Not wanting to have to drill the block to locate the dipstick hole where it should be for the manta in the block, i did a bit of searching and found the the US Ford 73L V8 Diesel has an oil pan dipstick!! So after a bit of measuring and checking i reckoned that this would be just what i needed. So i ordered one on ebay and when it arrived measured it and bought a metal hole punch to cut a nice clean hole and as i has a spare oil pan i thought i would give it a…

So the crank is back after a regrind and is 0.25mm under size. The new bearings and piston have arrived and the bottom end is all back together. Now its time to fit the timing chain cover and other bits.  

Last time i built the engine up i used one of those pesky band type piston ring clamps and it wasn’t the greatest thing for fitting them. So this time i did a bit of reading and came across these ring compressor sleeves from Wiseco. They start off wider and taper to the same size as the piston bore. So i bought one to try it out and they are Amazing. No hitting the piston top with a hammer end or something like this. These you can just push in with your fingers as unlike the band type that you…

So the crank is back after being ground by .25mm. New bearings and piston have arrived + plus a few other bits 🙂 Now time to test out the new piston ring compressor sleeve! Im going to try the old damaged piston first to see how it works, it looked nice and easy on youTube!

Ok, it’s been a while since i posted and also since i did much to the old A series! Life kind of gets in the way far too often!! So as i decided to fit the S10 clutch and new flywheel i decided it was time to fix a couple of bits i was not happy about and as i like to do things big style! it was engine and box out. So i now have the box and engine completely out, the front suspension and part of the exhaust. So things to fix: Manifold – drill out holes as they…