend=
 where I can drive off the trailer, race, and drive back on the trailer with=
 nothing broken or suspect. Just once!

Down, but not out. Yours truly,

Rick McCurdy
Newburgh, NY

I know... I know, I waited a long time to work on the car, but I was working=
 on restoring a friends big Healey, and that had priority. It=E2=80=99s beau=
tiful, but took much longer than anticipated. Just call me =E2=80=9CMr. Vert=
ical Learning Curve=E2=80=9D!=

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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D=
utf-8"></head><body dir=3D"auto"><div dir=3D"ltr"><span></span></div><div di=
r=3D"ltr"><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D=
utf-8"><div dir=3D"ltr"><span></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><meta http-equiv=
=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dutf-8"><div dir=3D"ltr"><s=
pan></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D=
"text/html; charset=3Dutf-8"><span style=3D"background-color: rgba(255, 255,=
 255, 0);">Some of you may have heard about a New Yorkers=E2=80=99 attempt t=
o get to the&nbsp;</span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><span style=3D"background-co=
lor: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">K Cup last weekend, but here=E2=80=99s the ski=
nny:</span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><span style=3D"background-color: rgba(255,=
 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><span style=3D"background-=
color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After long weeks of long days, I finished re=
pairing bodywork from when I smacked the wall backwards at the Canadian Vint=
age Gran Prix at Mosport last June, and the car reassembled (just) in time t=
o depart New York=E2=80=99s Hudson Valley on Sunday morning, &nbsp;April 28.=
 Of course, the one thing I didn=E2=80=99t have&nbsp;</span><span style=3D"b=
ackground-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">time to do before loading was to g=
et the car running. Since I was planning on passing through Dayton, I called=
 a long time Sunbeam club friend and asked for help. (How tough is it to get=
 a tractor engine to run?!) Doug Jennings, who owned Tiger Auto in Dayton fo=
r decades before retiring a few years ago was the perfect choice.</span><spa=
n style=3D"background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span><div><span s=
tyle=3D"background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>I arrived at Doug=E2=80=
=99s <a href=3D"x-apple-data-detectors://2" dir=3D"ltr" x-apple-data-detecto=
rs=3D"true" x-apple-data-detectors-type=3D"calendar-event" x-apple-data-dete=
ctors-result=3D"2" style=3D"text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);"=
>around 8:30</a>, had a quick bite of his wife=E2=80=99s (wonderful!) Lasagn=
a, and winched the car into his garage to get the tr3 started. 3 hours later=
, nothing. Bupkis. Nada. We could not get the car to even cough using starti=
ng fluid! New plugs the next morning didn=E2=80=99t matter. The car would. n=
ot. start.&nbsp;<br><br>I left Dayton for home sometime after noon the next d=
ay, an unhappy camper. Disappointing as it was, there still is no sense in d=
ragging a dead race car to California and back. So, I went home.&nbsp;<br><b=
r>There is spark, fuel and (barely)compression. When I got home I took it to=
 another Brit car friend who owns a shop and offered to give it a look. We m=
easured an average 105 lbs for comp (it should have done SOMETHING!) and tim=
ing was judged to be correct. What we did not do was a leak down test. I don=
=E2=80=99t know why we didn=E2=80=99t think of that before removing the head=
... Where the heck is mine when I need it?!<br><br>Head removal revealed som=
e scoring of the walls, ugly corrosion in the chambers, but nothing blatant.=
 When I crashed last year, apparently the top rad hose popped off the spout a=
nd water was introduced into the intake. Who knew!? I hit the wall backwards=
 after rounding turn 10, and the little birdies were flying around the littl=
e stars before I shut down the motor and gingerly extricated myself from the=
 car. I didn=E2=80=99t know for 6 more weeks that I had a handful of broken v=
ertebrae (thank you, HANS device..!), now fully repaired with the neurosurge=
ons approval to race, by the way. I discovered the water evidence when I had=
 to remove the manifolds to weld up the ripped exhaust collector. Inside the=
 ports were rust remains that definitely should not have been there- and the=
 starter didn=E2=80=99t spin the motor until I pulled plugs, squirted WD-40 i=
nto the cyls and bumped the started button until it loosened up and spun fre=
ely.&nbsp;</span><div><span style=3D"background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0=
);">Next season, when the water is drained for winter, it will get the cylin=
ders lubricated! That is, when I finally get the darn thing to run...<br><br=
>My big adventure was a bust. Bummed I missed it (a good one, from all the g=
reat comments!), bummed I didn=E2=80=99t get to see west coast friends, but s=
till determined to be at Mid-Ohio next year!</span></div><div><br></div><div=
>Since I=E2=80=99ve had the head and manifolds off a number of times, it=E2=80=
=99s time for a new gaskets (both head and manifold). The solid copper gaske=
t worked great, but took me at least three tries to get it to seal after the=
 prev head gasket failed at the =E2=80=9817 Lime Rock Historics. I ended up u=
sing silicone ll. It worked, but it=E2=80=99s messy and unorthodox.</div><di=
v><br></div><div>So, does anyone have a suggestion for replacement gaskets? I=
=E2=80=99m not trying to be a frontrunner, I just crave reliability at this p=
oint- a weekend where I can drive off the trailer, race, and drive back on t=
he trailer with nothing broken or suspect. Just once!</div><div><br></div><d=
iv>Down, but not out. Yours truly,</div><div><br></div><div><div id=3D"Apple=
MailSignature" dir=3D"ltr">Rick McCurdy<div>Newburgh, NY</div><div><br></div=
><div>I know... I know, I waited a long time to work on the car, but I was w=
orking on restoring a friends big Healey, and that had priority. It=E2=80=99=
s beautiful, but took much longer than anticipated. Just call me =E2=80=9CMr=
. Vertical Learning Curve=E2=80=9D!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div=
></body></html>=

