A Big Day

I always think that it is a great day when I turn the ratchet handle from undo to tighten because that generally means that the job is now heading in the right direction and Thursday turned out to be a great day.
My cheapo honing tool worked out real well and within a few minutes all the glaze was busted and the cylinder nicely scored. The tool also survived so if anyone wants to borrow it, you are welcome. The rings slipped on the piston and the piston slipped easily into the cylinder. It was kind of a faff keeping the timing chain in the right place and I ended up using some string which wasn't entirely successful. I was also reminded for the umptenth time that I do not know better than the manual which clearly states to insert only the rear chain guide. I of course inserted both guides only to find that the front one has to be inserted after the cylinder is on as it locates from the top. After a small temper tantrum which sent Susie and the dogs heading for the fallout shelter I took it all apart again. This time armed with a portion of common sense I ended up with this.

You can see the timing chain tied down to stop it slithering back into the crankcase as well as the rear guide in place and the front guide (which has just been lowered in from the top). As the rocker arms are fixed to the head cover fitting the cylinder head was a no brainer or it should have been. I have every size and combination of sockets known to man except, apparently, a 14mm with a 1/2 inch drive and that was the one I needed to torque the head down. As a slight aside, back in the day, when men were men (and so unfortunately were some of the women) engines were made from cast iron and we scorned the use of a torque wrench. These days engines are made from aluminium which has a tensile strength of play dough and so it was shopping for me. Anyway I walked into Lowes found the part and was back in the parking lot in minutes. I was so surprised and delighted I took a celebratory selfie, lucky you.

Joking apart the torque wrench is an absolute must although I got so scared pulling the head down I had to stop just to test the wrench on a few random bolts. Eventually the head was held down to the required 24 foot pounds and nothing got stripped. Then a generous smear of sealant around the oil plug (which is the cause of the infamous Savage weep) and on with the head cover and rockers. I thought that I may as well adjust the tappets on the bench and then put on the crankcase covers. So at the end of a long but satisfying day I ended up with,

I am taking today off mainly because I am feeling a touch weary but also because the next session will be to put the engine in the frame and I need all my faculties intact. I also need to work out how to get the Savage upright and secure so that as the engine goes in I don't end up faced with a choice of saving the engine or the frame as it all topples over. I shall ponder on that tomorrow.