1953 Leyland OPD2/1 [2818]

Norman Julian 2nd Dec �

There is nothing better after stripping hundreds of parts off, clean and recondition them and start reassembling them back where they go.

Today starting from the very bottom the main sump and oil strainer went back on.

Before the actual sump goes back on I have to see if it is easier to put the oil filter back on first which is on the near side bottom part of the engine.

There is a nut and bolt in question on the bottom of the oil filter which is really hard to get to when the bottom part of the sump is on.

Lorie Norton

Oooooo that�s what�s in there

Norman Julian

Lorie Norton you mean you have never seen the inside of your sump.

Naughty boy! LOL

Garry Coxhead

Nice work

Norman Julian 6th Dec

Update:

I wanted to put the oil filter canister on before the main sump.

It is very cramped so without the sump being in it is easier to get to the bottom set of bolts holding it on.

This is one of those things that would be easier if the engine was out.

The chassis of the bus fouls when trying to get this out as well as back in position.

Not by much but just wont clear past the studs.

Because the canister sits on studs I had to take the nuts off first then jiggle the canister forward enough to get a pair of multigrips onto the stud to then undo the stud from the engine so the whole thing comes off.

Where I can I like to retap threads either on a bolt or in a hole.

It just cleans up the threads and makes it easier to get threads back on easier, especially in situations like this where I get the canister in position and put the stud back through the canister and on to the engine in one movement.

I discovered something in my rethreading of the bottom 2 holes.

When I attempted to clean out the holes of debris, thread cuttings etc, the bottom holes go right through to the inside of the engine. Bloody innoying especially after I cleaned out the sump.

Fortunately there wasn't much in the way of metal filings etc.

I used a thread lock paste so as to seal the thread from oil coming through.

There was 2 new gaskets made as well.

Tomorrow the main sump goes back on.

Andrew Blacklock

Nice clean up job

Norman Julian

Andrew Blacklock

I would have liked to have nothing on the engine when it gets cleaned but with only this in position I can still get around it.

Norman Julian 7th Dec

Main sump is in.

Why didn't one of you tell me I had the bloody strainer upside down.

LOL.

I didn't notice till I tried to put the sump back in.

In the time I put the gasket goo on till I put the strainer in the right way it had formed a skin so I had to scrape it off and start again.

Everyone is entitled to make a boo boo occasionally I guess.

Anyway, I'm finished crawling underneath for a while.

Norman Julian
All tied in like it was originally
Phil Steele
Norman Julian what are we looking at here?
Norman Julian
That is the 2 bolts holding the strainer in position!
Maxwell Mcroberts
Get maybe a merit badge for remembering that knot🎖🎖🎖did you work in a bakery tying Pretzels 😀

Fred Holland

Sounds like fun Norm.

Norman Julian

Strainer wrong way around!

Scott Wilson

Thought it looked to be hanging low.

Norman Julian 8th Dec

Everyone knows that the machining of 2 surfaces that come together has to be properly sealed with some sort of sealant or gasket.

The gasket in most cases is the only thing that stops leakage.

No amount of precise machining will allow no sealing without some sort of help.

Since I have started working on this old tech, I have seen lots of different shapes and sizes of gaskets.

Most though are only as thick as 2 pieces of paper.

Most have fallen apart when the 2 surfaces have been taken apart.

Originally I guess this was quite OK and what was acceptable when tested and came from the factory but with thousands of miles up and constant vibration from a running engine those fine tollerances will give way and leakages will occur. I have heard lots of times people rubbishing pommy stuff but mostly because of oil leaks etc.

More than likely it is the fault of the gaskets.

Lee Hall

I just tell people the oil is self changing when they ask about me old bike leaking ����. Characteristic of the model

Laurence Glenn Bowmaker

also allow for differing thermal expansion characteristics.

As each part expands at a different rate, there either has to be somewhere to allow surface slippage or warping and deformation.

Laurence Glenn Bowmaker

Otherwise one part would expand and the other would be literally torn apart

Laurence Glenn Bowmaker

so gaskets are the flexible medium that allows the surfaces to shift during thermal cycling

Laurence Glenn Bowmaker

The greater the differences in the components, the more stress the gaskets are placed under.

This is why rocker cover gaskets and the like were often cork, because there was a huge variation in the expansion characteristics and the thicker cork layer provided flex over a greater range.

Norman Julian 11th Dec

Today I finished off getting the majority of rubbish out of the engine.

In all about 2.5kgs was taken out and I'm sure there would be more.

Lots went over the engine and on the floor and not forgetting the amount that went out in dust.

The filter in the vacuum was cleaned with the air blower a few dozen times I reckon.

Anyway, now to put the plates back on.

The tappet covers are coming off after the engine is cleaned.

I can't stand looking at them.

Norman Julian

. . . and yes these tappet covers are coming off for some TLC.

Norman Julian 12th Dec

The side plates are back on.

I used up the old tube of gasket stuff before it went off.

Just enough in the end. Both surfaces had to be free of old gasket and any contaminants.

I used grease and wax remover and it worked a treat.

Wont have to do a clean like that anymore.

One of the other things I did with the plate bolts was to rethread the bolts again with the die nut and clean out the holes by retapping the holes.

Once again with this engine like the TD5 the holes penetrated the water chamber.

The bolts as you can see have a copper washer to seal the thread for any water leakage but for some added insurance I put thread seal on the threads as well.

I am very surprised that none of these bolts broke off trying to undo them originally.

I will trim off the gasket sealant and repaint the 2 plates, bolts and all to finish that area off.

With a bit of time left I wanted to make a new bolt that snapped when I took this water manifold pipe off.

Firstly trying to find the right type of bolt was hard but I did find a 3/8" zinc bolt in my box of goodies.

I made it and it fitted but wasn't happy because the head was smaller than the others which meant a different size spanner would have had to be used.

The coating being zinc would have rusted out eventually and not being hi tensile as well, so an all round no no. Looking around again I eventually found the right size bolt.

Being too long wasn't a problem. Just extended the thread and cut to size.

I put the manifold on and tried out the new bolt and while there I put the new piece on at the front that Andrew Blacklock arranged to get recast.

Luckily this part was the only part that needed to be remade.

The original just literally fell apart in my hands taking it off.

Once the engine has a really good clean with a hot wash it will hardly been seen with all the add-ons that have to go back on that have been thoroughly cleaned and bead blasted, so the engine wont be painted.

Norman Julian 12th Dec

The new zinc bolt on the right that now has been discarded and the one in the middle that the thread has been extended and yet to be cut to size.

Norman Julian 12th Dec

New bolt that was threaded and cut to size