Car 99 Engine III: Cashing in on Nostalgia

The air cleaner, valve cover, and exhaust manifold were removed.

The cylinder head and the starter cover were removed, and the magneto clearance was set to 0.010".

The mating surface on the exhaust manifold was found to be heavily fouled by corrosion and residual gasket material.

The surface was cleaned to a more reasonable condition using a wire brush.

The exhaust port of the cylinder head was similarly fouled. The port was plugged with a clean rag before cleaning to prevent contamination of the cylinder head.

The exhaust port mating surface was cleaned.

The difference between the new gasket and the old gasket is compelling.

The cylinder head was examined. The sealing surface was found to be contaminated with corrosion and deteriorated gasket material.

The contact surface was cleaned thoroughly.

The engine block contact surface was found to be similarly contaminated.

It was also cleaned,

and the new head gasket was installed.

The cylinder head was then installed, with all head bolts torqued to 220 in-lbs, and the lash of the exhaust valve was set to 0.004".

The lash of the intake valve was also set to 0.004".

The valve cover and starter cover were reinstalled.

This information seems to be important. It should be realized, however, that this valve cover is associated with the cylinder head, exhaust manifold, and intake system from the blown engine, which were removed and installed on the shelfed engine to produce this working franken-engine.

The engine reassembly was completed, and the governor was recalibrated to SAE/Briggs and Stratton specifications. A tutorial may be produced, depending on demand. An Engine Test Run Video is available. During the test the engine was run from idle at approximately 1700rpm up to the maximum service speed of about 3800rpm.

The engine was reinstalled in the race car, which is now ready for evaluation by the powertrain group to be recertified for testing.

I welcome any questions, comments, or concerns.