Bruce the FWD

[JPB]

I'd think before jumping in with the valve grinding paste (sorry Phil), as you may find that any coating of lead ("memory") would be ground away and you'd increase the rate at which the seats would recede. Sit the head on a flat surface (ideally thick glass like a table top, which will also enable you to see whether it's flat enough not to need a cut), fill the ports with petrol and see whether anything leaks out into the chambers. If it doesn't, and if there's no massive amount of carbon around the stems of the inlet valves, then I'd be tempted to leave the valves alone for now.

[Phil_G]

I'd think before jumping in with the valve grinding paste (sorry Phil), as you may find that any coating of lead ("memory") would be ground away and you'd increase the rate at which the seats would recede. Sit the head on a flat surface (ideally thick glass like a table top, which will also enable you to see whether it's flat enough not to need a cut), fill the ports with petrol and see whether anything leaks out into the chambers. If it doesn't, and if there's no massive amount of carbon around the stems of the inlet valves, then I'd be tempted to leave the valves alone for now.

I bow to a voice of experience John. I hadn't considered that aspect of the job and would wholeheartedly agree. I think it must be a perversion of mine though as I really enjoy lapping in valves on 8v heads.

Im just ####ed off that my 106 D has suspected valve seat recession and now have to reshim the blasted thing to get it to start properly when it's cold.

[Pauldaf44]

out of interest how much work and what sort of cost would I be looking at if I was to say do an unleaded conversion whilst the heads off?

[JPB]

There's certainly therapeutic value in lapping valves in, and to do so would otherwise have been a usual part of a head-off job, but I hear all kinds of horror stories from people whose iron-headed classics were fine on unleaded with an occasional shot of additive until they decided to carry out a decoke....

Of course the best solution would be to have inserts and exhaust valves done while the head's off the car, but, thinking back to my time as a student, I know where my grant would have been spent had the choice been between the machine shop and the union bar.

Seat recession in a Diesel? Not enough pump fuel in among the chip fat maybe?

edited....

out of interest how much work and what sort of cost would I be looking at if I was to say do an unleaded conversion whilst the heads off?

Mr Jod Clark would be most up to date with costs of such things, I'd expect.

It would certainly make sense, especially in a car that's to be in regular use.

[1300dolly]

Sit the head on a flat surface (ideally thick glass like a table top, which will also enable you to see whether it's flat enough not to need a cut), fill the ports with petrol and see whether anything leaks out into the chambers.

Am i being dumb in not seeing how this technique works,surley you would always get some fuel leaking through as you would not be able to fully close the inlets?

[1300dolly]

out of interest how much work and what sort of cost would I be looking at if I was to say do an unleaded conversion whilst the heads off?

I asked the same question a couple of months ago, ask around a few local machine shops, i didnt get mine done as i got another engine instead.

[JPB]

.....Am i being dumb in not seeing how this technique works,surley you would always get some fuel leaking through as you would not be able to fully close the inlets?

If the valve springs were that weak, then you'd want to know about it.......

The valves would all be closed assuming that the head isn't still attached.

You could equally well put plugs in, invert the head and fill the chambers instead of the ports, either way, you're after leak free seating.

[Spunkymonkey]

I must admit I'd always lap the valves by the time I'd got as far as pulling the head. These engines are susceptible to recession (as Sheila showed only too well!) but as long as you use additive all the time (Redex from Tesco garages is only 91 pence a bottle - good for 250 litres!) it's not a problem.

On the other hand, if you have an exhaust valve that's just about to burn through its seat you'll still get a perfectly good seal, followed by a failed valve a few k miles down the road and have to do it all again.

[Pauldaf44]

Done some playing between the showers today. Copious amounts of wd40 got the seat rails and height adjustment mechanism working again. Having done that I pulled the seats out and fitted the new carpet. I was very pleased to see that the floor pan and the inner sill that I haven't replaced look absolutly rock solid, about the only thing on the car that is I might add. A small patch of welding will have to be done as I found stress cracking around the mounts for the seats. Which I believe spunkymonkey also found in his. Can I blame Adam for that . I welded the small area in the drivers footwell between the rain and that is now solid. Also found under the carpet a zippo lighter and an unopened packet of cigars. This amused me for some reason. Im afraid I have no pictures because I was rushing so that I wasn't still working (being electricuted) when it started raining again.

Paul

[Pauldaf44]

3 week lag but we got news. I just finished up patching the sills and arches, have ordered a set of rotos a speedo cable and seat belts all arriving this week. Also have been chatting up a local friendly bodyshop who have agreed to patch up the inner wings, bonnet and drivers door frame for £200 thats being done on Monday. Once I collect the radiator I should have a solid car. Head is coming off tomorrow.

Last bit of news how does £800 sound for a reshell reasonable?

Paul

[Purplebargeken]

£800 would pobbabl buy you a nice solid 1300WD with minimal work for a ticket.

[JPB]

Reshell? Is your shell really that far beyond being solid again?

Ken's right there, which doesn't come as a surprise particularly; £800 could even buy a car that would last indefinitely with some TLC, so for a reshell job, yes, it has to be cheap but (and that was a big but) how sure can you be that the shell isn't worse than the Cactus one, on which you seem to have spent loads of time and effort already?

[Pauldaf44]

Although at the end of the week the car will be solid, I have a feeling it is going to need just as much work next year. The price given for the reshell was a ball park figure, I think this one will be good for a while yet.

I told myself long ago not to count the pennies I put into cars its a hobby not a money making scheme.

Edit to add

Wings are now off ready for work and the strenghening shelf is all there and only has surface rust
The strut cover has pulled nicely back into postition and had been caused in the first place by incorrect mounting. I will have a big photo run at the end of the week. Fingers crossed he passes an MOT on wednesday.

Paul

[1300dolly]

Are you saying you have a decent shell with no runnng gear or interior to reshell?
If thats the case i would use the 'new' shell and build another car into it, all the parts are avalible from various sources.

[Spunkymonkey]

It really didn't look that bad when I was poking round it a few weeks back, Paul. All the important bits were solid and even the inner wings would have been easy enough to do with the wings on.

Overall, it struck me as about as solid as Sheila when I got her - apart from cosmetic stuff like the bonnet hole she's needed one inner wing patch, one sill patch, a jacking point, a couple of cracks in the floor pan, and a small patch in the n/s/f wheelarch that I noticed while doing her donut last week. That's nothing for a car of that age with little or no history and all good practice.

If you want showroom perfection then Bruce (or Sheila come to that) was probably not the best starting point but, as something to actually use day in, day out in all weathers and without being scared of spoiling it, there was nothing I could see on Bruce that a determined couple of days wouldn't have made sound.

As for "as much again next year" - not if you use some protection. Without protection, you risk paying big-time for the next 18 years or so