Another addition to the fleet

[Fid]

That is unusual but considering Willys was based in Ohio, it seems more likely you'd encounter the scenario there than in other parts of the country.

[njpatera]

You’ll have to pass on their info:-)

[r1lark]

I dropped the Darrin engine off at the rebuilder today and as we were chatting he pointed to a workbench and mentioned that he was in the middle of work on another f-head six. As rare as these engines are, what are the chances of having two of the same engine at a rebuilder in a small town in north central Ohio?! I was surprised!

What other vehicles were these engines used in? I believe they were used in the Willys 685 Station Wagon for a time, correct?

[MarkH]

A heads up on Best Gaskets if that's what was supplied to you.
I had my engine set up to run it's break-in hours on a stand, ran it week end before last. It went well except the carbs were badly out of tune and a couple gasket leaks.
Something at the back of the engine, I suspect the rear main rope seal since the drip appeared to have graphite in it. Also, a small amount of amber colored oil started to weep from almost the entire perimeter of the head gasket when the engine came up to temp, 160. My break-in oil is dark purple, antifreeze brilliant orange. The only amber oil in the engine was cylinder wall lube at assembly. The engine was flipped at one point after the head went on but everyone's scratching their heads on how the gasket could absorb any of that. Calls to Best and their calls to their "go to" engine builder haven't gone anywhere so far.

However, I did learn that they have specific instruction on sealing their head gasket NOT included with the gaskets but stated somewhere on their website. Coppercoat sealer MUST be used, and their re-torque requirements differ from the factory manual. I don't remember exact specifics now but you might want to check on that.

[Terry T]

this should be in a new thread rather than buried in this muddled-up posting.

too many side issues from the original posting--important info may not be discovered by some

[njpatera]

Funny that you mentioned that Terry...I just screen shot this and added to my engine rebuild folder...
Maybe there could/should be a Rebuild-Tips (whatever the name) section added

[MarkH]

this should be in a new thread rather than buried in this muddled-up posting.

too many side issues from the original posting--important info may not be discovered by some

Just posting where I know someone is going down the same path as me, but I also agree, the title of this thread wouldn't interest anyone looking for rebuilding info. I'll repost in "General Discussion" and Admin can move it if needed.

[joefrazer]

Saw the other post...replied there but will here as well to tie up the loose end.

I used a Best Gasket set on my Jeepster f-head engine and had no problems. I did not use any sealer and torqued everything to the shop manual's spec.

I will mention your problem to my rebuilder when we next speak. He has experience with f-head engines and might have some insight.

[joefrazer]

Can anyone tell me what the cotter pin's function is that is attached to the end of the clutch release lever? Once I degreased everything this morning I discovered this pin but don't know why it's there. Any thoughts?

[r1lark]

To attach one end of a 'return' spring to? (Don't be too hard on me, I have not worked on many Kaisers/Frazers  ).

[MarkH]

To attach one end of a 'return' spring to? (Don't be too hard on me, I have not worked on many Kaisers/Frazers  ).

Ditto. On an Aero the other end goes to the crossmember. Keeps tension on the fork and any slack that may be in the linkage.

[joefrazer]

Hmmm...interesting. When I disassembled things there was no spring. I didn’t see one listed in the parts book either. The plot thickens!

[MarkH]

Hmmm...interesting. When I disassembled things there was no spring. I didn’t see one listed in the parts book either. The plot thickens!

Well, here's another "plot thickener". The retainer that I sent to Lee had a small tab with a hole on one of the retainer bolts. 3 other T-96's including my original one didn't have it. Lee recognized it as for another spring to assist clutch fork return but said they will work without it. I plan on re-assembling mine as it came apart, so didn't look at any parts diagrams.

[joefrazer]

My transmission does not have the tab shown. The engine/trans was never out of the Darrin until I removed it so the part may have been eliminated during the course of production. I may add a spring from the cotter pin to the clutch bracket, however.

Thanks for the picture!

[joefrazer]

Question - the metal fuel line that connects to the rubber hose at the fuel pump...does that metal line route over or under the motor mount bracket? The line was missing on my car so I have no idea as to how the metal line routes. Can anyone help? A picture would help greatly!

And, an update. The engine rebuild id almost done. I had to go .030 over on the bore due to some minor scoring in one cylinder, otherwise everything else is stock.