2/7/13
5749 Engine Assembly

The motor mounts were on back order, but I couldn’t wait to start the assembly of the engine so I temporarily reinstalled the old ones. Running a small shop takes a lot of unseen coordination of the arrival of cars, parts, and supplies. Any delay can bring things to a complete standstill. Without motor mounts, the engine couldn’t be mounted on the engine stand, making the installation of the pistons very hard. Besides our daily job of working on cars, we’re constantly working on making sure we have the parts we need for cars that we’re going to work on next. As this engine was coming back from the machine shop, we had to make sure we had the right gaskets, seals, and fasteners so the work flow on this engine could move smoothly. Sometimes it’s necessary to inspect parts first before ordering new ones, but sometimes it’s just an oversight on my part.

The pilot bearing was not in the greatest of shape, so I pulled it to get a replacement. With Vintage Ferrari parts, there are a lot of common parts, but it’s also a good idea to measure them first to confirm you’re getting the same part. Wrong parts in the mail can also cause massive delays! Luckily, the pilot bearing didn’t hold anything up in the rebuild. The crankshaft was set in place with bearings installed and checked for end play. The rear oil seal will be installed after we’re happy with how everything fits.

I installed the pistons after the crankshaft. After each piston was installed, I turned the engine over to make sure everything felt right. There’s a certain amount of drag each piston adds to the turn of the crank, but I was feeling for any anomalies in the assembly.

The next step will be to focus on the heads, but the short block was done.

Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you’d like to explore, I’d love to talk to you. I can also help if you’re thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and I would be happy to help guide you through the Vintage Ferrari world so if you’d like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!

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