Engine Assembly and Installation

After many months of planning, cleaning, and organizing engine parts I finally started the assembly of the engine.  Everything went very smoothly and I replaced all of the parts that needed replacing (oil pump, water pump, thermostat, etc.).  Most concerning part of the assembly was ensuring the mechanical timing was correct (engine at top dead center, camshaft at top dead center, and the distributor shaft positioned correctly).  I could not have successfully done this rebuild without the help of my dad who has always encouraged me to try new things and get my hands dirty.  His years of wisdom and mechanical aptitude came in quite handy.

First the cylinder head went back on. I did use 280zx turbo head bolts which are stronger than the original bolts.

 

Next came the timing chain, front cover, oil pan and clutch

   

After the transmission was mated to the engine, we dropped it into the bay of the car with a little bit of difficulty.  Certainly could have used a longer/taller lift, but we made it work.  I ended up using my garage stool to help balance the transmission while attaching it to the engine.

  

Once the engine was in, the manifolds and other bolt-on parts were installed, including the starter, alternator, and carburetors.  It was much easier to drop the engine into the car without all of this stuff on.

 




I also ended up getting a new MSA manifold-back exhaust system to replace the aging twice pipes that the previous owner installed. As there will be an actual muffler on the exhaust, it should be more drive-able and less annoying to everyone else.  The increased pipe size though should provide for a nice throaty sound.

Next up will be hooking up the electrical connections, coolant hoses, and radiator.  Then the car will be ready for a new set of fluids and attempted start-up.

Miscellaneous Prep Work

While waiting to put the engine back together with my Dad, who I know is excited to help, I decided to tackle some of the minor task.  Firstly, I put the new throw-out (or release) bearing onto the 5speed transmission.  I also switched back over to the correct clutch fork as the new clutch I ordered is the 240z specific one.

 

I then cleaned up the engine bay and painted over the bare metal to prevent rust

 

I also got the new motor mounts installed

Had a little free time on Sunday, which allowed me to continue the small prep work...

Plugging up the old air galley holes in the exhaust manifold and the emissions holes in the carburetor balance tube.

Relocating the relays for the headlights and fuel pump over next to the battery and under the inspection door.  This will keep them out of sight and a little more protected.

And finally, I was able to start organizing the "big" parts in preparation for the engine going back together

Cylinder Head

So its finally time to work on the Cylinder Head.  The main work will be farmed out to a machine shop, but I did start to pull the studs out.  Stay tuned for a set of  "after" pictures.

 








After about a week, I got my cylinder head back from the machine shop.  It looks great and I can't wait to get it back on the car.  Full valve job, machined surfaces, new valve seals, and new intake valve seats (hardened steel).  The guys at Per Race Engines (http://per-race-engines.com) did a great job.

 

 

Block cleanup and preparation for assembly

So after dealing with all of the nasty gunk within the engine, finally I'm able to take some pride in getting ready for rebuilding the L24.  I decided to go with Pontiac Blue, which is a very very close match for the original Datsun block.  I also picked up some high heat primer and top coat for the exhaust manifold.

Here is the block being primed and final coat painted.  Please note that I did tape off everything very well that I did not want paint getting on.  For any overspray, I was able to easily clean it up with mineral spirits.

 

The exhaust manifold was quite a mess, and after a thorough cleaning, priming, and painting it was ready for its high-temp curing process on the BBQ. 20 minutes at 200 degrees, 30 minutes to cool, 20 minutes at 400 degrees, 20 minutes to cool.

Next came the freeze plugs.  I chose to go with the brass plugs and not paint them, I've seen this look before and liked it. While I was at it, I tapped & cleaned all of the threads on the block to get ready for reassembly

Some may say I did it backwards, but I left the deglazing of the cylinder walls for last.  I picked up a Flex-Hone which worked very well to take off a very minimal amount of cylinder wall glaze.  I feel I did achieve the 45 degree cross-hatching required to allow the new rings to seat properly.  Following the 20-30 seconds per cylinder, I washed the block thoroughly with water & soap, and then dried it with compressed air.  Lastly, I treated the unpainted surfaces of the block with ATF which also aided in the removal of the fine dust created during the deglazing process. Check out this YouTube video for more info on the Flex Hone: <<LINK>>

Next up will be rebuilding the bottom end with the new toys I received the other day...

Degreasing & Cleanup

So the messiest job is of course degreasing all of these parts that I've removed.  I thought the block was bad, and then I moved onto the oil pan, and the pistons were definitely the toughest with all of the carbon build ups.  I've been using Simple Green, WD-40, Mineral Spirits, and Gasoline as solvents.  Pretty good results, just takes time.

  

Engine Rebuild: Part 2: Engine Tear Down

Thanks to my wonderful core leave, I was able to tear down the engine to nothing.

First the head came off.  I did break one head bolt off into the block, but after some heat and elbow grease I was able to get it out.  After further investigation, the crud around the broken off bolt was actually fried coolant, which points to one of the places I was loosing coolant through.

   

Next came the bottom end.  I was greated with a nice sluggy mess, including the oil pump pickup

 

I removed the crank retainers and piston retainers, including bearings to fully disassemble the bottom end.  I did store these in order & they need to go back to the proper cylinder.

 

The pistons are in great shape, although the rings certainly have seen better days.

 

While the engine is apart, I decided to extract the freeze plugs and fully clean the inner water passages of the block.  Glad I did, look at all of the crud in there!

 

Tucked within the bottom of the engine I was able to pull out the PCV filter, which I didn't even realize was in there.  It was fully caked in solid grease which I'm sure prevented it from performing its job.

 

I then degreased the block by hand with the help of biodegradable Simple Green, followed by a full power washing of the interior and exterior. To prevent rust, I then used some Water Displacement spray (WD-40), of which I sourced a full gallon.

 

Next up will be cleaning up all of the other parts from the engine & then rebuilding!