Inner Timing Case - oil pump/sump - timing gears - gearbox

(pics in no particular order)

The oil pump to timing shaft has to be tapped in from the distributor port above. Assemble the bush with the oilway facing down onto the shaft and lower the two down making sure that the worm gear does not snag on the teeth of the timimg gear. With a hollow pipe tap this into place until tight, then from below tap lightly up from below until you get a clearance of 1-2 thou that allows it to turn freely. Rotate crank to make sure all is in order. Insert grub screW with a drop of studlock and tighten into place.

The oil pump with new gasket was next to be fitted. The overhaul of the pump has been covered earlier in this blog. There is a knack to getting the oil pump in place due to the lift pipe. The rear of the LHS is tapered norrower and its a case of getting the rear LHS of the pump neat to the LHS of the mounting boss and "rolling" the pump into place. Try this a few times before you try it with the gasket (no gasket goo). Make sure you also turn the crank so the shaft turns and you can locate the slot/pin of the pump and shaft into place. Clean both surfaces when you are happy, lightly grease the gasket and fit. Tighten, but not overtight, the mounting screws ensuring you have the serrated washers to stop it vibrating loose.

Before fitting the sump I spent a bit of time cleaning the 2 metal plates (one with mesh filter) and making sure that the plates were flat. The mesh sits upwards, opposite to what you would assume. Make sure the holes for both pickups fit over the pipes. You may have to do a bit of bending of the mesh. I fitted a magnet into the sump before assembly again making sure it fouled none of the components.

I used gasket goo on all sides of the assembly - except the last where it meets the crankcase - and I used a light grease on this. I intend dis assembling this now and again to clean and check what the magnet has picked up and want it part easily and be reused.

The next stage is the insertion of the two cam followers and the timing cam gear. These were previously cleaned and checked and the high spots taken off with a rub of an oil stone. The oil hole in the body of the follower should face to the rear of the engine on both of them. Push them up from below and hold up at the top of their travel until you can insert the cam gear into the inner cam bush. Before pushing home fully line up your timing marks. There should be a visible dot on both gears and one is on the crown of a tooth the other in a valley. When in line push gear home and allow the follwers to drop onto the cams. A secondary check to make sure the timing is correct is to rotate the crank until the cams lift both followers an equal amount at the same time. The timing mark on the larger gear should be in a vertical line below the centre of the two followers and if you hold a steel rule in that line the timing mark on the lower gear should also be at the top and in the same line. If there is a problem you may have to look for other timing marks that were added later.

I've just noticed that I did not post something previously with regard to the assembly of the gearbox and as this took up 3/4 of the time of the rebuild I'll treat it seperatly in a later post.