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What shall I do with this crossflow then?
mr henderson - 13/5/09 at 07:25 PM

So, I'm sort of assembling this car and I'm getting ready to add a few bits to what was originally a pretty bare engine.

Anyway, being as I am a very well behaved person, I decided that yes, I would take the head off for a quick look inside.

This is what I found



and yes, there is a pronounced wear ridge on each bore

Have a look at this head,and note the inlet valve that is slightly open (it shouldn't be)



So, what do you think then? Quick wipe over with some WD40 and scotchbrite? Or does it need something slightly more intensive

John

omega0684 - 13/5/09 at 07:41 PM

how 'pronouced' is the ridge on the cylinder, possible re-bore and fitment with oversized pistons & rings?

does the head need rebuilding? new stem seals regrinding of the valve seats etc?

coolant pathways need cleaning by the looks of things aswell

[Edited on 13/5/09 by omega0684]

mr henderson - 13/5/09 at 08:12 PM

I was expecting answers more along the lines of bury it, but yes, I expect it does need a complete rebuild.

problem is that that is going to add substantially to the overall cost, and unexpected too

John

maartenromijn - 13/5/09 at 09:11 PM

As always, it is all depending on the circumstances. Money, time, etc. What do you want from the car, just a 'cost efficient' sunday cruiser or a racer? Is it a 1.6, 1.3 or even less?
Personally, I don't think it's worth the effort and money to rebuild it, as there are many cheap alternatives around.

mr henderson - 13/5/09 at 09:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by maartenromijn
As always, it is all depending on the circumstances. Money, time, etc. What do you want from the car, just a 'cost efficient' sunday cruiser or a racer? Is it a 1.6, 1.3 or even less?
Personally, I don't think it's worth the effort and money to rebuild it, as there are many cheap alternatives around.


It's a 1.6, it belongs to a customer so I don't yet know what he thinks about it (he hasn't had the bad news yet, I'm trying to get some ideas together before telling him )

I'm happy to look into any ideas anyone has as to alternatives. I guess even a bike engine would be possible as he doesn't intend to use it on the road (it's not being prepared with IVA in mind).

John

maartenromijn - 13/5/09 at 09:32 PM

It's all up to your client then. I would give the four alternatives: just re-assmeble, rebuild, Zetec, BEC. Have your client make up his mind.

Cheers, Maarten

Hellfire - 13/5/09 at 09:32 PM

Give it the burial at sea that it deserves and drop a bike engine in the chassis

Phil

[Edited on 13-5-09 by Hellfire]

Chippy - 13/5/09 at 10:55 PM

Zetec, cheap as chips, and it fits the box. Just my two penneth. Cheers Ray

David Jenkins - 14/5/09 at 07:50 AM

It'll cost a few hundred to get that x-flow back to good running order, if you take it to a decent engine shop.

For that money you could fit a zetec (as said above) and pay for the bits and bobs you need to make it work. You'll also get more power out of the box without modifications, and a more modern engine that (hopefully) won't need any work.

The only down-side to a zetec is that it's taller than a crossflow, so you'll need to check that it'll fit (it would be a challenge in my book chassis - not impossible, but a challenge).

I like my crossflow, but I am a realist - once it dies, I'm not spending any big money on it any more.

Another 2p's worth!

David

[Edited on 14/5/09 by David Jenkins]

iank - 14/5/09 at 08:19 AM

If it's being built for the track then he'll want more power than an un-rebuilt crossflow pretty quickly anyway.

Depending on his preferred style of driving, budget and any racing regulations a Zetec or BEC would be the obvious choices.

Doubt it will actually run very well with that inlet valve anyway so I don't think just slapping a new head gasket on and praying is going to work. Just dressing the engine is going to cost more than sourcing a MOT failed but running well Mondeo.