Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Dinty]

Nice work mate, I enjoy looking at work done by other enthusiasts, thanks for sharing, cheers Dennis

[Private_collector]

You may recall I recently contacted an engineering firm for a quote to reassemble my Ford Sidevalve engine. That phonecall was Friday, and as they had promised, I got a return call today with their quote. Firstly, let me say the price indicted was not a firm amount, it was advised to be a rough estimate, and was based on similar rebuilds they had done in past. Playing devils advocate, I think they may have been struggling with the concept that this is effectively a new engine. As the conversation progressed, I clarified that a number of tasks associated with a rebuild are not applicable here. Things such as line boring mains, testing & repairing con rods where applicable, and machining valve seats were spoken about. I could confirm these jobs were not required, and although they said this could decrease the cost by a bit, I can't help but feel the estimate of $3400 to put the engine together is a little harsh! I know of two people who have had work done there, and it has been exceptionally good standard in both cases. There is no doubt I would be happy with the outcome, but at 3k+, that is more than I wish to part with.

Perhaps I should be writing a list of what parts are brand new, and document the tasks which will not be required in this assembly. I initially hoped that my indicating 'everything is new' would allow any prospective firm to quote for what is in essence a very easy build. That said, I know for a fact that in this case it was not fully understood that the block itself was absolutely ununsed & literally brand new. Not surprising when you consider that not many (if any others at all) of the French manufactured blocks/engines have made their way to Australia. I should imagine that after clarification of the above, the final cost of reassembly would be very much reduced from the estimate, but can I afford to take that chance? Not really! Even if the invoice was 1/2 the amount, that is more than I had expected under the circumstances.

Guess I will get further quotes. I'll also do my best to ensure that it is fully understood that no internal components require repair or reconditioning in any way.

Ho, hum!

[Shane]

Wow my motor to be completely striped and rebuilt cost me $1000 and she was not in good health. However i did spend around $400 on parts and we shall see what happens when i fire her up, i will know in two months or so. Its been great reading all your posts, your information on each step will help many of us who are learning the art of restoration.

[Lionelgee]

G'day Tony,

Isn't there a hot rod mob at the back of the ponds in Gympie. They do custom work at their place; and they have a yard full of interesting old stuff too. If they cannot do the engine reassembly work themselves surely they could recommend someone for you to see?

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Private_collector]

Lionel,

I know the place you are thinking about. I wouldn't get it done there.
When I was looking for an engine, a long time ago, he tried to sell me an early flathead with the water pumps in a different location, and said I could just change the heads and it would then be correct!

When I challenged him to show me where the pumps would fit the block front, he had to admit (after another look) that it wouldn't work. Long story short, he doesnt know as much as he thinks he does about Flatheads. Definately dont want to go there!

Already making other enquiries. I know several guys in the local Historic Vehicle Club, so I will consult them, I think.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

I initially hoped that my indicating 'everything is new' would allow any prospective firm to quote for what is in essence a very easy build.

That being the case Tony, and at the risk of stating of the obvious, can I suggest you do it yourself! There are no special tools required and everything you need to know is in your trusty Ford manual. In your case the only issue is compatibility, eg. crank/rod/piston combo, and you've already sorted all that. You just need to assemble it now, which I can assure you is a piece of cake. In fact it can be done by a 16 yo kid with no mechanical experience beyond Meccano and bicycles! And you don't even need a shed!

Seriously though I'd recommend you do it yourself, because quite apart from saving money it's probably the most enjoyable and satisfying part of the whole resto. The only tedious part I recall was adjusting the valve clearance after lapping the valves in, because you have to repeatedly reassemble the valve guides into the block and remeasure the clearance, to make sure you don't grind too much off the mushroom tips. Also I was using a hand driven grinder which didn't help matters much! However you can avoid all that by getting a machine shop to grind the required amount off each valve, after you've measured the initial clearances. Apart from that the only tricky part I recall was putting rings on pistons without a ring expander, as they have a nasty habit of snapping! These days you can probably buy the appropriate tool dirt cheap, otherwise get an engine shop to fit the rings. Also I notice the French block is relieved, which could make it tricky to install the pistons, ie. the rings may pop out of an ordinary ring compressor tool. You could probably trim one to fit the relief, otherwise get the engine shop to do that stage of assembly as well.

Apart from those areas the reality is you'd probably do a better job than someone on an hourly rate, and you can be pretty sure they've never even heard of a French flathead, let alone seen one! You're the one who knows it intimately and you're the one who sourced all the right parts, and you're the one with plenty of time to be fussy about assembly. Personally I'd rather torque every nut and bolt myself so I know it's been done to spec, not just to standard shop practice. Plus you get to measure every clearance yourself, which you'll never know if you give it to an engine shop. Also I doubt there'd be an engine shop in Australia as scrupulously clean as you!

Anyway Tony I think you should give it serious consideration, because this is purely an assembly job, not a rebuild, and having seen your work in this thread it's obviously well within your ability. All the instructions are in the Ford manual, and if you need any advice along the way you can always ask on MLU, just like everything else on a CMP. Like for example the importance of thermostats, which I seem to have overlooked as a kid!

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[Keith Webb]

I can also remember when we discovered the sump had to come off again to fit the clutch.

[lynx42]

You are right Tony W. ["That being the case Tony, and at the risk of stating of the obvious, can I suggest you do it yourself! There are no special tools required and everything you need to know is in your trusty Ford manual."]
If you can read a book, you can re-assemble a V8 side-valve.

Here is a photo of 13 year old Joel, My sons stepson, torquing down the head on my Lynx engine. You are never too young to learn.

Regards Rick

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[Tony Wheeler]

Nice photo Rick, great to see youngsters still working on flatheads in 2014! When are you going to buy him his own blitz to restore?

Perhaps we can start a thread on kids restoring CMPs. I think Euan may hold the record at age 12 or something equally ridiculous! Mine was a fair effort with no shed or workbench, but Keith restored his first blitz in the street!

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[Keith Webb]

Well, we got it sort of running, with one front brake working, but at least it was alive again... not bad for a couple of 16 year olds I guess. And the front shell got a coat of paint.

[Private_collector]

Hey, hey, hey! The transfer case is finally back where it belongs.
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There was a point in the lifting that I expected the hoist to run out of reach. The boom arm looked to be very high, and I wouldn't have been surprised to need to lift the case in two stages. In the end, it all worked out fine. Once bolted in place, I disconnected the chains to see how much height would have still been available, if needed. I found there was only another 1/2" beyond the height I needed. How's that for lucky.
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Is this really how the speedo drive sits? That's quite a sharp turn the cable has to make.

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Now I need to decode how this goes together.
I did take some photos of the way I pulled it apart, but like the maintenence manual, those photos are not as instructive as I would like them to be.