Whew…
It’s been a long year and a half of saving up for parts and (finally!) this week, rebuilding the engine…
Yesterday I painted the engine and engine bay with thermal ceramic enamel paint (so it’ll look all pretty )
Today, barring any further setbacks, I should be able to drop the engine back into the car and reconnect everything…
Providing the battery and all works well, my Mini should be back on the road this evening or tomorrow afternoon!!!
As soon as I get internet service connected again at home, I’ll post pictures. I’ve been documenting the process with my camera phone so I wouldn’t get my good cameras all dirty, and now I can’t bloody figure out how to get my phone to email the pictures to my email addy…oh well.
Do you rebuild from the block up do you often have to get a new block?
How often have you had to replace such things as drive shafts, transmissions and suspension?
Unless there is damage done to things like the block, drive shaft, and tranny, those things can be used again.
When I do a rebuild I replace the piston rings, the pistons themselves if I have the cylenders bored out, bearings and gaskets. More can be replaced if one so chooses…if you wanted to build an engine for maximum power potential, lets say another A-series engine from a Mini, the process is a little more compicated.
The first thing to do is to check the history of the engine block, and have it checked by a reputable machine shop. They can spot problem areas where fatigue in the iron can go missed.
Next is to form a budget, and decide what you want out of the engine, as far as a “wish list” for parts (make sure it fits in your budget).
Make sure you have adequete and clean facilities (a smart thing for any rebuild).
Check the availability of your parts..for this I use http://www.minimania.com as they are the largest stateside wholesaler of Mini parts.
Providing you can get everything you’d like, you order your parts.
When you get your parts, the real fun begins…
tear down the old engine and have everything steam cleaned in an acid bath. then you take your pistons and piston rods (for horsepower, it’s smart to use all forged internals, they’re tougher and will fail less.) To the machine shop where they will bore and hone the cylenders and match the pistons.
If you’re wanting a bore job on the engine, you have to decide in advance (here’s where the planning part came in) how much you want bored over and purchase the appropriate sized pistons.
If you are doing a ‘stroke’ job (no jokes please ) you’ll need longer piston rods and a longer stroke crankshaft (which, for building a high performance engine, you’d want to do anyhow, a forged and nitrided one).
If you’re happy with your tranny/gearbox and the engine wont be pushing enough hp to damage it, you can leave it alone. If you really want a fun tranny, order forged, straight-cut gears to put into your gearbox. An upgraded clutch may be neccesary for higher horsepower.
Then, if you choose, you can paint the engine block and tranny before reassembly (or after, if you’re lazy like me).
Reasseble the engine in the same way it came apart (a chiltons manual is handy, even for the experienced mechanic) and reconnect the engine to the car…
I’m kind of over-simplifying the process here, and there’s a lot I leave out for space, but there are some really great books out there that are very informative for the novice (and there are some bad ones too). Check out the automotive section at your Barnes and Noble (I like to buy most of my tech manuals in person so I can see what I’m getting before I buy, so I dont end up with a worthless waste of paper, because there are many tech manuals that are just that.). I recomment any book by David Vizard. Mr. Vizard is a tech wizard who thouroughly researches everything he writes before ever puts pen to paper (the guy is a research junky! He’s almost overly thourough!). He has been racing on his own engines all his life. (In fact, there are many pro racers nowadays who use Vizard engine designs in their cars still).
Anywhooo, sorry to get long winded; if you have any more questions, let me know.
Well…
I got the engine back into the car on Friday night, got the CV joints all popped back into place, everything was done and I was ready to charge the battery, prime the engine and start the car when I realised that I could not find my air filter assembly anywhere…soooo…I had to order a new one, (thanks Mini Mania! ) so the project is on it’s (hopefully) final setback.
)
) you’ll need longer piston rods and a longer stroke crankshaft (which, for building a high performance engine, you’d want to do anyhow, a forged and nitrided one).