Well done Nix, caretaker that you are.

Good luck Elinor, it will be fine.

 

How big is this winter project going to balloon into? Good luck.

 

I almost "understand" Elinor's mate's prediction. A brief look at what " I almost understand". The Federal Reserve Board Chair adjusts the economy by interest rate adjustment. New appointment. Prime will rise.


Sure are nice parts. NIX will surely respond. And as will a husband and wife!!! Win/win ++++


Carl
wsrt ratre adsjusartment dsersatands"

 

Apologies for the post signature gibberish. Must learn to pre and after post edit !


Rain !!! And Billy seems to have adopted one of the three improvised shelters !!

Coco and I have already adapted to PDST to PST time change, Light mist on early AM outing. We stayed dry. Billy, sleeps til sunlight ! None yet. Smart goat.


Carl

 

Now see the teeny "edit block" at the lower right corner.....


Next post, I'll try it!!

 

Good Question, Clarke!
This will Not be the first time we've replaced and engine, transmission, or both at once. Not even our first experienced with inter-species transplants. When I first met husband he was driving a partially restored 1958 Austin-Healey 100-6 into which he had stuffed a 289 Ford. There is also the Datsun roadster in my album, which had a Toyota 18-RG/5-speed shoehorned into it (that was a Big reason I fell for Nix in the first place; the Conversion!).

However, this one is Greatly complicated by the fact WE didn't do the conversion, those who did it are dead, and I can see from crawling around under there over the past few years, it was Never intended to come apart! I'll have to take the interior apart again to get to the rear trans mount at least.

The original plan was to have the new unit sitting on the garage floor ready for installation, being built up over this past summer. Well that didn't happen. I was actually hoping to put this off for another year or so, but that would have put me up against another SMOG deadline so this is actually better. I have a deadline of my own, and it's Just an engine for crying out loud (transmission is already here), so how much trouble can it possibly be?

Now I've done it, haven't I! Jinxed the whole project.

I'm sure in 1986 when this was done, No One ever even considered the remotest possibility the car would last this long!

I needed a project to keep me busy over winter anyway.
(';')

 

Love the upgrades. My SBC S3 stays in the Ohio garage all winter while we go to Huntington Beach for the winter. The plan this year is to get a west coast vintage Jaguar and store it out there in the summer. Looking at Orange County C-list and definitely leaning towards SBC or V12. Can't wait to hear how Nix performs when you get done.
1979 xj6 series 3
2007 Vanden Plas

 

Nix was actually reborn in Huntington Beach! A place called Interjag did conversions on the side for some years I understand. A couple brothers did it in conjunction with a wrecking yard they ran; I have the conversion paperwork.

Nix *should* be back on the road well before Spring, but just in case there is some major, unforeseen snag (working on an old Jaguar?! NEVER!!) I have set my deadline for May 1, 2018.
(';')

 

Elinor"


I'm a bit foggy as to how my helper and I did the transmission mount thing. But, it did not involve removing any interior. Shift cable, yes,
but only the cubby and ski slope.


Two down under elements involved as to the transmission mount. A pair of tin shields. And a thick steel plate. The latter bolts to the floor of the chassis.


Now, I used a Johnscars kit. It provided a different steel plate that bolted in where the original went. In turn it accepted the much simpler GM style rubber block mount.


Would I suspect that the guys that converted NIX did it exactly the same way. No. But, similar, I suspect so.


Look again, especialy as to what those tin shields hide !


Carl

 

Just back from the machinist. Bored .060 over. Not exactly a 350 anymore.


4-bolt mains.

Pistons are in house, lifters etc as mentioned earlier. Only the cam is 'missing.' That should be in within the next few days.

Just in time for Winter, this (and the transmission) will keep me sane (or not) for the next few months.
(';')

 

1. Way the h... off topic. A monster was aloose in Elinor's part of the world. Brave and smart folks dealt with him. but, at a terrible cost. My heartfelt condolences to those that were hurt or lost their lives.
Why? An impossible el question with no answer!!


2. Jewelry. Yup, an apt description. Somewhere, I've seen the "rollers" with the oil grooves Definitely a nice "touch".


3. How would a SMOG machine detect a 1.6 ratio rocker? CA, like a lot of others has laws that just defy enforcement, good law or bad.


3. My son is coming over tomorrow to mess with my car and "fix" it's smoke habit....


Carl

 

The community of Rancho Tehama is well known to Law Enforcement as a pot and other "substances" producing area. As it's sort of remote (but still close enough to I-5 for good transport), and depends on the County Sheriff deputies (of which we have all of 3) assisted by CHP when they have a spare cruiser to keep the "peace,", those who prefer a bit of isolation with little or no Police Presence tend to gravitate there.

True, there is a school, most students of which are children of producers of the various aforementioned "product."

Most peace loving residents left in recent years for more secure areas.

Rancho Tehama is in our local news quite frequently for various violent acts, one grower upon another. No one around here that I know personally was surprised at this incident.
(';')

 

SCAT 9000 crank shaft, totally balanced.
Home - SCAT Crankshafts
I'm especially intrigued by the bevels on the counterweights to slice through the oil fog.
It doesn't come with the nose gear, but someone couldn't wait to see how it fit.
(';')

 

KB Hypereutectic pistons.
Depression volume = 18cc.