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--===============5709626763626299100==--

---

From: Tony Drews via Fot <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 13 May 2019 13:15:36 -0400

I use Cometic head gasket.  Fire ring is round, so you may need to go  
larger than cylinder diameter to minimize protrusion in the eyebrow of  
the intake pocket in the head.  The have up to 91 mm diameter if you  
call them (website just shows 88 mm).  Two thicknesses are available  
too.  I run the 91 mm diameter one.

For intake gasket, Remflex is the way to go if you have sealing  
issues.  They have a pre cut option, or you can buy partial sheets and  
make your own.  I make my own because the intake port holes are too  
large and my intake manifold has narrow sealing surfaces.

Tony Drews

Quoting Rick McCurdy via Fot <[email-masked]>:

> Some of you may have heard about a New Yorkers’ attempt to get to the
> K Cup last weekend, but here’s the skinny:
>
> After long weeks of long days, I finished repairing bodywork from  
> when I smacked the wall backwards at the Canadian Vintage Gran Prix  
> at Mosport last June, and the car reassembled (just) in time to  
> depart New York’s Hudson Valley on Sunday morning,  April 28. Of  
> course, the one thing I didn’t have time to do before loading was to  
> get the car running. Since I was planning on passing through Dayton,  
> I called a long time Sunbeam club friend and asked for help. (How  
> tough is it to get a tractor engine to run?!) Doug Jennings, who  
> owned Tiger Auto in Dayton for decades before retiring a few years  
> ago was the perfect choice.
>
> I arrived at Doug’s around 8:30, had a quick bite of his wife’s  
> (wonderful!) Lasagna, and winched the car into his garage to get the  
> tr3 started. 3 hours later, nothing. Bupkis. Nada. We could not get  
> the car to even cough using starting fluid! New plugs the next  
> morning didn’t matter. The car would. not. start.
>
> I left Dayton for home sometime after noon the next day, an unhappy  
> camper. Disappointing as it was, there still is no sense in dragging  
> a dead race car to California and back. So, I went home.
>
> There is spark, fuel and (barely)compression. When I got home I took  
> it to another Brit car friend who owns a shop and offered to give it  
> a look. We measured an average 105 lbs for comp (it should have done  
> SOMETHING!) and timing was judged to be correct. What we did not do  
> was a leak down test. I don’t know why we didn’t think of that  
> before removing the head... Where the heck is mine when I need it?!
>
> Head removal revealed some scoring of the walls, ugly corrosion in  
> the chambers, but nothing blatant. When I crashed last year,  
> apparently the top rad hose popped off the spout and water was  
> introduced into the intake. Who knew!? I hit the wall backwards  
> after rounding turn 10, and the little birdies were flying around  
> the little stars before I shut down the motor and gingerly  
> extricated myself from the car. I didn’t know for 6 more weeks that  
> I had a handful of broken vertebrae (thank you, HANS device..!), now  
> fully repaired with the neurosurgeons approval to race, by the way.  
> I discovered the water evidence when I had to remove the manifolds  
> to weld up the ripped exhaust collector. Inside the ports were rust  
> remains that definitely should not have been there- and the starter  
> didn’t spin the motor until I pulled plugs, squirted WD-40 into the  
> cyls and bumped the started button until it loosened up and spun  
> freely.
> Next season, when the water is drained for winter, it will get the  
> cylinders lubricated! That is, when I finally get the darn thing to  
> run...
>
> My big adventure was a bust. Bummed I missed it (a good one, from  
> all the great comments!), bummed I didn’t get to see west coast  
> friends, but still determined to be at Mid-Ohio next year!
>
> Since I’ve had the head and manifolds off a number of times, it’s  
> time for a new gaskets (both head and manifold). The solid copper  
> gasket worked great, but took me at least three tries to get it to  
> seal after the prev head gasket failed at the ‘17 Lime Rock  
> Historics. I ended up using silicone ll. It worked, but it’s messy  
> and unorthodox.
>
> So, does anyone have a suggestion for replacement gaskets? I’m not  
> trying to be a frontrunner, I just crave reliability at this point-  
> a weekend where I can drive off the trailer, race, and drive back on  
> the trailer with nothing broken or suspect. Just once!
>
> I know... I know, I waited a long time to work on the car, but I was  
> working on restoring a friends big Healey, and that had priority.  
> It’s beautiful, but took much longer than anticipated. Just call me  
> “Mr. Vertical Learning Curve”!

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