The engine came out a couple of months ago. To my surprise and horror, the new valve stems and valve guides were very badly worn, after just 3000 miles. That could only be due to lack of lubrication or oil being diluted by unburnt petrol. And yes, the release bearing had failed.
Given the additional problems with oil usage, vibration etc., I decided to go ahead and have the engine rebuilt. The following components were sourced (this took a while):
- Lotus B block with liners fitted by Scholar, machined down to match the pistons
- 'Used' rods and crank which were checked, balanced, machined etc.
- New fast road cams from QED
- New forged pistons, also from QED, weight checked
- Refurbished and rejetted Dellorto carbs
- New oil pump
- New radiator with fitting for electric fan and thermostat.
Clutch and flywheel balanced. Then all reassembled by Max. No major issues and the car was back on the road last weekend.
120 miles so far, limiting the revs to 3500 so far with lots of variation and light loads. Load and revs to be gradually increased. A massive improvement - smoother, quieter, very responsive.
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