A great start to a cool rebuild experience! Best of luck and keep us posted.

 

Well, I've been told my bro in law dropped off the cheery picker, so that's one less thing to rent until I'm done.

It's Friday finally and I'm so ready to dive back into the engine tonight.

Now to get through the work day....coffee me.

 

Definitely going to be keeping an eye on this! Always good to see Rover owners working on their own stuff. Did you break any of the plastic cooling or vacuum lines when tearing down? Seems like every time I go to work on mine I break off a piece of one.

 

Stupid work......always gets in the way

 

Heat up and pull liners. Inspect and clean interior walls. Then I'll be pushing the sleeves back in and sealing them in place with Loctite 640 sleeve retainer.



Though you intend using this loctite, and it may, indeed, work well, you do know, do you not, that Rover never did use any loctite or other adhesive at all on their cylinder liners, even though many 'Rover enthusiasts think they did? They heated the block to a specific temperature; pressed in the liners which were at room temperature, and when the block cooled down, the liners were retained by shrinkage of block alone---no adhesive needed. Original liners stay in place well, unless engine is overheated, which isn't likely to happen IF you take proper, needed care of it. When original liners do slip, again, due to overheating and resulting cracking behind liners, which loosens the liners up, which results in liner slipping up/down, they cannot slip down, IF Rover originally installed them correctly. Correctly, by butting bottom end of liners up against aluminum shoulders in block, at base of each bore in block. But, on some blocks, during manufacturing, when Rover heated the blocks up, pushed in the liners, during cooling period, some liners slipped up slightly, off the shoulder in block, so on those blocks, with liners not firmly down flush against shoulders, they may move downward slightly, since they can. Even when liners are down flush against shoulders in block, they can slip upward slightly, as yours did, because the head gasket fire rings around combustion chambers, don't block upward movement of liner at all; nothing does, top of liner is tapered, forming a sharp edge at top, a horrible design, making it easy for them to slip upward slightly until they hit head. That is why top hat liners are so much better, they can't move upward, due to "top hat" and they can't move downward either, due to same "top hat." Additionally, the best top hat liners have a huge "O" ring on outside diameter of liner, at base, to block any coolant from getting into oil pan, should cracks occur in wall behind liners.

 

I didn't break anything when I pulled the cooling lines, BUT, I found pieces of itself floating on top of the t/stat. A whole lock ring had deteriorated and come off at some point and traveled down the line and a big ol chunk of rubber from somewhere. I'll inspect every fitting in the long run and replace anything that looks funky.

I'm aware that Rover didn't use Loctite to secure the liners, and that ultimately top hat liners are a bomb proof way to solve all my problems. For a hefty price tag.

But I don't want to throw that kind of money on the block if I can try this theory first for $100. THAT BEING SAID, if all my pinning/loctite aspirations fail, I'll be getting a top hat lined block from ACR or Q&E. In the long run it would be hard to invest more than what the car is worth as I paid nearly nothing for it.

The Loctite idea came from a tried and true practice I found Lotus uses on their blocks, and consistent testimonies from diesel mechanics that use this stuff to lock in their liners all the time.

So I figure I add this to my pinning plan for a double combo to give my block a fighting chance at solving the problem without it costing me 2 grand.

All in theory. We shall see if it works or not.

I figure pinning + loctite all liners + a 100% working/upgraded cooling system = best possible (low cost) chance this Rover lasts me long time.

 

Oh yeah, and when I pin/loctite the liners in place, I'm going to have them sit just above the deck of the block.

That way when I get the block decked, it shaves the top of the liners flush with the block surface, and creates a mating surface for the liners to have contact surface to the new head gasket.

Figure that'll add to the peace of mind.

 

You: "when I get the block decked, it shaves the top of the liners flush with the block surface,"
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That IS what Rover did. But, be sure that liners are pressed in fully FLUSH with the aluminum block shoulders at base of each bore.


You: "creates a mating surface for the liners to have contact surface to the new head gasket."
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This may not work, because the liners are slightly smaller in diameter than is the interior diameters of the firing rings on the head gaskets, if I recall correctly, unless you use better higher quality head gaskets, which are spendy in price.

 

Overall, in general, I like what you are proposing to do. However, ALL of what you are planning to do, will NOT prevent thin aluminum walls behind liners from cracking, to some degree, IF engine is overheated. Should that happen, coolant would still be able to work its way downward, into oil pan, and upward, beyond head gaskets, into combustion chambers, same as if all your pinning and loctitening were never done. So, it is paramount to not overheat the engine, no matter what; BEWARE of this---I am sure you will.

 

The head gasket kit that came with the car is a Victor Reinz kit. No clue on what that ranks in quality. It's German made.

I'll have to mock up the HG and see if there is any point to deck off the top of the liners. If the diameter doesn't cover it, then there is no point. I'll check.

The plan I have come up with is about as good as it's going to get without boring it out for new flanged liners. Now this whole plan only moves ahead if the pressure test I run this weekend doesn't uncover any compromises in the block. If I find any cracks or holes in the cylinder walls, then I'll be picking up another block.

I know you can tig weld it and repair the cracks, as far as I hear, but I just can't see being comfortable with that in the long run. That and the place I have a warrantied block quote from is only $500. I'm sure a machine shop would bend me over tig welding and boring out my block. Just the quote for installing liners was $1,560. That was with ME supplying the liners.

Now as far as the overheating is concerned, even new fanged liners wont solve that. So no matter what direction this finishes in, I'll be overhauling the entire cooling system. Full flush, new hoses and fittings. New t/stat upgrade. Also, if I find the radiator to not be up to snuff, I'll put in a better one.

After I put all the work into the block, I'm going to make sure the cooling system supporting it is rock solid. That being because of how susceptible these are to overheating damage.