5 Attachment(s)
Engine Rebuild Part 3 continued...
Hi Everyone,
Well this weekend saw us officially complete some modules - more or less - and it also introduced me to the issues firsthand that is Britpart quality. Lets talk about Britpart first - Last week I wanted to finish off the front axle assembly but had to wait on some parts arriving up from a vendor in NSW. The original locking tabs for the brake backing plate I ordered from the UK - they came with all the other Britpart stuff like bearings etc - were absolutely ****e!! They were so thin that when I torqued up the bolts they just twisted and broke, or bent into grotesque shapes as to be unusable. So all of them went into the bin and I ordered original Rover ones which performed as per their intended design.
The next issue I had with Britparts was the U-bolts that hold the leaf springs to the axle housings. One is supposed to be longer than the other three to allow for the rise in depth of the axle housing where the leaf spring attaches to the perch! Even though it was a different part number to the other three, it was barely 5mm longer and all I could get was about 2 turns onto the nut - not even enough to meet the nylon insert of the nyloc nut. The vendor to their credit however swapped this out with one of a different brand which was just long enough to engage the nylon. When I questioned the vendor they stated (and not for the record) that the U-bolt comes back all the time - my question in reply was why stock them then??
So through the week some bits turned up as described - the lock tabs and the new U-bolt. Also through the week I took Plugger's front springs to Redcliffe Spring and Suspension to get them reset and matched. Dropped them in on Monday, had them back by Wednesday - cost was $260 which I thought was more than reasonable. Parabolics will have to wait until Stage II. Here are the springs with some bits leftover (made two out of three springs)
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1477175896
Painted:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1477175896
I wire-wheeled and painted the wheel nuts while I was there. Not happy with the finish, might get them coated...
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1477175896
Also through the week I dropped Plugger's alternator into the local auto-electrician/motor winding place and got it assessed. They said it was still functional but they could not tell me for how long. They said that the increased load of two batteries, the winch, driving lights etc would outstrip its meagre capacity of 35 amps - being the original 186 alternator - and eventually kill it. A new 85 Amp would cost me $235, and to rewind and upgrade the original would be $285-plus. I shopped around... I went to my local Autobarn, saw my friendly parts dealer named Dennis and got a genuine Bosch 120A alternator for $220!! I thought that was a good deal! We know that the starter motor was fine as it started the 186 the day we picked the Camel up and it looked almost new. Here is the new alternator mounted - should be able to handle the electrical load and then some:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1477176901
Also through the week Plugger and I stripped off the 186 the bellhousing adapter, scatter shield, spacer, pressure plate, clutch plate and flywheel. They of course were covered in muck from the custom Holden oiling system. I sent Plugger off to the parts washer (again) to clean them up. Then it was a nice coat of flat aluminium heat-proof paint as it is in relative close proximity to the exhaust. They came up fine and they are ready to bolt on when the gearbox gets overhauled. The tappet cover is now painted and on, this makes the engine overhaul complete - its ready to go back in:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1477176901
Continued....
