1998 550 Maranello "sorting" thread--DIY | Page 36 | FerrariChat
Buy

1998 550 Maranello "sorting" thread--DIY

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by moorfan, Aug 15, 2011.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Page 36 of 41
  1. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    37,288
    Cowboy Capitol of the World
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    #876 Rifledriver, May 7, 2015
    I have found them to be less steady than the articulated arm type but then I have not tried Mitutoyos.
     
  2. Cribbj

    Cribbj Formula 3
    BANNED

    Jan 1, 2011
    2,316
    Cooke City MT, The Coolest Small Town in America
    Full Name:
    John
    #877 Cribbj, May 7, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Long Island Indicator sells all manner of dial indicators, bore gauges, and very cool accessories, and one of their handy gadgets is a chuck for the indicator, similar to a drill chuck. They call it a pin vise: 133 : MTC Contact Points for Dial Indicators.

    This little device, coupled with some of McMaster's miniature precision shafts like this one: McMaster-Carr can get your dial indicator body up above the cams, but with only the shaft passing by the cam lobes and contacting the tappet. I bought the 3/64" x 3" shafts then cut them to fit my needs.

    Plus because everything is in the same plane, it's a little easier to line up with the tappet angles, assuming you have one of the magnetic bases and an articulating/rotating arm.

    This is the rig I used when taking the data for that valve timing chart.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  3. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #878 moorfan, May 8, 2015
    But John, both you are Carl are showing a dial gauge that is pretty much vertical and doesn't actually follow the tappet's axis of travel, sort of like what I originally had done. Stay tuned... :)
     
  4. gsjohnson

    gsjohnson Formula 3

    Feb 25, 2008
    2,291
    Woodland Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    GS Johnson
    #879 gsjohnson, May 8, 2015
    Pete-I noted this as well.
     
  5. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    37,288
    Cowboy Capitol of the World
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    #880 Rifledriver, May 8, 2015
    Sorry.


    By my Mark 1 eyeball Carls is a significant way off from vertical and is probably quite close to being in line with the valve.


    John on the other hand measures for max lift (which in my opinion is a bad method but he knows that) so parallelism with the valve is unimportant.
     
  6. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    37,288
    Cowboy Capitol of the World
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    #881 Rifledriver, May 8, 2015
    I'll but out now.

    Feel free to pursue whatever poor methods and witchcraft appeals to you.
     
  7. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #882 moorfan, May 8, 2015
    But don't butt out yet... I'm just about to do it again correctly! :)
     
  8. Cribbj

    Cribbj Formula 3
    BANNED

    Jan 1, 2011
    2,316
    Cooke City MT, The Coolest Small Town in America
    Full Name:
    John
    #883 Cribbj, May 8, 2015
    I plead parallax error & astigmatism.

    I do recall very well trying to get the dial indicator inline with the tappet axis, because I did want to get an accurate measure of maximum lift in order to construct that valve timing chart, and I didn't want the trig errors tripping me up.
     
  9. gsjohnson

    gsjohnson Formula 3

    Feb 25, 2008
    2,291
    Woodland Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    GS Johnson
    #884 gsjohnson, May 8, 2015
    You guys are making me want to pour sand in my motor... :)
     
  10. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #885 moorfan, May 8, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  11. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #886 moorfan, May 10, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    So this weekend I RETIMED the 550 this time using my "new" new setup :)
    I made EVERY effort to get this dial gauge shaft exactly in plane with tappet travel; it is a difficult task because my eyeball is what it is.

    However, after doing everything I could to be as precise as possible I ended up here (Photo 1).

    My "old" new timing that I had previously labeled as "correctly timed" was indeed OFF, and outside of the error range in the WSM. So as Rifledriver said, the angle makes a difference. Looking at the assembly marks, it doesn't jump out at you as being significantly off, but using a dial gauge it is way out. Thank you Brian for pointing this out!!!!

    I guess this again illustrates the importance of actually degreeing every time you change the cam seals.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  12. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    29,287
    socal
    #887 fatbillybob, May 10, 2015
    So I think I did the math right:

    How the 0.70mm +/- .05mm spec changes with angles not parallel to the valve:
    5* off = 0.003mm
    10* off =0.011mm
    15* off= 0.020mm
    20* off= 0.0422mm
    30* off = 0.094mm

    So if you can get the spec perfect you can be off 20* from vertical and still be in spec.

