[Josh72]

Hey guys,
With moderator approval I would like to divert from my overall build and create a thread of just my engine build.

I decided to resurrect the motor that came with the car which has been sitting and neglected in a corner of the back yard for about a decade. I would rather it put put to use rather than rot away and it will also allow me to keep the current running engine for a backup. Or if I get really froggy, add some goodies to that engine once my build gets down to the final odds and ends.
Bare with me, this engine has sat out for a long time and its pretty ugle. Hopefully it will bring more appreciation once its complete for the guys that think they just have a giant paperweight instead of a good basis for a build. I will try to chronicle with pics as much as I can. Enjoy...

 

[Josh72]

After removing the pan (aluminum with Opel blitz, stock?) Everything looked pretty good considering the time it spent in the weather

 

[Josh72]

Flywheel came off without breaking any bolts. Very nice. Ugly underneath tho. A good degreasing should clean it up nice

 

[Josh72]

Number 2 and number 3 were frozen. I lightly sanded with 320 grit, blew the cylinders out with air then poured a small amount of Marvel and let it sit for about 30 min. When that didnt do the trick, i lightly tapped on the piston with a 2x4 and hammer. They slowly started to break loose

 

[Josh72]

Once they were free moving, i used a wire brush attached to a drill and a small amount of Purple Power to clean the piston tops

 

[Josh72]

Wire wheel, degreaser and 320 grit paper on the walls

 

[Josh72]

Opinion are more than welcome. Advice or anything Im doing wrong Im all ears

 

[Vincent]

Opinion are more than welcome. Advice or anything Im doing wrong Im all ears

That depends on what your definition of an engine build means.

You can't "refresh" a still assembled short block by simply sanding down all the nasty rusty areas

 

[Josh72]

That depends on what your definition of an engine build means.

You can't "refresh" a still assembled short block by simply sanding down all the nasty rusty areas

This is just the primer for the real party. I have a couple goodies up my sleeve. Wanted to get this short block cleaned up to kill some time. Pics on Tuesday

 

[Josh72]

That depends on what your definition of an engine build means.

You can't "refresh" a still assembled short block by simply sanding down all the nasty rusty areas

Lets just say Ive grown and moved on from the rotary swap topic a few weeks ago. (Though i still think it would be bad ass)

 

[First opel 1981]

OK, so you have a stock, I think, engine that's been rebuilt once, at least, before. It's a 69 or 70.
Check for pits in the walls of #2 & #3 cylinders.
If you have pits, give Gil a call, order some 2.0 pistons. If no pits, check your ring gaps. If the ring gaps are good, keep moving forward with those pistons after cleaning the sides of them.
Check your bearings. Especially pay attention to the thrust bearing surface.
Be sure to pull the head apart to the lifters. Make sure you mark which hole they come from or you will need a new cam and lifters for sure.
Check for pitting in the cam bearings. If there's no pitting, reuse them.
All your lifters are "probably" solid. You will need to gap them when you reassemble, assuming you use the same lifters and cam.

I suspect the crank has been reground. It's pretty common to have them go out before needing cylinder boring.

Can say more when things are inspected further.

 

[opelbits]

I suspect the motor has been rebuilt before. Blue paint on the exterior and the pistons....are those original markings on top?

I see one mark.."Sp0,04". Is that an oversize mark indicating .040" oversize?

If I remember right, Todd used to paint his rebuilds Ford blue.

 

[First opel 1981]

I suspect the motor has been rebuilt before. Blue paint on the exterior and the pistons....are those original markings on top?

I see one mark.."Sp0,04". Is that an oversize mark indicating .040" oversize?

If I remember right, Todd used to paint his rebuilds Ford blue.

The pistons are marked 93.4
.4mm over it seems.

If it's a Todd rebuild I'm surprised it didn't just get oversized rings.

 

[opelbits]

I missed the 93.4, I just thought that was a part number. Definitely German made Mahle. But could they be a factory Opel oversize? I'd check the compression height. I don't know much about Mahle, but if someone did an overbore, maybe they are a little higher compression? Check the cam as well, it might not be stock, either.

I just remember he used blue paint, but it could have been anyone really, but if it's in CA and blue....

 

[Commodåren]

93,46mm + 0,04mm clearance = 93,50mm bore. If you are going to rebuild it from scratch, make it a 2 liter from the start, instead of wasting time and money with the old pistons. My 2 €cent.

 

[Vincent]

93,46mm + 0,04mm clearance = 93,50mm bore. If you are going to rebuild it from scratch, make it a 2 liter from the start, instead of wasting time and money with the old pistons. My 2 €cent.

X2..... Just build a 2L

 

[Josh72]

Im building a 2.4

 

[Josh72]

93,46mm + 0,04mm clearance = 93,50mm bore. If you are going to rebuild it from scratch, make it a 2 liter from the start, instead of wasting time and money with the old pistons. My 2 €cent.

The markings on the pistons are
93.46 Sp0,04
On the other side there is a 114 with 107 below it and below that "Made in Germany"

I dont have the head, just the block that has been sitting for many years. The goal was to clean it up and free things up before taking it to the machine shop. Im building a 2.4 using this block. Then I will have a rebuilt, stock, running engine that is currently in the car as a back up

 

[opelbits]

Im building a 2.4

Hey,
I sent you a pm...

 

[First opel 1981]

Someone would want tbose pistons if you are just pulling them.
No reason to toss good parts in the scrap bin. The crankshaft has more life in it also.