Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[Lotusfab]

https://www.cranford-engineering.co.uk/

heres a link to Cranford Engineering. Very difficult in Surrey to get outstanding work done for sensible prices. I don't hesitate to recommend Paul, he's an excellent engineer and has helped a lot on this project. He is also excellent at cutting wheels. Andys Turbo wheels were done by him and they are simply stunning. 

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2 hours ago, Lotusfab said:

Thanks Dave, you set the standard in that pic! 

Was that head Aqua blasted? 

I first give them chemically clean. then they are all tested for cracks / flaws .  After that they are washed and bead blasted before the main work starts ..  That is usually the faces are all machined , new valve guides fitted and sized where needed (usually only the Exhaust bronze ones) and then valves seats re-cut..   Then porting is done according to engine spec , but most important is the manifold matching and alignment which is inherently very poor .  Finally combustion chamber measurement and adjustment where needed on the fussy engines.  The last job before any assemble is done is a extreme clean to remove even the finest debris that may have accumulated during all that work ..   

 pic, of one of my full monty heads before assembly.  

When having faces machined make sure the machine shop squares the head first , especially on combustion face , this should be true to cam alignment otherwise the belt will creep when running and combustion chambers will be effected.   This is very important and takes time to set up without jig tooling specifically for these heads

On some of the early head the water jacket flow is poor from the castings.  worth checking and run an 8mm drill through them to clean out,  this will help general flow and reduce head temp..  

 Hope this helps and give you something to work from.. 

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Dave, outstanding work!‘

[drdoom]

With ample respect for Dave's expertise I ask whether there should be concern for glass bead remnants in the fluid systems after a blasted part has been returned to service? A noted American authority instructed never to glass bead blast aluminum engine components as some beads would embed, resisting removal through cleaning only to dislodge and circulate after a number of heat cycles combined with engine vibration.

[Tocus]

this is how i rebuild cylinderheads, Great job to do! if you ask me, (did that job many times now)

[Lotusfab]

Bauke, I like your work! Now have you got some cheap early wing mirrors to sell me? 

[silverfrost]

Cheers for posting the head work Dave,  good option with the 8mm drill bit on the water jackets 

[Lotusfab]

Essex front lips

If I get them remade does anyone want some? 

Engine Rebuild

Well all of the measuring equipment should arrive soon. I plan to dismantle the entire engine,(nearly done) and measure ,replace or repair everything. I will post all of the measurements on here, so that if anyone else is doing a rebuild they have some sort of guide as to what ball park the readings should be. It will also be a useful cross check as you have people like Dave on here to spot an issues and suggest things. At the end I'm hoping the engine will be ofvthe same standard as the rest of the car. 

Steve Fulcher has nearly completed my Turbo seats. The interior will be stunning in a different sort of way to the S1. There's something really special about the colour scheme. The pictures I post distort the colour and don't do it justice. The seats really are awesome judging by the stitched parts I have seen. A must in this sort of car to redo the seats when the storage has been suspect. At nearly 40 years old my leather was really shot. Although, I have seen other cars where it's fine. I suppose it's how the car has been looked after and stored. Leather needs feeding and care. 

Have a look at the Esprit trim on Steve's website!

http://www.coachtrimmer.co.uk/

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9 hours ago, drdoom said:

With ample respect for Dave's expertise I ask whether there should be concern for glass bead remnants in the fluid systems after a blasted part has been returned to service? A noted American authority instructed never to glass bead blast aluminum engine components as some beads would embed, resisting removal through cleaning only to dislodge and circulate after a number of heat cycles combined with engine vibration.

Fully understand what you are saying here and why the noted USA authority said it...   But I don't and never have bead blasted inside water jacket system , the pressure washer does that well enough.. I mask out and use blanking plugs to great effect when bead blasting which i do myself as contractors are less fussy.. I also have custom tools for cleaning out most areas just in case.. 

So many people never properly fully clean the oil ways within the block/head which can harbor unwanted particles, simple job but often overlooked particularly the center main bearing area..   Internal cleanliness is far more important than outside appearance,  just because it looks good does not always make it so...   Concentrate on the details as a priority and the rest should naturally follow suit.. 

NB. My main reason for a clean looking engine is that i can not see any problems through a dirty oily one..   After i fully  cleaned / checked one block , a hole appeared right through to the water jacket on the side of the block.. This was not evident prior to the clean up , just a weak spot waiting to fail..   Cause was corrosion from inside to out.   Amazing what you find when you look. 

      

[Lotusfab]

Good spot, it would be pissing out of there! 

Do you measure the liners and assess wear or justbreplace with new? 

[910Esprit]

Check/replace (22mm) the core plugs on the exhaust manifold face carefully for the same reason, they are prone to corroding through         

Edited January 17, 2019 by 910Esprit

[Lotusfab]

Have removed pistons for measuring. Main crank endfloat 0.012 inches, out of spec! That means the crank is coming out. Took the rear crank cover off. New seal but RTV sealant used !??? Glad I have taken this to pieces. Whoever did it didn't read the manual! 

