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After taking last weekend to cc the heads, check clearances with clay and take measurements, I have calculated that with a 1.0 mm cylinder base gasket: Deck height is ranging: 1.82 – 1.92 mm; I understand that 1.0 mm or a little less is desired Compression ratio range: 9.02 – 9.21 (9.10 average). I understand […]

Today I got on with the heads. The cylinders came first, and affect head clearance and compression measurements by way of the copper gasket that goes between the case and cylinder. The Harry Pellow book has a reference table suggesting 3-6 shims (of .008-.01 inch thickness each) as a starting point for those using Japanese

Today I measured the Cylinder Head Combustion Chamber Volume. Also known as cc’ing the heads (cc = cubic centimeters). This is a process whereby we physically measure the volume of the combustion chamber. You have to use this science lab setup looking setup with a buret. Nice intro video on YouTube. You also need a

A major milestone today, as the cylinders went on. It was not without its challenges. First off was the ring compressor. When you follow this sequence of engine building (i.e. Harry Pellow preferred method): The rods on the crank The crank in the case The pistons on the rods you get a scenario that dictates

Rings are meant to be installed ascending order from the top. 1 is closest to the crown of the piston, then 2, then 3, with oil control ring at bottom (i.e. skirt). It was handy that the set of rings that came on the AA pistons were marked with a number, and also “top”. With

For better or worse, I chose to paint the inside of our oil filter canister with Glyptal insulating enamel. They call it Glyptal red, but it’s really more of a Golden Gate orange to me. I bead blasted the outside of the canister, and took steps to prevent any media getting inside. I basically stuffed

Made a few steps forward today. Most relating to the oil system. New aluminum oil cooler, oil pump checked for end play, oil pressure relief and bypass, superseded part numbers. The oil cooler found on the car was probably in salvageable shape, but like a lot of things not model correct for the engine. We

After a few steps backwards, things finally came together (another intentional bad joke) with the mating of the 3rd piece to the case halves. Getting the oil distributor drive oriented correctly wasn’t very intuitive, but I have pretty good confidence that I got it in correctly. A Maestro video is worth a few thousand words.