5.7 inch Eagle rods with cap screws and floating wrist pins.


Piston assemblies.


I protested when I saw these parts, as it seems almost a shame to put all this in a 40+ year old car. But he said, "Only the best for Nix. I Know how you stick your foot in it, so she'll have the very best parts I can afford!"

Well alright then.......

This is So much fun! I haven't built up an engine in Years!
(';')

 

Magnificent sculpture in iron!!!


Carl

 

Talking of the fair sex building engines Many moons ago I was the quality control manager of the Ford Bridgend engine plant. My secretary, had little knowledge of engines and parts and had difficulty understanding the reports she was typing or the notes she took in shorthand at technical meetings. To overcome this issue we set aside an engine build station in our engine laboratory and had her build a complete engine from scratch. She loved it - the downside was other secretaries also wanted to build "their" engine. Some of the other technical staff did "theirs" also. Joan was a fine secretary too.

 

Interesting side light. Old tech cast pistons. Well in alloy, not cast iron as in way back when!! Then came forged alloys. Much, much better. A lot lighter. And stronger.


Now, hypereutectic, A complex concept. High silicon content alloy. Expansion control, the purpose.


But, a controversy exists. Of course, what else!! Forged va hypereutectics.


Oh, CAVEAT !!! The tops have valve reliefs. If installed 180 out, bad things will happen. Don't ask !


Well fixing my Jaguar's smoke issue on hold. Me, with cold or flue or both on limited duty. And, keeping my kids at bay. Whatever I've had, I do not want them to get.


I'm a whole lot better. Doing a bit more than the "gotta bes".


Carl

 

One of the options suggested to me as a career out of high school, was to attend a secretarial college. The reason? I was good with mechanical things and I could play with all the office machines! The very thought of being chained to a desk gave me hives.

Where I grew up, girls graduating high school had few options; those without financial resources for "higher education" could get a minimum wage job, of which there were Very Few, or they could marry some farmer's son and spend their life out in the boondocks raising a herd of kids, coming to town once a week for groceries.

Or, if family had the funds, they went to 4 years of University, and when they couldn't find a job in their chosen field (none I know of did), come home to marry a farmer's son, spend their life out in the boondocks raising a herd of kids and come to town once a week for groceries.

The vast majority of girls from my high school still live within 30 miles of that school married to farmers' sons (if they're still married at all) out in the boondocks with a herd of kids etc. I know this because I get letters inviting me to attend reunions, stating where all students are now and what they're doing. Only a very small minority (I can only think of 2 besides me) have Escaped to another area to discover a Large, incredibly varied and Interesting world, full of opportunities for those willing to think outside the box or color outside the lines.

My first summer job out of high school was driving a gravel truck off a crusher in a pit. My mother was Very annoyed but thought it was just a phase. When I registered for Diesel Technology in college she about had a stoke; my dad, however, a forward thinking man, was not-so-secretly proud. But that was only a ploy to get where I Really wanted to be, in the Engine Shop.

So now, I've escaped to California, have my own business keeping other people's lawns (for which I'm well paid), I maintain all my own equipment and wrench on other things, like my work truck, Nix, and whatever needs it.

The closest I get to anything Office related is when I take my stuff to my "bookie" in January to have her do my taxes.
(';')

 

I'm Finally back to my Winter Project, having completed 95% of my work for the season and replacing rear tires on my lawn tractor, my Most important tool out here in the Stix.

As I mentioned previously, the block had come back from the machinist, Unclean! The silicone grease they use for Ultra-sound is Very tenacious! It wouldn't budge with a round brush, my preferred cylinder cleaning tool, so I had to get some nice rags to scrub each cylinder HARD!

As these were bored .060 over, husband wanted to be Sure the walls weren't too thin to withstand the way I like to drive.

My block washing station was just out the garage door:

I like DAWN liquid to cut through all the machining oils and other detritus, an assortment of long brushes of various diameters and a good supply of soft rags as mentioned.

Immediately after all metal is cleaned and surface rust removed with an abrasive scratch pad, I blew all remaining water/moisture off all surfaces and out all bores and passages. It wasn't raining that day but the humidity was Very high and the clean, oil free block began to rust almost immediately.

RUST PREVENTION
I thought the easiest way to prevent rust until I got to assembly was to coat all surfaces with a film of oil. I have just the thing:

Pink Oil! I call this Mikuni oil, because I first learned about it with the Mikuni carbs on my Datsun (the one in my album with the Toyota 18RG engine), which directed use of this oil on the air cleaners.

I sprayed it onto ALL surfaces that might rust;

cylinder walls, lifter bores, cam bores, crank bores, and a Lot everywhere else. If I run out of this, they'll make more.

Then a large trash bag is slipped over the block and tied closed until I have time to work on it again.
(';')

 

Lnrb

I hope you have new cam bearings in your plan? Everything else seems to be done 110%.