Ford 100e Popular

Photos and words about my 100e project, the plan is to convert it to a crossflow engine and everything that goes with it and avoid the need for a BIVA test

[davevagrant]

Make your own polybushes

Having taken the rear end apart the rubbers for the leaf spring clamps had pretty much turned back into the north sea oil they had once previously been.

Bit annoying as nobody makes this part and most people get a bit of rubber section draught excluder and fudge it in as a replacement.

I got to wondering how difficult it would be to make my own, did a bit of research into polyurethane and something called Shore A,  which is a measurement of toughness.  Long story short...  85 Shore A 2 part casting rubber from MBFG... https://www.mbfg.co.uk/duroflex-85.html 

A bit of mould making....

and tadaaaaa!

A high torque jubilee clip round that will do the trick nicely and it’s an upgrade on the original Ford bit to boot! Very happy with this and astonished how easy it was to do.

[davevagrant]

Rear end refurb

Having removed the rear axle, it was time to remove and refurbish the leaf springs ready to go on the new axle that’s going on.

I still need to source some rubber beading the right profile for the leaf spring clamps but everything else is cleaned up and given a fresh lick of paint in the meantime.

[davevagrant]

It’s been ages

It’s been ages since I last posted a blog,  over a year in fact.  Life gets in the way, important things like getting married for example :)

Back on it now though,  took a big step forward,  or is that back and removed the rear axle from the car ready for the new one to go in.  Pleased to say that there was no major fight,  other thana  little heat on a couple of bolts  everything came undone with little or no drama.   Nothing sheared, nothing stripped, nothing rounded off!

[davevagrant]

Bottom end all done

Few more shed hours this evening and the bottom end is all done,  water pump, oil pump, fuel pump, sump, oil breather kidney box etc etc...

[davevagrant]

Pistons and timing

Another productive couple of hours in the shed this evening.  Ladies, gentlemen and others, the pistons are back in and the timing gear is back on :)

[davevagrant]

Rebuild begins

Started the engine rebuild today.   Crank is in and sitting on new main bearings, cam followers and cam shaft are also back in.

Piston rings and pistons in on new big end bearings next and then the timing gear.

Needs to go back on the stand really now, but I needed to put the crank end seal plate on first before it could be bolted back on the stand arms.

[davevagrant]

Nice new bush

Since my last post I’ve obtained some phosphor bronze material and had a spigot bearing replacement  ... bushing made up so that the 17mm  bullet gearbox input shaft will fit where once the later 15mm shaft went.  LOt of time and effrt ent into something very small indeed.

Thank you to Nige Storer at Precious Metal in Billericay for machining this up for me.

It really can all start going back together soon :)

[davevagrant]

Brands Hatch Performance

Yesterday afternoon at 2:45pm I ordered the big end bearings from Brands Hatch Performance via ebay -  9:45am this morning...  just 19 hours later..... the postie is on my doorstep asking me to sign for them!

Brilliant service well worth a mention here

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/shopbhp

http://www.shopbhp.com 

[davevagrant]

Update on previous post

Went through everything again....  glad I did!  Went back and cleaned the top of the pistons properly rather than the light de-coke I gave them when I took them out and found a very feintly stamped 6 (or 9) measured the bores as best I could with some calipers  (yeah I know I should use  a proper bore gauge) but in 3 directions across each cylinder  I’m happy  that’s a 6 and not a 9 ...

So....   020 Main bearings,  010 Big ends   and 060 rings ordered.  I measured the thrust washers and they are STD so they can go back in and I’ll check the crank play and order oversize if needed after that.

In other news,  I’ve been watching the Urchfab youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/urchfab and I’ve been thinking about maybe adding videos as well as pictures to this blog.   I’ve blown a few quid on a cheap(ish) camera and spent a couple of hours teaching myself the basics of Adobe Premier software.  The bearings and rings will turn up about the same time as the camera so I might make a speeded up video of putting the engine back together,  bit of fun.

[davevagrant]

Bearing sizes

Decided to trust my own judgement,   so that’ll me 010 big ends and 020 main bearings   and standard rings.   Order those up and we’ll see ow we get on from there.

