An interesting week…
I have had a very interesting week. I asked to rebuild an engine on a 1969 Silver Shadow. The education I am receiving from this rebuild is amazing. I have rebuilt more engines than I care to remember but easily into three figures. This example must have been driven extremely hard and hardly ever saw clean oil and fresh anti freeze. The first clue to its difficult existence was the crispy wires (engine harness) the modified A/C and wiring to the gearbox actuator. Upon removal of the transmission someone had found it necessary to mess with the distributor drive.
Once the engine was released from the confines of the subframe and engine compartment my thoughts went to easier times but, alas, it was not to be. The “A” bank head was stuck on the head studs. This took a whole bunch of hard wood wedges and large leavers and many hours get the head to move. As if to add insult to injury, “B” bank head was no better! In fact, the “B” bank head required a porta power to remove the head from the crankcase studs. The rest of the strip down was uneventful.
Now we had to remove the wet liners from the crankcase. This would not pose a problem. I have done this loads of times. Many years ago I learned the secret to removing liners. Have a welder run beads of weld from the bottom of the liner to the top six to eight times this shrinks the liner and makes removal with the puller very simple. With out this process, removing cylinder liners is a horrendous job. With this engine, we went though the process and removed all the liners only to find that this engine had suffered an incredible amount of damage. Over the years it had cracked through the liner support and down into the main bearing web. How this happened is anyone’s guess. Check out the pictures and see what you think. I intend to keep posting about this engine. What next? Find another crankcase and keep moving forward! Stay tuned! Â
Corrosion
Another interesting point…
Another interesting part of this rebuild is the cylinder heads. The cylinder heads seem unaffected by the heat that the block is showing. You will see in the pictures that the valve seals have been modified and a cheaper version has been used. This arrangement is to remove the secondary spring and cap that carries the original valve seals. The valve seals show damage from being forced over the valve. In addition, they must have leaked to a degree. The last cylinder on the “A “ side has been left and not touched and has the original valve seals. This is probably because they were unable to access those two valves. It also means that they didn’t remove the heads to change the seals. Enlarge photos are see captions by clicking on each.
Not touched and has the original valve seals.
You will see in the pictures that the valve seals have been modified and a cheaper version has been used.
Not touched and has the original valve seals.
Original valve seal.
Cleaned up ready for the machine shop!
Oil Pump
The oil pump is showing no signs from the stress of the overheating. The oil pump seems to have survived as no grooves are in the bottom plate and there are no scores on the teeth. The pin inside the pump that holds the idler gear is not worn. The housing is not marked where the gear runs and has no marks in it. The oil pump shaft is not loose or worn. The only thing that is worn is the drive gear teeth that runs on the crankshaft. The oil pump seems very good. I will obviously change the drive gear. Enlarge photos are see captions by clicking on each.
Missing parts.
The oil filter housing was missing the oil pressure relief valve (left) . The right unit is the replacement.
Deterioration of aluminum
On the left is a serviceable unit and on the right the deteriorated original.
Pieces shown for cars with GM 400 transmission with a center mounted transmission heat exchanger.
Close up of deterioration.
Measurements today!
So today was the day to do the measuring of the liners. The liners need to protrude above the crankcase deck .002. The depth of the groove in the crankcase measures 0.327. The liner ring thickness measures 0.329. The top ring which holds the liner tight in the crankcase will need to be machined to a thickness/height of 0.329. This is how you achieve the 0.002 nip fit.Â
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April 19
Today the engine parts were delivered and were checked for shipping damage and accuracy. The only thing that was incorrect was the oil filter. The one sent was for the later model Shadow II.
Weekend of April 21-24
It was an incredibly busy weekend with clean up and preparing of the engine parts for paint and plating. The many boxes shown here will give some idea as to amount of work and time that is required to undertake this preparation work.
Cleaned up parts
More cleaned up parts
Found this as part of the clean up!
