My 404C resto begins!
- Thread starter Mike Tippett
- Start date
I had the old bit of pipe that leads to the injection system thermostat (cold start/supplemental air valve) cut off the old pipe and welded to the new one. The extra take-off on the shank (for the carbureted car) is still there but I will block it off with a rubber dead end clamped to it.
Well that tube in the post above has been stripped of paint and is going into the plating shop Monday with a whole bunch of other stuff:
The front one that stripped was not all that much of a worry. I got a T-55 socket and used a Dremel to turn the formerly square but now rounded hole into an approximation of a Torx. I hammered the T-55 home and used a huge breaker 1/2 inch drive bar to turn it out. No worries.
Here is the sole rear oil gallery plug that turned out beautifully with my "special tool":
Also going to the machine shop tomorrow is the following:
- throttle body parts (just little stuff)
- another batch of fasteners - I hope, the last
- trunk latch
- crank pulley
- other small bits and pieces
- fuel injection pipes
The front one that stripped was not all that much of a worry. I got a T-55 socket and used a Dremel to turn the formerly square but now rounded hole into an approximation of a Torx. I hammered the T-55 home and used a huge breaker 1/2 inch drive bar to turn it out. No worries.
Here is the sole rear oil gallery plug that turned out beautifully with my "special tool":
Also going to the machine shop tomorrow is the following:
- new cylinder head - for fitting of hardened valve seats
- new piston and liner kit, for cleaning off the preservative and mounting the new pistons to the rods, plus a hone of the liners
- connecting rods so the small end bushings can be replaced with the new ones I have, and also hot tanked to clean the crud off them
- crankshaft for assessment and grinding/polishing
- NOS camshaft to clean the preservative off and check the clearances in the block (with the possibility of a line bore and bearing bush installation if required - I hope it's not)
- 0.3 mm oversized rod bearing shells
- 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm oversized main bearing shells
- bearing caps and rocker arms and rocker shaft holders, for hot tanking and assessment of the rocker arms - new rocker shafts are supplied
Well that tube in the post above has been stripped of paint and is going into the plating shop Monday with a whole bunch of other stuff:
Also, I removed the three oil gallery plugs from the engine block today in preparation for its hot tanking in the shop I'm taking it to on Monday. They're brass and the square heads are a tiny bit smaller than a 1/4 inch drive. So I took a lower quality 1/4 inch drive and filed it until it fit. The first one on the rear of the block came out easily. The second one I tried, on the front of the block by the cam, stripped immediately (the square hole was rounded). The third one came out beautifully.
- throttle body parts (just little stuff)
- another batch of fasteners - I hope, the last
- trunk latch
- crank pulley
- other small bits and pieces
- fuel injection pipes
The front one that stripped was not all that much of a worry. I got a T-55 socket and used a Dremel to turn the formerly square but now rounded hole into an approximation of a Torx. I hammered the T-55 home and used a huge breaker 1/2 inch drive bar to turn it out. No worries.
Here is the sole rear oil gallery plug that turned out beautifully with my "special tool":
Also going to the machine shop tomorrow is the following:
Once all this is done we will be on the home stretch. With the block ready, I can paint it and then start reassembly.
- new cylinder head - for fitting of hardened valve seats
- new piston and liner kit, for cleaning off the preservative and mounting the new pistons to the rods, plus a hone of the liners
- connecting rods so the small end bushings can be replaced with the new ones I have, and also hot tanked to clean the crud off them
- crankshaft for assessment and grinding/polishing
- NOS camshaft to clean the preservative off and check the clearances in the block (with the possibility of a line bore and bearing bush installation if required - I hope it's not)
- 0.3 mm oversized rod bearing shells
- 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm oversized main bearing shells
- bearing caps and rocker arms and rocker shaft holders, for hot tanking and assessment of the rocker arms - new rocker shafts are supplied
May I suggest you also have the engine balanced from flywheel & clutch to front pulley.
IMO balancing noticeably reduces engine NVH.
That is in the plans!
That's good. The last 504 1800 engine I built up for a friends 404 e was fully balanced. I was most bewildered too see a piece of mild steel plate about 20 mm x 16 mm x 8 mm migged to the clutch cover.to achieve balance.
I wouldn't have expected a pressure plate to be that far out !
The stuff to be plated is at Victoria Plating and the engine bits that have to be (nearly all) are at Anderson's, which is where this photo was taken this afternoon.
The crankshaft will be balanced by itself first, then again successively with each accessory that is attached to it once all is done.
The crankshaft will be balanced by itself first, then again successively with each accessory that is attached to it once all is done.
