** CONTINUATION OF THE TAURUS PROCEDURES FROM PAGE 3 **
Springs.
The springs are in two lengths , these must be matched for height. After removal start matching up sets of springs. I cut off the post and tried to be accurate. when I sorted the springs I tried to match set lengths. I can see that there will be gnashing of the teeth:
You can see the length diff in the two pairs at the bottom.
My little paper valve angle template was applied and the engine clamped to have it vertically oriented:
Now for a final set matching...
And right out of the gate things dont line up:
The springs look good on their landings , but the centerline of the rocker arm space is out, the 'T' shows the amount. The price for mounting the camshaft backwards and concentrating too much on the 'T's.
Prolly cant see it in the pics , but I held some thin flat bar between the camshaft box's and its easy to see the misalignment. So I'll soak the parts apart and try again.
So.
I tore off the camshaft , it peeled off without breaking or losing any of the 'T's . I take that as a signal that things are turning around.
The camshaft was turned end for end and the holes for the longer 'T's were drilled deeper , the whole assy went on properly without any fuss, a little adjusting to make sure everything was in line and a strip of paper folded in half was used to check the alignment and centering of the rocker arms to the respective ports:
A final wicking in of the 50/50 water /Weldbond PVA and you can see the web around the bottom of the 'T's that will capillary in and secure the parts finally:
I think with patience , parts prep , proper adhesive choice , some rudimentary templates and an understanding of the layout of the parts is what is required for this set. I'll get set up for the springs again and see if I can get a row on.
Template on:
A row of springs was applied. The template allowed an end view to be realized , with the top of the 15degree angle line visible and nice for lining up. After this a strip of business card was put in place:
This put an edge and a space behind the springs for alignmnent, another srtip of card was used ,very carefully to tease the springs into a line:
Keep the card edges parallel and in line with the engine top.
Th glue was used full strength and allowed alignment to take place , if the capillary action of the glue drying , or shrinking , pulls the springs outta line , we'll see.
A word on the springs.
Soft , crumbly ,all diff lengths. no matter how careful intitial cutting is, they will need to be matched in pairs. Matching is NOT to be avoided or left out. I couldnt tell which was top or bottom , there is little visual diff between the top and bottom. I chose to use the cast in round plate as the bottom , for a better bond . I lost a compressed spring , I was wary of this with NO SPARES , I did the exhaust side first for this reason. I should be able to fabricate a replacement spring , when it flew off I was very close to just making my own springs but decided to forge ahead with the set.
Last pic of the work today:
Maybe not.
POed at losing the spring , a sheet of transfer tape was used to grab anything that was on the floor , found the spring.
And re-visiting the alignment issue a couple of strips of business card were used to great effect .One inserted and angled to suit the template at the front and another was used to help align the angle:
I felt slightly better after this.
I'll take it.
The springs are matched and all in a line:
Part 3 The Rocker Arms next.
And my word as good as gold , here is a rocker arm placed to check the fit and whether the springs are in the right place. I stated that the job had turned around , or went in a better direction , when I unbackwardized the camshaft and that statement is ringing true as the rocker looks perfect to me , nice and straight and nicely on top of the springs:
A word about the rocker arms , branch rockers they are called because of the 2 spring contact points .
They are the most fragile parts of the set - the part that sits between the boxes will break off with little pressure .If you drop one DO NOT attempt to pick it up by hand , I broke a few that way before cluing in . Tweezer handling only , cleanup is a chore ,even more than usual , I cannot emphasize enough the careful handling these parts need.
And finally a side of valve train has been completed. To the end the struggle was real , the rocker arm that goes between the camshaft boxes were too wide. Any manipulation of the arm results in breaking it off. I recommend checking this and opening up the space between the camshaft housings to allow the arm to drop in. Then a drop of 50/50 water /pva to start in between the boxes and that should hold it while you manipulate the springs and the contact points to line up. The springs still have some movement , and allow a small amount of adjustment. They look good when its all straight and in line:
And I'll leave it at that.
To show timeline and the amount of time needed for these operations , I just did alla the intake springs in 40 minutes:
The fun never stops. Rocker arms come 8 on a sprue. I started with a full sprue. Only ONE rocker made it with the arm attached. There are multiple ways to break the part and attrition in the learning curve is horrendous. Heres the last side of valve train, I glued the broken rocker part on the tops of the springs , hopefully I can get the broken off arms in place after the glue sets for a while:
So I did wait and the glue is fantastic - holding the parts and allowing movement and alignment. I think this is the key to getting this set done. So here it is , I fitted the broken off arms as best as I could , aligned the springs a few times and got them all lined up nice. The rocker arms as well lined up as this is the only way this set will look good , everything has to be in line:
I have also gone in wicking the 50/50 mix into alla the little contact points , this glue is perfect , it sucks into the joints pulling them together , just perfect. So procedure for gluing was use a small amount of full strength glue to contacy and hold , wait a few minutes to allow adhesion , then manipulate the parts according to visual cues and the templates and alignment guides, a good press on the parts to set them and then after 10 minutes or so start to wick in the thinned mixture to get the final bond.
So using simple visual templates and some simple strips of business card to space and align the springs ,and glue that will allow some movement is key as well , things just got way better for the use of this set. I hope someone wants to give this a shot , as peer validation is the best proof of worth , let me know.
** TAURUS PROCEDURES CONCLUDED , HAVE A NICE DAY **
