With the head of and just laying around (and the father in law now checking in regularly on progress) I have found a few slots where I could grab some garage time whilst I have to wait for supplies to do anything more to the shell. After fighting the sticky collets holding in the valves, that would be 3 times on each valve with the valve compressor tool with only one valve giving up and coming out. I set off round the father in laws with the head, the weather was ok so it was fine to set up the work mate in the garden (his garage makes me feel like mine is really tidy, but that would be his sons doing to be fair) we cut a few packers to go under the valves and turned the head over ready to show it who is boss. A large socket in a short extension bar and aided with a fair hammer he blasted through them and one half collet came straight out of most of them, a quick go with the valve compressor and I was stood there cleaning all the collets and springs whilst Harry was cleaning the vlaves up on the grinding wheel fitted with a wire brush. With a bit of chat as well I think it was just a 3/4 hour visit.
I shot off from there to the work shop to move the mini to another unit on the yard in a bid to delay it coming back home. But my friend Malcolm was fine with it living with him for a few days until Friday when it can move back into my works workshop for a final coat of clear. Oh had a quick go over the head in Malcolms parafin bath while I was there.
The next 2 days over a few short stints in the garage the head is now de coked, any blobby rust removed from outer and inner parts, the heart shaped chamber has been smoothed out removing the rough casting finish with just a quick clean of the valve guides needed to cross the T's and dot the i's on that sticky valve problem, although I need to find out if the engine is fitted with unleaded valve guides, if not they are going to be changed at Malcoms and the head will get a quick polish/surface grind on mating surfaces. Sounds easier than me sanding it with emery and a board. The valve seats look like they will be fine after the valves have been ground back in again when the paste and stick turns up, could have got M to re cut the valve seats and valves but doesn't look like it is needed.
Sadly an old school test on the piston rings is looking like a little bit more work on the engine. We sprayed a truck load of wd40 into the pistons and 2 drained fairly quickly and a third had drained by the next day. They could be stuck and free up after it being fired up, but with little doubts creeping in as the engine has sat up for at least 5 years and the engine not being in the car it does seem like the right thing to do is to get stuck in and double check as much as we can. On that note ... the bell housing is off and waiting for a clutch puller to turn up, I so still bloody had one from 20 years ago when I did a clutch change on my last mini. Well I saw the main part a few days ago but disappeared and the bolts, well just no. So the bell housing is off, cleaned inside and out and just needs a quick rub down before that gets painted ..... Red like it was and the same as the engine or silver ?
The bonus of "checking" the clutch, there is not much more to come off the engine and I can take the pistons out to check the rings.
Not sure at the moment how much more will happen this week, waiting on shit turning up. Could be lots, may be slow? But it is back to work tomorrow ... boooooo.
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