So…given I have 44.73mm, approximately, to play with in hood clearance with the OEM air intake I slipped in a 6mm spacer [phenolic] under the carb. Mainly to get clearance for one of the idle screws which was a touch too much occluded by the bell crank bracket. If it also helps keep the carb a tad cooler well and good but don’t know how prophylactic 6mm will be. Can just see black section under the mixture adj screw in the pic. Came with gaskets bonded/integral.
The oil sender cluster finished and in.
Finished cleaning up the manifold vac line for power brake booster. Nice bit of new silicone hose and recycled old school hose clip. I just love this oem style, maybe because of the colours. Wouldn’t probably re use on a fuel line as they tend to lose a little tension after 33 years. Brakes on the other hand…fine!
More bracket fab …this time for engine wiring loom. Again stainless and direct copy of oem brackets. Made two based on current set up in the CJ. This is the aft one and the other sits up closer to alternator.
Fabbed another little bracket [did I mention how much I heart my cheap-ass Aldi drill press… especially working with stainless] This one from a bit thicker stock and for the hand throttle cable. Tried to make it fit seamlessly into the Lockar bracket system I installed and really happy with result. It supports the black [outside] cable. Found a similar adjuster which is ace. Holds the cable very securely and of course adjustable.
So this is how it all sits at idle. Hand throttle is a solid ss rod style like a choke cable. That is 4mm SS ball chain linking from cable to bell crank. Just off tension. Bugger all fuel pressure though!
…accelerator pedal on and chain gives so action independent of hand throttle.
…hand throttle on… chain tensions and pulls bell crank. Probably unlikely to ever be full throttle as this depicts but hey you never know. No binding at all in the system so happy. One yet to check is what goes on at the pedal end of business under hand throttle. Without doubt there’s a bit of refinement to go but well on the way.
Then stripping most of the systems off to crane it off the stand …things are hotting up. Actually, back onto the engine stand without the upright so using it as a dolly now with a ply platform and timber supports. Sits pretty much at the in-vehicle attitude.
I swear the engine let out a sigh of relief/joy when I cracked the bolts and removed the stand bracket after so long. I certainly did. Too bloody long actually!….
Some painting to finish. Not just ******** old me..although there is that… this area is pretty much a sludge trap between the trans dust cover/ spacer and engine…so rust proof it a little…maybe. [asteisks are "a-n-a-l" btw. New anti-terror laws censored it]
While the paint is drying…Like my thermostats “al dente”. I figure don’t trust anything just cos it is new. This one opened up nice and was real chewy.
Going to try out an engine oil cooler and the sandwich plate also has a thermostat so that flow bypasses the cooler when engine is cold so no oil starvation at start.. thats the theory. Heat gun simulating warmed up engine and it closed up as it should. Left of pic. Bit hard to see here but take my word for it.
This is a Z160 equivalent filter which is smaller than the Z30 I usually use. Just clearance may be an issue with the sandwich plate installed. yet to be seen. No issue either way just more frequent filter change with the 160 due to it’s smaller capacity I’m guessing. I will probably not install the cooler system proper until after cam break in anyway. Just a bit wary of the more new systems/more chance of a failure in the chain kind of scenario on that first start.
So maybe it’s time to fill it up and do the oil prime test this weekend then do a test mate up of the auto trans which has been waiting patiently in the wings. If all goes well I could be pulling the old donk next weekend… doing some engine bay clean up and rewiring then install this baby and fire it up the weekend after that. That’s a plan.
