[6 Pots...stuff your bhp, torque is king]

Suppose I better keep a record...!

I make no promises about how long this is going to take. I need to get my buggy on the road first which I will do once it stops precipitating long enough....

Anyways, I picked up 2 corvair long block engines from Rob @ East Coast. Both non runners and missing a few bits. One is a 1960/61 95hp engine, the other is a '64 110hp engine. The 95 is fairly clean and turns over. The 110 is filthy, and doesn't... 

The 110hp lump is supposed to be the best engine of the range, being smooth and torquey, so its this one I'm rebuilding. Rob warned me it was filthy....






Not one to be put off, and with a few words of wisdom from the Corvair Center forum, I set about stripping it.

Heads first. What a total swine. 6 of the head nuts are exposed and are known for rusting and seizing. Very much like a vw block, there are studs onto which the barrels fit and then the heads. These are an interferance fit of the Chevy block and I found some of the studs beginning to undo as I tried to undo the head nuts. Not a great thing...

Advice was don't mess about and break out the cold chisel. Duely done and all but 3 nuts came off. For the three I couldn't get out, the rods had to be undone. No real issue, I will be replacing them with 0.003" oversize replacements.

First head off, and its a bit grim....





Engine has been sat a long, long time. These are gonna need a diesel bath...

Other head off eventually this morning, much better this side.



Managed to get the barrels off as well, which is a result, and get them cleaned up. Going to try some electrolytic rust removal on the barrels tomorrow.



The heads are very dirty and oily. Need a proper high temp steam clean. Barrels and pistons don't look bad at all so I think just a hone and possibly some oversize rings should be ok. If not, its getting 94 mm barrels and pistons.... Need a little maching buy it takes the capacity out to 3.1 and power to around 130hp.

More updates tomorrow

 looks like a major refurbishment you have there, better start a parts required list to get pricing up and availability it could be a long job.

Hi Ben, it's a good job you are the backwards gearbox specialist! or have you got a gearbox for them?. Yeah, they might take a bit of cleaning up but nice if you can get all the bit's for the rebuild.

Rob

it's a good job you are the backwards gearbox specialist!

Beat me to it Rob. 


A great project Ben.  Good luck with it, we'll all be watching with interest. 

[6 Pots...stuff your bhp, torque is king]

Haha, yes, thank you boys.....

Snippy, yes, bit of a mission. Parts and a full support network available, mostly in the states though. I've ade a few good contacts for parts in this country too though and do have a route in for parts from abroad.

Looking forward to seeing this progress. Hope this pic helps!

[6 Pots...stuff your bhp, torque is king]

Cheers Matt.

Thats a 140hp engine. One of the earlier ones too as its got the earlier type fan

Tell its a 140 by the two intake ports on each head. Normally, it would have had 4 carbs, a primary and a secondary on each head. Bugger trying to balance 4 of them.....!!

Pinched that pic from alexB's build on vzi. Had the making of an amazing buggy but updates stopped in 2010!

[6 Pots...stuff your bhp, torque is king]

Ah, yes. Ive been speaking with him 

Did he ever finish it?

[6 Pots...stuff your bhp, torque is king]

He is almost done. I saw a pic of it not long back and it looked great but i cant find it now....

Hi Ben

That will be cool (and pokey) when its done

Will it be done before the buggy gets an MOT???

or has that been done

are you going to Volkworld show next weekend

[6 Pots...stuff your bhp, torque is king]

Steeley,

In answer to your questions, no, no and no!!!!

Close to being ready for MOT, but not got one yet. Its gonna take a while to get this rebuilt and no, I'm not going to volksworld.

Ben

[6 Pots...stuff your bhp, torque is king]

So, today i tried my first attempt at Electrolysis..................

Went very well. It needs a lot longer but in 3 hours a barrel went from how it looked on the right, to how it looks on the left. Im amazed!



Really pleased with those results. Rest of them plus any other bits i can will be getting the same treatment!

thats impressive, best post the electrolosis tank build again as it has been lost.