Block fitting

[Parazine]

Retirement started today!

Decided I'd better get on with a job I identified in the summer - the Top Hat had a bad oil leak and I found it was due to the disc above the oil pump drive:

   

This job is a bit of a b*gg£r because the block has to come off, not a nice prospect, which is probably why I'd ignored it for a while. However, the engine came out and the block was separated from the crankcase. The repair job on the disc took 5 minutes and then I had to re-assemble. This is usually fairly easy, because I'm dealing with an essentially bare block, so I normally lift it onto the crankcase, support it on two metal blocks until the cocoa tin lids have been located, then drop it onto the studs.

Not this time, I'd left the head and manifolding on and the block was too heavy for me to lift accurately!

   

I ended up with the engine on the floor, block suspended on the hoist while I jiggled and poked to get the lids into place, all the while trying to avoid getting oil on my silicon gasket or the faces of the block or crankcase. Took me most of the afternoon to settle the block down.

   

So the real question:

Does anyone have any other favorite ways to fit the block? Yes, I know the oil baffles are optional and life would have been simpler without them........

[dickie65]

Hi
I stand the crankcase on it bellhousing studs and then use wooden blocks under the block to match the height then slide the block into place.
The advantage for me is the fact that once a couple of block holding down nuts are in place the crank and big ends are easy to get at.
You can fiddle with the oil baffles from the inside of the crankcase before pulling it all together with it on end.
( Re fit the bellhousing nuts to prevent damaging the studs before up ending the crankcase )

[Reckless Rat]

Just out of curiosity how did you remove the oil pump core plug and re-fit it to ensure a good seal?

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Not at all helpful to you Tim, but it is possible to remove the oil pump cover with the engine in situ. It is fiddly and best done on a ramp but entirely possible, I have done it twice.

[Hugh Barnes]

As I recall it, Ray Walker, who probably built more austin 7 engines that the rest of us put together, also used Dickie's approach...

[Parazine]

Not at all helpful to you Tim, but it is possible to remove the oil pump cover with the engine in situ.  It is fiddly and best done on a ramp but entirely possible, I have done it twice.

Hi Ruairidh, yes I considered it but decided that once released, there would be oil all over the silicon gasket, block and case faces, necessitating a complete clean out. Maybe if you just lifted the block a teeny bit......?

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Just out of curiosity how did you remove the oil pump core plug and re-fit it to ensure a good seal?

Just popped it out as normal, from underneath with a long rod once the block was off. I used another disc as the one fitted last year had seen better days on close inspection. Tapped it back in with a new gasket and plenty of sealant. Made sure this time that the plug was below the crankcase level 

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I stand the crankcase on it bellhousing studs and then use wooden blocks under the block to match the height then slide the block into place.

Thanks Dickie, I considered this, perhaps I should have actually tried it. Maybe next time.....?

[Bob Culver]

I would have tried pouring paint or Araladite or gasket goo over the plug!
Decades ago when such things were done a work colleague explained how he and a mate had struggled for ages to fit a Seven block over the rings....then discoverd thay had put it on back to front!

[Hedd_Jones]

I had a leak on an old engine from here. I went in from the sump, removed the oil pump complete with shaft and gear. Cleaned the internal surface well with brake clean and smeared a fillet of RTV type gasket goo around the perimeter. Then reassembled. It worked.

I had to make 2 tools, a doctored spanner to get the nut off at the top of the oil pump, and i carved a piece of hardwood (carved with angle grinder) to sit in the oil pump which with a shifter meant the nut could be undone. All made in less than 5 mins. 

I didnt think of belting it out.

[Stuart Giles]

So the real question:

Does anyone have any other favorite ways to fit the block? Yes, I know the oil baffles are optional and life would have been simpler without them........

If the motor has an 1 5/16" or early crank I fit the empty block to the crankcase with the oil baffles in place but cut with a pair of tin snips such that they can be prised open with your fingers.  If the motor has been bored, most unmodified 1 5/16" rods will pass down the bores OK. In any case, when I balance the rods, I make sure that I take metal off the big end 'dimples' you can see in this photo.



Once all the big ends are bolted up the oil baffles can be pushed back in place with your fingers and you're good to go.

[John Mason]

Keeping the tin lids in place. A small magnet on each to keep it in place. Once the block and crankcase are United together remove via the sump. A bit fiddly as the magnet wants to stick to the rods and crank but can be done with long reach pliers.

John Mason.