And MORE cleaned up parts!
New liner gives us .007 to remove.
One fan blade support is badly bent so a replacement is on the way!
April 21, 2023
Today it was necessary to test fit the liners to the crankcase as the OD of the liners varied which made it necessary to sort out the liners to be sure they fit the hole that offered the least resistance.Â
The liners seem to need very little material removed to achieve the correct NIP FIT. The measurements so far are about .003 – .007 removal of material for the correct fitting.
Every once in a while you have a brain fart…
I have been waiting for the machinist to return from Texas.  He has his own problems down there so not a problem with that.  I have fit the new liners and have measured the amount of material that needs to be removed from the new liners to give me the correct nip fit.  The problem with waiting is you think too much! I keep running the measurement process through my mind and wonder if I have checked everything to be sure the measurement is correct.  I have had a magnet on the side of my box for years and that is what triggered the “fart”.  By putting the centre of the magnet on the liner and using a feeler gauge to check that the gap between the bottom of the magnet and the surface of the crankcase I am able to prove that my measurement is indeed correct.  Just using the measurement tools is great but this gives some peace of mind.
Time for the wiring harness.
Now we will move on to making up the engine wiring harness. The pictures below will outline the procedure from removing the wiper blades to assembling the harness. Click for full view of photos.
Harness removal
You’ll need to find and remove the bolt in the fenderwell that holds the bottom part of the wiper motor bracket.
This shows the location of the bolt that holds the bottom part of the bracket to the fenderwell.
These 2 bolts need to be removed so the wiper motor can be removed with the bracket.
Remove the plug on the bottom of the wiper motor.
Another view of plug.
Another view of plug.
Remove the rack from the tube and wheel boxes.
Wiper motor and rack removed to display mounting points.
Remove the 3 brown wires from the Toe Board sockets. Also remove plug closest to the brown wire connectors.
Note the corrosion buildup on the connects of the heavy brown wires.
Toe Board plug removed showing blades.
Unplug the connector and remove the wire clips shown in this photo.
Showing wiring harness removed.
Wiring harness.
White board will be used to hang up old harnes and develop a new harness.
Ready for markup and wire measuring..
Wiring Harness Development
The wiring has arrived. We sourced it from British Wiring Co. in Bally, PA. You can see from the photos that we are laying in the same color wiring in as the old harness and developing the new harness.
Pictures from the machine shop
Repairs to inlet manifold/cooling system
Machining corroded coolant outlet.
Closeup.
Machined heater pipe outlet and waterpump housing.
Inlet manifold coolant outlet being machined.
Closeup of insert fitted to machined surface.
Insert fitted to bottom hose outlet.
Heater hose outlet with insert fitted and chamfered edge.
Inlet manifold with chamfered edge.
All of these surfaces, shown above, are sealed with an “O” ring. Corrosion builds up around these seals causing the surfaces to deteriorate. When this occurs it is necessary to resurface the sealing areas to eliminate coolant leaks. Many attempts have been made over the years to “lather” gasket sealant around them to create a seal.  This is not effective and it will continue to leak. Resurfacing and inserts are the only sure way to create a proper seal.
Water pump connection and bobbin showing corrosion of bobbin.
Another view of the bobbin.
Corrosion in the water pump connection.
Bobbin corrosion.
Another view of corrosion
More corrosion.
Back at it!
Valve seats cut – valves in the background. “A” Head.
Valve seats cut. “B” Head.
Valve springs and push rods cleaned and ready for installation.
Valves awaiting installation.
Ready to see the engine reassembly?
Crankcase with crankshaft being fitted.
Crankcase with main bearing journals cleaned. Ready for the fitting of the bearing caps.
Main bearing caps inserted into the journals.
Trying to fit the crankshaft on your own. Stand crankcase on its end and slide it into the journals…
Using blocks of wood to lift the crankcase high enough, slide the crankshaft into the journals using a shim to get the correct clearance for the crankshaft to clear the weights into the crankcase.
