July 27, 2007 Replacement Engine Installation

I'm guessing that the previous owner knew the installed engine was faulty and that it would need work and that's why he threw the spare engine in the deal.
The engine is an 18V which likely came from a 1975 donor car.



I spent a couple of weeks of cleaning and building out the spare with fresh lifters, push rods and oil pump. I got a can of Moss's engine paint and returned to its original burgundy colour. Fresh head gasket, seals and sump gasket and it was buttoned up and ready for installation.

The last complication was that, being a 1975 engine, it installs to slightly different engine mounts. I called up Obsolete to order a set of the later mounts...
Fortunately they now know me and my car there and questioned what I was doing. I explained that I was swapping later motor, earlier car, so I needed later mounts.
Response: "Sorry, you can't do that"
huh?
It's true. The actual engine mount locations on the frame are different before and after 1974.5. You have to use the 1970 mounts and change the front plate on the engine to the 1970 front plate so you can use the 1970 mounts...
The means opening the front of the engine to get to the front plate. (Which of course introduces a whole extra set of "While you're at it"s
As long as I'm taking off the timing cover, might as well change out the timing gears and chain for the better duplex set, and replace the tensioner... sigh.
So I ordered all that and started tearing into the nice clean engine while waiting another couple of days for the gear to arrive.

Then swapped front plates and installed the new timing gears.

On the back side, I installed a new clutch using a handy little plastic alignment tool that duplicates the engine output shaft.

Then mated the engine and gearbox up to prepare for installation.

Swung it around to the car and tilted it into the engine compartment. I cleaned up the engine bay a bit and sprayed the rattle can of Mineral Blue that I had Napa make up for me. Hope I end up with that colour or this is going to look wierd.

It was relatively straightforward with the major exception of the rear crossmember. I cleaned it up, rebuilt it and installed new mounts.


Despite reading over and over about how to make this job go easier, it was still the very worst thing I've had to do on this car. The physics of trying to locate two fasteners in two holes that are at opposite 45 degree angles is baffling. It is impossible to imagine how this was done at the factory. Unfortunately it is only after the fact that I now fully understand the modifications necessary to do this installation properly. The concept of slotting the hole now makes sense. Oh well. next time.