Harv's meth monster project

[FbSTDwagon]

I went to a brake place here in Perth to buy a roll of bundy tube - they wanted $85 I went to Coventrys and go ta roll for $18.

That’s a good tip Blacky, I’ll give them a call

[Errol62]

Car Parts Plus about the same $20. Difference is the brake shops tend to have straight lengths, which some prefer, but at 6 metres can be fun to get home.

Coventry fasteners have been Konnect for a while now.

FB ute driver, EK van project

[Harv]

Been waiting for Number 1 Son to assist in bleeding the brakes for a while. Gravity bled them as best I could. He arrived a fortnight ago. Got the master bled (I forgot to bench bleed it ), and ended up with fluid on the deck under a rear wheel. Swore, and sent him off while I got ready to put a set of seals into a rear wheel cylinder.

'course, if you have been waiting some time to bleed the brakes, you might forget to close the rear bleeds after gravity bleeding. Don't tell him I was that stupid.

Closed the bleeds, and waited a fortnight for more assistance. Got everything bled yesterday. Rears are easy enough, but fronts have the bleed screw lower than the hoses. Take some of the tension off the bleed screws whilst they are still bolted up (more on this later).

Make up a wooden block the same width as the rotor. Unbolt caliper, and as you wiggle the caliper off the rotor, wiggle the block between the pads.

disc brakes 1.jpg (645.07 KiB) Viewed 1200 times

Turn the caliper up so that the bleed is highest, and hold it under the guard so the caliper is higher than the hose. Caliper in one hand, spanner in the other does not give much leverage - this is why the bleed screws need to be nipped up, but not tight-tight.

disc brakes 2.jpg (617.55 KiB) Viewed 1200 times

Bleed them, leaving the bleed screws as tight as you can. Slide the caliper back onto the rotor, pushing out the wooden block. Bolt up the caliper, and tighten the bleed screws properly.

Got excited about a test-drive, but then realised that the driveway full of cars included the EK wagon... no fan belt, and alternator just sitting there waiting the new mounting bolts. Bugger. Update to follow once the bolts arrive and I get the wagon reassembled.

Cheers,
Harv

[Errol62]

I hate bleeding brakes at the best of times but that really sucks.

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

[Harv]

Still waiting on the repro head (patience, grasshopper) but feeling really uneasy about the short assembly. It's been sitting at the machinist for nearly three years. They have been pretty patient about it, but the chances of something going wrong/lost/busted/forgotten increases the longer it sits on a shelf.

The intent was to lay hands on the head, and use the dimensions to order the pistons. Assemble the short assembly, then take it home for me to fit and fiddle to a long motor. I'm going to take a risk that the head is similar to the originals, and move on. Ordered a set of pop-top forged slugs this week, with pin-end narrowed to control rod float (my crank throw widths are too wide to control the Mitsi rod float). Depending on how far wild the roller rockers end up I may have to fly cut valve reliefs, but there is plenty of meat in the piston crowns to do that.

If all goes well, it should end up at 156 cubes of pure terror, 9:1 static and 8psi of squeeze.

Also aiming for a disk brake test drive this week. More to follow.

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

Played musical cars in the driveway, and took the FB for a test drive. 2nd gear, gently gently only but enough to get a feel for it.

Old tyres on the wheels are hard as rocks, and out of round. No big deal, they need replacing anyway. Nothing fell off, which is a pleasant change.

Started out with the booster disconnected. Brakes work OK, but no better than standard drums. Might pass a brake test, but marginal.

Connected the booster, and brakes are great. Didn't push them hard (new pads need to bed-in) but stopping was nice, little pedal effort. Pedal has that boosted disk brake mooshy feel to it... may still be a bit of air in the lines though.

No dramas at full left lock, though something is fouling on full right lock (and no, I wasn't doing circle work in the cul de sac ). Will have to get under and have a better look.

Thought about testing the traction bars, then remembered that the LSD hasn't been bedded in either (this was the first run for diff, brakes and traction bars). Can't remember the run-in time for the LSD, but suspect it is longer than down-the-road-and-back. It would be just my luck to blow the guts out of it. Will have to be patient.

Cheers,
Harv

[Brett027]

That would be a technical term then Harv-"blow the guts out of it"

[Errol62]

Well done. Still got the stock grey in it I assume Harv.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

[Blacky]

never heard of a running in period for a diff before - what type is it ????

[EK283]

Good work Harv,

Remember these steel parts have no feeling so just get into it !!! I hate the initial run in period especially when standing next to your car with a brand new engine on a dyno with the thing revving away it scares the shit out of you, even worse when the dyno king goes, yep its run in lets do a power run, brown stuff tends to start leaking !!!!!

Anyway your correct in taking it easy especially if the car has no rego and your on a public road, can be very disastrous.

Hope you can sort that head out, 3 years needs a subtle push.

Greg

[Harv]

Stock grey, 30 thou over and well loved (starting to get smokey), Myers headers, Superflow worked head, single Strommie.

Checked again with the diff mob this morning. 2 days at 60km/h, then 500km at less than 80km/h (same guidance for the banjo plate-and-spring LSD as for the two Trutrac BW78's they've done for me).

Clocked up four years wait on the head and ancillaries this week. In retrospect, I should have waited/politic'd/cajoled/nagged the various original head owners some more until one fell into my lap. I tried that for 5 years and just could not land a head... so went for a repro and have lost another 4 years. I keep my opinions on the repro process pretty much to myself, as I have significant money down and nothing in my hands. If the head gets delivered, and it is as promised, it will be worth it.

Cheers,
Harv

[fb delivery]

A Repco headed motor sold here recently for $20.000

[FbSTDwagon]

Harv you mentioned getting some pop top pistons for the grey motor, what and where did you order them from / though?

Just curious for future reference

[Harv]

Pistons are coming from Special Piston Services.
https://specialpistonservices.com/

They are a custom made, forged slug with a similar lump to the original Repco pistons. Little-end width modified to control rod float, changed oiling drillings to better splash-lubricate the narrower little end, Honda file-fit modern ring design. They will take a LOT more abuse than the old sand-cast slugs, and will need to. I intend leaning heavily on this thing - depending on whose calculations you use, the static and squeeze combine up to about 13:1.

They are not cheap though. $2000 for a set of six . Other than almost making me change undies, the cost made me think hard before going this route. I figure though that this is the motor I will test-mule and play with for a long time.

Cheers,
Harv

[EK283]

Harv,

Its all great stuff and i love your determination.

Apart from all the go gear are you using a special crank, as this will be the achilles heel !!

Greg