Hillman imp + Datsun,then Honda flat 6 ,now Datsun again...

Well done on spotting that before it bit you!

Ooooh its been over two months since I updated this thread. I have not touched this engine since stashing all the bits under the bench out of harms way, throwing a blanket over the main block on the bench and spending most of my time since then buying up many Micras, working on the housetruck and building the mezzanine floor in the shed for when the truck leaves us. More info on that mezzanine project if you have not seen it can be found here...

forum.retro-rides.org/thread/185938/alex-hannahs-bushblock-cabin-story

Oh and some of that paid work thing too because we do have a mortgage to pay.

However - I still have a little bit of progress up my sleeve to report before we get up to real time. So I can do an update and hopefully soon I'll be back into working on the engine. I'm very much looking forward to moving in upstairs because I can whittle away on the project even easier. Well at least I think it'll work out like that? There's still a load of sawdust to create yet before we can move in though.

So where I left off last time was in making the start of the adaptor plate/engine side of the bellhousing. I needed a flywheel to work out its depth, due in part because I am intending on using a concentric slave cylinder, one that was left over from the Ford Mundano that we had robbed ages ago for its engine to fit into the Viva wagon (Viva wag plus all those duratec engine bits now sold)

I had a Subaru Leone 1800 ring gear to suit the gearbox. I needed a clutch setup to suit and started hunting a variety of places. I found a brand new subaru Leone clutch disc going cheap on trade me so I snapped that up pronto. Now a suitable pressure plate. I was just going to buy a Subaru item but had realised that it wouldn't have worked, hence my question to you all in the last updated of which Kevin had answered correctly and won a bit of swarf (yet to be posted...)

Clutch sorted and sitting on the bench. I could now measure up and start on a flywheel. I had a friend from oldschool.co.nz draw up a cad file of what I wanted- the right diameter and pilot holes for the adaptor bolts. He suggested that I get them to leaser cut pilot holes for the pressure plate bolts while at it and this saved some time. He had my plate cut via his work account and picked it up from his workshop- giving me a chance to check out his sweet project that is a Nissan Safari chassis/running gear with a Toyota Dyna crew cab on top

I first set it up and bored it out a 1/4 way through to fit perfectly onto my flywheel hub I had previously made. This hub also has the surface that the rear main seal runs against.



I could then seat the flywheel onto the hub, clamp them down and drill right through into the hub. Drill out to tapping size, tap the hub holes, clearance the flywheel holes and finally countersink and spot face the flywheel holes to suit some fancy bolts I bought - these need to sit near flush with the flywheel surface to clear the clutch disc damper springs.

Pics...





Flywheel now bolted to its hub I set it up in the lathe for machining...



Then gave it a skim. Checked it again, double checked it and then triple checked it. All good. Then machined the required step onto the face to suit the disc as per factory specs.

Next thing was to add the ring gear I add. Now this was a bit tricky because my lovely old Mitutoyo vernier calipers (one of the first tools I bought when starting my apprenticeship) were not big enough to measure that diameter. My old work place I did my time at had some lovely 600mm Mitutoyo calipers in a lovely wooden case. They were one of the treasured items of the tool room and I used to love using them. I had priced up some 600mm items from a variety of other brands but wayyyyy too expensive for me. I'll still keep looking because they'd be handy for many jobs. Might find some secondhand.

But that didn't help me when I wanted to do this flywheel now.

So I made an extension from some stainless I tigged together, replicating the end of my calipers. Taped in place securely and hey presto- I had a new updated tool.



Never perfect like the real thing so I had to really triple check my measurements but managed to turn the flywheel down to give me just the right amount of interference fit I wanted from a shrink fit.



Into the bench top oven the ring gear went, heated up and it dropped on to my machined step nicely. Cooled down and its not going anywhere.

With that in place I re-checked it all and got the throw out on the flywheel down to about 3 or 4 thou. Happy with that. My clutch kit now bolted on in place and I have something I can set my bellhousing depth to suit...



I have added the required dowels to suit and its all done. I'll get the flywheel, clutch and crank balanced together before assembly.

So that will be the next update I think. Machining the spacers that will become part of the engine side of the bellhousing adaptor. Then I need to finish off making some chain tensioners to suit the oil pump drive chains.

However I still have plenty of other jobs to do on the housetruck plus mezzanine and those are priority whereas this is just a fun little project.

But I must mention that today whilst out on a bicycle ride we had about 50 various motorbikes pass us on part of a charity run. I spotted a bright metallic blue Goldwing 1500 go past and as it accelerated up the hill we were on it had that distinctive flat six exhaust note and just sounded superb! It certainly got me tingling and all I thought of was that sound coming from my Imp A good incentive!

On 'large bike engines'....

I owned a 750L Panda and, once, in the queue at a fuel station (summertime in the Lake District) I let a hairy biker [... really nice guy] slide through for a top-up before me.

"Well, your engines bigger than mine!" I quipped...

This is all gr9 stuff


OVIMOR

Yeah neat idea subarupete and would make for a good little rally car /balance the front to rear a bit more.
But you'd need to change the front suspension - probably to mac strut. Would be a load more work and I've put enough on my plate already

I have a friend in Christchurch who has an imp with Starlet mac strut suspension and a 4age 20v blacktop in the front. Its quite tight in the front with the required transmission tunnel etc but other than that its quite a machine.

I'll just be sooooo super happy to have this engine running and hear that flat six sound. Not really that bothered about the performance etc because it'll be more than quick enough for light hearted giggles

Love it, mate! You'll never change with your mad projects!! Hope you're all keeping well. Cheers. Leigh.

Good to see an update again.

Your builds all are thoroughly enjoyable and educational. Thanks.

I have not got as many projects as you (or maybe I do) but I found myself looking lustfully at a 1946 Vauxhall car this morning, for £2k.

It was not easy to walk away…..

Those Duratec pump chain Tensioners are ace. Used them on all sorts of old curse word to take the slap out of the chains,really simple and work great.

been looking forward to these updates, love your work!