I got a call from Anderson Precision Engines in Saanichton BC today. They have cleaned and checked all the steel and iron 404 engine parts using a magnaflux machine. Good news: the crank is good, the block is good, rods are good.
Scope of work:
- regrind and polish crankshaft, install sludge traps, balance it
- replace valve seats and grind new valves to suit
- replace small end bushes and fit to wrist pins/pistons
- paint outside of engine block
- re-bush all 8 rocker arms and match to new rocker shafts, reface their valve contact surfaces
- clean preservative off the cylinder liners and new camshaft
- reface flywheel, balance it alone, then on the crankshaft and then with the pressure plate
All of this is going to lead to a significant bill, but well under $2K CAD with taxes, so not crazy high. They do reassembly too but I think at this point that I'll do that myself.
This shop does the engine work for Coachwerks and Rudi & Co. in the old days - so they're good. It'd be nice to get it all back before the end of 2020 and then the end of this 32 year project will be in sight!
Scope of work:
- regrind and polish crankshaft, install sludge traps, balance it
- replace valve seats and grind new valves to suit
- replace small end bushes and fit to wrist pins/pistons
- paint outside of engine block
- re-bush all 8 rocker arms and match to new rocker shafts, reface their valve contact surfaces
- clean preservative off the cylinder liners and new camshaft
- reface flywheel, balance it alone, then on the crankshaft and then with the pressure plate
All of this is going to lead to a significant bill, but well under $2K CAD with taxes, so not crazy high. They do reassembly too but I think at this point that I'll do that myself.
This shop does the engine work for Coachwerks and Rudi & Co. in the old days - so they're good. It'd be nice to get it all back before the end of 2020 and then the end of this 32 year project will be in sight!
Good plan. Though it is a factory piston/sleeve kit so I expect they're already OK?
You've set the bar high on this restoration and it'd be a pity not to at least check them.
Friday I arranged with Hagerty for the insurance to be reset to a higher agreed value of $80K CAD - I sent them these two photos to give them an idea that it's nearly together.
This weekend is a long one for me with Monday off so we will head to Saanichton to bring some more bits to the engine shop: pressure plate, woodruff keys and timing gear (pulley is still in the plating shop) and flywheel bolts. The 4 new old stock intake valves are on their way from Dean Hunter in England but won't be here by Monday so I'll have to run them down later.
If the pulley's not plated by Monday noon I'll bring another one I have down with me and probably offer it to the shop for the balancing procedure, and use it on the engine.
This weekend is a long one for me with Monday off so we will head to Saanichton to bring some more bits to the engine shop: pressure plate, woodruff keys and timing gear (pulley is still in the plating shop) and flywheel bolts. The 4 new old stock intake valves are on their way from Dean Hunter in England but won't be here by Monday so I'll have to run them down later.
If the pulley's not plated by Monday noon I'll bring another one I have down with me and probably offer it to the shop for the balancing procedure, and use it on the engine.
looks amazing Mike... great work!
Looks great. I know you did some of the work yourself but how much have you spent so far and how much more till finished?
Oh god don't ask that! Well let's see:
$500 in 1989 for the car
$17,000 over the next 27 years for parts
$66,000 for the comprehensive bodyshell reconstruction and paint by the best shop in Canada
$5500 for upholstery
$8000 for new parts since the restoration began
$3000 for engine work (estimated, work underway)
$1800 for transmission and Hydrovac rebuild (still to come)
So a touch over 100 grand CAD.
Mike,
I like your honesty and openness.
These things are getting very expensive to restore, especially when it comes to trying to keep them original. As you know, I did stray a bit with my lights and wiring looms. However, as it will basically be my daily drive, I have erred on the side of caution. Have you kept a separate costing sheet for freight?
Not wanting bomb into your thread, but I've spent $5500-00 AU on freight alone. It should be higher, as I am sure that a few purchases went unrecorded. No wonder that the French are starting to pay top dollars (Euros) for quality restored or original 404s in any configuration.
It has been said by many, your project is beautiful and a credit to you. I am sure, it will be a joy to cruise around in when completed.
Cheers,
Dan
I like your honesty and openness.
These things are getting very expensive to restore, especially when it comes to trying to keep them original. As you know, I did stray a bit with my lights and wiring looms. However, as it will basically be my daily drive, I have erred on the side of caution. Have you kept a separate costing sheet for freight?
Not wanting bomb into your thread, but I've spent $5500-00 AU on freight alone. It should be higher, as I am sure that a few purchases went unrecorded. No wonder that the French are starting to pay top dollars (Euros) for quality restored or original 404s in any configuration.
It has been said by many, your project is beautiful and a credit to you. I am sure, it will be a joy to cruise around in when completed.
Cheers,
Dan