    I always take the cams out some time during my major. What we need to do is put a 90 right on the lifter top so that we can build a rig to hold the dial gauge perpendicular to the lifter top. It could be that the cam cover deck is very close to parallel with the lifter top or could be made so with some shims. Then it would be easy to ensure parallelism to the valve. When I did this a few months ago I just eyeballed it.
     
  13. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #888 moorfan, May 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  14. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #889 moorfan, May 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    My radiator shroud had lost its paint around the screw holes, which makes the engine bay look a little sloppy.

    This piece is bare aluminum with paint on it. I didn't see any primer when I stripped it (Photo 1)

    After lightly scuffing the entire cover with 400 grit sandpaper for adhesion, VHT crinkle plus was used to recoat the piece. The end result is very close to OEM (Photo 2)
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  15. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #890 moorfan, May 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Cam covers repainted (Photo 1)

    Here is a shot of where to apply sealant on the cam covers to augment the gasket. (Photo 2)

    I don't think the WSM recommends the spark plug wells, but mine had leaked a little bit since the last major. The periphery of the cover remained dry. I would think it a major PITA if you coat the entire cover with sealant in addition to the gasket. This will require LOTS of removal work later.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  16. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    29,287
    socal
    #891 fatbillybob, May 17, 2015
    what cam cover paint did you use? I used VHT red which is a bit too orange. I guess that would be a point deduct in a concourse.
     
  17. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #892 moorfan, May 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Carl, I used the VHT wrinkle paint there also, but overlayed it with a brighter color red to more approximate OEM.

    I purchased a couple of supply fuel lines from FerrParts a while back cheaply, because I was curious as to whether or not our lines would degrade over time like some of our other fuel system parts. (Photo 1)

    This is the old line cut off, so that braiding could be stripped (Photo 2)

    This is the construction of the line. There is a second layer of braiding IN the rubber and the internal lining on my 20k mile car looks fine and was nice and supple. (Photo 3)
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  18. ///Mink

    ///Mink Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2006
    824
    Fair Oaks, CA
    Full Name:
    Tom Mink
    #893 ///Mink, May 17, 2015
    Timely thread, as I just an hour ago painted some of my TR4's interior parts with VHT wrinkle finish. It been about an hour and I still see no wrinkle. How long did yours take?
     
  19. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    29,287
    socal
    #894 fatbillybob, May 17, 2015
    I have had that happen too on occasion and never got a wrinkle. I'm not sure why.
     
  20. gsjohnson

    gsjohnson Formula 3

    Feb 25, 2008
    2,291
    Woodland Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    GS Johnson
    #895 gsjohnson, May 17, 2015
    Sometimes the crinkle paint needs some encouragement with a hair dryer or heat gun.
     
  21. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #896 moorfan, May 18, 2015
    As GS said, I have always used a heat gun.
    Spray the part down, and after you have thoroughly coated it and the paint has settled begin diffusely heating with the heat gun. Don't get it so close that you boil up the paint, just heat the piece uniformly. At some point (usually after 5-10 minutes of heat gunning), the wrinkling begins to "flash over".
     
  22. ///Mink

    ///Mink Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2006
    824
    Fair Oaks, CA
    Full Name:
    Tom Mink
    #897 ///Mink, May 18, 2015
    Thanks guys. Mine eventually did wrinkle up, but it took a few hours and the finish was inconsistent. Looks like my method needs some work. I'll try the heat gun next time.
     
  23. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #898 moorfan, Jun 20, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I decided to solve my radiator leak issue by purchasing a used radiator from my buddy John Cribb. John is an honest and ethical guy and was kind enough to submerge his OEM radiator in his pool, while pressurized with a scuba tank to prove it wasn't leaking. That's the kind of guy he is. :)

    I decided to take apart my cooling fans partially out of curiosity and partially to see if anything needed work. To do this, you start by removing all 8 screws on the back (four black and four gold screws) (Photo 1)

    Once the back cap is off you can get a look at the internals, including the four brushes and the solder joints. All looked good, aside from my brush wear debris (Photo 2)

    The brush wear debris gets deep down there, so I took apart the whole thing and sprayed it all with LectraMotive. (Photo 3)
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  24. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #899 moorfan, Jun 20, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I also replaced the worn brake cooling ducts with CEET 3.25 inch aircraft ducting, of which you require about 24 inches per side. This is the old stuff (Photo 2)
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  25. moorfan

    moorfan Formula Junior

    May 11, 2009
    809
    Central Virginia
    Full Name:
    Pete
    #900 moorfan, Jun 20, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
Page 36 of 41

Share This Page