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Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Posts: 4073 Reg: 04-2006
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Friday, June 29, 2018 - 08:47 am, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
As promised I will post up thew components etc used in the new engine.
New head gasket, rings, ACL race bearings, ARP head studs, ARP main studs, ARP rod bolts, new seals, and 272 Camtech cam shafts were all purchased from Golbys. The supertech dual springs and retainers from Golby’s did not fit, so the correct Supertech ‘beehive’ springs for a 1J were sourced (more on that later). It is always good to buy the same parts twice. Or not. The good news is Chris got the correct springs cheaper than I got the incorrect ones. Lesson 1: sometimes better to let the builder source the parts. The Bexo baffles, windage tray and extended oil drains were all transferred from the current engine.
The lightened flywheel and clutch from the old engine were also sent to Chris so the whole lot can be fully balanced and assembled by C & M Engine Services. It was 43 degrees the day I pulled the engine and clutch and was bloody horrible out in the shed. Removing the lightened flywheel caused some drama, resulting in cheap spanners being welded to the bolts in order to get them out. The things we do for fun.
The block was honed, faced and washed up for assembly. The balancing is done and the pistons & rods were all washed up for assembly, as was the sump & pick up, the rocker cover and the 2 new camshafts,. A new OEM head gasket, along with all the seals and rear seal housing and front bits that bolted to the block were replaced. The cylinder head cam caps, head bolts/studs, main bearing caps, sump bolts etc were cleaned up or replaced with ARP stuff where applicable. Each rod bolt was tensioned, loosened and re-tensioned. Total of 3 times for new bolts. 11 bolts at .0075" stretch and 1 bolt just short of .0075". Chris and I were happy so long as they don't exceed maximum stretch which is .008". This is an example of the detail I would not have thought to go into on my own. Lesson 2: Sometimes it pays to let the experts have a go.
The valve seats were done, head faced and valve clearances done and the head got all washed up to assemble and put on the engine last night only to find the valve springs don’t fit as alluded to earlier. After double checking Golby’s site to confirm the part numbers are the correct ones that they list we figured there must be some work required to make them fit (important note: this is not noted on the website!) Chris tried to track down a tool to machine the head to suit them. After some head scratching and calls to Supertech we decided they were not going to work in an engine that sees hours of abuse in a day. Might be OK for a 10 second drag queen, but not a circuit motor. Well, as Chris said, he can make anything fit, but if they are put in the head he has not way of guaranteeing the engine will not fail as a result. The problem is that quite a bit of material would need to be removed from the valve stem guides to fit the dual springs, and this would lead to valve issues and potentially the head self machining and feeding itself to the rest of the motor...or something like that.
As with any big build, or in actual fact any little job on an increasingly customised racecar there were a number of issues that needed to be solved along the way. Parts that arrived incorrect or incompatible with the combo such as the 1st oil pump sent was wrong, there were no expanders with the oil ring rails in the set supplied, I had to track down the o rings for the front oil galleries and the o ring for the ally sump to block. Chris ended up buying and bottom end gasket set, so now there are spares. There were no valve stem seals to put the head together but Chris had a set in stock.
The engine is now sitting in my shed, wrapped in plastic and ready to go in the car. I am taking a week off work next week, with the intention of fitting the engine. And getting it down to Brenton at Fours ‘n’ More for a larger 3 Bar MAP sensor and a new tune. I am giggly with excitement to finally drive a proper, fully balanced, ‘cammed’ motor. The final horsepower number will obviously be of interest to many, but I am actually more keen to learn how to drive the car with a cam and shift in power a bit further up the rev range. Chances are lap times will be a little slower until I learn what gear the car wants to be in for each of the corners at Mallala.
