At last, it's show time!

[Tabcon]

Well, I suffered a slight setback on the rebuild. Nothing major, but I did have to send the (second) block out to get the deck height right. NOT to the same machine shop that ruined my first block of course. The deck was not off that much and I was determined to do it myself, but it just turned into too much of a PITA.

"Hound"- the 2 very important lessons I have learned from trying to do everything myself are:

1. Get the right tools.

2. Get the right tools.

I was spending more time trying to make or rig things to use then I was actually spending working on the engine. Depending on what you're doing, there are 3 essential tools that I think are mandatory to rebuild your engine correctly.

1. <span style="font-weight: bold">A GOOD dial indicator!</span> Not a $29.95 mass produced one made in China. You don't need to spend a fortune on one, but I did a little research and found the best one for this particular application to be the Mitutoyo 1" dial gauge. No, it's not Swiss made but it's a darn good one and extremely accurate. It's also very sturdy and easy to read. Some of the very expensive ones are just too fussy and delicate to use in a garage setting. I bought it off of Amazon for about $93.00, which is a great deal for this gauge that normally sells for around $130+.

https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-2416S-001...9173179&sr=1-23

2. A good 3D magnetic base to use with the Mitutoyo. Again, after a little research and shopping around, I settled on a base made by Noga.

This is a fantastic base and very easy to use. The arm articulates in 3 dimensions and it has a fine adjustment knob as well. The magnetic base is also very powerful. You really don't want to drop your dial indicator on a concrete floor. I got this one from Wholesale Tool for about $108.00.

https://www.wttool.com/

3. A good straight edge. These things are everywhere. Some are junk and some are ridiculously expensive. I found one, again at Amazon for under $60.00 that works extremely well.

I paid less than 300 bucks for all these tools and the headaches they have saved me are well worth it.

 

[Brosky]

It's the old adage, you get what you pay for. Mitutoyo gauges are common in many shops for one reason, they are very accurate. A few thousandths can make a big problem if it's too tight or too loose.

Nice link that you provided too.

 

[Tabcon]

I used the dial indicator to check the crank run out. Whatever you do, don't order any thrust washers from Moss, they're cheesy ones made in India. I found some made by Clevite at Calico Coatings that come already coated for only 10 bucks more.

The alternator is from https://www.raceproven.com/

The Pauter rods are lengthened by .5" and they also can make them in a .75" size, but you have to have your liners or your block machined to use the longer ones. You can only use the longer rods with the correct pistons which I bought from J & E Pistons. The pistons are what they refer to as "short deck pistons" and have have the wrist pin location moved in relation to the piston top so as to retain the same exact overall rod & piston height as the OE set up, even though the rods are longer. The reason for doing this is to reduce the piston speed as well as lessening the amount of force exerted on the crank pin. Or so I have been told. What it's all supposed to work out to is quicker revving engine with less friction. Now this is not the same as increasing the stroke, only the rod length. To increase the stroke you have to regrind your crank to make the center of the journals lower on the crank and then add the longer rods.

I'm not sure exactly how much of a power increase there will be with the larger liners, but the cubic inches goes from about 130 to 139, roughly. I'm still not sold on the ignition system yet and may change this before it's all done.

The Weber's are supposed to offer a slight advantage on straight away speed, but probably not a great deal of difference in every day type driving. I've had Weber's before and I'm comfortable tuning them, but they can be a bit more frustrating to deal with than the SU's...besides they look much cooler with the velocity stacks installed!

When it's all said and done, I'm hoping to get around 165 to 170 horsepower at the crank, maybe a little more. If I really wanted to get exotic and add fuel injection or a turbo, I could get a bit more power, but the cost just isn't worth it in my case.

 

[TR3driver]

Just curious, Tab, what did you need the dial indicator for?

 

[Tabcon]

TR3, the dial indicator comes in handy for a bunch of stuff. I've used it to check the run out on the crank and the cam as well as the flywheel. It can also be used to get an exact TDC reading and is great for setting the final height of the liner protrusion above the deck. You can also use it for your rear end, valves, your transmission, brakes, etc. After I got it, I double checked some of the "guesstimates" made with a feeler gauge and found the feeler gauge to be a good bit off in some situations. For instance, the feeler gauge can only tell you if a .005" blade doesn't quite fit as well as a .006" blade, but the .006" blade may fit a little loosely. So what is the final measurement other than a guesstimate?

 

[TR3driver]

Thanks, Tab.

All measurements are "guesstimates"; I'm not real worried about setting the thrust clearance to better than .001"

I do have a dial indicator and magnetic stand (tho I spent a lot less than you did), in fact I had it out just a couple days ago checking the operating valve travel on my OD. But I've built several TRactor motors without one, and can't say I've ever felt it was a necessity.

BTW, a simple piston stop works about as well for finding true TDC. Even with a dial indicator, you have to find two positions and split them; as the piston is not moving at TDC.

 

[TR4nut]

Tab-

Any updates on what you are doing body-wise? You going completely over to a rally look?

Randy

 

[Tabcon]

Randy-

I started this "restomod" with the intention of using everything at my disposal to improve the handling and performance characteristics of the car. I never really set out to dramaticly alter the looks of the car, since this is the reason I bought a 4 in the first place. However, with the lowered suspension, wider wheels, bigger exhaust, etc., I think it could look a little weird if I simply restored it back to dead straight factory original specs insofar as interior, trim, bumpers, etc. are concerned. I still think that taking the rally type car approach is the best way to go with this car, but again, probably not a complete xerox of what the original rally cars looked like. I definitely don't want to do a "tribute" car, which in my opinion are really not so much a tribute as a rip-off.

One of the cars that inspired me is this one.

https://www.royal-falcon.de/Fahrzeugangebote/Seiten/Triumph_TR4_A_IRS_.html#9

I think this car is tastefully done and certainly not over customized. Also, if you ever wanted to bring it back to original, it wouldn't be a real problem. I like the color,
(E-Type Opalescent Gun Metal Gray) but I will most likey go with something a little darker like this Alfa's color.

 

[Brosky]

Judging from the cars that have inspired you, I'm sure it will be beautiful and unique.