Checking the clearance of the bearings
Heads are back from the paint shop!
Time for reassembly!
We are getting close to final assembly.
Valves in the head. Seals in the retainers. Ready to start assembly!
Valve seals, retainers and springs fitted to the guides.
Fitting the valve springs to the retainer springs.
Fitting the valve springs and holding them with the retainers.
Valve springs fitted with retainers.
Last valves in this head. Valve seals, retainers and springs fitted to the guides.
Valve spring retainers fitted.
Valve springs on the retainers.
Valve spring caps fitted awaiting the valve spring keepers.
Back at work!
Removal mode taking off the Brake Fluid Reservoir to get to the A/C and heater controls (don’t forgot to click to enlarge photos).
Mounting bolts holding reservoir to shock tower.
Mounting bracket rear of reservoir held on by 3 screws.
Reservoir removed showing the suction throttling valve and heater water tap.
Showing “nasty” modification to expansion valve capillary tubes.
Another view of the modified suction throttling valve.
A view of the water tap and incorrect A/C expansion valve.
Showing the brake fluid feed pipe for the master cylinder.
Position of the water tap actuator.
Actuator positioned at the suction throttling valve.
Showing cleaned out area under the master cylinder.
Rusted hose clamp that’s been there for 40 years.
Cutting off the rusted hose clamp.
Drain hose for heater box in a perished condition.
Accumulator return pipes showing rust and deterioration.
Heater motor showing signs of water damage.
Brake fluid reservoir removed from car.
Shock Absorber & Spring Removal
Tighten securing nuts down on removal tool putting pressure on the spring bed.
Remove the bolts around the top of the spring tower.
Remove the nut from the shock ball joint.
Lift the spring and shock out of the tower.
Spring and shock removed from tower.
Spring bed shown in removal tool.
Another angle of spring bed.
Removal complete.
Relieving the Spring Pressure
The spring and shock loaded into the spring retaining tool.
The spring pressure being relieved using the spring tool.
Location of shock retaining nut.
Caliper Removal
Brake hoses to subframe.
Remove the steel brake line from the hose.
Remove the second brake line.
Locate caliper mounting bolt.
Remove the bolt.
Caliper removed.
Striping Calipers – Checking For Problems
If the pistons in your calipers have a ridge, it makes for easier removal.
Piston extracted from the caliper half.
The corrosion from the piston is generally around the top half.
On the caliper half you can see the corrosion that will eventually seize up the pad.
Corrosion can be seen all the way down the bore of the caliper. This will eventually lead to seizure of the pistons
If you click on the photo, you will see a piston that is quite badly rusted!
Corroded piston removed from the caliper.
Another view of a corroded piston.
Steering Pins and Seats
Steering rods.
Steering end with the cover removed.
This is the correct clip for the rubber cover.
Someone’s interpretation of a “clip”.
Pin removed from seat.
Rust damage shown on the seat.
Damaged seat (another view).
Damaged pin.
Steering end with seat removed.
Seat removal tool.
The Seat in the Seat Removal Tool.
Seat removed showing the damage area.
Another damaged seat.
Damaged pin.
Steering end with seat totally removed.
Better view of damage on pin.
The inner pin to cross-bar seat needs a different removal tool.
A view of the inner pin seat.
Inner pin seat removed from housing.
View of the machining needed to remove the inner seat.
This is the tool for slotted seat removal.
A view of the removal tool.
Seat shown fitted to the removal tool.
View of the machining needed on tool to remove seat.
Subframe removal and strip-down
It is necessary to remove the exhaust pipe to allow the removal of the subframe.
This photo shows the poor mounting of the exhaust pipe and the lack of the flanged arrangement which would have allowed the exhaust to be dropped without cutting.
You can see the mish-mash of pipes that made this exhaust system up.
Exhaust pipe being removed through the hole in the cross-member.
