Starting the V6 - attempt number two

Having seen a rather large flame jump out of the carburetor I suspect I may have the timing a bit off.

The timing light showed I was about 180 degrees off. Easily fixed except the engine stopped sparking after that.

Lack of spark was traced to the coil negative lead wire. The old Ford Capri wiring loom had given up. Judging by the state of the copper inside it might be worth a proper rewire in the end.

Once sparking again the timing was adjusted and a squirt of "Easy Start" applied. It seemed to work!

I wired up the Huco suction fuel pump with a separate switch and switched it on.

I have installed a fuel return hose and there is a small constant dribble out of the return hose. Hopefully this will help prevent the summer embarrassment of a vapour lock in the fuel filter which "lovely sunbeam" suffers from these sunny days.

With fuel in the carb and a dash of "easy start" - away she went... Hurrah...

Best I hurry up and fit the Radiator!

Starting the V6 - attempt number one.

A selection of fan-belts were ordered and the size chosen was SPA1120.
It clears the thermostat housing on the inner pulley and allows the alternator to sit just out of the way of the rocker cover so it might be removable. I've ordered another belt for the outer pulley... will they match?

Still deciding how best to modify the Thermostat housing.

Engine and gearbox filled with oil,
Pressure gauge jury rigged.
Oil pump primed with the electric drill and long socket.
Coil, fuel pump and Duraspark unit bolted to plank on top of gearbox. Dead gash...

Starter motor runs OK with spark plugs out.
With plugs in - the jump leads burnt out very quick so proper battery leads were sourced.

I seem to have a spark some of the time.but it looks like I'm 180 degrees out.

Maybe it'll start tomorrow,

Engine meets gearbox and trial fit to subframe

 It was very hard to remove all the suspension parts from the subframe. A lot of WD40 and  time. Also a realisation some nuts were captive hence wouldnt turn anyway.

An option is to rebuild this subframe and fit the whole unit.

For the moment I will use it as a test bench.


The original engine mounts were removed. My old 4" grinder didn't quite have the reach once the discs were worn a little.

 The engine was removed from the stand and the flywheel and clutch was fitted.

Alignment of the clutch plate and gearbox was difficult at first as the clutch plate seemed not to fit the gearbox shaft.

But with the gearbox balanced on the hoist alignment became easier.

With the engine and gearbox angled for a horizontal carburetor platform the fan and crank pulley just miss the subframe.

The fan can be set back another 5mm giving more forward adjustment of the engine if necessary. The current engine mount is approximate and final position will be determined in the car.


Also the thermostat housing outlet needs to be modified to point forwards to clear the subframe.
http://v6alpine.blogspot.co.uk/p/v6-joses-conversion-kit-kit-components.html
And it looks like I will need to modify the modified radiator. The bottom hose coupling looks to be a bit too low.

Capel Classic car and bike show

No proper work done for a while (busy)

But got back home in time for the local show.



It rained quite hard on the way there but the day cleared up nicely and there was good turn out.




The way the windows misted up in the rain is probably a good hint to install the heater and fan that have been in the cupboard for a while.