Finished the bottom row during a night after work. Much quicker now that I have a method/system down.

Cap trick for o-ring over the threads:
http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psc476ef34.jpg

Lower covers came in earlier than expected. Mark really came through turning these out fast and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psf2c9f8d7.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps4c0d110f.jpg

Mothballed the RS Mahle 90mm pistons and cylinders... going to sit on these indefinitely. Quite possible they will return to service if my iron cylinder experiment doesn't work out well. Saved the installed rings but also have a set of piston new rings and fire rings that will also be saved for later.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps054bb3a3.jpg

Quick trip to VT to visit a couple friends with fancy tools (gear head toys). Big thanks to Jason at http://WWW.vems.us (stand alone engine management services) and my friend Chris of Achilles Fabrication for the help on Saturday afternoon. Very happy with the outcome and where this is headed.

JE pistons are in hand and will be delivered to machinist tomorrow to match to the pistons.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps41832725.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps8d6e0f43.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps7139ae08.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps32a972f4.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psaee42515.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psbaf24745.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps56e77520.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps2ee34ae2.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psf96ace73.jpg

Back at it to try to have it on the road in 3 weeks.

New thermostat o-ring:

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...pseb002a08.jpg

Sigh, more powdercoat where it should not be... pretty sure 75% of sealing surfaces in this engine leaked prior to this current top end refresh.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps28018e98.jpg

Cleared the sealing surface:

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps54eaa26d.jpg

Also replaced the gasket for the breather stuffed full of papertowels you see here:

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps8dfb83f0.jpg

Powdercoat should be ready for pickup on Friday.[/quote]


-Andrew

Powdercoat parts are in. Expecting to pick up cyls/pistons this weekend. Then the serious reassembly begins.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps5792eab7.jpg

Summer snuck past spring this week so feeling the pressure.


http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps379aaf76.jpg

Personally file fit the rings for each cylinder ...

.018 Top, .024 Mid, .016 oil; all within the JE spec instructions.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps3a980e99.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps5439c0fe.jpg

This was machinist for the hone to fit:

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...pscf56a8e1.jpg

Now comes the assembly.

Sanborn Machine is about 15 miles from me. Never heard of them till this thread.

Pete - You must be on the West hill of Barre town then? or out the back way to Corinth/Chelsea/Tunbridge?

Only good experiences with Jim at Sanborn and he has done a lot of machining for me over the last 15+yrs. They're exactly what you would expect from a machine shop in a small Vermont town that has been there for a long long time. They crank out a lot of engines for Thunder Road and are busy as hell during racing season with extended lead times; lots of American tooling and lots of know-how.

Pistons + rings + cylinders tonight after work.

Measured the piston to head clearance with the modeling clay test at 1.3mm with the .5mm base gasket. Perfect for the forged piston in the cast iron cylinder and the different growth rates when hot.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps93e8ecb3.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psb464f5a7.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psa5077c40.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps58a0acf5.jpg

All 6 pistons with rings into their respective cylinders.

I'm in East Topsham. You are from this area i assume?
Doing a great job on the rebuild. Hope you're on the road soon.

Thanks- just doing what I can as a DIY'er. Yes. Barre town, Spalding, Norwich in that order. I have a few friends from the Topsham area. The Spooner's and Cilley's mostly. Plenty of hell raising on 302 and around Groton Pond when I was in high school. Great corner of the planet as I've come to appreciate it in my travels since then.

Spooners live just over the hill from me......know them all...and that's no easy feat as there's about a thousand of them. Knew Wendell Cilley...Neil not so much. Their father Charlie was quit the comedian. He used to say "Cilley by name....silly by nature"