[davevagrant]

Sorry been a bit quiet

I’ve been a bit quiet, a few things are happening but there’s not really anything to see at the moment.   Was going to order some new main and big end bearings...  looked for micrometer... looked more.... and more..... it is missing in action somewhere.  SO in desperation I bought a new digifangled one....   now...  it’s new  I don’t trust it.... yet....  so I’ve measured the journals and I know what size I think they are,  I need to wait for a friend to come over with his gauge to see if my gauge is trustworthy.     I’m not going to shell out (see what I did there)  on bearings until I know they’re right.

For the record, here’s the info I’ve compiled from product data on websites and forum posts

Mains Journal Diameter STD 53.988/54.000mm 2.1255/2.1260" 010 53.734/53.746mm 2.1155/2.1160" 020 53.480/53.492mm 2.1055/2.1060" 030 53.226/53.238mm 2.0955/2.0960" 040 52.972/52.984mm 2.0855/2.0860"

Main Housing Diameter STD 57.683/57.696mm 2.2710/2.2715" 015 58.064/58.077mm 2.2860/2.2865"

BIG ENDS STD 49.199/49.212mm 1.9370/1.9375" 010 48.946/48.959mm 1.9270/1.9275" 020 48.692/48.705mm 1.9170/1.9175" 030 48.438/48.451mm 1.9070/1.9075" 040 48.184/48.197mm 1.8970/1.8975"

New standard ACL thrust washers measure 0.092" thick

In other news I’ve bought a Mig welder off ebay...   Badged as Snap On   it’s a Cebora which take quite a lot of abuse.

Learning to weld is my next mission for February...  more soon...

[davevagrant]

Block cleaned and painted

Started the day with the jet washer and the block and removed a lot  (really a lot) of scale and sludge from the water system.

Then a final degrease  and on the engine stand and masked up.

High temp engine enamel primer

While I was waiting for that to cure off I painted these two black (as they’ll be bolted to something grey my OCD demands they must be black)

Then back to the block with some of this engine enamel...

... and finally unmasked ready for refit when the new rings and things turn up... really must order those this week.

[davevagrant]

Big day in the shed today

I think today has been the most productive day in a fair while.  Starting with turning 50 pieces (if you count the collets as 2 bits each) into one build cylinder head.

Next up, dismantle the bottom end.....

Timing chain off and cam out.  There is some pitting on the sides of the lobes  but the ends look good. 

The bearings all look good too,  that will all go again for another turn as will the cam followers that all also look like they’ve had little real use.

Pistons out....   for some reason I didn’t take any pictures of the pistons.

Bearings show normal wear and no scoring 

Block in the degreser,  it’ll go back on the stand and out in the garden tomorrow and have an appointment with Mr Karcher to get all the sludge out of the water jacket

.

[davevagrant]

Black head

Took the masking off the head this evening  ready for turning the 49 piece jigsaw back into one piece tomorrow.  Casting degreased to death, then UHT etch, then engine enamel primer then engine enamel primer.  It’s got the best chance of anything of staying on

[davevagrant]

Valves done and some painting

Moretime lapping valves this evening and they’re all done.   I may go over them all once more each with a  bit of fine  but I may not.... so that means I probably will.

The high temp engine paint turned up today too so the timing cover and the sump both got HT etch, then base primer then gloss black enamel :)

[davevagrant]

Lapping it up

Half way through the valve lap.   4 done 4 to go.

[davevagrant]

Good head

Took the valves out of the head 

They all look OK,  not pitted at all and the seats look good so a little bit of fine paste and a light lap should do.

Degreased the head and then gave it a dip in some descaler to try and break away some of the crud in the water ways.

Much boiling of kettles full of rainwater and that worked pretty well...  good enough that once it’s running some descaler in the water system will deal with the rest of it and certainly enough for water to flow pretty well.

Also cleaned up the sump ready for some tlc and paint when the new paint turns up.   I’ve ordered some black and some grey engine enamel.

That’s about it for now.  Between now and the next blog I’ll be valve lapping.  If anyone is after a cure for insomnia you’re welcome to come round and help HAHA