Assuming you buy the updated shaft and trans carriers, how much does the labor cost to have them installed? If you can pull the motor yourself, can you also do these?
When you diff and box is all setup and ready to drive I would recommend using Redline 75W90 NS GBox oil. The NS is no slip which helps with the difficult gear change in the Testarossa and helps get the synchros matched for gear change. If you then find that the diff chatters start adding their Slip additive until it smooths out. Initially drive the car in tight circles to 'bed' in the LSD plates, you may find you need no additive. There is a balance for each individual car in terms of getting the slip VS smooth shifting correct.
Rob, you need your eyes testing mate, you've painted it blue Bit of welding wizardry going on there, fantastic job. Would like one for myself, in RED of course P
Hello Phil; That's FORD RACING BLUE!!!...to honour Robert's DeTomaso Pantera!!!....Brillant Bloke that Robert!!!....Mark
The feedback I have recieved is all good. The shock loads during combustion put on the crankshaft bearings is far greater than my static engine weight. Just have to watch turning the crank with that much weight on it and no internal lubrication. Bearings don't like that. But, there isn't any reason to turn the crank as the entire assembly rotates in the stand. Thanks to Mk e for pointing that out to me. Time to turn that big sucker over and get those rusty exhaust studs out and get everything clean and ready to start re-assembly.
I don't mean to highjack the thread, but I note the extra care being taken on finishing parts etc. and there seems to be an interest from the more anal folks LOL. I bought a zinc plating kit from Caswell (http://www.caswellplating.com/) and have been succesfully plating and chromating my own bits and bobs. Probably not very useful for people outside the USA (although Im sure you could source a home brew system), but if you are scared to send your bolts etc. somewhere to be plated, or there is no where close OR you simply want to experiment and learn a new skill, it really works nicely and is fast. Super clean prep of the parts (degreasing, bead blasting, etc) is required, but the plating only takes 20 mins. Ive been very happy with my results and I can do small batches of stuff and add the yellow chromate or blue (clear) chromate at the end so the part looks factory/hardware fresh. Ive been doing a few parts for the 59 Healey I am restoring (its on the lift in the background). The first pic is the various buckets of H2O, chromate colution, plating solution and acid wash. The next two pics are of a transmission stay (in zinc/yellow chromate) and a bolt in bue (basically clear) chromate. Both looked originally like a 63 year old bolt/part that came of an unrestored healey (i.e, dog s***). Cleaned/plated looks like new! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
This entire CAD coating process deserves it's own thread. Would you like to start one as I'm sure plenty of guys including myself would be very interested in this. Rob.
Well it's been a couple of weeks since posting, but rest assured I haven't been lazing on a beach somewhere. It's cold and rainy downunder so many long nights in the garage with the pot belly stove buring through a trailer load of wood to keep us warm. I'm on to the second wire wheel for the 8" bench grinder and have gone through 25 kgs of garnet in the sandblaster. Things are cleaning up pretty well for the most part, but like everything, it's not the dirt and corrosion that you can see that causes issues, it's where you can't see. Inside of shocker bushes, under bolt heads, it goes on and on. 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
The big job these last two weeks has been the total stripping of the rear sub frame. Every nut, bolt, arm and bracket have been removed and the frame has gone off to be sandblasted and re-coated. Getting the control arms (wishbones) off was a fun job. On the rear, the lower control arms came off perfectly but the uppers gave me some issues. Both upper control arm rear most bolts were siezed inside the control arm bushes and had to be cut through. Here's a few images of the subframe strip. 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 Image Unavailable, Please Login
Lots and lots of things that you don't normally see, and normally clean. Small brackets on the subframe to hold cables and plugs. Rear engine mounts that have been pounded by the elements for 20+ years. This is a substantial job and not to be taken lightly that's for sure. Here's my bundle of bits ready for the blaster and coating. Engine mount brackets, control arms, ECU panels, exhaust and various small brackets. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It took two full days to remove all of the bushes and cleanup the control arms. You just can't press these. The arms are really weak and the bushes fit seriously firm. Most of the bushes were in good condition and the outer sleeves were still gold cad coated so obviously they fit so tight that no water can ever get in there. I used a variety of tools but found that a length of high tensile threaded rod was the best and simply wind the bush out using nuts and washers. First I cut the end off the bush with a power hacksaw. Then using the threaded rod I extracted the centre steel bush which has one washer attached to the end. Once this was out then use a suitable socket or washer and again, use the threaded rod to wind out the rubber. Then all you have left is the outer shell of the bush. I cut through this with a hacksaw. You can feel when you are just through as the tension will be relieved and the hacksaw blade will jam in the slot you have cut. Then use a large drift punch or cold chisel to get the shell out. I managed quite well and barely left a mark on the control arms from cutting through the inside of the shell. It's a filthy dirty job and you will make a serious mess so no pics of this. I never had hands clean enough to pick up the camera.
Here's another usefull tip. Ever lose a small nut or washer in your sand blasting cabinet? PITA that is. Have to empty the sand and sift through it looking for the lost component. Fun....NOT. I keep an enamel steel tray in the unit under where I'm working and this invariably catches things that I drop, but here's a better idea. Get down to a local homewares store and buy a large sieve or strainer. Stainless prefered. Not only can you use it to put the bits in after you clean them up, but it doesnt fill up with grit so you won't lose things. As an added bonus you can actually blast small items and hold them with the sieve. Just constantly shake it whilst blasting and you will get everything, even stuff that is too small to hold in those awkward gloves. Suzie dropped in last weekend and spent most of the day hunched over the cabinet putting my new idea to the test. The results................. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Contrary to popular belief, most of the engine / gearbox components are actually not raw alloy but have been silver coated at the factory. The silver comes off quite easily but the primenr that the factory uses is some type of ceramic and it's seriously hard. The bell housing / clutch cover generally gets pretty nasty looking. This is a tricky component as it's very difficult to strip with all of the reduction gears, clutch slave cylinder etc inside. Mine looked quite ordinary, so the best way to deal with it was to hand strip it and then wash it down carefully as it's full of gears and bearings. Took many hours but the results are great. First coat of paint stripper took off the silver and much of the primer. Then Suzie stepped in and gave it another coat and the results were terrific. A messy job, and imperative to wear good hand and eye protection, but well worth the effort. The garage was quite warm as we had the fire on all day, so I finished up with a coat of VHT engine enamel primer on this part. It will be finished in VHT engine enamel 'cast silver' colour. 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
So here lies the sum of five weeks of part time work, every weekend and most nights. Bags and bags of cleaned parts, nuts. bolts, washers and fittings. Every single component has been either sandblasted or wire wheeled or both. 811 pieces to go out to be zink cadmium coated. Sure would hate this little lot to get lost! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Excellent. I located an agency of those products here in Melbourne but the costs are 4x USA pricing. I'm keen to have a go though so will follow your new thread with much interest.
Doing the best I can here Mel. Nice time to be in Europe though. Damn wet and cold here. Makes it harder to get motivated. Koni came back to me today and the shockers are completed. Rebuilt and ready to fit. Hope to see my powdercoated items and subframe back here next week.
