Engine Rebuild

I got a bit bored waiting a few months for my media blasting guy to be ready for my car so I decided to tear the engine down.  Before I pulled the motor I ran a cold compression test on it, and got between 145 to 155 psi on the cylinders, so no real need to do any major work - except boredom...

 Redneck Valve Job

 When I pulled the rod bearings they looked brand new so I left the mains untouched and re-used the rod bearings.  a quick hone, new set of stepped rings (New Old Stock) on Ebay for $40 and we are on our way. Except... I overtorqued the cam nut on the timing gear and snapped the end of the cam off.  Oh well it could probably use a C grind rally cam and new lifters.  - that's what it got.

Olof also sold me a half a pint of the original Volvo orange engine paint he had on hand.  cleans up nicely.

 Oil leakage was a problem with this engine as it is in almost all B18 and B20 Volvo engines.  I got a new rear seal flange with a proper modern seal in it.  I left the felt one in the front housing though, it's easy to change without pulling the motor.

 Another upgrade I wanted to do was to put a modern alternator in the car.  I had a Delco alternator in my old '70 145 wagon, and it was great.  It solved a lot of electrical problems that car had before that.  Surfing around the 'net I found out that Hitachi alternators from the late 80's Nissans are better for this type of conversion because they have low output (35a) similar to what the Generator in the 544 had stock and a smaller footprint.  I decided to try this.  just a minor change to the existing genny mount and it will work perfectly.

Also put in a new water pump.  Back when I had my '73 145 wagon the water pump bearing broke and pushed the fan through the rad while I was driving on the freeway in rush hour traffic.  That is something you really only want to experience once.

Also needed to overhaul the carbs.  Again looking around the net, the big issue with the SU HS6 is the throttle shaft bushing wearing out and causing vacuum leaks around the throttle shaft.  Of course why would this common problem not be happening to this old car too.  I bought a 3/8" chucking reamer and replaced the bushings using some instructions I found on an old MG website.  With that and the rebuild kit, the carbs will hopefully work like brand new.

A Short Break

The teardown continues.  The guy who is going to do my media blasting of the bodywork says that every piece of undercoating and bondo needs to come off the car.  I did not take many pictures of this process.  It made me start thinking of ways I could turn the car upside down so I could access the underside better.  Not much fun

I took a trip to Victoria, and on my way I stopped in Tsawwassen and met with a very nice man named Olof, who sold me some parts for the car.  He runs a business out of his home called Vintage Import Parts.  He sold me a bunch of stuff (mostly gaskets, grommets and other things like that), that are worn out on my car.  He also had an extra wheel ( I had a bit of a mismatch with only 3 the same) and a good used front fender, a windshield and other things that are hard to ship.  Worth the trip. Also a great visit in Victoria

The Teardown Part 2

 Nasty Surprise #3 - The floorpans are shot. - rusted through.  Not so much of a surprise really.  I was expecting this.  The car was stored only partially under cover and moisture was trapped underneath the rubber flooring in the jute backing.  it was inevitable.  Luckily replacement floorpans can be bought for a reasonable price. Welding them in will be an adventure - stay tuned.

Pulling the engine and transmission

Gratuitous carburetor shots - children avert your eyes - again, just so I can make sure I know how to put it back together.  The SU HS series carbs are were the staple of the 1960s British car scene, Minis, MG, Triumph, Jag and even Datsuns all used some variant.  Parts and know-how are cheap and plentiful. I also have a few spare ones in my tickle trunk.

 

The Teardown Part 1

 

Starting to take the car apart to prepare it for media blasting.  Also a good opportunity to see what I'm up against...

 Nasty surprise #1 - The gas tank is shot.  I could almost push my thumb through the top of it, it was so rusted on the inside.  New gas tanks for this car can be purchased - for a price 

Some shots I took of things as I was dismantling so I can figure out how to put it back together when the time comes

Nasty Surprise #2 - A previous owner decided that he/she didn't like the bolted on fenders and had the fenders (front and rear) brazed on to the body of the car and bondo'd over.  Something I would have noticed when buying the car if I would have been more savvy.  It will be lots of extra work to put it back the way it should be.   Lots of rust and bad repairs on the fenders and elsewhere.

Nasty Surprise #2 Part #2 - The rear fenders are just as bad.  The repairs around the rear wheelwells are a real hack job.