Flu numonia hospital bored

[stonedrive]

Hi everyone, laying in hospital as I write this. I have so much time on my hands. I was getting on really well with engine until flu came along. I was in the middle of doing cam shims, but I have one where I can’t get feeler gauge under the heel of cam not even with the smallest one in set.i have been really maticulase with every part of engine labelling,photos more labelling and making sure everything goes back from where it started out . Do you think there’s a chance I may have put the spring back the wrong way up. Also has anyone had any experience with QED shims they seem quite reasonably priced. Many thanks in advance Steve.

[richardthestag]

Bad luck on the hospital bed Steve, get better soon

For the valve shim, what sized shim are you fitting? Does even the 0.001" feeler gauge not fit?

If the shim is 0.080 - 0.090 range and the gap is non-existent then it is possible that the valve seat has been ground to much. best thing would be take it all apart again, check that you have all the parts, the bottom spring cup 148885 can go missing as some do not realise it is separate https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GRID005153

Or if exhaust it could be the very first time that I heard of a non-unleaded spec valve being found in a stag v8. In which case get a new valve, fit that and try again.

If all is well with the parts then you may need to take the tip off the valve stem to bring it back in tolerance. I would be wary of doing this though until I knew what the root cause was.

i.e. recently reshimmed a TR7 head, one of the exhaust valve seats was heavily pitted. Machine shop recut it, but that then reduced the useable space for a shim. the tolerances are tight to reduce the range of shims I guess. Anyway was faced with one of two options, file the thinnest shim I had thinner, discounted because it would have been level with the face if the top spring cup, or grind 0.005" off the valve stem.

This did work, my concern now is about the hardness of the tip of the valve stem and whether I might have gone through that. We will monitor the situation. #

To do it properly would have been to strip the head down and insert a new valve seat, machine shop reckoned that we might just get away with the recut which is why I went that route.

Get well soon

[stonedrive]

Hi Richard thanks for replies. I’m really hoping it’s my mistake because before I laid up stag, engine was running fine. The only reason I opened up the engine was because water was getting into two of the bores from a failed inlet manifold gasket. While valves were out I cleaned and polished all the valves , I even ground them in with a little smooth grinding paste it was only a couple of minutes on each just to clean them up. When I get home from hospital I will have a good look and take apart again if needed. I’m looking to get a DTI off eBay at some point what type would be best imperial or metric also anything else I need to know. Many thanks Steve

[wilf]

I wonder if one of the keepers has not seated 100% properly and could be holding the bucket/shim out of position? Worth stripping back down as you say.

Oh - and get well soon!

[stonedrive]

Many thanks for that Wilf, that’s what I am hoping for a mistake on my part. Cheers Steve

[Goldstar]

Get well soon Steve. I get my shims from QED. Is one of the collets maybe not quite seated properly in the top of the valve?

[Richard G]

Can you get the head delivered to the hospital?

[Philip Wardle]

Good idea Richard, but you might have to wait 18 months for someone to diagnose and treat the problem

[stonedrive]

Very good like it. I will be checking the collets when I get home. I did try getting the wife to bring it up to the hospital but she was having none of it. Bit selfish I thought. Ha Ha. Cheers Steve

[Philip Wardle]

You sound cheerful Steve, hope you feel better very soon.

[stonedrive]

Yes just been told if my body can cope without being on oxygen for the next 24 hours, they are saying I could be going home tomorrow fingers crossed. I’ve been here for a week now. Just can’t wait to be in my own space again so I can relax.

[jbuckl]

Hope you’re on the mend soon & released (cough discharged honourably)

[richardthestag]

Any fine measurement tools I go imperial, and because I am tight and like proper tools I look at old moore and wright on ebay etc. Not shiny new and no lcd read out means that most will walk past.

For shim measurement you really need a 0-1" micrometer

That said a digital dial gauge is useful, I am on my second in 4 years. the moore and wright stuff I use is 1960s and still going strong

[jbuckl]

Recently got a digital angle measuring device…. 2 decimal places . £7.99. Had to buy the battery too, but it’s already paid for itself , well so to speak…. It was for the impellors.

[stonedrive]

Hi Richard, I’m the same as you when it comes to buying tools. And funny enough the micrometer I bought off eBay was a Moore and Wright 0-1”. I also like to buy Moore and Wright engineers squares they are so accurate and normally engraved with the original owners name, I love tools with a bit of history and what’s been well looked after. Steve