[drdoom]

34 minutes ago, Lotusfab said:

Have removed pistons for measuring. Main crank endfloat 0.012 inches, out of spec! That means the crank is coming out. Took the rear crank cover off. New seal but RTV sealant used !??? Glad I have taken this to pieces. Whoever did it didn't read the manual! 

What out for that end float as there was an issue with early cars' thrust bearing wear due to insufficient oiling. A Factory TSB describing a modification to either the main shell or casting parting line profile was distributed. I would appreciate a reminder as to the specifics of that Bulletin. 

[Lotusfab]

Hi Steve thanks. Yep, will need to check if a mod is required. Here's the bulletin.

1 hour ago, drdoom said:

What out for that end float as there was an issue with early cars' thrust bearing wear due to insufficient oiling. A Factory TSB describing a modification to either the main shell or casting parting line profile was distributed. I would appreciate a reminder as to the specifics of that Bulletin. 

Will photograph the bearing when I get to it. Just waiting for a hex socket to get the oil strainer out. 

[PhilW]

Blimey Fabian you seem achieve more in a day than I manage in 6 weeks

[Lotusfab]

I've had a week off work. Will slow down a bit now!

The engine bits are so much quicker and easier than the body and Trim.

[JerryS]

There's a couple of good pics on Steve's Dry Sump engine thread of the thrust bearing mod:

https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/92925-engines-out-which-way-to-go/?do=findComment&comment=758109

Edited January 17, 2019 by JerryS

[Lotusfab]

Piston rings

Heres the piston as I took it off, the crankshaft and big end bearing.dheres the manual for placement of piston rings  Can you see the issue, look carefully at the piston ring picture? The gap in the oil control ring can be seen clearly. The steel rail gaps should be set to 25 mm from this, well they aren't. Then look at the compression ring, it should be offset 120 degrees. Looks like a little oil on the piston head in 3/4. Maybe this is why? What is the analysis of the big end shells? I havn't measured any of this yet, but am getting a feel for what has been done - I'm not impressed. Why spend lots of money then do a sloppy reassembly? Never mind, I'm all over it now! My biggest issue at the moment is the wife has discovered her new pack of freezer bags is missing! Who could have taken them?😀😀😀😀😀

[Lotusfab]

According to my receipts the main bearings, Con rods and piston rings are new. 

Does anyone have an opinion on the big end bearing in the picture?

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7 hours ago, Lotusfab said:

Does anyone have an opinion on the big end bearing in the picture?

Difficult to say from a pic, but that one looks fine.  However its not just how it looks, make sure its not one of the cheap 2 ply ally backed ones that are out there,  You are much better off with the proper 3 ply steel backed version..   The rest is down to measurements.  

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Dave will take it out check and measure.

[Tocus]

On 17/01/2019 at 09:07, Lotusfab said:

Bauke, I like your work! Now have you got some cheap early wing mirrors to sell me? 

sorry i dont have them in stock for sale, hopefully you will find some,

[Lotusfab]

Hope so else my project will be ruined! Found two Essex front lips, but owners won't sell as they are keeping them for spares. The only option will be to CNC them including the rolled edge with a complete scan of the original. Fortunately I have one original. I don want to go down this costly route, but may have no option. If I have them coded I will be able to get more CNCd if anyone wants one, but it won't be cheap! 

Valve Clearances

Note in the guidance notes with Loctite 504 you should allow 0.0015 inch for the 504 thickness when calculating shim sizes. I plan on using permabond 136. In the absence of any other suggestions I will use the same 0.0015 inch allowance for permabond thickness when calculating the shim sizes. Apparently the inlet clearance increases with wear and the exhaust reduces. So I plan to take this into account with the shim selection. It occurs to me it should be possible with the  pistons out to bolt the camshafts onto the head without permabond, rest the cylinder head over the block with no timing belt or pistons and rotate the cam shaft by the end bolt to adjust the shims. This can then be checked after the head is bolted on and the permabond is in. Has anyone done this? It seems to me it may speed the job up???

Also has anyone used Wellseal with a modern gasket just around the rubber O ring wherevthe oil flow ocurrs? This is recommended in the manual, but may not be relevant with the modern gasket?

[910Esprit]

The preferred (by me!) Loctite 518 no longer materially alters the clearance.  Not sure about Permabond. although I'm sure it will also do a good job.   I always initially set shims with the head off the car and on a bench.  (if being rebuilt)   Genuine Goetze head gaskets have a rubber seal for oil feed.   Some pattern gaskets have a copper washer.  I'd probably wellseal use for metal to metal but not for the rubber seal

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Steve, excellent info. I'll check the literature for permabond, it might be the same.