Project Zippy (Midas Mk1 Coupe) Engine In!

[VR6_Wherry]

This is the only thing that brings meaning to my Monday! Great work as always!

[MrBounce]

My pleasure to keep your Mondays great Wherry! 

Right - time to start sorting out the transfer gears & housing. Having had a catastrophic failure of this kind in the past, I wanted to get this right! First to go in was the new idler gear bearing. A few minutes with a a socket and mallet and all was in square. Bounce's top tip is to leave the bearing in the freezer overnight before you fit it - makes life a little easier!

An end float for both the Primary Gear and the idler gear float are recommended at .003" to .006" so some careful measurement was needed. The thrust washer I had was 0.115", and with the first C washer combo I tried gave an end float of 0.18". not ideal, especially as the biggest thrust washer I could get is a 0.124" which would still leave 9 thou, 1 1/2 times the required amount. However, another combo I tried allowed me a 0.012" end float. All I need now ideally is a 0.121" to 0.122" thrust. Amazingly, the idler gear and its shims were absolutely spot on so that's an unexpected bonus.

As I don't have a bigger thrust washer, I turned my attention to my eBay bargain heater. Only cost me a tenner plus postage, but when the box arrived, the front control switch had punched through the side of the box. The seller kindly refunded the postage which made things better and only a small amount of bending put the switch right. The heater body itself was a little scruffy and the pipes were in great nick but it was the matrix I was interested in. Amazingly it seemed fine with only a few marks on it and when I reverse flushed it, the water ran clear after a second, meaning minimal sludge. I have taken the heater body apart anyway to clean it and respray it, and the foam is all shot to hell, so that'll be replaced. I have primed it; just need to get some more paint now.

New bearing in. Easier with a frozen bearing.



Thrust washer. Not as big as I need it...



...because this gap is too big for now.



Quick calculation. Using the cupboard door is useful when you've run out of paper...



Heater looks ok - especially as it was only a tenner.



Side panels already sanded down and in primer.



Matrix will go again. Happy with that.

[MrBounce]

There are numerous ups and downs of having a project car, and I have experienced both ends of the spectrum over this weekend. Let's start with the rubbish. At some point in the 80s Austin Rover thought it'd be a very good idea to slightly change the design of their A+ drop gears. They did it JUST enough to make sure that the two different types didn't mesh together properly. Off I went to see Ted at the East Anglian Mini Centre who kindly swapped the primary gear type I had for the one that fitted my idler gear. He even thanked me for cleaning the other one for him. Cheeky bar steward! Once back home I was able to reset my primary gear end float using the new (and expensive) thrust washer I had to buy. Luckily there was only one thou' difference between the two primary gears so I was able to get 0.004" end float - perfectly within the 0.003-0.006" recommended tolerance. Next on went the flywheel housing, so I taped up the primary gear, fitted the clutch oil seal and gently lowered it onto the engine, having chucked on a gasket with some Hylomar. A little persuasion with the rubber mallet and all was happily bolted up.

Next was the clutch and flywheel. I first of all made sure the engine was at TDC. Then the backplate, clutch plate and flywheel went on, followed by the stepped washer. I locked up the flywheel using an old engine bearing (works a treat) and torqued it up. Then had to take it all off again because I noticed that I hadn't put the split pin in the bottom of the housing. I shouted rude words loudly. A lot. After take 2, I was able to put the clutch pressure plate on having made sure all was lined up, then finished it off with the clutch "wok" and the breather.

There's still some minor stuff to do, but I am extremely happy to say that I have just built my first engine. And I feel AMAZING!!

Expensive thrust washer. Worth it in the long run.



That's better than 12 thou!



All taped up



Housing on and clutch oil seal fitted.



Flywheel on, just before taking it off again - split pin was missing!!



Clutch all fitted and ready to go.



I built this. An enormous sense of achievement. I feel proud of myself!

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[Horney]

Any reason you set the engine to TDC before fitting the clutch flywheel? I used to just throw them in any old way on my minis.

I've also done the same with the split pin, although when I noticed the engine was in the car. Doh!

As always a cracking read chap.

[MrBounce]

Thanks Nick - glad people do take an interest in my work!! 
I set it to TDC so there's no danger of the C washer falling off and jamming; I have read that when this happens it can be a nightmare to get the flywheel off. Angle grinders can be required... 

[Bellend]

Thanks Nick - glad people do take an interest in my work!! 
I set it to TDC so there's no danger of the C washer falling off and jamming; I have read that when this happens it can be a nightmare to get the flywheel off. Angle grinders can be required... 

I've read about this too and fortunately never experienced it. Did need a huge puller to get it off tho.

[MrBounce]

The engine & gearbox combo are now off the stand as I was a little concerned that the bolts being used were under far more strain than they were designed for. Andy came over one evening and I built a little trolley for the engine, then we lifted it down. The alternator mounting bolts had indeed bent - I reckon they would've broken after a while. Note to self: when building a trolley, make sure that the castors you use can take the weight. The trolley now consists of wood, 3 wheels and some broken plastic...

I have practically finished off the heater; Having repainted the casing I have applied new foam to the matrix and the control flap then screwed it all back together. I still need to sort the switch panel but I can't make up my mind whether to re-use the original marking or get my own? I will have a think.
There are still some small bits needing work on the engine; a new oil pressure relief valve & spring went in with a new copper washer, and I have since turned my attention to the oil filter housing and pipe. Of course these were for want of a better phrase "bloody filthy" so I spent about half an hour giving them a good going over in the parts washer. Once dry, they've been primed then given a coat of silver to match the rest of the engine. I have also added the temperature sender to the head and have found the alternator bracket which I have also prepped for paint.

New foam and matrix going in.



Almost done. Needs a wipe down and switch panel sorting.



New oil pressure relief valve & spring in, along with new copper washer. Must touch up that bit I missed!!



Engine on trolley. Currently has 3 wheels and a stump. Oops...



Oil filter housing and pipe primed...



...and painted.

[Horney]

Nice progress again mate.

[MrBounce]

I aim to please Nick! 

Just a short update as I haven't done a huge amount these past few days. I have finished off the oil filter housing and pipe and fitted them and also dug out the alternator bracket. I cleaned this (and man was it filthy!) as it had been sitting in a plastic box with a few other old oily bits, then primed and sprayed and bolted it to the block with some new bolts. I also fished out the distributor drive and gave that a good soaking and brushing in the parts washer. Suitably cleaned, it was popped into the block using the tried and tested method of the 5/16" bolt. It's in exactly the right position which apparently means my engine is timed correctly, something I was worried about! The distributor clamp has also been sprayed so this'll be added (along with the distributor itself) once it's dry.

New filter housing & bracket on the engine. Does this count as "bling?"



Distributor drive. In the right position. Am feeling suitably smug!

[MrBounce]

Everything on the project has ground to a halt until I can sort this out. I have a problem with the backplate/flywheel/clutch arrangement. All has gone on beautifully but when the engine is turned I get a "clunk" about 90 degrees round. It doesn't happen when the flywheel setup is not there (no engine/gearbox issues thankfully) but it's driving me crazy trying to sort it.

Here's a YouTube link to give you an idea of what it sounds like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a3yzkgb-Ic