1966 Shovel engine rebuild

[T. Cotten]

Steve!

I have four grades of Clover compound, and even the 6-A would not improve a wide seat.
Just like a poppet valve, a narrow seat seals best, so a flat grind approaches an ideal sharp line upon the surface of the ball.

The tools, with the exception of the the flat stone on the left, were all failures.
Although the ball burnisher on the right improved some, particularly aluminum bodies, it proved disastrous on some chilled cast iron bodies.

I lost a lot of time and a considerable investment on that particular cranial flatulence.

....Cotten

[Steve Little]

Hi Tom.
Thanks for contributing some alternative ideas.
When I posted the picture of the tool, I thought it might perk you up, and get some of those inventions out of your toolbox. ;-)

In the early 90's I bought a couple of 500 gram containers (life time supply?) of Fine and Coarse lapping paste. Through judicious use, I have used two thirds of each container.
I only use fine paste to dress the check valve seat, and my thought is, that long periods of inactivity, moisture, and acid etching from dirty oil, are the culprits for marking the seat.
I find the cast bodies respond well to fine lapping paste and the tool I have pictured. It usually only takes about three lapping cycles to bring back a nice seat. Using this fine paste does more polishing than cutting.

The threaded portion of the 'well' over the seat is often not concentric with the seat, making a flat-grind the only practical way to relieve a worn or damaged seat.

After reading the sentence, and looking at the two tools on the right, does this mean that they don't get used much.
Noticing that the ball is locked to the center of the shaft in the threaded guide.


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[T. Cotten]

Save the lapping compound for other things, Steve!

With a pump body on the bench, one can apply a couple of pounds of air pressure and actually observe the sealing of the ball check with soap bubbles.

Only a flat grind on the seat improved anything. Lapping then only widens a seat and makes more bubbles.
A conical grind, a radiused cut, burnishing, and 'setting' the ball with a punch all made the flat cut worse.

The threaded portion of the 'well' over the seat is often not concentric with the seat, making a flat-grind the only practical way to relieve a worn or damaged seat.

....Cotten

[Steve Little]

Forgot to mention that this tool got to see the light of day as well.
As far as oil pumps go, this is a very valuable tool, and whenever an oil pump is off an engine, it is colon checking time.
ok sir, just spread your feet, bend over and grab the handles.
I'm confused now Doc. Do we go outside for a smoke or do I buy you flowers.

I use a fine lapping paste.

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[Steve Little]

Thanks Pete.
I pour about 6 or 8 bags of salt in our pool every year. It is big flaky stuff, which I thought was sea salt. Learn something new every day.

Now that the preparation is done, its time to start thinking about getting these cases together.
I like to put the oil pump on when the right case is empty.
This is just my preference and it works for me.
The oil pump circlip can be a frustrating job when there are other shafts in the way of unco, bumbling, fingers.

This oil pump is some aftermarket thing that I don't know anything about.
The casting mark inside it says it was cast on 8th month 95.
No gasket in the 66-84 James kit would fit it correctly, so I had to add holes for the dowels and an oil hole for the cover. Had to slot a couple of other holes in the gaskets as well.

The stainless cap head bolts that were holding the oil pump to the case are probably made in China.
Everything looks good until you try and use them. The heads are not centered to the thread. Meaning that the heads rotate around, 1/16” off center. This is a problem when the pump has full recessed pockets for the heads of the bolts. As I was doing them up, it was moving the pump around, which isn't good when I am trying to get the drive shaft in the sweet spot of the case bush.

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[Peter Cooke]

I can see the benefits Pete, but I have bought some of that stuff for the wife at times. I think she adds it to flour sometimes. Thats a hellava lot of those little boxes.

That was my initial thought as well Steve but Google told me the swimming pool shops sell it in anything from 1 to 10 kg bags. Apparently it's used for treating the water.

We have an oven in the kitchen at work that never gets used. Perhaps I'll do some baking...

[Steve Little]

Thanks fellas.

I'm sure I read on a forum somewhere, but can't find it now, someone suggesting using a baking pan deep enough to bury the case in bi carb soda and then baking it in the oven so the bi card draws all the oil out of the cases.

I can see the benefits Pete, but I have bought some of that stuff for the wife at times. I think she adds it to flour sometimes. Thats a hellava lot of those little boxes.

