CHAINED UP

Job Done! Bright but cold weather allowed me to get on with fitting the new timing chains etc. All went very well,  but I wouldn't have remembered where everything went without the help of the YouTube instructional video. With the jack shaft sprocket bolted on and and the crankshaft sprocket tapped all the way home, I got the chain around all three sprockets, still keeping my timing marks lined up. The only difficulty was that the spring loaded tensioners were supposed to be retained closed until a red plastic tab was withdrawn when it was bolted into position, but as I withdrew them from their plastic wrappings they sprung apart. I did find that you could compress the spring and get it to stay compressed whilst I carefully bolted them into place. Picture below shows the left side chain in place

The next day I tackled the right side chain, which was simpler as there was only the crank and cam sprockets to wrap the chain around. I torqued all the bolts up to either 10 or 20 PSF only my small torque wrench was calibrated in Newton/Meters, but I found a comparison chart on line which showed 14 and 28 PSF respectively.

I fitted new paper gaskets and tapped in a replacement crankshaft oil seal and squirted plenty of silicon gasket glue onto the bottom of the timing cover where it would seal against the sump pan. Carefully positioning the cover ensuring that I didn't damage the the head gaskets between the heads and the top of cover, I gently coaxed the cover into place with the help of my little plastic hammer. Seven bolts to the sump, four to the underside of the heads and 10 into the crankcase. It was then that found that the two bottom bolts were too short and wouldn't tighten up. so 2 slightly longer bolts have been ordered. Finished.

Obviously not finished as the next day whilst I tidied up I spied the oil deflector that should have been fitted over the crankshaft in front of the two sprockets, on my work bench. I swore, but there was nothing for it, the cover would have to come off. With deflector in place it only took about half and hour to get all back into place and bolted up tight. Now I can start on the  brake callipers.