Jennifer's Makeover

However, I did manage to get a line on alternate rings for Jennifer, so it looks like she is going back together with a new set of rings...
Which I feel much better about.
Thanks Andre (Matchless) for the lead, managed to find Fiat Palio rings at Alert Engine Parts for 150 ronts a piston, or about $10.50 in Dale's money.

Yes, mine was from Alert as well. I also got a set of Datsun brake pads B155 from Midas (set of 4) for R90. Just need to have them skimmed down to 10mm somewhere sometime. Thanks.

Not a whole lot to share this week, no work done, as I need to procure small end circlips to hang the pistons back onto the rods, and I just had no time this weekend to get to the lawn mower place.
Sorry Dale, just have not managed to get over to the workshops at the airport to mic those shims either.

However, I did manage to get a line on alternate rings for Jennifer, so it looks like she is going back together with a new set of rings...
Which I feel much better about.
Thanks Andre (Matchless) for the lead, managed to find Fiat Palio rings at Alert Engine Parts for 150 ronts a piston, or about $10.50 in Dale's money.

And now I am off to do a restoration job on a 20yr old Kirby vacuum cleaner.

[rustybronco]

If its NOS then you should not have any questions on the head gasket!
If Dale's checked it out it WILL be good! Hi there Dale!

And a friendly 'Halo' to you as well Andre!

Stan, we also picked up an OEM base gasket to go along with that NOS Vesrah gasket set. Not a bad deal for $35 if I do say so myself!

If its NOS then you should not have any questions on the head gasket!
If Dale's checked it out it WILL be good! Hi there Dale!

[rustybronco]

Stan, we also picked up an OEM base gasket to go along with that NOS Vesrah gasket set. Not a bad deal for $35 if I do say so myself!

Will certaimly chase up those Palio rings tomorrow, many thanks Andre.

Andre, I have a complete engine gasket set, including the head gasket, it is not Suzuki stuff, it is after market Vesrah, but seems to be good quality,
I don't know about any changes, that may or may not be included in the set, I guess i will find out as I go along, Dale procured it for me, and I trust his judgement with my life, so I doubt I will have too many hassles.
But will be sure to make mention of any discrepancies I may find

Stan, I see that you couldnt get the correct size rings. I found a note that I made a few years ago and it was actually rings for a Fiat Palio 1992 - Hastings # 2C 5051. They were 70mm rings, rings 1 and 2 were 1.2mm and oil ring was 2.5mm.
I also noted then that a Honda Lawnmower used the same piston clips!

Keep well.

Stan, do you have the head gasket yet? I recall many questions around mine a few years back, especially the rectangular "o-ring" around the timing chain and the other oil passages. Apparently there is a new pattern that supersedes the old pattern or so I was informed at the time.

Andre, valve stem seals went on fine, I am paranoid about tearing them putting them on, as I have had a good few destroy themselves trying to get them on in the past, so I put them on with kid gloves.

Looking good, Stan! Did the valve stem seals go on easily?

Sorry Dale, could not get shim sizes for you, not one of them had a size on them, not that I could see, may just be my eyesight.
And not having a mic, I could not measure them for you, but they seem fairly thick.
Ed, again without a mic, I could not measure the seat area too accurately, but it seems to be just over over 1mm, probably 1.3mm all around give or take 0.1mm between them.

A nice big nut as a spacer sorted that problem out.


All done


Filled the combustion chamber with petrol, to chck for leaks


Nothing, nill, nada, ports as dry as a bone.

The better part of today was spent reassembling the head, well, getting the valves back in anyway.

yes I was a good boy and made sure everything went back where it came from


Cheap and nasty from Taiwan


small screwdriver and grease for placing the cotters onto the valve and hold them in place as you release the spring.


Valve assembly, inner and outer springs, lower seat, upper keeper and two cotters


Be sure to put the springs in the right way round, you will notice that the coils on the spring tighten up on one end, that end goes to the bottom.




Make sure the bottom seat is in place and the spring is not going to sit directly on the aluminium head.




Valve compressor in place


I found the valve spring compressor a little long and it did not depres the valve far enough to get th cotters in.

Tech73, no need to replace the gudgeon pins, use the ones that came out, but you most definitely fit new gudgeon pin circlips, because if one of them come out in the motor, you can write off that cylinder liner, as the gudgeon pin will move and scrape up and down the liner, scoring it beyond repair.
Lucky the circlips are cheap, probably a dollar or less. each.
Unless the engine has really been cooked red hot and you have a blown head gasket, no need to skim the head, chanes are it will be fine.
You can check it yourself by laying a steel straight edge across it and seeing if you can get a feeler gauge blade between the head and straight edge, just looking for light between the two will give you the answer.
I would put money down you don't need to.

Sounds good, thanks for the advice.