'68 Semi Auto

68autobug · 30 January 2009, 11:51

Quote from: FlamingChris on 29 January 2009, 02:11
After a lot of reading and advice taking it turns out as it's a later case it's a universal one. So i've just ordered myself a new crankshaft and installation kit, reconditioned conrods, and all the bearings and shims i'll need. I'm determined to get this to at least a long block before i go away to work on tuesday!

See, it turned out OK....

I Never remember to put the air deflector plates in...
there should be a way you can put them in Later.
maybe fold up ones.... something so simple...
can cause so many problems....

then again, I can make a disaster out of anything

I've never seen those special oil pump nuts....

LEE

FlamingChris · 30 January 2009, 12:21

Well half the parts are here now, unfortunately not the half that means i can get started just yet, i bet they'll arrive just at the end of the day too!

I've never used those self sealing nuts before but they came in that kit from eVW, surely that's what the gasket's for..

68autobug · 30 January 2009, 12:58

Hi
I've never come across that type of nut...
they do seem like a good idea, although only being able to use them once
isn't good... maybe if they had an o ring in them...

I wonder if that was just good German engineering..?? overkill..

Gaskets usually do the sealing...

Best of luck with the project...

LEE

FlamingChris · 23 February 2009, 19:43

Spent most of the time i was awake over the weekend attempting to put the engine together. Took me ages to get the gears on the crank as the first one i had sent out to me was faulty as the woodruff key recess wasn't long enough:

New crank

Old crank

So everytime i tried to get the timing gear on it would do this:

I then had that crank exchanged but no matter how i heated the gears and cooled the crank i still couldn't get everything on so eventually I gave in a paid a local engineering firm to press them on for me. I then forgot to take anymore photo's...
I had issues with the oil pump again but as i'd experienced it before i knew exactly what i had to do and commenced lightly shaving the fouling areas from the back of the case.

Eventually I got the pump in and the barrels, pistons, and heads on and put on the first bit of tinwear. Now it's time to put the crank pulley on and i can't even get it started, it won't fit over the woodruff key

Bookwus · 23 February 2009, 20:11

Hiya Chris,

Well, I do have to make this comment.................the day of buying a replacement part and bolting it in is long gone. Seems that most all of the aftermarket parts today need some massaging to fit properly. It's a pain, but whaddygonna do?

About your crank pulley and the woodruff key.........are you sure the woodruff key is tapped all the way in and level? I notice that you have a universal aluminum case. Is your crank pulley an aftermarket or OEM? An OEM pulley should fit the crank and woodruff key firmly but nicely. An aftermarket may or may not.

FlamingChris · 24 February 2009, 12:32

Quote from: Bookwus on 23 February 2009, 20:11
About your crank pulley and the woodruff key.........are you sure the woodruff key is tapped all the way in and level? I notice that you have a universal aluminum case. Is your crank pulley an aftermarket or OEM? An OEM pulley should fit the crank and woodruff key firmly but nicely. An aftermarket may or may not.

The crank pulley is OEM so i think it's going to be an issue with the woodruff key itself. I'm going to try to knock it out today and see if i've left anything in the bottom of the recess and then try again, if not then i'll be down to filing down the top of the woodruff key.
I forgot to mention about having to buy a new case, the case i intended to use had been align bored too many times for my liking so now it's just sitting at the back of my shed til i can decide what to do with it.

Bookwus · 24 February 2009, 22:42

Hiya Chris,

I can remember having a spot of trouble with the pully fitting on the crank. For me it turned out that I had tapped the woodruff key in just a little off level. That was all it took to keep the pulley from sliding on. A couple of taps and everything was fine. May your troubles be as small.

FlamingChris · 24 February 2009, 22:54

After a little bit (read endless hours) of adjustment today i managed to get the crank pulley on only to find that the new tinwear i had bought wouldn't fit correctly against the oil pump as it didn't have the step out required. So out came the pullers and the tin was changed over:

After that i just started trawling through the piles and piles of parts that came with the car.......god i wish i'd taken it apart myself!
I did manage to uncover the manifold i'll soon need though:

I just need to check i have the correct carb now, so i took some photo's:

Bookwus · 25 February 2009, 04:42

Hiya Chris,

That 30PICT2 was standard issue on the '69 1500 engine.

Did you check to see if the pre-heat tube on your manifold was clear?

FlamingChris · 25 February 2009, 11:47

Not yet, i'm going to continue to have a search through the piles of parts and then have a mass cleaning spree.

FlamingChris · 25 February 2009, 23:16

As i've been laid up for most of the day with a dodgy back I didn't get to much done. I set the valve clearances which confused me for a bit til i realised the engine turns over anti-clockwise and put the distibutor drive in. I gave it several goes at trying to get it as close to straight across the case at TDC and left it at this:

Bookwus · 26 February 2009, 07:43

Hiya Chris,

Hmmmmm...........a couple of comments.

Engine turns over anti-clockwise? The only time my engine turns over anti-clockwise is when I'm setting the valves. Perhaps I'm reading what you wrote incorrectly but the engine should run, turn over, operate with a clockwise rotation.

You bought a new distributor drive gear, didn't you? I've heard about these dizzy drive gears with the double cross. One slot (as in OEM) for stock distributors and one at 90* to OEM for other distributors. Concerning your picture..............if you have the engine at TDC as this picture is taken then your timing will be off because the dizzy drive gear is off a notch. The engine won't care about this and you can operate the engine as it is now. But you will have to remember (and mark your crank pulley accordingly) that your standard timing mark(s) won't work for you now when you time the engine. But the valves will STILL need be set at the OEM TDC mark on the pulley.

volkenstein · 26 February 2009, 10:20

Chris,
Er, being a recidivist, I do my valves clockwise...following engine rotation. That new style dissy drive is a doozy, but practical!

If you can't get it to line up properly for love nor money when No 1 is bang on TDC......

You might possibly have your bronze crank gear on backwards?

Hideous thought I know given what a heroic effort you've had to put in for this donk already.....

Regards
Sean

FlamingChris · 26 February 2009, 12:04

Turning the crank pulley anti-clockwise meant i could set the gaps in order of 1-2-3-4 (the way i'd learnt originally), but the way i started doing it (clockwise) meant i was setting the the gap on cylinder 2 when i should've been on cylinder 4.....rookie mistake.

Yeah, i bought i complete kit for the crank which included this dizzy gear, i'm tempted to root out the old gear to see if i can get it to line up any better..

Bookwus · 26 February 2009, 15:18

Hiya Chris,

Quote from: FlamingChris on 26 February 2009, 12:04
Turning the crank pulley anti-clockwise meant i could set the gaps in order of 1-2-3-4 (the way i'd learnt originally)

OK, that's cool.

Quote.... but the way i started doing it (clockwise) meant i was setting the the gap on cylinder 2 when i should've been on cylinder 4.....rookie mistake.

Oh yeah! I learned how to set valves doing it the reverse rotation way. And while I've seen folks set valves by progressing the crank forward I have opted to remain with the reverse rotation method if, for no other reason, to keep from getting confused. Besides it works well for me.

Quote.... i'm tempted to root out the old gear to see if i can get it to line up any better.....

Are your case halves together? If so be very careful when pulling the distributor drive gear. It is extraordinarilly easy to lose those two distributor drive gear washers down and into the case. They sometimes want to stick to the bottom of the drive gear but will then fall off when the drive gear is pulled up. And (again, if your case halves are together) how will you pull the distributor drive gear? VW had a special tool for that, but I'm guessing that you don't have that special tool.