Time to rebuild the cylinder head

Time to rebuild the head. Although the engine was running remarkably well, all things considered, the #3 sparkplug was bothering me. It didn't seat well and I could see the sparkplug threads had been 'repaired', not to mention the crud/deposits under the valve cover. Reason enough to dig-in.

The cylinders look ok. No damage or scoring. Carbon buildup even and not excessive. Head gasket looked ok. Piano top pistons marked 89.47mm (2nd over bore) so I know the bottom end has been done at least once.

(That junk in the cylinder is from the head removal.)

The bottom of the head looks OK as far as the overall sealing surface is considered.

Here is what a properly seated spark plug should look like.

And here is what the #3 spark plug looks like when its FULLY seated. I wonder if this is affecting combustion in this cylinder?

Someone had attempted to repair the threads in the #3 spark plug hole and did not use the proper tool/technique. You can NOT use heli-coil or other standard thread repair tools/techniques to repair spark plug threads. They do not provide a proper seat for the plug nor conduct heat properly. The proper tool is called a TIMESERT. The inserts are not costly but the installation tool isn't cheap. If you need this repair done, and don't do this all the time, find a buddy or a shop who has the TIMESERT tools and inserts.

As long as we're on the subject of special tools, I highly recommend the use of the valve spring compressor/cam removal tool made for the M10 engine. It compresses all of the valves simultaneously allowing the cam to be easily inserted or removed. It can be tricky to remove/install a cam without this tool and you risk damaging an expensive camshaft.

Once the cam is removed, work can proceed on removing the rocker arm shafts. The shafts are driven out of the head with wooden dowels or long BRASS drifts, nothing else. Do not damage the end of the rocker shafts. If you mushroom the end of the shaft you will damage every item you force it through. I highly recommend letting the head soak in a parts washer over night at least. Once everything is clean, use a oil can to apply fresh, clean oil to the rocker arms, shafts, etc. while you drive them out. Take your time. Don't lose your cool and get out the BFH. I used plastic rods to keep all of the components in order as I took them off. Mating, moving parts, develop wear-patterns over time. Make sure parts go back in the positions they came out. (If you're using new parts this doesn't apply.)

Strange noises under the car

Strange noises under the car... I assumed it was the guibo... Found much more. The rear transmission mount had seen better days so I replaced it.

While I was in the area, I figured I would replace the original rubber guibo and center bearing. The center bearing replacement was straight forward, but the guibo... Not so much. When I got a closer look at the rear of the transmission I realized I had just opened Pandora's box. The guibo was actually OK. (I still replaced it as it looked like the original.) but the drive shaft snout bushing was shot. This allowed the drive shaft/guibo to move enough to eat into the rear housing. When I removed the shifter console I also noticed the mounts were shot and both mounting holes had been mangled by a previous repair attempt.

I cleaned the area completely so that I could monitor for any possible future leaks. I repaired the shifter console mounts and replaced the shift shaft seal. Knowing that a 5-speed conversion was planned, I repaired the transmission housing with JB Weld around the new seal instead of a replacing the rear housing. (As of Fall 2013 it has not leaked a drop!)

The bad drive shaft snout bushing had damaged the transmission shaft. I de-burred and polished the shaft.

Drive shaft snout bushing rebuild.

New shifter console mounts and rebuilt shifter console. (As long as I was 'in the neighborhood' I might as well make it right too.)

The new rear transmission mount changed the engine/transmission angle so now the down pipe connected to my IE header was rattling against the bottom of the car.

Again, I knew I would have a complete new exhaust system at some point, but needed a fix to solve the immediate issue. Enter the MIG welder... With some careful measuring I added/removed a section of pipe to give the body clearance I wanted without changing where the downpipe connected to the rest of the exhaust system.

 

Air cleaner

The stock air cleaner came with the car but would not fit on the Weber carb I installed. I discovered, and acquired, a JAM adapter piece that would allow it to be fitted to the Weber. The original air cleaner looked less 'boy-racer' than the chrome K&N filter and also had a rubber tube that provides for cold air intake. The factory air cleaner needed to be slightly modified.

The flange and rubber seal that mate to the original carb. (Bottom of air cleaner.)

Flange removed and replaced by aluminum adapter.

From inside the air cleaner the 'venturi' fits perfectly inside the adapter below and flow directly into the Weber. From this view you can't tell its not stock.

Wheels: 1st set

I picked up some OEM steel wheels and new tires. I did not care for the wheels that were on the car.
(I've still got them if you know anybody that's interested.)

I polished a old set of chrome center caps and acquired some new roundels.

I was torn between two colors for the rim paint, so I painted one each color to help to me decide. I ended up going with the gunmetal color. I like the contrast with the chrome lug nuts and center cap.

Stainless brake lines, driver's mirror

Since the car actually runs now, its time to address some other issues. I picked up some DOT braided brake lines for all four corners.

The more time I spend under the car, the more I see that will need attention:

'TURBO' style mirror had to go.

Fuel tank rehab

During the exhausting (I couldn't resist the pun) process I had removed the fuel tank for better access to the muffler. When I did, I noticed some light surface rust on the body and tank. I believe the old foam gasket was holding moisture. I removed all of the rust from the body and tank. I primed the body and installed a fresh foam seal. I thoroughly cleaned the fuel tank and then sprayed it with black, fuel-safe, epoxy. I topped it off with a new rubber fuel neck $$$.

 

Exhausting

After more cleaning with Oil-Eater the passenger side of the engine is ready to receive some attention.

Can you tell the difference between the old and new exhaust systems?

I installed the header with the appropriate gasket and hardware. (Don't cheap out here.  Quality gaskets and CORRECT hardware make a big difference and are the sign of a quality job.)

As beautiful as the stainless system was from IE, I could not get it to fit. Believe me I tried EVERYTHING. I wrestled with it for days. The folks at IE were very helpful and understanding. The end result was that I returned the stainless exhaust system and kept the header. To bad as it was beautiful.