Engine Installation

6/20/2009 to 6/23/2009

Time to put the engine back in.



We
chained the engine to the hoist and removed the stand.
When we removed the engine there was not enough tilt
adjustment to easily remove it.  This time we tried to
start off with more tilt.  But it was still not enough. 
We ended up getting the engine halfway in then pulling it
out again.   After adjusting the chains things
went much better.

My daughter and wife are keeping the engine from swinging
and watching for trouble



Down
she goes.  We quickly realized the key is to remember
the hoist arm moves in an arc rather than straight up and
down.

Once
the engine is at the right level we used the spreader bar to
level the engine and position it over the motor mounts.
Here I have the passenger side mount loosely installed and I
am trying to get the other side started.  On the other
side the generator is in the way which makes it much harder.


Once
the front mounts located the engine I put a floor jack under
the back and lowered the hoist.  I then installed the
transmission, rear cross-member, and rear motor mount.
Here is a scary shot of me putting transmission bolts in. 
I think it is possible to get the engine and transmission in
as a unit but I suspect this is easier.

I have a replacement NOS rear engine mount but I could
not see anything wrong with the old one so I reused it.
If there is a problem it is easy to change.

 


Now
we just get to hook things up.  Starters, fuel lines,
oil lines, wiring, clutch linkage, throttle, etc.  Most
went in with no problem but NOT the exhaust pipe.  I
purchased stainless steel nuts, washers, and lock washers
for this to replace the original brass hardware.  The
only problem is that I bought fine-thread nuts.  That
matched the brass nuts but the new studs are coarse thread
so the stainless nuts are useless.  I pulled a couple
zinc-plated steel nuts out of my stash and used those with
the stainless washers.  I will have to pick up some new
nuts and swap them out later.



I
replaced all the rubber grommets under the hood.  Most
were standard parts but the coil wire needed this funky
grommet.  Fortunately

Shrock Brothers
in PA makes a reproduction part.
It fit perfectly.


I
put some thought and planning into the assembly order to
prevent painting myself into a corner.  The hood latch
plate, horns, and horn relay were much easier to install
before the radiator goes in.   Note the hoist
chains are still bolted to the engine. 


Now
I can put the radiator in.   The radiator also
holds part of the wiring harness so it has to go in before
we can finish wiring. 
I also re-torqued all the head bolts since several have been
out for the cleanup.


Once
the hoses were in I filled up the system with plain water.
I will do antifreeze after I test everything.   After
hooking up the wiring and getting a fire extinguisher I
installed the battery for a smoke-test.  No smoke and
everything seems to work!  I think it might be time to run
this car. 
I cranked the car several times with the ignition off to check
for problems and get oil in the bearings and fuel in the carb.
We then checked for spark (which was fine).  Time to run
it.

She Lives!



Well,
mostly.  I quickly noticed a small puddle of oil on the floor.
Seems like some idiot forgot to tighten the oil return line from the oil
filter.


This is a bigger problem.  Notice the white smoke.  Looks like
steam to me.  I might have buggered up the head gasket.  Only
time will tell.  The good news is everything else seems fine, the
engine runs well, and the gauges all still work.

Comments

Engine Installation — 1 Comment

  1. Hello,
    I am french. I restore a Flight Hawk (a rare hardtop one).This is practically the same engine (185 c.i)
    I have the same symptoms at the start, with engine cold. There is condensation in the exhaust pipe and the white smoke.
    When the engine is warm everything is OK
    I hope that now every thing are O.K
    It’s a very nice car

    Bests regards Gerard

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