Thread: Barney - a 1958 Series II

Barneys non-beating heart has been disassembled, mostly cleaned up and proudly shown to the engine re-builders.



The verdict is that it should be repairable; they will do the machining but have left the job of sourcing all the internal parts to me... great!..

Is around $2000 a lot for all machining, crank, block and head? Sounds like a lot but it's all new to me.

Pretty much everything internal needs replacing except the crankshaft.
So I'll ask the brains trust; is there a simple one-stop-shop where I can get piston kits, camshaft bits; valves etc?


Peter.

I recently had mine done - rebore, crankshaft and camshaft regrind, machined head, new guides fitted, for around $1200. New pistons, rings and pins around $800 on top of that. Gasket kits, valves, valve guides, timing chain, other bits about the same again. Still buying odd bits like rear main seal, which are $$y.

Hope this helps

Originally Posted by OneOff

... is there a simple one-stop-shop where I can get piston kits, camshaft bits; valves etc?

Peter.

Yes; Ian Cox in the UK is an engine re-conditioner and has everything. Google him,

Cheers Charlie

The motor is with Precise Engine Re-builders in Southport. It's an old school establishment and brothers Will and Graham have run it together for 30 years. Will has done a few Series engines before so I'm confident it's in good hands.

I heard back from them yesterday; the bores were too rusted to be salvaged so its getting liners in ($$$), crank and big ends have been ground and I've started to order some parts from Cox & Turner.

Lots and lots been going on with Barney. Without even meeting me TimNZ has managed to shame me into action with the speed and determination he has put into his project, only had it in his hands two weeks and already starting to rebuild,

So after my truck has been sitting in the same spot since i bought it home six months ago, I've finally started to do something...
I'll post up some photos of the dismantle at some point, but first I've another question.

As part of installing a Holden motor, as this one has had, is it usual to shift or replace the original engine mount brackets? Not the ones on the engine, the ones that form part of the chassis? I see evidence of things being cut off and some very c-grade farm welding. If so how do I go about restoring them so the Rover engine will go back in? Are there new brackets on the market I could weld in, or could I fabricate my own? If someone could put up some pictures of what they should look like I might be able to go from there...






Apart from this small glitch, the frame is in excellent condition; no rust whatsoever and a couple of bent outriggers that I fixed with a big hammer.
Testament to the drier weather they have in western NSW.

It does have the cutout in the radiator cross member as part of the conversion, is this going to be a deal breaker when it comes time to register it?


Peter.

Originally Posted by OneOff

.......

It does have the cutout in the radiator cross member as part of the conversion, is this going to be a deal breaker when it comes time to register it?


Peter.

Probably not, but it does depend on who is inspecting it - and the time to do something about it is before you start assembly. It would not be a big job to replace the missing plating and grind back the welds before painting - you would not need to remove the added metal. Done properly it would not be apparent to even fairly close examination, and would be just as strong as the original, if not stronger.

John

There some pictures of the unholdening of my series 1 in this thread
New Toy - 1957 107" ute

Might be of some use to see what can be done.

Regards,
Tote

Thanks Tote,

Just lost two hours reading through your thread, very informative and time well spent, certainly beats working, thanks.

Your chassis parts in question look much the same as mine, it's hard to say if mine have been shifted or modified. They've definitely got some dodgy welding done though, more research coming up for me!

John,
I agree, now is the time to fix the cross-member, and also the one running under the gearbox has had a jolly good shunt, a big piece to cut out of there as well...


Peter.