Algy

In that case Aidan just keep an eye out for Mk2 Vitesse or GT6 engine, it is still worth balancing the engine. Don't go for too much Comp Ratio but you can do a bit of "Blue Printing" (matching manifold and slight smoothing of ports, ensuring all clearnances are on spec) which will gain a little power but keep the flexiblity. You might consider a few mods such as electronic ignition, spin on oil filter (they do little for performance but do make servicing easier, so save performance). The engines do come up but the wait for the right engine is part of the fun and you can get some of the bits in prep, they can always be used on your current engine if you don't find another engine (but I would be shocked if you didn't find one). PS The hardest bit is finding an engine with all the outer bits still bolted to it and not damaged. The main engine is fairly common but the silly little things like manifolds, carb linkages are what always seem to be missing.

The lower column had been bodged some time ago, so I had to do something to make it straight and better looking. I cut the ends off and turned them and inserted them into 2.5mm wall (seamless aircraft grade steel) tube, then brazed them in.

Thanks Colin, Only about 25 hours, 15 on the steering wheel, filling, sanding, painting and polishing.

I have not been doing a lot on the engine as I have been working on cleaning up some of the steering components. Photo of the column. The steering wheel has also been reconditioned, which took and age. But I have started looking at the carb's.

I have seen that done and can be effective, I have also seen the use of extra thick washers with a countersink on one side so that it puts the compression force around the hole. I tend to apply heat and shrink the metal flat the same way as you can a body panel, locally heat to dull red and hammer flat and as it cools it pulls the area under tension and flattens it out. (although never done it on a Triumph sump it has worked well on Fords)

Often the problem with sumps, is people over torque them and they quilt, more so if a load of sealant has been put on them. If you do end up taking the sump off it is worth running a straight edge along the flange and do a little panel beating if required to make it flat, also use good quality thick washers (not thin ones that distort), as you want the load to be spread to the swages in the flange, which are there to stiffen it. I agree with Pete, on putting it togeather use a nice thin (and I mean thin, just enough to make sure you have a sealed line all the way around but not to build any thickness to the gasket) application of 574 both sides of a new gasket.

I don’t want to modify the car, I am trying to keep it as it was back in 1971, when it was breathed on. I know it is a special but not like most (ie a home grown special) but a special built by Bond for Bond. With the new MOT rules coming up in May, if I keep it MOT exempt it may help keep the value. So, no spin on oil filter. Thank you for confirming my thoughts, felt it was over doing it and would end up with not just gas blown past the rings going into the inlet but air being drawn in through the breather, rather than air exiting the breather. The oil filler is a sealed one, but what you have said, explains why the breather was fitted with a thin plate without holes (I thought that it had been fitted in error, obviously they found the engine running lean, and kept the breather rather then fitting the normal thick banking plate). I will refit it as it was, even if it looks and sounds mad, it is original (so will be fitted with the thin blanking plate).

This engine was definitely made up out of all sorts of bits. All the pedestals I have seen for 1600 and 2ltr Mk1 are wasted down the valve side of the upright under the rocker shaft. I think these bits must have been selected during the engine tune in 1971. The size of the hole through is as you say the same size but this gives a small amount of wiggle space, the sleeve removes that clearance; I suspect they made the sleeves short so that the pedestals can seat flat on the head, should there be any error in the stud angle as you can rock them until they meet the head. The engine had both a rocker breather to the inlet manifold (with valve) and a crankcase breather (like 1600).

Yes, I have fitted a Mk1 shaft and the rocker cover fits (well it is an alloy one and it did fit on the old head). This is as the old head was the shaft to head height is the same as the Mk1 pedestals (Pt # 128424). The part number on these is 144974 which should be the 2,3,4&5 pedestals for a Mk2, as I said though there is a sleeve fitted in each so they just fit the stud but it is only approximately 5/8” long and fitted half way up the hole. The rockers are not the same as the ones fitted to the spare head rocker shaft, but lighter (although do not appear modified, see earlier post photo) and do not match my mates 1600 engine rocker either (so no idea where they came from). I did reface the rocker pads as there was some signs of wear, but it was very light and only needed a very light touch on rocker dresser.

Well the rocker shaft is rebuilt with new shaft and thankfully the new shaft must be on upper tolerance as the old rockers needed a little lapping to get the required fit (an unexpected turn out). Please have a look at the pedestals, they are not the same as on the replacement head and from the number on them are the intermediate pedestals from a Mark 2 engine with one drilled for the oil way and a short sleeve has been fitted so they are centred on the stud. Another oddity of this engine! The pushrod tubes are finished, so ready when the head comes back from having new valve seats and guides. I have included a drawing for the tubes, which are an interference fit in my head, just in case anyone needs some. tubes.pdf

Pete is correct and the original washers are not good either. Out of three engines I have worked on all had the same issue. I would not use silicon sealant but Red Hylomar or Locktite 574, top and bottom in the areas stated; but keep it thin!!!!!

