Just Bought an XL500

[M6NTL]

I might well do that - but also considering stripping the damn paint off and taking the (grit blasted) barrel and head for powder coating.
Not sure about that though, powder coating doesn't seem to last well in the sunlight etc etc...

[M6NTL]

OK,
So, I painted the cylinder head with the same stuff and baked the crap out of them in the oven - BOY did it stink!!! An hour at 200*C as per instructions.
Turned out to be rather stupid because the sleeve came part way out of the cylinder. Arse.
This meant that the bore and hone I had gotten done may have been for ****, if it had tightened up anywhere it'd seize the engine...
A good friend (cheers Gareth) borrowed and loaned me a bore comparator and I was able to measure the bore for circularity and taper. It was/is within 0.0001' to 0.0002" - this I'm very happy and relieved to have found!!!
Next I lacquered the cylinder and head with clear GLOSS engine lacquer, and low baked them for 20 minutes at about 80*C in the oven (after the wife went out - she wasn't impressed by stench number 1..!!..




Then I measured the ring end gaps in the bore - the Wiseco instructions specify that the top needed to be 0.36mm, and second 0.46mm. They were both 0.2mm.
I have never filed rings before, but by going slow and careful, and re-measuring again and again I got the ring gaps correct, all nice and parallel/square. Top is between .35 and .4mm, second between .45mm and .5mm (closest feeler gauges I have!!!).
I fitted the rings to the piston, and the piston to the conrod...




Then I slathered up everything with assembly compound and began the cursing, swearing, sweating, and finger trapping job of getting the barrel onto the piston. The top and second ring went in lovely, but the bloody oil control rings were an absolute swine...



That's where I'm at tonight...

[Sohoeasy]

A most enjoyable thread ! ( there is more to come , right ? )

[M6NTL]

Thank you!!!
Yes, I'll update as I get it back together...

[M6NTL]

Sslowly slowly catchy monkey - some more progress...

The two new exhaust valves, plus the cleaned original inlets all fitted into the freshly cut and lapped seats...






And the head on and torqued up to spec...



Just waiting for Phil Joy to finish my rocker arms now!!!

[bluestoesonnose]

Loving this story, ok it's been a long trek but you'll have a solid motor once your done...

[M6NTL]

Hope so - fingers crossed the bottom end holds up now!!!

Made a little more progress today - cut the bolts I bought and fitted the resulting 8.8 grade studs, to the required length, into the cylinder head with stud lock...





And test fitted the FT500 rocker cover with the stainless domed nuts...




One thing that has just caught my attention - the FT500 rocker cover has no fitment for the XL's decompression lever. Now, this being a 10.25:1 CR engine I'm building, it damn well IS having a decompression lever!!!
Soooooooo, onto the milling machine next with the rocker cover, for me to bore the 17mm hole thru for the lever, and the 27mm recess for the shaft seal...

[Sohoeasy]

Blimey ! I never realised that was a 10.25 to 1 motor ? Better get milling & drilling then !

[catteeclan]

One thing that has just caught my attention - the FT500 rocker cover has no fitment for the XL's decompression lever. Now, this being a 10.25:1 CR engine I'm building, it damn well IS having a decompression lever!!!
Soooooooo, onto the milling machine next with the rocker cover, for me to bore the 17mm hole thru for the lever, and the 27mm recess for the shaft seal...

I never noticed that either. Maybe I'll just use the FT head then.

[M6NTL]

I am using the FT head, and FT rocker cover.
The rockers are now ready at Phil Joy Engineering.
However, I'm now really worried that the relevant rocker my not have the sticky-out bit for the decomp lever to act on because it's an FT rocker, not an XL rocker - hope it bloody does...

I've made a good start in doing my rocker cover to take the decomp lever tho...

Improvise, adapt, overcome...

I clamped a piece of 40mm square steel box section into my machine vice on the miller and faced it over so it was straight and level.
I then drilled and tapped 3 holes into it to match 3 of the rocker cover mounting holes. This I then bolted on to my straight and level surface.
Next, I rotated the head and quill of the miller thru 90* so the tool is horizontal, and I used a good sqaure V-block and feeler gauges to accurately set the vertical axis, sliding it side to side on the steel box to be accurate. The horizontal axis was set by running a straight edge along the plane of the rocker shafts, and setting the position of the machine vice accordingly...





Then I used my dial type centre finder to find the centre of the recess where the shaft seal will go - it currently has a recess about 20mm diameter, which I will take out to the required 27mm...




And lastly (so far), I drilled through with a 12mm drill bit, and have begun to accurately open out the bore for the decomp lever with my adjustable boring head - I got to 15mm so far...




I love my tools!!!