Some of this work was done a couple of weeks ago, so the timeline in only an approximate stream. Removed the cam cover bushes and replaced, and pinned them. Bolted the cam cover back on the engine and line reamed the bushes.
Pinion bush has :0007” (7 tenths clearance) and the cam bush cut in at :0009 (9 tenths clearance)
The tool in picture is reaming the cam cover bush. This tool is a “expansion chucking reamer” and this type of tool allows me a few thou” of cutting adjustment. It allows me to accommodate the use of a used cam if the spindle has a rib or wear line in it (quite common).
My Sunnen external reamer will clean up the spindle and then, I adjust the chucking reamer to the smaller hole needed.
The picture shows my set up in the mill with some “steady rests” bolted in the T slots.

This stops the cases from doing a pirouette on the table. Its a one man show here.

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[Peter Cooke]

Pete, you better watch your fingers on the edge of the lid. I think it might be the usual unfinished Chinese products. There are some edges that you could shave with.

Thanks for the tip Steve although I didn't buy the lid with mine. I had previously scored a used tray the same L x W, but only 50mm deep, so it now gets plonked on top for a lid.

I'm sure I read on a forum somewhere, but can't find it now, someone suggesting using a baking pan deep enough to bury the case in bi carb soda and then baking it in the oven so the bi card draws all the oil out of the cases. I'm guessing the bain marie tray would work for that as well. If you have a workshop oven that is. I've been ordered out of the kitchen for suggesting such things!

[Rooster]

I agree, keep it coming!

I'm a daily (well, nightly) viewer myself. Wonderful presentation of valuable and interesting information.
Thank-you, Steve!

[Steve Little]

I made this frame for when I go camping. The legs are adjustable so that I can get high enough over an coals or just above my gas bottles.

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The eBay stainless bain marie tray turned up lickity split.
Pete, you better watch your fingers on the edge of the lid. I think it might be the usual unfinished Chinese products. There are some edges that you could shave with.
Thought I would experiment with one of my cases before dunking the customers in there. The end result looked ok.
I washed my case in solvent and then stuck it in the boiling water. There was definitely some particulates.
A nice little side effect...my workshop smelt like a spring field. The dish wash concentrate is Blood orange and pomegranate.

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You boys will sit at that table until you have eaten every one of those vegetables.

[Steve Little]

Started the job of shimming end clearance between all the gears and the cam cover. The shim that came in the engine for the breather was 0.110” but it was clunking back and forth. I needed a 0:130” shim and if your familiar with engine building, you'll know they don't normaly come that big.
I contacted HME in Melbourne and purchased a 130” shim because he had made a batch of larger shims.

If you look at the next picture you will see that the breather is sitting a long way under the surface of the cam gear.

I think the foreign metal that was in this engine has acted like lapping paste and the breather has lapped its way down.
If the breather gear is not shimmed within factory spec (001” - 005”), it will make a clacking noise as the atmosphere pulses back and forth, from vacuum to pressure, as the pistons go up and down in the bore.
130” shim means there will be no more clacking for this engine.

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[ryan]

Definitely not "over it", Steve! Keep it coming!
Dale

I agree, keep it coming!

[painterdale]

Let me know if your "over it" with the thread and programming will cease.

Definitely not "over it", Steve! Keep it coming!
Dale

[T. Cotten]

Steve!

Rollers should be replaced arbitrarily; you can't find a crystallizing needle with an indicator.

And I suggest a (Sunnen) hone to re-size the tappet guides.

....Cotten

[Steve Little]

Thanks for the ideas. I rang 2 local Op shops to see if they had anything and one nice lady informed me that Australia isn't into turkeys, so I should be looking for a large stock pot.... Alright then. Have you got one of those?? No!
For health reasons, I prefer to be heating up stainless steel, so I had a quick look on eBay, Gum tree, and Grays online, for second hand commercial sinks. Nothing at the moment. Have to wait for my mate to come good. Charge up the cattle prod Dave.
My little boat was bobbing along happily until a loaded idea shot across my bow from northern New Mexico. :-)
I bought one of the trays that Pete suggested, which will do until I land a commercial sink.

Photobucket can keep the pictures. I will go back to the old way, of sending the pics to the club forum. For those of you that cant see the pictures... teeth nashing should be directed at Photobucket....or...a simple remedy....email the club and join.

Some slight adjustment might be necessary to the rabbit ears... but on we go with the scheduled program.

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Checked play in lifters rollers...004”.
Measured the lifter bodies and the bores...RIN has 004” and all the rest have 003”. Reaming and over size lifters is needed.
Sent the lifter blocks up to Redgrave motorcycles. They will ream the bores to the whatever it needs to achieve a clean straight bore and fit new oversize Jims lifters.
Breather play in the bore...003”

Let me know if your "over it" with the thread and programming will cease.