Thread: A freshen up for Willy

heads are so heavy, i just pulled a 6 cylinder one off today and like you lots of swearing.I am interested to see what happens and how much things will cost you as this may be a path i need to take soon myself

Looking forward to see you post all the details Andy. You won't bore us here.

Cheers - Gav

I Picked up the head yesterday arvo and it looks great! I wasn't sure how much to have shaved off so the bloke just said he'd give her a good hair cut. I'm very happy with what they've done and how fast they did it too considering I took it to them 4 days before they closed for christmas. The head work was $300, but I think well worth the money!

I've purchased an accuspark Electric ignition kit from the UK, 90pounds.. That comes with an electric distributor, new leads, triple ground spark plugs and new coil... I can scrap points and the ballast risistor too..

Todays job will be pulling the pistons out and having a look at the rings. I'll try to work out what size rings I need to get and how to go about honing out the block?

Another thing I noticed when i was under the car was a big lump in the side wall on a front tyre. I don't know what causes this or how long its been there but I'd imagine thats a blow out in waiting. This may be a reason to get a new set of tryes and rims!

Cheers, Andy

Originally Posted by bacicat2000

Looking forward to see you post all the details Andy. You won't bore us here.

Cheers - Gav

X 2

Well I dropped the sump out and removed the connecting rod cap from one the of the pistons.. think it was number 4. Using a short wooden garden stake I tried to push the piston up through the top of the block but couldn't get it out. It seems as though the rings were getting caught on the ridge that is in the top of the cylinder.. I gave the stake a gentle tap with a hammer but had no success, I didn't want to force it too much. I imagine it wouldn't take much force for a ring to catch on the ridge at damage the piston.

I'm starting to think I'll just leave the rings and put the motor back together. The piston still feels reasonably tight in the cylinder and willy has never blown an smoke. It seems lately as though the compression has been pretty poor but a leaking exhaust manifold and buggered valves I think would be the cause in this case rather than the rings. I have to tell myself this is only a freshen up not a rebuild!

With that said I'll measure each cylinder before I put it all back together. That way at least when I do get around to pulling the motor out and rebuilding I'll know if I need oversized rings and pistons. Hopefully I can spend some time on it today, If not It'll have to wait till after new years

I stumbled by this website called HandyManlyNess.com - Car and Truck Repairs, Auto Maintenance, Yard and Lawn Machines I found it very helpful, I recommend giving it a look if you want to do this sort of work yourself but like me your not really sure what to do!

Cheers, Andy

About thirty years ago I pulled the head of my S3 then I thought why not do the bottom end. So out came the motor. Then I thought why not fix that bit of rust in the firewall. Then... Well here it is 2012 and the big meccano set is still in bits under the house. Occasionally go and do a bit of scratching and fiddling but generally it just sits there. Moral of the story is, unless you intend on a major overhaul, don't get carried away. Do what you have to do and get it back on the road and enjoy it.

Cheers
Lakey

I did the same with my old series 3, but decided seeing as I had the head off, rip it right out and do the job properly.
Paid dividends. New rings bearings etc, the old motor is still running as I understand it, but being used as a water pump. But whilst it was in the car it did alot of hard miles with ease, and I never had to worry as to weather "maybe I should have done the rings". Unlike a mate who just did his head and said "she'll be right". If I remember rightly, within six months he had it all apart doing it over.
Dad made the same mistake getting 1 piston replaced in the Holden ute we had. Twelve months later I was rebuilding it, and he was trying to tell me just to do the one piston again (different one this time). Na, all new pistons, and never another worry again. Both of these motors were rebuilt on a gravil driveway.

So have a think about it Andy, new improved parts put extra strain on older parts, sometimes with dire results.

But which ever way you go, there'll be good and bad for both sides,, time, experience, and ultimately, the almighty dollar is ruler (or maybe SWMBO ), and we'll all be keen to see how you go with it all, and then go out and have a drive with you.

If the ridge is bad enough to catch the rings, I would go a bit further, but as mentioned, depends on your wallet. You will need to get a ridge cutter and cut the ridge out before removing the pistons. If you go down this path, then you WILL need a rebore, and then new pistons and rings - ie, a full rebuild. If you don't want to go down that path, leave the bottom end alone. Trying to force the rings past the lip will break the rings and damage the ring landings on the pistons, which will force you into a full rebuild anyway...

If you have the $$$, I would go all the way, then you know you have an engine that will be good to go the distance.

Cheers - Gav