Trip to Timotes Machine Shop | Triumph Spitfire Restoration - Part 99

[@SmileysGarage]

Good choice with Timotes. They do excellent work! Greetings from the space coast

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Nice to hear! I have also subscribed! Cheers!

[@redfoxclassics]

Awesome news on the condition of the crank and block, and I enjoyed seeing the work the machine shop are doing, so thanks to them for letting you film! I did end up blasting some of my gasket material off the engine plate / timing chain cover. It is paper though so a few days soaking in water might loosen it up less aggressively. Definitely get it off though! On parts: Pushrods should be replaced as sets, so if one is suspect then the whole lot want replacing. You also can’t buy any shorter than the Spit Mk3 standard. I know this for sure because I had trouble with my repro rockers being the wrong shape… Got a video on it if you want the full story, but the summary is they were too thick where the adjuster fits, so I couldn’t fit the rocker shaft without opening the valves. So check what you get if you buy new. Valve guides, your head was right, and your supplier wrong! The original parts catalogue shows only one valve guide for the Mk3. Later six cylinder engines had mixed valve guide lengths, but not the fours. If you find the Canley Classics website they use the original parts catalogues as their online shop pages so it’s a great reference for stuff like this. However if your valves have enough room to move as they should I don’t expect it makes any real difference now you’ve had them fitted.

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Thanks for all the advice and guidance. I will have to watch that video of yours. As long as the regrind of the valves and the shaving of the head and block don’t add up to me all that much I should have room for adjustment. Certainly a good reason to assemble but not torque everything until after confirming good movement of all parts.

[@redfoxclassics]

@@StevesProjectCarGarage no worries Steve, I have just built the exact same engine (got about 70 miles on it now) so hopefully can help you avoid some of the issues I encountered!

[@RobertEHunt-dv9sq]

Purchase a spray can of gasket remover. Permeatex Type 999. Spray on and let it sit for an hour. It will dissolve the gasket.

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Thanks! I ended up just using a rolock and it pulled it off. But I will try the gasket removed next time I get a stuck one. I didnt know that stuff existed!

[@roundtailrestoration]

I sent my whole rocker assy for the TR4 to RockerArms Unlimited out in CA. For $289 they did the whole shebang - new shaft, faced the rocker arms, replaced one pedestal, new springs, new adjusting screws. It all came back assembled. For the extra $100 or so buck over what it would have cost me in new parts it was more than worth it. Something to consider. And from what they said, their "new" stuff is actually spares that they have that are original, not new-new. So, if you need "new" stuff, they'll go into their inventory and recover NOS equipment.

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Interesting! That price isnt horrible either. Were your rockers bushed?

[@roundtailrestoration]

@@StevesProjectCarGarage yup, all rebushed, too

[@carlelliott6758]

Hi Steve, use scotch brite, roloc clean and strip discs in an angle air grinder, they work a treat

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Thanks Carl! I will have to just resort to mechanical means. I didn’t want to ruin the sealing surface. But its steel, so it should be ok right?

[@carlelliott6758]

It will be fine, those discs are fine on steel,

[@alro2434]

Thanks. Cute head stand. Rocker bearings OK, not much wobble on the unworn part of the shaft & not much more in their original positions, the leave it alone except for cleaning & a little polishing? The shaft may be flip-able/180 to have them ride on the un-worn barely touched side. Head & block machining won't bother pushrods, there's plenty of adjustment screw isn't there? Unless you change the rocker stand's height for better geometry/contact or run the seats deep & really grind down the valves, there's usually plenty of adjustment available. Longer guides??? Really check they don't have any contact, guide AND seal, at full lift, like at least 30-040 thou. Also, don't recall any stem seals, O-ring or umbrella or guide type -worst to best. They may be in the Head Set/Gasket set, maybe not. Good luck.

[@redfoxclassics]

Spitfire rocker shafts are asymmetric so not filippable I’m afraid!

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Thanks for the input! The from factory the rockers were not bushed. You can buy bushed ones but they then require honing to get a good fit on the rocker shaft. Not sure I will really reap the benefits of it for the added cost and work. Supposedly the older MK3s they had longer guides for the exhaust and after the mk3 went to equidistant for all of the valves. Or at least Spitbits says that. Im not sure but the machine shop did not see any interference issues. Also from factory they did not have any gaskets or seals on the valves, but you can order aftermarket ones that were made for a Ford Fiesta.

[@dbarr15]

Those intake valves look really sketchy. Let us know how that goes. Thanks for a nice video and sharing your journey.

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Will do! I am going to give them a nice cleaning and see how they go. I am also going to contact Spitbits about the one with the ding in it. Im not crazy about that….

[@lordleonusa]

You didn't mention the valve springs, you may find that over time, they have gone soft and likely need replacing. (You mentioned them later in the video)

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Yeah, with the new cam I will be replacing them. Seems easy and cheap enough.

[@lordleonusa]

The rocker arms, use as many of the originals as possible, they can be re-faced, and will be far better than any new ones, as at least one is worn past the heat treatment, get a secondhand unit and cannabilize it for spares. Original quality parts are always better than any reproductions.

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

Good to know. I just didnt want to put worn parts back on. TSI sells them and they seem to sell good stuff from what others told me.

[@nickyalousakis3851]

i think for the gasket you could leave it,,,,, so long as it feels smooth from metal to gasket. or you can have it glass blasted. all over and make it look like new.

[@StevesProjectCarGarage]

I could feel it ever so slightly. I ended up using a scotchpad type of rolock and it took it off.