After dropping off Mark at home yesterday, after a 9+ hour day at T&T, he handed off to me a lifetime supply of -3, -4 and -6 fittings which I'll be combing through today to get the plumbing in place for this engine insert.
It's more than a heart transplant - it's more akin to a heart and lung transplant.
I can get most of this in place in the next few days, but there will be some fettling that really can't occur until the engine is in place. Still, with this raft of fittings, I'm prepared.
Mark busted his Acura yesterday. Cut the head for the new valves, and did a great clean-up on the ports and bowls. The head design flows really well already, and with the larger valves and a cleaning up of the transition areas at the valve seats, we'll easily meet the demands of a 1 liter without killing port velocity.
Mark will flow-bench this head to get the numbers.
I'm convinced that the choice of modifying the stock manifold was the right way to go. Injector angle is spot-on, the diameter is correct, and the injector set-up looks all business. It has turned out to be a lot - and I mean, A LOT less flimsy than I had anticipated. You can do chin-ups off of the fuel rail.
I attended the niggling details that have been hanging over this end of the project. I found the original coolant output fitting for the head and re-tapped it for the Holley temp sensor and a 1/4 pipe fitting for coolant return. I also whipped up a cover plate for the intake cam shaft end - I actually found the original piece for the exhaust side. Keep in mind, it's been 4 years since I tore this engine down - I'm in a re-introduction phase with respect to some of the sundries, and some of those have fallen through the cracks. We bead blasted the valve cover, and I spent about an hour and a half bent over the wire wheel and parts cleaner prepping bolts, after which I bagged them up into "kits" for head and cam-ladder assembly.
Mark and Mike came up with a REALLY clever positioning for the crank trigger, and it will make the final wiring loom REALLY neat and clean.
This morning will find me in the garage organizing to finish. If I won't be using it, it goes back in the house or into the trash. If I will be using it, it will get a tag. Time to clear the space - there's work to be done.