Hey guys (and gals). I’ve got an old 13b 4 sport engine (pre REW) with a big street port and 48IDA. I would like to put it in a racecar I’m working on and need some suggestions. Like all stories the engine was running well when I pulled it about 15 or so years ago. Since then it’s been sitting inside my shop waiting for a new lease on life. My questions is, what if anything should I do to the engine before considering putting it back in a chassis? I don’t want to split it if I don’t need to but I won’t take a chance if it’s necessary. Is there any chance something like water seals around the housings need to be replaced? Obviously I’ll replace any external seals on the engine and carb but is there anything inside the keg I should be worried about?

Thanks in advance.

 

if it didn't have coolant in it, its probably ok. you for sure should spin it over and make sure its got compression.
then you get to cross your fingers that the rotor oil seal o rings are ok.

 

No coolant. It has compression. It’s just been idle for a looooong time.

 

on the other hand 15 years is a long time to be sitting in a shop; it’s a lot easier to address now rather than chancing it later … what is it really going to cost? Not that much really.

No race engine builder would take that chance of there being some rust/corrosion on the sealing surfaces. Once you turn it over it’s essentially too late.
.

 

so what, should I open it up, inspect all of the surfaces, ascertain it’s fine and then put back together with new housing seals/o-rings? Or do I need to consider something more involved?

FWIW I’ll be trusting the 12a PP engine to a professional as there’s a LOT of money tied up in that one. This other engine however, I don’t mind splitting it myself.

 

well it’s your choice/chance to to make/take, but if you prefer a professional opinion then send me a pm with your email address and I’ll submit it on your behalf, then based on that reply if received you can at least know and understand more fully. Because the previous post is just my opinion/assessment. The person I have in mind might advise you differently, but I will bow to and accept whatever he has to say.

 

if it was mine i would pop it apart and at least change the rotor oil seal o rings, and then you get fresh water seals too. the plus is that you get to inspect/fix anything else that is bad
it really sucks to put the engine in the car and then it just blows oil smoke....

 

sending you a PM