May thanks for that info on the tubes Pete. I was going to anneal the alloy and use a tapered drift to flair the ends top and bottom (as this head has been countersunk bores top and bottom, original is not, so unsure if this is normal or not). Fitment was going to be back to heating the head and chilling the tubes (back to the liquid nitrogen), but adding a bit of 574 wouldn’t go amiss. I don’t use silicone much, I have seen too many sumps quilted due to excess silicone sealant being used and over torqueing bolts, in attempts to stop leaks. It has its uses but to me too many people over use the stuff, especially on fuel systems for some reason! I recently had a Jaguar XK140 come in to my workshop with poor running and fuel dripping from one carb. On stripping it was obvious as to the cause, silicone sealant applied to the float chamber gasket, which had squeezed into the chamber and expanded and held the float down; making the engine run rich and the fuel to run out of the float chamber vent. To top it off the other two carbs had silicone smeared over the vent to stop fuel running out. The original fault, that had the owner go to a garage, was one float had a small hole in the soldered joint and had partly filled with fuel.

Doug, No War. You pay your money and consider your use and make a choice. Unless you are racing the compressibility is not a major factor but most have more compressibility than they should because they have aerated the fluid during filling. I use it in all my classics (except the Elan which I do the occasional track day and replace fluid every spring) after doing a full brake or clutch system rebuild with new seals and have done for over 20 years with no problems.

Doug, I would not worry about it but as the engine was in deep strip, it seemed logical to get rid of it. The ultrasonic clean did a fantastic job of remove the rest. Mind you it did dissolve the push rod tubes in the head, so I have to turn up some replacements, they weren’t in the best condition anyway. Anglefire, Whan I did casting, we used French Chalk but some used graphite, but the sand did have an oil in it to make it stay in shape. I still cast the odd small alloy items, in my workshop.

My cheat rather than draw my one up was to scan a production timing protractor and then scale it as required. I always time a cam even if it has timing marks but then I am ex Lotus and worked on racing cars during my mechanical / engineering apprenticeship before going over to design. Found that with Ford engines I had to make up off set keys to get the cam timing spot on.

Silicone brake fluid is very good although can be a pain to bleed as it aerates easily and so some complain of a spongy peddle, the answer is to leave it standing for 48 hours and then pore it down the side of a funnel and start with a gravity or vacuum bleed.

Thanks John, Very interesting Blog. I thought it was casting sand as it was firmly bonded, very fine and black. If it was not from casting, they must have filled the car up at the beach or puddle in Iceland!

I have made several in the past, normally printing them then laminating them, before cutting them out. I normally use one on the crank and one on the camshaft and a couple of pieces of wire bolted on as pointers.

From experience a seized master cylinder is bad news. The problem is DOT4 on lower are hydroscopic (absorbs water from the air) and this causes galvanic corrosion between the steel, copper and aluminium alloy components. Normally once you get the master cylinder apart you find pitting in the bore and works out cheaper to replace it. If the master cylinder is seized, before proceeding check the bleed nipples will undo on the wheel cylinders (as you will need to open them to bleed the system and if the master cylinder is corroded they will probably be as well, so you can get new wheel cylinders at the same time). While you are at it check the brake adjusters are free and give them a good dose of WD40. You may find you calliper pistons have corroded as well, as you may end up doing all the other work on the bakes it would be worth getting seal sets for them and be prepared to get new pistons, check the flexible pipes as well! Sorry to hit you with this but brakes, suspension and clutches do not like standing still for a long time. I always bleed hydraulic systems that have been standing (for more than a year) and exercise them on any of my cars that are laid up for winter once a month and do an engine run. As for you chrome and alloy trim, I tend to clean them down with WD40 and if they need polishing use Soval Autosol but other may have better suggestions.

I have worked with a lot of engines that have stood for a long time, Pete has given a good start but only run untile warm and then drain oil and then use a flushing oil as a sediment will have formed, then use fesh oil (chenge the filter for the flush and the fresh oil. Also whatch out for leaks from the water pump gland seal and crank shaft seals, they dry out (what ever you do don't use a seal softener, you know the things that say they stop leaks). One thing with engines that have been left with oil engine oil in, is it contains acid and this can etch the bearing surfaces, though not normally badly, but worth taking it easy for the first couple few miles to allow them to run in again and allow the piston rings to free up.

I think the casting sand has a bonding agent in it (like an oil), that turns to carbon when it is hit by liquid iron. The core plug holes are there so it can be removed, but in my engine's case, an apprentice on a bad day must have done the work at about 5PM Friday. The coolant flow wouldn't wash this out very well but there is a bit in the bottom of the radiator.

Returning to the colour my block was green under a coat of gold and the head black under gold, so that is why I am returning the engine to that colour scheme. A further part to the original cooling may have been the 6ozs of sand around number 6 cylinder; yes sand and it needed a hammer and punch to move it (black in colour under the rusty looking outer, so probably been in there since the block was cast). The ultrasonic clears said they got about 6 Table Spoons of sand / rust out during the 3 1/2 hour cleaning. We know it is not rust due to colour and it will not stick to a magnet. I think Triumph sold Bond an engine that was a bit of a 2nd.

Thanks Dave, You have confirmed with you photo's what I expected to see and with a trial fit of the manifold to the head there is not much room for the pipe (it would have to be a pig tail shape). I also thank Anglefire as he made a good piont about being able to retro fit. So will fit the blank that was fitted to spare head and make up a single banjo outlet unless anyone knows of a supplier, who has one.

Interesting. So the question is do I make one as described or return to standard Triumph?

It is a mould mark there is another along the sump flange on the other side. Obviously Triumph sold seconds to Bond. Have any of you though come up with an answer to the cooling question above?!?!?