Generator working... Final post.

The dynamo was not charging. The car has been converted to 12V and I was concerned about something more serious. Turned out that 2 points on the regulator were fused together.

Once put apart and cleaned with sand paper, the regulator is working again!

The car is finished!

The nose is back on...

I've installed the fan back on to make sure that the LED can show through the fins; It could be useful at a later date to check the timing without removing anything.

The nose is back on.

Here is a short video of the car running:

She ran!

The axle on the starter was missing.

Some erosion there...

One side had a wooden spacer for the headlights but not the other. We'll see when I install the fenders. Hopefully nothing's wrong with the chassis.

Hooked up the generator and the 123.

The wire going to the fender (on both sides) was twisted. Now they will be connected with connectors which will make the fender removal easier (And looking a little more professional).

Setting the ignition is really easy with the 123.

I've marked the static ignition point on the flywheel. This could be used also to check ignition advance with a stroboscopic light.

Cranked the engine without the plugs to get the oil circulating

She runs well but i had major leaks at the rocker covers. The sealer is slippery and the gasket which is undersized moves around during installation. I "glued" them on the cover with the sealer and waited over the weekend; they don't move now and it should work.

The remaining issue is the charging/12v conversion; The fenders and hood are going next and I will be close to be done.

Engine in car...

The engine is back in the car...

Engine work...

A few pix of the finished top...

Here are some issues with the old heads (On the top of the extremely loose guides):

One of the "new" used head from Dave Burnham after being processed by his machine shop.

I lapped the valves and the heads onto the cylinders.

Here is a little video of it:

I am supposed to install the pistons then slide the cylinders on them. I never had so much problems fitting the rings inside the cylinders. I've removed the pistons and inserted the rings one by one...

The ring compressor (Red handle) is pretty much a piece of crap. I've used a hose clamp, which worked beautifully.

Then I've installed the pistons on the rods.

Oil lines and radiator in place.

Then... surprise, the manifold does not fit anymore. There are several places where someone welded it before; May be due to the new cylinders or some parts where machined on the old engine...?

To make sure that the problem was not coming from me and the heads were sitting right on the cylinders, I did a leak test. There is plenty of compression and a tiny leak on each cylinder (Rings and cylinders are new, so normal).

Pretty big gap there...

About 5mm gap.

I have cut 2 rings in a 1" electrical conduit and tacked them on the manifold.

After welding and grinding.

After painting (To match the rest of the parts). Barely noticeable.

The dynamo was not charging. I'm afraid that someone converted the car to 12v but omitted to convert the generator. I have checked all windings and everything is fine it appears. It is known that this system rarely fails except with an excess of oil, which was the case. If it is not charging, the regulator might be faulty.

Clutch cleaned and back on.

The engine is ready to be installed in the car.

I have welded a nut on the right front wheel. The rim is supposed to be tapped but the thread was stripped and the hubcap was barely holding.

A little touch up of yellow (Wrong but close enough) to protect the paint.