1973 Jensen Healey Restoration
Project
Part 17- 907 Lotus Engine Dismantled
By Greg Fletcher
Costs For The Last Month: $0
So much for having my car done by the end of summer! There’s always
next summer, I suppose. The last two months have been a complete waste of
time as far as my Jensen Healey is concerned. Other projects and just not
enough time in the day have taken their toll. Much to my dismay, I have found
it impossible to remove the stupid front crank timing belt pulley. I have
a Mark I, and Mark I’s don’t have the advantage of having holes
tapped into the pulley for using a pulley removal tool. Naturally, the crank
front cover is shielding this pulley from access and can only be removed with
the pulley already off the crankshaft. Easily the worst design on the entire
vehicle. You’ll want to get this thing tapped before reinstalling (in
the unlikely event you’ll have it off). Normally, heating the pulley
and applying some pressure in just the right spot with a cold chisel and a
puller arm will release it. But NO! This one has to be seized onto the shaft.
I spent a good three hours trying everything to no avail. By this time I became
so enraged that I figured I’d just tear down the stupid thing by the
end of the day instead of Mickey-mousing around with it. Grrr. Probably just
as well, since I want to see what the insides are up to. This is my stock
engine, the supposed 27,000 mile original unit (ahemm) that ran perfectly
before being parked and ignored for years. We’ve all heard that one
before. The 2.2 rebuild is still on hold awaiting an additional infusion of
cash. Hopefully, Richard at West Coast Cylinder head isn’t charging
me a storage fee yet on my parts. So, this means a minimal amount of new parts
for the stock engine (so much for being on a budget) while still actually
doing what needs to be done to make this a proper rebuilt engine that will
last years. Should be a good science project. At the moment, I’ve taken
stuff to my local machine shop and have them looking at the cylinder head.
All internal moving components will be getting a precision balance too, something
sorely needed that didn’t get much (any?) attention from the Lotus factory
when new.
Home
| Search
| Product
List | Checkout
| My
Account | Contact Us
Jensen Healey Preservation Society