V8 Top-end Rebuild

Inside the crankcase - very clean, a tribute to regular oil changes and pre-change flushing.

Unfortunately not visible with my old cheap camera, but the honing marks were still visible over most of the bore surfaces.

Pistons and block cleaned up.

Seats and valve in very good condition. Three inlets showed slight seepage with petrol poured in the inlets so were replaced as a precaution.

Camshaft in apparently very good condition, but it's difficult to tell wear without measuring.

Tappets definitely with negligible wear - with a straight-edge across the lobe face there was only 1 or 2 thou dishing.

Front cover cleaned up and repainted

Inlet manifold cleaned up and repainted - with Plastikote!

Which port goes to which cylinder: The effect is that each carb is used alternately to give a steady flow.

Carb adapter ditto, mystery plug (arrowed) which no-one else seems to have ...

... into the tiny balance tube between the two throats (arrowed) which others say they think they have.

Exhaust manifolds repainted, with braces between the ports.

Poorly fitting exhaust manifold gaskets - barely half the width overlapped and the other half obstructing the flow ...

... virtually no overlap on this one!

Composition gaskets deform and crack - very poor.

Nearly there.