The painting of engine and all other ancilleries has been completed. Everything has been painted using VHT engine enamel. As per instructions on the can, everything (except the plastic parts, main engine block/head & gearbox) has been baked to give it a more durable surface ... in our outdoor gas pizza oven (With permission from my wife too - she's awesome
)
The colour of the valve cover gives a hint to the colour of the car when it's done
On another note, I've collected up every nut, bolt & washer I have removed from the two Minis and Starlet front cut (plus a few small pipes and brackets from both cars too) and plan on getting everything gold passivated to give it corrosion protection. That, and it gives a nice factory look with shiny new bolts when everything is back together. It's taken about 7 hours so far and have wire-wheeled around 17kg of fasteners, with a few more brackets and other bits to go yet. To get the best finish, the passivation process requires everything to be free of surface rust, grease and imperfectionss, hence the effort.
I am waiting on some new crankshaft cap bolts to arrive on backorder from Toyota so once I get those and all the fasteners back from passivation, it all goes back together with
every oil seal and gasket replaced and new bottom end bearings & bolts installed.
_________________
-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.