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How bad of a screw up

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regularman

regularman

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OK guys, I have a question. I put the engine back in my midget last week after a long restoration of the car. I decided to just clean up and take stock of everything that I have before doing any more with putting it back together. Just a spring cleaning, etc of the basement. I was looking though my stuff and found a gasket that should have gone between the engine and the backing plate that I forgot to install. My question is does this gasket hold back oil or what? Is it time to pull the engine back out and remove the datsun 5 speed that I adapted and remove the flywheel and backing plate and put that gasket in? Better to do it now while there is no front end or fenders on the car. Any advice would be appreciated. Regards Kim webb.
 
Ugh! I don't know anything about the 1275 ( I have a 1500 ), so I can't give you any advice, but my heart goes out to you. I just finished rebuilding my engine/tran, and made many annoying mistakes, but none that required me to pull the motor (yet). Good Luck!
 
I'm pretty sure you are looking at pulling the engine again bud. Someone will be along shortly to say definitively but my gut tells me that they put a gasket there for a reason.
JC
 
Kind of depends if you put any form a gasket in there. If not pull it, add gasket and forma gasket, the soft kind. Did you put a gasket on the oil pump? That can welded on the back plate that covers the oil pump needs to be sealed to the block.

Hmmm, on second thought which engine are we talking about? Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. All above true for a 948.
 
Its a 1275 and I installed an aluminum adapter plate for the 5 speed conversion. I'm thinking I will have to pull it as well. The aluminum one was exactly the same pattern as the original steel one as far as the holes and all.
 
My book shows same gasket for 948 through 1275. I do know that the only thing that gasket does is seal the oil pump from the block. That said I haven't a clue, was my understanding that the 1275 was a bit different in this area so I guess I must pass. Will wait till one of the more knowledgable folks comes on line and answers this. Tis late so just may be the morning, sorry.
 
Get a tube of Form a Gasket if you have not, and use just a bit on both sides of the Gasket, any gasket but the head gasket. Will seal things up great, no leaks. In fact can even replace the gasket, note new american engines have no gaskets.
 
Yeah, I have been putting gasket sealer on most of the gaskets. I even have some spray copper stuff to use on head gaskets from when I did some Subaru engines that were bad to blow the head gasket on the passenger side. I am anxious to get this car in good shape mechanically before I put it all back together and paint the exterior.
 
Did you put sealer between the back plate and the block?
 
Aw man...I hate it when this kind of thing happens. Like Morris said above, my heart goes out to you. It stinks when you think you have the project finished, then look over at your workbench and see that critical piece just lying there. Arrrgh.

Good luck. Probably gotta pull it.

Joel
 
[ QUOTE ]
Did you put sealer between the back plate and the block?

[/ QUOTE ]I can't remember, I was over 6 months ago when I put the plate on. I need to go ahead and pull it back out to make sure. I might just go for it and do it tomorrow.
 
Or, you could just ignore it, hope for the best, and then later on down the raod, as you're sitting in some out of the way place, attribute it to th fact that "It's British.
It's supposed to leak like that."
Pull it now, and fix it.
Jeff
 
hehe... Used LBC carsalesman: "They ALL do that, sir."

Had a lot-weasel tell me that after I drove an E-type with a bad second gear synchro. He didn't get my money.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Or, you could just ignore it, hope for the best, and then later on down the raod, as you're sitting in some out of the way place, attribute it to th fact that "It's British.
It's supposed to leak like that."
Pull it now, and fix it.
Jeff

[/ QUOTE ]Getting ready to start on it now. The only place I know that is normal to leak from is the rear main on the engine when its stopped. That crazy screw seal thing works good while the engine is running, but can sure drip when you sut it off.
 
You are going to love the five speed when you get it up & running. Mine went in a couple times because I kept bumping the timing cover gasket. My youngest was 13 at the time and he couldn't understand why you couldn't do it just once. I've driven it a lot this week and I'd forgotten the speed vrs the revs. 4000rpm is 80mpr on the speedo, I think it might be closer to 75mph in reality. Guess I'll have to borrow somebodies gps and find out.
 
I took it back out and tore it all apart again. One thing I learned today, a ground strap can support the entire front of a midget LOL. I forgot I had hooked that up. I decided to do a few more things before it goes back together. I have some parts ordered. Oh, besides the 5 speed I also changed the rear differential gears from 3.90 to 3.55 so I should be able to cruise good on the highway, but we'll see. I have nothing to connect the datsun speedo connection on the transmission to the spridget cable as of yet. I'll worry about that when I get farther along.
 
Wow, five speed and 3.55 ! Have you calculated how many rpms you will be turning in 5th at 70 mph? With 1st and 2nd, being low on the datsun tranny it should still pull away easily.

BTW, you can put the rivergate speedo adapter in with the engine in the car, but it helps to saw off the top(unused) mounting tabs off of the tranny.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Wow, five speed and 3.55 ! Have you calculated how many rpms you will be turning in 5th at 70 mph? With 1st and 2nd, being low on the datsun tranny it should still pull away easily.

BTW, you can put the rivergate speedo adapter in with the engine in the car, but it helps to saw off the top(unused) mounting tabs off of the tranny.

[/ QUOTE ]I was thinking that rivergate had an adapter. I bought part of one of their kits off of ebay which was mainly the adapter plate. Then I found another deal on a tranny and another adapter kit (morris) and decided to use the morris one. I machined the flywheel myself to fit the datsun clutch and pressure plate. I also had to machine and weld the datsun spline onto the mg yoke for the drive shaft. Also I liked the fact that the morris one used the datsun slave cylinder for the clutch. I had a lot of problem with the mg clutch slave when I drove it. I did some calulations and figured that 65-70mph would be around 3k rpm. I want this car for a daily driver and have been building it for that from the frame up. Hopefully it will last a while when finished. If you have the 210 5 speed, here is one thing that I have been told. Never, ever tow the car without dropping the drive shaft. I talked to one guy who said he had been through 3 trannys becasue of towing. he said he wouldn't tow it across the street now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif
 
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