Decided I'd do a project thread! Back dating this a fair way! (So bare with me a few nights whilst I catch the thread up to where it currently is)
Brought this car not knowing much about it - barely had a spec list - would't start (More on that later..) Travelled across the country to pick it up! Pushed it from the trailer it was on onto our trailer (With less than 1/4" between the wheels and side of trailer!) and set off back home.
Few pictures
When we got it back, off the trailer, put the battery on charge and tried to start it (again, brought it with a "cam rattle or bearing spun" but was well aware it was more than likely going to a new engine job)
Engine would turn over, but wouldn't fire at all. We had spark, fuel, checked the timing and was good. Then got the compression tester out..
Ouch!
We decided to take the head off in place (Looking back I'm not sure why we bothered - it was a pain)
Bores all looked good, pistons looked good. Turned the head over...
Well, that explains that.
Decided to pull the block out as hadn't found the culprit of the "rattle" yet.
Got it out and stripped down - found a random bolt in the sump (we never did find anywhere with a missing bolt..) but it was pretty bent and smashed up.
Girdle was badly cracked all over (only got a few pics), oil sprayer was missing, few chips here and there, oh - and the bearing that didn't want to be a bearing
Did find it had an ACT 6 puck unsprung clutch.. (that was destroyed anyway)
Another trip down to Essex to pick up another SR20DET.
Not sure why, but it was such a PITA getting it to mate up with the gearbox?
I saw and helped the guy split his manual box from the engine, yet my box would not mate up.
This was after putting the engine back on the mounts, so pulled the engine back out and tried to bolt engine and box up on the floor. Still wasn't having it. Took the clutch off and realigned it a few times, but the shaft was going in past the clutch. Figured it out that the pilot bearing was stopping the input shaft of the box going all the way in? Bodge fix, took a dremel to the pilot bearing to give it a bigger internal diameter so that the shaft would go in.
Finally got it all back in and hooked up - only to find the thread in the head for one of the exhaust manifold studs was stripped. was driving round like that for a bit, until the clicking of the manifold gasket got too annoying.
Changed the plugs to BKR7EIX after it refusing to rev above 4k. Went for a drive to see what it was like, and boost gauge was reading 22psi.. quickly wound that back down, there's the reason for the cracked head and spun bearing?!
Then finally got round to fixing the manifold stud, just needed re-tapping - got away without having to helicoil it.