I decided that since it will be many days before the engine is complete, there will be plenty of time for that JB weld material to continue curing and I decided to reassemble the case and get a bit more done from where I left the AH build.
The 1/2 case half needed one last bit of prep.
Type 3 Block Off
The Type 3 block off went on easy. I misplaced the real good gasket I had for it so I ended up using one of the gaskets in the Elring kit. Of course, hours later I found the good gasket.
The case halves went together fairly easy. Everything was torqued down according the the method I’ve generally been following in Tom Wilson’s How to Rebuild Your Volkswagen air-Cooled Engine as well as the other books I’m using. I’ll go over them once again right before I put the cylinder studs in.
It was then on to the installation of the the oil pump.
Oil Pump Installation
The Universal Case does not come with oil pump studs, so I got the ones out of the hardware kit. Using the oil pump, the cover, and then sealing nut, I got a general depth to sink them in. All got threadlocked and went in.
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Now the 2 gaskets that were in the Elring kit were just paper so I pulled out the Schradek box and used the much nicer gaskets that the pump came with. In installed the first gasket using Gasgacinh and then using a block of wood across the pump and a rubber mallet, set the pump in.
I don’t see how one could really install this without some force. It is essentially a pressure fit within the already closed case. The gears went in, I tested the main gear with the cam connection, and packed the hell out of the gears and everything with assembly lube.
I used Gasgacinch again on the second gasket, and torqued the full flow cover down onto the pump using the special sealing nuts. Damn these things are expensive! I’ve read that I could just use washers and regular 8mm nuts with a liberal coating of a sealant and it would work just the same. I had these special sealing nuts from last year so I went with them. At $15 for 4 there are not cheap!
Pulley Tin
Next up was the pulley tin that has to go on before the crankshaft pulley can be installed. This is the first one on and last one off and if you jump from the oil pump to the crank pulley you are not getting this on and will have to undo the pulley.
I decided to go with some allen head tin nuts I purchased. I’ve got a couple of different sets These should at least come off easier than the flat head ones.
Crankshaft Pulley
I was back and forth on if I wanted to just use the degree pulley I had or just go to the serpentine belt system that I wanted. While I did not go with the MST one I wanted, I went with the EMPI one this time reserving the one I really want for the high performance engine.
I pulled out the alternator stand I had prepped last autumn as well as the new 36HP fan shroud I painted to get an idea how this would all go together. These serpentine kits require the removal of the 2 front stock height alternator stand studs and then the removal of much longer ones that can then accommodate the tension pulley component.
One thing that I am kind of regretting is now following Bob Hoover’s recommendation to paint a clean case flat black, as the exposed case parts look like total shit against the other parts.