TR2/3/3A Novice TR3 Engine Rebuild

[carpecursusII]

Just a matter of note, your parts list had the oil pump and rotor and the oil pump assembly, you likely only need the pump and rotor. +1 on balancing everything, that will really change your life. I use copper F8 gaskets and use permetex aviation gasket sealent to put them in, its a gooey substance like thick molasses. Also +1 on the rear seal conversion from The vintage racer, Joe is a great guy and will give you a better price on the parts than TRF. The seal is easy to install, just check the length of your flywheel bolts, they will need .100 ground off them more than likely to clear the lip seal. I would also replace the cylinder head nuts. Be sure to check your crank float inside the block, I know you have STD bearings listed but you may need .005 oversize to get in spec. If your going to replace the timing chain, absolutely replace both the gears, old gears will wear out a new chain much faster. Get on youtube to understand how to time a new camshaft/gears when you reinstall, its tough to wrap your head around the first time but it will come. I also only put permitex on one side of the oil pan gasket and use silicone on the other side so that it will seal but I can remove the pan without needing a new gasket. Your machinist was correct, your clutch disc looks good, you may want to have your pressure plate surfaced, I can't tell how bad it looks.

 

[Alfred E. Neuman]

Here's a good video series from Elin Yakov, one of the Garage Gang on youtube, of a TR4 engine build he did. Even includes a video on using a degree wheel to set cam timing. Lots of good info on the four cylinder TR motors in there.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLWNLIF9Lk95V6wQc7_qV13Qthw3UZ2nA

 

[wifegonnakillme]

Ha, Alfred as i signed in I had just copied the link to his rebuild and was going to post it here after watching the whole series last night - it's excellent as far as I can see.

Initially i couldn't find anything out there (probably because i was searching for tr3) and was building out this thread seeking out help for me, but also to help others. Not sure I need to continue detailing this thread beyond asking, does anyone see any errors in Elin's series that should be adjusted?

Also, John, I have spent the last two days digging around re engine balancing. My guy who did the machining does do balancing, but he said that for most uses it was not necessary and he assured me I was already within factory spec. I get that there can be advantages, but it runs at $400 (CAD) up here so I am thinking of forgoing it as this will not be a track car and will likley only ever see the odd spirited acceleration (I swear Calgary is the ticket capital of Canada)... I will go through and weigh the various pieces as some forums suggest just to ensure nothing is way out.

Also, after seeing the video, I am back to "gee, I think I can do this" and will likely hang on to the car (especially since I already have permission for this one and if my wife sees another land cruiser in the driveway she might loose it).

 

[wifegonnakillme]

Made some good progress this past weekend. Oiled the heck out of everything and got the liners and pistons in after checking ring tolerances etc. I installed the the crank timing sprocket, but I think i have a challenge with the cam.
The cam spins freely in place and has new bearings including a new front bearing, but, when i try to tighten the sprocket the back of the sprocket rubs the front bearing and rubs... looking at the manual there doesn't seem to be any spacers or anything there... ideas?

Here are some progress pics:

 

[TR3driver]

Page B20 in the workshop manual talks about rubbing the front bearing on "emery cloth" to increase end float for the cam. Sounds like that's what you need to do. The proper end float is given as .003" to .0075".

 

[wifegonnakillme]

Thanks Randall, appreciate it,
Kerry

 

[wifegonnakillme]

Got the float on the cam dialed in, but in the meantime, and a little OT, that mechanical oil pump is one of the coolest little engineering things I've seen in a while. I looked it up, its called a gerotor derived from generator rotor and, according to wiki, had it's origins in the 16th century, but was significantly advanced by a guy named Myron Hill in the early 1900's - he devoted years to this and worked with another company that had expertise on the manufacturing side (Nichols Portland) - I can't help but think of the creativity and perseverance that went into the development of such an eloquent and robust design...

 

[CJD]

Yep. If it fails, it's usually due to cracking of the cylinder at the thin points of the star. But even then it still pumps.