Not much happens... bloody cold in the workshop, paint dries when warmed with a bulb for raising chicks. Just general cleaning of the engine block for painting, drowned carb parts in petrol and carb cleaner to get rid of the gluey thing, wireblasted the oil filter mount etc. Soon gonna take pictures, but even light travels too slow in this cold...
Carb assembled, needs new bolts, but otherwise probably is OK. We'll see how badly off the jetting is... Engine painted and cleaned up... hoping now that compression will be ok and I won't need another engine This weekend it will be installed in the van, so I took measures with the original F8A engine to compare later: Front clearance: Oilpan edge under crank pulley to steering balljoint: 7cm Engine block rear plane to the spare wheel mounting flange off the floor panel: 44.5cm Oilpan clearance off the floor at the drain bolt (lowest point): 20.5cm welded up a stand to be able to hook the chain block onto something... How stable and strong? Yes.
we'll see how it goes this weekend. Even loosened the mounting bolts for the engine mounts, everything comes apart nicely. Lovely to work on this little van... always loved it. My record to get the dashboard out I thing was 30-odd minutes... ?? Beat that. Even in my '88 Saab takes like 2h to do that. the process I see it: -get the engine in the air off the table, and into a wheelbarrow - cart it over to the garage (the next room) - have a beer - attach chainblock, lower old engine into the pit, - diassemble the stand - roll carry to the back, assemble that stand, attach chain block, lift engine out of pit, and onto some palett or into a crate, etc. - pull old engine aside - have a beer - get new engine in the under the chainblock, lift engine out of wheelbarrow - get rid of wheelbarrow and planks over the pit - have a beer - lower engine into the pit, get rid of the chainblock, and stand - have a beer - roll carry back over engine, assemble the stand, - have a beer - lift engine into carry engine bay and try to play it in a 50 degree angle in between the two mounts. (probably taking off the right side mount will ease that) - bolt in. - have two beers Damn, bolted in back to front! Considering my mates, we probably gonna end up having a beer and lifting it out and manhandling it under the car, hoping very much not to drop it on someone's foot.
I never drink beer while working in the garage. Ha ha. Practice makes perfect. Engine looks nice and clean.
