More Engine Progress
I finally got around to finishing my engine off early this month. I had been waiting to order a felpro head gasket which is thinner than the standard ford one, so allowing a compression ratio increase to around 9.8:1. The engine timing was set up with a timing disc and DTI to allow true TDC and full valve lift to be found. I found that the TDC mark on the crank pulley is spot on, this may have been more luck than judgement though! I just need to paint the rocker cover, and weld the sump up then it will be ready to put in the car. (Update - the sump was welded up by a mate and a very nice job he made too! It was fitted and the engine was filled with cheap 20W50 mineral oil for running in. It was pumped around the engine using a drill on the auxiliary shaft bolt, it didnt take long, and now means oil pressure will already be nearly built up when I first start the engine).
Alternative Master Cylinder
A word of warning, the master cylinder from a late Sierra isnt any good for a seven, the piston sticks out too far to be useable. So on a rainy saturday moring I had to make a trip to the scrap yard, and hit the jackpot! E reg pinto engined sierra sitting there for the taking. So I had a good few bits off it that would be useful during the build. The main thing I was after having was the master cylinder. This solved my problem, but it did mean I needed to drill 2 more fixing holes through the bulkhead. Not to worry though, we live and learn! Thankfully the pipe layout for the brakes didnt need much modification, this let me re-pipe the new M/C without changing the pipe clips around.
Having the new cylinder let me fabricate my pedal clevis and push rod. The holes in the clevis had to be offset, as it seemed like the master cylinder was too low in the bulkhead, although it was on the centre of the hole that was there when I bought the chassis. Not to worry, but it did mean a standard clevis wouldnt work. However it was a small problem, that is now solved, it means I can finally bleed my brake system through now and check that there are no leaks in the system and adjust my handbrake so that the car doesnt need to be chocked in the garage any more!
The most up to date pic
Rear Wings
I had a go at fitting the rear wings. This is a real 2 person job. They were held on with masking tape in the correct position, then pilot holes were drilled through the return flange on the inside of the wing. 3 of the holes hit chassis tubes, the other 3 just pass though the side panel and back panel. The 3 that hit the chassis will be fitted with rivnuts, and form the fixing of the rear panel and side panel. Large repair washers were used under the wing and on the back of the side and back panels. I found that one wing was a slightly different shape to the other, but this was adjusted by moving the fixing holes slightly.
Gearbox
The box was fitted with a new front and rear lip seal, as its easier to do before the box is fitted! They only cost about £3 each anyway. It was washed with degreaser (Spectroklenz) and then hosed off. Left to dry and then painted with smooth hammerite. It looks a bit better now, and even though you cant see it in the car I like to have a coat of paint on it. It will be filled with fresh oil before its fitted in the car.
Engine In
The completed engine was hoisted off its stand with a rented engine hoist. The flywheel, clutch and box were then bolted on and torqued up, before dropping the whole lot in the car. It does look rather like an engine with a car attached now, which amused my dad greatly. We had a couple of problems, the main one being that the engine mount holes were too far forward on the chassis, which meant they had to be re-drilled further back, this resulted in the engine and box going in and out 3 times, rather than just once.
A pinto is definately a tight fit in a seven, and the alternator won't fit without some modifaction to the braket, or by purchasing a smaller one. I had to trim the nose return flange partially away to allow it to clear the front of the engine, I am not sure that if you used standard bodywork that the engine would clear the bodywork! The sump was chopped to the same level as the bottom of the bellhousing, however it is still well below the bottom of the chassis tubes, I must remember this when navigating speed humps!
The last remaining thing to do is tweak the dipstick tube slightly so that the carburettor manifold will fit past it. The carbs can then be fitted.
Carbs Fitted
I finally got around to finishing my carbs off, fitting the correct jets and mounting them on the manifold. The whole assembly was bolted onto the head rather than using studs to mount it. The bonnet will definately need a hole cutting in it to clear the air filters when they are fitted. I also changed back to using the standard distributor cap as it will clear the manifold and neatens the HT leads up a bit.
Wiring
The loom was laid in the car, and it somehow seems to fit! The battery charge lead needs extending, and a few wires had to be moved around, but nothing too drastic. I have completely changed the ignition wiring to tidy it up a bit, and decide to remove the ballast resistor in the loom and use the one that came with my coil. Wires had to be added for the digital dash for the tacho, speed sensor, and power.
