Thread: Rebuild time

Originally Posted by Homestar

You beat me to a rolling chassis. . Looks great.

I'm just waiting for the new front springs to arrive then to sandblast and paint the rims and fit the new tyres, so pretty close too.

Haha it only just rolling. Just got the bare minimum. No brake components or suspension yet.

Not much progress over the last month. I have been researching & sourcing what brake parts i need. Had a bit of trouble working out why the parts manual didn't show the dual brake master cylinder configuration & brake line setup that my 1980 S3 has which im pretty sure is from the factory. I eventually found the supplement parts manual which showed it as an option which was necessary i think to meet Australian Design rules . Once that was sorted it made a bit more sense and i ordered some new bits and pieces.

Current project it to install new brake lines & fittings - not my favourite however needs to be done now while i have a bare chassis. watched a few youtube clips and have borrowed a flaring tool and have had a few practice goes at double flaring. The pic below shows a few samples.



The middle 2 fittings are ones i have made. How much should i be pressing down on the second press to get the double flare, the second one is about half and the third one is full. This is my first attempt at flaring so please feel free to give some feedback & tips on my workmanship

The first one is an original fitting and fourth one is a genuine made up hose i ordered about a year ago. Neither of these are double flare? Is this for a reason or just the old school way? Im assuming double flare is best practice for all brake fittings?

Fitted up the rear brake cylinders, shoes, and made up the new rear brake lines. 20161220_234812.jpg

The lines could have been a bit neater but not bad for a first attempt. More important is that the flares came up ok and shouldn't leak - hopefully .

Originally Posted by Ben_Burdett

...


The middle 2 fittings are ones i have made. How much should i be pressing down on the second press to get the double flare, the second one is about half and the third one is full. This is my first attempt at flaring so please feel free to give some feedback & tips on my workmanship

The first one is an original fitting and fourth one is a genuine made up hose i ordered about a year ago. Neither of these are double flare? Is this for a reason or just the old school way? Im assuming double flare is best practice for all brake fittings?

Press down all the way on the second-press for the double flare, as in your 3rd example.

The 1st photo seems to be called by some people, a bubble-flare. It can be made by using the 1st die in a double-flare kit and guesstimating how far to press, while at the same time checking it visually. On my Alpine some lines had a double-flare at one end and a bubble at the other end!

If you have used the bubble-flare where it was originally, all should be well. I had two small leaks on the Alpine, which disappeared forever with a bit of spanner work,

Cheers Charlie

I agree with Chazza, Ben, your 3rd flare in your photo looks the best attempt.

I made up all new brake pipes when I rebuilt my 86". It is very satisfying to see the results of your handiwork when it all bolts up. I found that any minor leaks could be stemmed by nipping the unions up just that little bit tighter...

Have fun.
Chris

Thanks Chris & Charlie. It would have been easier to take the old lines to the brake shop and get them to do it but wheres the fun in in that!

I took mine to brake shop to do then & they won't tighten , so have to take them back after Christmas to do again . I think they used wrong fittings. Should have done them my self.

Time for another update. The brakes are all done and new lines made and in place. Hopefully no leaks when it comes time to bleed them

Next job is the engine. Have started to tear it down and cleaning everything as I go. Scored a parts washer off gumtree for $70 which is a nice upgrade from the cut in half drum that I had previously been using.

I have pulled the head off and have found that one of the hot spots has come loose and caused some damage to the top of the block. The cylinder appears to be ok except for very top



How bad is this? Can this be repaired?

The pistons are stamped 040 which im assuming is the max that can be rebored. The cylinders are very smooth and don't appear to have any marks inside them.

Being a beginner to engine rebuilds im hoping for a bit of guidance to point me in the right direction of what path to take next. Do I need to go have a chat to an engine machinist or is the block damaged beyond repair.

Cheers
Ben