Saturday 18 November 2006

Saturday we took two steps back and one forward. We seem at times to be waltzing instead of building; or we just hit walls that prevent greater strides of progress. After last weekend I had the heads torqued and of course the engine was in the frame. This week we pulled it out of the frame to fit the engine guard or bash plate that attaches to the bottom of the frame under the engine; did I say we forgot it.

The Shovelheads engine is heavy when it's all assembled, that bit of weight was almost more than I could handle; it took Estle and I to get it back up on the bench. While we fitted in the bash plate, we also discovered the exhaust header attaches to mid pipe which some of you may realize goes under the engine and over the frame rails. We decided to lay it place when we put the engine back in.

With the engine on the bench we removed the heads complete with the rocker boxes and made the engine lighter to handle. One more time I lifted the engine and set it back into the frame. Estle set the heads back on and started the head bolts back in while I got the torque wrench out and the special tool we use to torque the upside-down head bolts.

After torquing the heads down, we went on to install the front and rear exhaust header and the mid pipe to make sure we got them in correctly. Then we installed the push rods and intake manifold. We didn't feel like we got a lot done but it did take up all of Saturday.

Back in the frame once again; notice the intermediate pipe passing over the frame rail and slipping under the engine.

Thats the engine's bash plate, notice the missing nut from the left motor mount, still waiting on the new bolts....

My special home made tool for head bolts. Yes it does work and it works well.

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