Painting the Block

Got the engine block back from the machinist after he cleaned it up, honed the bores and replaced a couple of freeze plug (not sure why he didn't replace all of them). I used a wire wheel with an electric drill and knocked off the loose rust and then washed the block with light soapy water. I then used some wax & grease remover in preparation for paint but noticed that I was still getting rust dust from the block once it had dried so I did another cycle of wash and prep.

I used Duplicolor Engine Primer (DE1612) and then used Cast Coat Iron (DE1651). This is a decent alternative to the original colour which is a dark machine grey. Some of its faded remnants can still be seen in the photo below. I kept colour coating it until I ran out of paint. Which ended up being around 5 coats.

 

I will let it cure over night and then begin washing the block again in preparation for reassembly.

Bottom End

The discolouration on the crank webs are due to heat treating done to the crankshaft for hardening.

Main bearings look like they're done. Connecting rod bearings look perfect. Bores look OK.

Engine with Transmission Removal

I needed to replace the clutch and there were a lot of oil leaks so I decided to pull the engine and spruce it up a little.

I followed the instructions in the Haynes manual mostly but I also removed the alternator and intake manifold for extra visibility.

I used the factory lifting eye on the passenger's side cam cover and I used one of the intake manifold studs on the other side. I know some people like to use a cylinder head bolt but that just sounds ridiculous to me. If it were a rare Ferrari V12, would you remove a cylinder head bolt just to remove/install the engine in the car? No. So why should it be any different for any other car.

I didn't remove the shifter extension housing. I used the 1 ton setting on my 2 ton crane and used a leveler. I had the front of the car on the ground and the rear of the car raised slightly using axle stands.

Was a pretty easy job overall. Felt almost like cheating compared to some of the other cars I've worked on.

 

Lots of clean up to look forward too :)