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Rebuilding a 1275 for a BE

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twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
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We have a nigh-on-perfect BE body tub (owned since 1972, never been on the road; spent a year at a body shop recently) that I'm hoping to get to doing final assembly on this winter.
It has a Rivergate Datsun 5 speed and the head has been redone with hardened inserts etc. but the block is pretty much toast (a bit of a surprise and disappointment).
Touch wood, we'll be dragging it indoors sometime in the new year, pulling the engine, and getting it rebuilt. I would appreciate thoughts as to what improvements should be made. And let's not worry about carbs at this point.
I believe that I've got the good rear main seal from Rivergate, and am thinking:
Head: switch to ??? rockers (because they look good) and a ??? head gasket (because it works)
Ignition: Pertronix (we'll be staying with positive ground)
Exhaust: we have an LCB header
Shortblock: your suggestions??
- stock cam(I'm a cheap bahstead),
- get it balanced
- spin on oil filter
- look at upgrading the harmonic balancer
- perhaps use ARP bolts wherever I can afford them


I figure I'll change the rockers on the head to
 
Gosh dang! just hit a wrong button, and the 'draft' got loaded onto the site.
Okay: corrections and such (I'm looking for a good, solid, runner that will be trouble free forever and take advantage of whatever progress we've made in the sixty years since the car was originally built):
- what is the preferred head gasket
- what is the preferred oil pump
- what is the preferred rockers? Titan? 1.3 vs 1.5 vs ?? And: costs? there seems to be quite a variety on prices
- valve springs: single? double? who from? why?
- is a windage tray a good idea? who from? can I 'whittle' my own?
- comments on lifters and pushrods
- comments on cams
- comments on timing gears and chains
- comments on pistons
- comments on everything

Thanks, Doug
 
You are going to get a lot of opinions on this post. I will make a comment about what not to buy. I have a 285 cam in my engine and it is too much for street driving. The instructions said to time it at 18 BTDC , That is a lot of advance and pushes the power band even higher. No power at low rpm, but once you get above 3000 rpm, goes like heck. I would not buy that cam again. Getting it to match up with the fuel supply has been a problem. The good news on these engines is that there are MANY options out there. PS: my engine has been dynoed and puts out 95hp at 5800rpm. I think it is easy to get there if you want to spend money.
other things done with my engine:
Pistons were coated with some kind of slipper stuff. Seems to work, in combination with a oil catcher attached to the valve cover, the oil looks new even after 3000 miles. The head I used is shaved and has the largest valves you can put into it. I don't remember the rockers but they are roller rockers although a cheaper set.
 
Back when I was working, I figured the most useful stuff to hear was 'man, we really screwed up on that one' vs. ' dang we're good', so appreciate the 'don't buy this, for these reasons'. So, thanks, Jerry.

A couple of items that I'm going to look at: ARP bolts everywhere I can afford them; a Payen BK450 head gasket (recommended on one of the threads here); spin-on oil filter; ask the machinist to have a look-see at the surface for the oil pressure relief valve; replace the oil pressure plunger with a ball bearing (BLS916 from MiniSpares or equivalent); rear oil seal; some sort of upgrade for the main bearing cap (I might have one in a bin somewhere); windage tray; LCB header (I think I've got one); matching exhaust pipe; muffler: possibly stock; possibly MGB; possibly Harley (I've got a couple out back); maybe pay to get everything balanced, but Vizard summarizes balancing as giving you a smoother engine but not necessary.

Anything other than 'stock' will - of course - be impacted by what the cost in my hands would be.
 
As you said oil pressure, a bell rang. When I first started my engine, I had 90 psi of oil pressure. The oil pump is some heavy duty one that the guy who sold me the block had bought. 90 is high, so I added an adjustable screw to the oil pressure relief valve, now it is down to 50 psi.
Exhaust system! I went for the larger pipe, less resonator. My engine is LOUD. I keep planning on adding something to tone it down but I have not done it yet. By the way, driving the car is fun. It is a go cart with power!
 
Didn't we have a fellow on here a while back who ran a speed shop and built engines for a living ? Hap was his name, I bet he could give you chapter and verse on what works and what doesn't. Bob
 
Hap Arnold. Might be the best investment on that 1275.
 
Per Drooartz write-up: Hap Waldrop of the Acme Speed Shop in South Carolina
We're north of the 49th, and I expect that shipping etc etc would absolutely kill the costs. I'm looking at a base OEM equivalent rebuild vs. building a hotter engine. Thoughts on improving reliability is more important than performance (athough they can surely go hand-in-hand). Thoughts on stuff like an optimum crankshaft damper, oil pump, windage tray, water pump, head gasket, ARP bolts, etc. etc. Which all can lead into performance thoughts: roller rockers; special push-rods; etc. etc. etc.
There's a Spridget speed shop who I bought some stuff from years ago (and that I think Hap recommended, with the comment that their web-page was definitely not fancy). Is this enough clues that somehow can remember their name? thanks, Doug
 
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