Another view of the poor mounting of the exhaust.
Removal of the steering coupler.
View of the steering column as it exits the toe board.
View of split rubber boot on the steering shaft.
Removal of the steering coupler from the steering box.
Splines on the steering box where coupler was mounted.
It is necessary to remove the brake lines from the rear of the subframe.
You must remove the return pipe from steering box to allow access to the top bolt of the steering box to subframe.
Top mounting bolt of the idler.
Power steering hose removed from subframe.
Power steering box from another angle showing pipe removed.
Position the front jack at the front of the subframe to allow for lowering.
Lower jack stands to allow subframe to be lowered.
With the rear jack in position, you can now lower subframe at the rear.
There are spacer washers between subframe mount and body. Take note of the washers as you lower subframe.
It is necessary to lower the jacks small amounts at a time so the subframe does not hang up on the front mounting bolts.
As subframe is lowered, keep jackstands available to keep things steady.
Photo of right rear subframe mount while lowering subframe.
Subframe on the way down.
Spacer washers.
Spacer washers noting the count.
Subframe out of car.
Subframe showing anti-rollbar.
Rear mount.
Mount removal tool.
Tool shown on the mount.
Another view of removal tool.
Subframe mounts.
Subframe mount.
Subframe on way to wash rack.
Subframe shampooing.
More shampoo.
Ready to rinse
Clean subframe.
Air dried.
Subframe ready for media blast.
Subframe has been blasted and the threads have been taped to avoid paint building up in threads.
This is the driver’s side (LHD) of the subframe.
Full on top side of front subframe.
Subframe painted from the left side.
Subframe painted from the right side.
Steering U Joint disassembly
This is the steering column universal joint. To take apart you will need to remove the circlips.
The circlips have been removed and it is ready for disassembly.
Tapping out the needle rollers and bushings to separate the U joint
Showing the joint is almost out of the needle roller!
Another view of the joint separation.
Pushing the bushings and needle rollers out.
Another view.
UJ is out – now proceed with bushing removal.
Ditto.
Another view of bushings being removed.
U Joint.
UJ with bushings and needle rollers removed.
Other section of column with bushings and needle rollers removed.
Bushings and needle rollers that will be replaced.
Shows the housing cleaned ready to accept the new bushings and needle rollers.
Engine compartment clean up – this is going to get messy!
Stripping the wheel arch panels.
Stripping old finish.
Continuing the finish stripping.
Stripping the radiator surround.
Connections need to be cleaned!
Working on radiator surround.
Stripping bulkhead.
Cleaning continues.
Cleaning continues.
Cleaning continues.
Finally getting to the bare steel!
Leftside shock tower cleaned and prepped.
Radiator housing all cleaned up!
Rightside shock tower cleaned and prepped
Another view of rightside shock tower.
Refinished Engine Compartment
Refinished engine compartment
Refinished engine compartment
Refinished engine compartment
Refinished engine compartment
Refinished engine compartment
Refinished engine compartment
Heater box recovery
This shows condition of heater box where upper controls are located.
More detail of flap actuator.
Removal of the heater box from the bulkhead.
Coolant feed at the bottom of heater matrix.
Air flaps inside heater box.
Showing A/C connection to evaporator.
Close up view of holding strap for heater duct.
Hole for the flap bushing.
Showing crushed heater drain and drain pipe blocked.
Another view showing the missing shaft bushing.
View of flap no longer supported on bushing.
View of linkage to lower air flaps.
Lower flap being removed from box.
Heater box with original foam insulation.
Another missing bushing.
Heater box sections.
Recirculating flaps have fallen out of bushings!
Arrow indicate separation.
Heater matrix in the box showing the coolant connections.
View of the box with heater matrix still in it.
Heater box with foam insulation removed.
Heater matrix with coolant connections showing.
Disconnect the flap at this point (arrow) from inside the car.
View of the connection from inside the engine compartment.
Wiring
