Head assembly & 3 days till pickup!

We've been busy getting ready for the kit pickup, trying to get through as much of the motor buildup as we can without rushing it.

Also after sandblasting and re-assembling the transmission, we hit it with a coat of VHT engine enamel. Shiny!

This week we've gotten both heads built up (valves, springs, retainers) after the machine shop took them out to match the 2.5 chamber diameter. I cleaned up the valve seats and lapped them with our new valves for a tight fit and good seal, then another round of cleaning to make sure there was no abrasive left.

Final Product!

Ti Retainers

Lapped @ Left

Lapped @ Right

EuroExport compressor worked well!

We also got the block back with shiny new 99.75 bores! That'll be the next project.

The machine shop said that the flywheel & pressure plate actually required a bit of balancing, but the crank was pretty good as-is. They still touched it up.

I'll be balancing the rods a little better than Manley does, though they're still down around 1.5g from lightest to heaviest. Pistons are all within 1g, so I'll probably leave those alone.

Our pickup day is fast approaching, Saturday! The 16' truck is reserved, and our friends are lined up to help us unload.

We've also been cleaning up the basement, selling parts at cut rates, throwing some things out.. the space matters more than a few $ worth of plastic bits now.

..However, we might need to open a tire shop to clear out this section of space. Winter tires for 3 cars, race tires for the Miata & Mazdaspeed, an extra set of summer tires for the Miata, and the set of XXRs from the WRX.