On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 07:12:51 -0700, David Riker wrote
> I have done a lot of work on my Midget over the last 20 years, but
> some things still are beyond my areas of knowledge.
>
> I am having a friend assemble a rebuilt 1275 for me. He has done many.
>
> The donor engine had excellent oil pressure, and there was no marks
> what so ever on the crank, which had been turned for a prior
> rebuild. So the crank is going in as is. I was advised to replace
> the bearings because they showed some acid pitting due to sitting,
> so I am.
It would be foolish to go with used bearings in a rebuild anyway. Just make
sure that the bearings match the crank sizing.
> The block was from a different engine, so it has been hot tanked, oil
> galleries cleaned, the deck surfaced, new cam bearings, and bored to
> match the new pistons @ .0600 over.
Line-boring might be an idea (it makes sure that the journals that hold the
crank are true and round). It's very common in alloy engines, pretty rare in
cast iron.
> The cam is also from the same engine as the crank, shows no scarring
> or damage, and the lifters look fine. The exact specs are unknown,
> but it is a mild performance cam of some kind, and I was happy with
> it in that engine. My guess is it is something along the lines of a
> 256 grind.
Definitely new lifters. New lifters extand the life of an old cam
considerably. Just remember to run the engine at around 1500 RPM for about 15
minutes on start-up to let the lifters and camshaft bed in together right away.
>
> The head is a new aluminum piece, new valves, new uprated springs,
> and a 1.5 roller rocker.
>
> Questions:
>
> 1. I wasn't going to replace the oil pump, because the pressure in
> the donor engine was fine, ie: 35 hot idle, 60 psi hot cruise,
> however, upon inspection, I'm told it is slightly out of spec, and
> has light scoring. I've never had oil pressure problems on any of
> my 1275's. Should I replace it?
Yup. As someone else said, cheap insurance.
> 2. I wasn't going to replace the head studs. I have a full set of dimpled
> studs. The threads look excellent, but the shafts show varying
> degrees of minor pitting. Should they be replaced. If so, stock,
> or ARP?
I'd replace them, I might go stock if I was worried about cost, but the few $
difference to ARP stuff is worth it. Check at a racing shop (Jegs, Summit
Racing) for them. You can often get them for less than from a typical British
specialty shop.
> 3. Fill in the blank, based on the above info, is there anything
> else that should receive attention? I'm running out of money.
I would have the crank, flywheel rods and pistons balanced. It's not that
expensive, and the difference it makes in how smooth the engine runs is
nothing short of amazing.
> The car is used for pleasure driving only, about 3000 miles a year.
> Will have the LCB header and DCOE Weber that are currently in my car,
> and runs out through a Datsun 5 speed and 3.73 axle.
>
Me? I'd ditch the Weber and put on a set of decent SUs like God and Cecil
Kimber intended... ;-)
Chris K.
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