Okay. So, Mrs Spanners and myself are looking at popping over the pond sometime soon and taking the Ami as would seem polite.

In order to make that happen, I'm going to have to get the few mechanical jobs done including sorting the smelly cylinder heads and looking at the clutch.

On cars with a trafficlutch, does the engine unbolt as per the norm and pull straight out? Looks like I'm going to have to convert to "standard" heavy flywheel and spring type clutch for the time being too so what's involved there, will it all go onto the gearbox that's in there? This is all new territory for me so please excuse the questions if they're just plain silly!

Thankyou.

Here goes, time to whip the engine out of the Ami and sort the various issues out ready for our trip to France next month.

First thing I shall (try and remember to) do though is measure the gearbox mount access holes like Sean asked me to a goodly while back!

Obviously, I shall take plenty of piss poor quality photos during the process......

got to keep the thread up to standards

Why you!

What a day, the sun shone, I guzzled about 5 litres of water and covered in 34 years worth of shit and oil and general car related detritous!

Anyway, took the front off and got the engine out. Stripped the heads and barrels off as I thought it prudent to check barrels and pistons/rings while it was apart. Lapped the heads and put them back on with a nice new (old stock) oil feed pipe.

Then I spent the majority of the rest of my day cleaning the oil cooler! Oil cooler? I doubt it was doing much cooling.

I fetched the illusive heavy flywheel this afternoon and have just placed an order with Ecas for a new clutch and some brake pads etc. Oh happy days.

Piss poor photo time......

My latest order arrived from Uncle Roy this morning. Although I'm not 100% sure it was Roy that parcelled them and sent them!



I've also de-greased all the cowling and painted it just to tidy it all up before I reassemble it all.





And, while I was at it, I decided to clean the air box up before I refitted it although I didn't take the old service stickers off it as I like stuff like that!





Hopefully, I'll reassemble the engine tomorrow evening with new clutch, engine mounts, fuel pipe and filters etc ready to refit on Friday. Fingers crossed.

Yeh, the self-portrait's a giveaway, innit?

You aint the first to say that and, I doubt you'll be the last!

Spent a few more hours on it tonight refitting all the cowlings, setting the tappets and cleaning/refitting the rocker covers which were full of all sorts of crap-mostly sealant though.

Hopefully finish it tomorrow night and refit it Friday.

In the meantime, even by my standards, here's some utterly shockingly shit photos

Mate, do you suffer with Parkinsons? Hold the camera still, FFS!!!