Let me know when you need help reading parts catalogs so you do not have to lie to us any more.
Freshly bead blasted cam cover, not sure whether to take advantage of the extra bhp the silver of the SuperAmerica spec now gives them, or detune them back to 575 red! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just a little recap. Everything that turns and burns on the 612 is the same as the 575, so even if the block and heads of the 612 were cast from unobtanium instead, they are still dimensionally the same and it would not make an ounce of difference, logically the only place those extra horses can come from is via the updated engine management, which uses the same loom and sensors as the 575 and is not from a change in colour of the cam covers and plenums either!. Given that the minor tweeks Ferrari made to the SA resulted in no extra gee gees what so ever over and above the 612 spec it was clearly a waste of time and effort, a mistake I shall not be copying. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Paul, there are some really attractive color combinations you can do in red, black, silver & plain or polished cast. I think the trick is to keep it simple, but elegant, and not do too much of one single color (other than the cast aluminum). Here's the direction I was going with my 550's intake system before I lost my mind completely, and decided on ITB's With this intake combo, I was going to play with either a red cam cover or a black one and see which one I liked better. If you know someone who's good with photo shop, you can do some amazing things in software first. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Loving the black plenums John. So far my thinking is silver crackle for the inlet manifold as factory, crackle black side plenums, and matching red crackle top plenums and cam covers. I am planning to reverse the inlet so that the actuator is on the front of the engine and the prancing horse to the rear.
Paul, here are two other color schemes that I collected when I was considering options: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
First of the heads stripped bare by my dad, cleaned by me, Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login and now back off to him for rebuilding. The last V12 he worked on was a Merlin!
Paul, I just noticed something interesting about your 575M block which is different than my 550 block. My block has dowels to keep the heads located, but yours apparently doesn't use them, or perhaps they remained in the heads when you pulled those? Two of the dowels (one on each bank) are solid, while two are hollow, and allow oil flow to the heads.
I will have a check when I see it next and report back. It was a while ago that it was pulled apart and my memory is hazy.
Here's a pic of my block showing where the hollow dowels are (with the screwdrivers). And the solid dowels are also on the top of each bank, on the opposite corners. Actually, "hollow" is a misnomer because all 4 dowels are hollow; it's just that two of the holes they're pressed into are drilled to provide oil to the heads: Image Unavailable, Please Login
Paul, I keep remembering little "gotcha's" about my block disassembly experience, and I'm happy to share here: 1. Be very careful when pulling studs, as many are Loctited in, and in the case of smaller ones (6mm) you'll twist them off before you realise it. So be sure to hit all the studs with a torch before using a stud pulling tool. Also, I would suggest only using the Snap-On type stud puller. If you intend to pull your head studs, you'll need a special collet for the tool, and others have had a helluva time getting it. I'll "loan" you mine if you need it, but I do want it back 2. Have a look inside your block's coolant plenum (top of block) and see if you have any casting slag that needs removing. I had a huge chunk that was plainly blocking flow to the middle cylinders on the right bank. Interestingly, these were also the ones that exhibited the worst pitting from cavitation...... 3. I'm sure you'll be pulling your liners, and you need a clever little tool for this. Mine was made by the Simard Tool Company, and I would encourage you to contact Michael Simard to source one for your engine. Here's a couple of pics of it in action: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Superb advice, thanks again, my dads handling that side of things so I will show him this thread. Appreciate the offer of the tool but I am in the UK!
