- Joined
- Dec 28, 2008
- Messages
- 2,035
I got my rotating and recripricating parts back from Lindskog Balancing (Boxboro, MA) at close of business last Friday. Zint, the technician, took the parts from ounce/inches to near sub-gram/inches; he had the crank apart for cleaning and magnafluxing, he rebuilt the rods setting the clearances on the big ends to just under .001, making sure that they had the proper shape, in the proper places as well as shot peening the steel caps and glass beading the beams, he balanced, individually, the Sparx 3 phase rotor and the engine sprocket. The parts would be right at home on the Space Shuttle and cost me similar money to retrieve. Zint's parting words to me were, "They're pretty, they're good, but they are not 9000 RPM parts!
On Saturday I fit the Super Blends and did an end float check, the initial check showed no end float (Gulp!), how can that be? I dissassembled the cases and made some plastic drifts out of PVC pipe and had a good wack at the inners and outers, scary stuff. The next check showed .017, dead nuts!! Onto the cam timing.
I had a degree wheel left over from my Fiat days that I was able to adapt to the drive side of the crank, I mounted the right side connecting rod and piston without rings or clips, my son helped my fit the barrel. I used a piston stop to determine true TDC, I planned to use the lobe centers as my benchmark; I have the Web Cams 12a cam with lobe centers at 103 for the intake, 104 for the exhaust. Using the stock cam timing marks and working the exhaust I came up with 97 for my lobe center. I read in the Norton Digest that you can vary the cam timing in 5 degree increments by changing the cam chains sprocket position teamed up with changing the pinions tooth position, sounds simple?? Sometime I wonder how I can feed myself?? 6 hours later I'm in cam chain grad school and have found the almost perfect combination: Advance the chain one tooth (45 degrees+), retard the pinion 3 teeth (40 degrees-) and I get 103 for the exhaust lobe center (I fit the cam chain tensioner this time), WOW I'm much closer and now ready for some tall Martinis!
This morning my plan was to check rockerarm geometry and pistion to valve clearance. I mounted the head with pushrods for the right cylinder ans set the valve lash to .006 (which is the WebCams spec) I was using an old copper head gasket. When everything was in place I mounted the engine sprocket and wrapped it with a towel and truned her through 3 cycles very slowly with no binding and no hitting, time for a lottery ticket mates! Now for the pistion to valve clearance.
I removed the head and put potters clay on the pistion top just where reliefs would be cut if needed. I bolted her back up and spun her through 3 cycles ( I should say that the clay strips were about 1/16" thick (about .0625) give or take and I'm looking for .050 or better. I pull the head and see NO indentations!!!! I'll start drinking early today!
While all this is going on I am watching how the mushroom lash adjusters come across the valve stems, The intake looks very cool with out even moving, but checks perfect by making a trek across the dead center of the valve stem. The exhaust doesn't look so perfect, but the arm is much shorter then the intake; again I watch again a perfect trek!!!!!!!! Tonight I'm going to have an extra Kettle One Martini!
The head work was done by Leo Geoff, so no real surprises; when you pay for first class work you get peace of mind.
Tomorrow I will tear it all apart clean everything and go for the final assembly. More later
RS
On Saturday I fit the Super Blends and did an end float check, the initial check showed no end float (Gulp!), how can that be? I dissassembled the cases and made some plastic drifts out of PVC pipe and had a good wack at the inners and outers, scary stuff. The next check showed .017, dead nuts!! Onto the cam timing.
I had a degree wheel left over from my Fiat days that I was able to adapt to the drive side of the crank, I mounted the right side connecting rod and piston without rings or clips, my son helped my fit the barrel. I used a piston stop to determine true TDC, I planned to use the lobe centers as my benchmark; I have the Web Cams 12a cam with lobe centers at 103 for the intake, 104 for the exhaust. Using the stock cam timing marks and working the exhaust I came up with 97 for my lobe center. I read in the Norton Digest that you can vary the cam timing in 5 degree increments by changing the cam chains sprocket position teamed up with changing the pinions tooth position, sounds simple?? Sometime I wonder how I can feed myself?? 6 hours later I'm in cam chain grad school and have found the almost perfect combination: Advance the chain one tooth (45 degrees+), retard the pinion 3 teeth (40 degrees-) and I get 103 for the exhaust lobe center (I fit the cam chain tensioner this time), WOW I'm much closer and now ready for some tall Martinis!
This morning my plan was to check rockerarm geometry and pistion to valve clearance. I mounted the head with pushrods for the right cylinder ans set the valve lash to .006 (which is the WebCams spec) I was using an old copper head gasket. When everything was in place I mounted the engine sprocket and wrapped it with a towel and truned her through 3 cycles very slowly with no binding and no hitting, time for a lottery ticket mates! Now for the pistion to valve clearance.
I removed the head and put potters clay on the pistion top just where reliefs would be cut if needed. I bolted her back up and spun her through 3 cycles ( I should say that the clay strips were about 1/16" thick (about .0625) give or take and I'm looking for .050 or better. I pull the head and see NO indentations!!!! I'll start drinking early today!
While all this is going on I am watching how the mushroom lash adjusters come across the valve stems, The intake looks very cool with out even moving, but checks perfect by making a trek across the dead center of the valve stem. The exhaust doesn't look so perfect, but the arm is much shorter then the intake; again I watch again a perfect trek!!!!!!!! Tonight I'm going to have an extra Kettle One Martini!
The head work was done by Leo Geoff, so no real surprises; when you pay for first class work you get peace of mind.
Tomorrow I will tear it all apart clean everything and go for the final assembly. More later
RS