Manky's Pop.

[Manky Monkey]

I had a quick browse through Google Images for photos of similar piston damage. Interestingly, one that looked very like ours was diagnosed on an American forum as detonation due to low octane fuel.
I'll pull the old engine apart at some point to investigate further, but it's pretty low on my list of priorities at the moment. Mr Loon's suggested making a table from the old engine block!
Didn't arrive at the workshop till nearly lunchtime today & it was far too hot to work outside, so I spent most of the afternoon cleaning up the parts from the old motor that need to go back on the new one.
Friday's payday for me, so I plan to take the water pump/timing chain cover over to Real Steel in Middlesex to get new gaskets & oil seal, then across to Merlin Motorsport in Wiltshire to buy a new gearbox oil cooler.

Manky gearbox tool number 2.
Parking outside Loon's workshop's pretty fluid -vehicles come & go all the time, so anything in the yard has to be moveable as soon as possible. So I made up a sling to support the gearbox while the engine's out. A length of 3mm steel strap that hooks over the chassis rails, with 8mm pins that locate in 2 of the engine/gearbox bolt holes.

[Manky Monkey]

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[Manky Monkey]

I seem to be creating more problems than I'm solving at the moment.
Started cleaning up the bulkhead & chassis rails while the engine's out today. Realised the front edge of the body's still welded to the chassis -a quick fix when we were putting it through the registration test that never got corrected. O.K, I'll cut through the weld & make up a pair of tabs, welded to the body & bolted to the chassis. The passenger side went fine, but while cutting the driver's side, the angle grinder disc snagged & jumped -straight across one of the copper brake pipes on the bulkhead. Bugger.
It's quite a deep nick in the pipe but doesn't seem to be weeping, even when I stomp hard on the brake pedal. Loony, Chris & I all looked at it & couldn't be sure it was alright though -which is enough reason to change it. Better safe than sorry. So now I've got to disconnect the pipe & remake it. Think it goes from the bulkhead fitting to one of the residual valves under the drivers floor. Definitely one step forward & two steps backwards at the moment.   

[kapri]

The diagnosis of detonation damage would be all over the piston not just at th bottom edges

[Manky Monkey]

Makes sense. So that's 3 somethings that have managed to get into the bores then.

[Manky Monkey]

Brock suggests steam detonation.
Bit of a road trip today- over to Uxbridge in Middlesex to buy gaskets from Real Steel. 3 gaskets, an oil seal & an O ring for £5.70 thanks to my big brother Brock's Gold Card discount. Thanks Steve. 
Then out of London & onto the M4, through torrential rain in Berkshire, to Merlin Motorsport, on the Castle Combe race circuit in Wiltshire to buy a new oil cooler. Including hose & fittings, 110 quid.

[MIXA]

Why not split the pipe there and put a joining peice there saves on making the full pipe

[Manky Monkey]

Yeah, you're the second person to suggest that today! Would be a lot tidier if I can do it in one piece. I'll jack the Pop up & see exactly where it goes to & how awkward it'll be to replace, then decide.

[poprodder]

oh no, not bleeding the brakes again!!!!!

[Manky Monkey]

Yeah, my favourite job!

[kapri]

Aren't you glad I made them standalone and modular ?

[Manky Monkey]

Yes Uncle Kev. 
Pouring with rain here at the moment. See you at the Hotrod Supernationals tomorrow?

[Manky Monkey]

Old oil cooler disconnected. Fortunately the old set-up used 2 90 degree fittings that screwed into the gearbox, with hose connections that fitted to them -hopefully I can pick up new end fittings to push the new hoses onto, rather than the crimp-on ones I had before. The old pipes were far higher spec than necessary, with a braided steel inner core, which made 'em a bugger to route around the gearbox & engine bay. The new hose, bought from Merlin Motorsport, is much lighter & more flexible. Chris has taken the old cooler for his Chevy pick-up.
Also welded the body mounts in place & made a start on cutting out & replacing a few messy sections of the bulkhead.
I'm going to get a few brackets & things from the engine powder-coated while it's all apart, as well as painting the chassis rails & generally tidying up anything I won't be able to reach once the motor goes back in. I'd planned to take the old engine out for a re-build over the Winter, but won't have to now, so whatever I do now will stay that way till the end of next Summer. I'm resigned to missing most of this year's driving season anyway, so I may as well do the job properly.

[kapri]

Yes Uncle Kev. 
Pouring with rain here at the moment. See you at the Hotrod Supernationals tomorrow?

Spirits willing but the flesh is weak

[Manky Monkey]

Been raining there today apparently -we had bouts of heavy rain followed by bright sunshine all day at the workshop.
Looks like just me going tomorrow then. Haven't been to the Old Warden site before. It's the last day of my 3 week holiday, so I just felt like a day out before I go back to work on Monday.