Part 4 - More Engine Bits

18/10/10    Removed fuel tank & flushed many times to try & remove rust. Lots of rubbish came out. There are several holes along the bottom seam of the tank but I think it can be repaired by soldering. Removed intake manifold to repair stripped tread stud under water jacket. Removed exhaust manifold to replace two welsh plugs. Managed to remove both plugs without too many dramas as they were very rusty & the bottom of the engine block was full of rust & gunk. Tapped solenoid & it doesn’t seem to be arcing and no shorts obvious when connecting battery. Off to see if I can get two plugs & a helicoil to replace the thread.

                The welch plugs were easily obtained at Autobarn & also a thread repair device – a bit expensive though!  Bottom of one of the block holes is a bit suspect but I cleaned them up as best I could with the wire brush on the drill. Very difficult to insert the plugs as the room is restricted to get the hammer onto the plugs. Both went in OK & also inserted helicoil into cylinder head.

20/10/10    I tested it with water in the block & one plug has a very slight leak so it will have to be replaced. Bought another plug & because of the weather went back to repairing the fuel tank. When cleaning this with the wire brush many more rust spots became obvious but all in the same general area at the bottom of the tank. I cut a metal patch out & used an epoxy glue to stick that down & then I will solder around the perimeter of the patch. Hope that works!

                Put in the welsh plug & applied a liberal dose of gasket cement & then refitted intake manifold. Checked for leaks & success with welsh plugs & intake manifold but still a slight drip from bottom of front of engine. Tightened bottom radiator hose but, on closer inspection from under the car, the water is coming from the front of the water pump. What a bugger!! I suppose again that this is not surprising considering the time the car has been sitting. But that means taking the radiator out & a new water pump. Surely that must be it!!!

                I continued to repair the fuel tank but it will have to get a better cover with the solder.

21/10/10   Removed the radiator & water pump. It came off with no dramas which was surprising. The inside of the pump was badly corroded. Cleaned up gaskets & resprayed area. Ordered parts.

22/10/10    Collected parts & refitted exhaust manifold & new water pump. Lot of difficulty fitting fan belt pulley & fan as the threads on the water pump spindle were of a different size. Had to buy a new set of bolts & finally had everything lining up. Refitted radiator & hoses & filled with water. Finally, no water leaks which was very pleasing. I was a bit concerned as the water pump pulley did not seem to be aligning up exactly with the alternator pulley. It seemed to be 5-7mm out. Fitted spark plugs & ignition leads. I wanted to have a go at firing the beast so some fuel went in the carbie & everything was turning OK but no go. Checked points & it seems that they have melted at some stage so that is where the problem is but not enough time today but getting very close to the magic moment!

2/11/10     After a week away, I fitted the new contact points & sorted out the plug leads. I had also done some internet searching and found that there are two water pumps listed in some parts catalogues for this engine. So, it looks like I landed the incorrect one! Took out the radiator again & removed the water pump in readiness for fitting of correct one. (Reordered WP181 through Autobarn as two pumps, WP181 & WP730 are listed for the 1600 engine & this is why I had so much trouble fitting the fan belt pulley). I will compensate for this error but no one really is at fault – Autobarn provided the correct one at the same price as there was a reasonable price difference. Connected fuel pipe from pump to carbie & vacuum leads from brake booster to carbie. Not sure how to connect main fuel line to pump & leave the original fitting. Tried to connect throttle cable but a bracket off the rocker cover is missing so either I will have to find one or make one. Also have to fit cable to accelerator pedal behind dashboard.

3/11/10      Checked new water pump for fitting & found that the bolts required to fix fan & pulley were metric thread so I had to make another trip to Repco. Fitted water pump & this one aligns properly & no water leaks so that is good. Had a go at starting but no spark. I found that the lead to the coil was loose & with some adjustment to the contact points, then there was spark at the points. Had another go to turn over motor but no go – what a bugger! Turned my attention to the fuel tank & spent about an hour soldering on a patch to the bottom & I though it looked OK. Put a bit of fuel in it & started leaking everywhere but not from the patch but from a hole on the other side of the tank. On closer inspection, there were rust spots everywhere & with a prod from the screw driver, holes were everywhere. So, in short, the tank is RS. I think I will have to try & source another one which may be difficult. (I was able to locate one that night from another club member so hopefully it is OK.) That is the good thing about being in a club & having some good club members. When packing up for the day, I noticed that the rotor from the distributor was not where it should be so I put it back in properly, poured in a bit of fuel & whamo – a bit of life appeared for approx 1 sec. Tried again but starter motor would not engage so another set back but at least, the engine is very close to firing.