B20 awoken after 46 years

[Kevin MacBride]

Right...got the RH head off today. Not as easy as the left. had to pull the steering shaft out of the way, plus the gear linkage shaft. Thinking back, I should have put it in gear. When in neutral the link closest to the manifold is in the way. I had to push it back towards the bulkhead to allow the edge of the manifold to clear.
I'll get the heads crack tested and lightly skimmed if need be. then get some gaskets, clean out the contaminated oil as much I can, and hope for the best !

[Kevin MacBride]

Gaskets, gaskets and even more gaskets. I've a choice of 3, copper with 'modern' filler, solid copper and modern 'fibre' type. I've gone for the copper with modern sandwich material, so hope for the best. Although Peter Harding told me the modern fibre type work very well, with no need to re-thghten. The solid copper ones need to be annealed before fitting, but can be torqued much higher than standard.

[Kevin MacBride]

Well, I discovered something interesting today. I was checking the old gaskets for signs of damage, when I noticed a 'overlapping' mark on both gaskets. What I think happened was that the previous owner had re-used the original gaskets. Re-fitting the RH gasket to the LH head and vice versa. When I had the picked up the heads from the machine shop, I was told that they both needed a few runs through the planer. One head being worse than the other.
Hopefully new gaskets will fix the problem, and that I have no issues with liners. The inside of the water galleries is red in colour, like old 'red lead' rust paint. Would this be original ?

[Kevin MacBride]

Cannot believe its over a year since I last posted a reply to this !!    Anyway, after numerous repairs, helicoils, inserts, headstuds and various different types of head gaskets, I finally managed to get her going again. Even went up and down the road for a little spin. Still need to re check tappet clearances, some water leaks (hoses), but hopefully this time it all works out ok.

[Parisien]

Kevin.....was waiting for the good news, fingers and everything else crossed for you. It looks even more stunning in the flesh, as if just off the assembly line, magnificent.

P

[the.cern]

Excellent Kevin, so glad to see that real progress is being made and hopefully another B20 will be on the road in full working order in the near future.

We, well Jim really, are moving forward, but at a rather lethargic pace, hopefully that will pick up a little soon, but there are always little unexpected elements that pop out and bite you on the bum at the most unfortunate times !!

Please post some more photos, if for no other reason than to keep me motivated !!

                                     Andy

[Kevin MacBride]

Drove the car up and down the road, everything seems to be in order (so far)
Just a few questions for you more 'in tune' than myself.
In the workshop manual, actually on the same page (I never noticed it before), it states a valve clearance gap of 1mm (for timing) and then a gap of .30/.35 (when cold)....what's this about ? Is it that you gap at 1mm, then time the engine, and then re set to the other measurement when the engine has cooled.
On my own car I just gapped at .35 and that was that.

[JohnMillham]

Drove the car up and down the road, everything seems to be in order (so far)
Just a few questions for you more 'in tune' than myself.
In the workshop manual, actually on the same page (I never noticed it before), it states a valve clearance gap of 1mm (for timing) and then a gap of .30/.35 (when cold)....what's this about ? Is it that you gap at 1mm, then time the engine, and then re set to the other measurement when the engine has cooled.
On my own car I just gapped at .35 and that was that.

I think they mean that you should set the gaps on No 1 cylinder at 1 mm for timing purposes, so that you are able to find the position where the gaps are the same when the exhaust valve is closing and the inlet is opening. That's the position where the piston should be at TDC. Regards, John

[Kevin MacBride]

IT'S GONE !!!!
Finally.....my mate Alex, who has a few bits and bobs to finish off on the car, collected it just after we returned from the NEC. Fitted a new battery, fired her up, and drove onto the trailer. So, my job is done. I was initially asked to 'fit an engine, that had sat for over 40 years'    'fix the brakes, seized and gummed with 40 year old brake fluid'     'fix the fuel system, the tank had an inch of solidified 'goo'   and make a wiring loom.
All jobs completed, so now I have a space where a B20 used to be........

[Parisien]

Happy days Kevin...look forward to seeing both B20s in their natural environments sometime next year


P

[Kevin MacBride]

It's been a while, but finally got the interior finished. More or less...

[stanley sweet]

That interior is just superb. Pure class!

[Parisien]

Very smart Kevin....loving every inch a brilliant B 20


P

[HF_Dave]

Amazing transformation from the start . It would be nice to take a drive in it , I never thought I would see the day when I first saw it about 10 yrs ago it looked like it would never make it back to the road. Well done !

[Kevin MacBride]

I'm the only person who's actually driven it since the 60's. It still needs a clutch fitted, and a few small niggles, but we're nearly there. Just a reminder as to what it looked like when found.....a genuine 'barn find'