Restoration Finally Started

[SUTTY1]

Hi,
as some may have read i took delivery of my stag end of February. 1 owner, 30,000mls but laid-up for 30yrs. Engine seized. 6 weeks of gallons of anything that might free it up, into the bores, failed.

Spent the next month or so trying to get the heads off, not a total failure, 1 head off and looks to be in good condition. Other head has 1 stud snapped at the top and 1 long bolt snapped at the top in the inlet manifold. Looks a bit strange 1 head and manifold and no head on the other side.

Bit the bullet this weekend and pulled the engine and box out. God news the stuck head moved about 6mm up the stud during removal, so i have high hopes of getting it off.

Original plan was free it up, get it running, quick blow-over, recommision as req. and get a bit of use late summer/autumn.

New plan, bet i dont follow it, strip engine, assess whats needed and source parts.While i'm finding engine parts i'll tackle body. Definately have to replace panel in front of bonnet, repair windscreen pillars(bottoms of A post and sills look good) and maybe a NS door skin. Roll-on 2013/4/5/6etc

ANy pics etc off pillar repairs much appreciated! Are socftl going to produce any repair panels? (from here i know they bought a full frame)

I will add pics etc in the future in the hope it helps others as other posts have helped me

steve

[StagnJag]

There are plenty of pics of the A pillar repair in Dasadrew's post White/Blue Bavarian Stag.

http://www.stag.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?8032-The-White-Blue-Bavarian-Stag

They are somewhere in the 86 pages!! - I would look, but it is way past my bedtime!!!

Rgds

Dave

[elvimto]

Steve,
I would have thought that if a car has been sitting for 30 years you would want to go through all the systems just to make it safe to drive. Your engine might only need taken apart and inspected all the other systems brakes etc will need an overhaul. The urge to get it started and get out on the road is the same every owner goes through but in the end you have to be smart about it and get the car right no piont in doing 70 mph and having something coming apart on you. Good luck with your project.

cheers Stuart

[SUTTY1]

Dave, sods law, I read 15pgs of Drews thread before I posted this. Tonight I find A posts starting on 17. Also found some other stuff by Drew from when SOCTFL bought the frame from Australia.

Stuart, thorough systems check was always going to get done. Meant I wasnt worried about things like chrome , tatty wheels, repainting engine bay and the like.

Thanks steve

[SUTTY1]

Good day yesterday.
Stripped the head that was already off. Cams, buckets, bearings all OK. No corrosion worth mentioning dont think it even neds a skim. Will cut/seat valves and shim.
Inlet manifold had 1 long bolt snapped at the head and i snapped a drill bit in it. Tackled that and manifold off. looks in good order.
Other head in still attached to block, 1 stud snapped off at top. Thats going local members garage for pulling next week.

Decided to pop the pump cover off

1.jpgstag water pomp.jpg2.jpg2.jpg
Back to it this afternoon

sorry about pics, must have had camera setting wrong or the shakes!

[new to this]

Good day yesterday.
Stripped the head that was already off. Cams, buckets, bearings all OK. No corrosion worth mentioning dont think it even neds a skim. Will cut/seat valves and shim.
Inlet manifold had 1 long bolt snapped at the head and i snapped a drill bit in it. Tackled that and manifold off. looks in good order.
Other head in still attached to block, 1 stud snapped off at top. Thats going local members garage for pulling next week.

Decided to pop the pump cover off

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16449[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]16450[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]16451[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]16451[/ATTACH]
Back to it this afternoon

sorry about pics, must have had camera setting wrong or the shakes!

sutty

if you take a head off, do you not always have to have it skimed

dave

[Ian Durrant]

sutty

if you take a head off, do you not always have to have it skimed

dave

No, definitely not. You only need to skim it if its no longer flat. it doesn't need to be very bowed to need a skim granted (IIRC its 4 thou on the length of the head. but I did take my heads off once when they didn't need a skim.

[new to this]

No, definitely not. You only need to skim it if its no longer flat. it doesn't need to be very bowed to need a skim granted (IIRC its 4 thou on the length of the head. but I did take my heads off once when they didn't need a skim.

thanks ian i thought they always had to be skimed

dave

[SUTTY1]

4 thou was the figure I was told when training and that I have stuck to ever since, steve

[flying farmer]

thanks ian i thought they always had to be skimed

dave

I have rebuillt 4 non running engines and only 1 had to have the heads skimmed
Sometimes the head face can look pretty horrible, but I use a piece of flat glass (old mirrors are good) with some wet and dry, about 120 grit, to lightly dress the surface of the head.
Five minutes work usualy shows up wether a skim is needed, same works for the block surface but takes longer and can only be done on a stripped engine
It took over an hour to take the fire ring marks out of SWMBO's Rover K series head when that blew its head gasket, still less time than the journey to the engineering works I use for machining
The last engine I rebuilt (the one that seized its jackshaft), had perfect head faces, but the block needed 8 thou off to straighten it up. This engine had a history file that showed 3 sets of head gaskets...... I wonder why!
Neil