Possible new Project: has a Spun Bearing......Worthwhile?

D

Doctor Hugocat

New Member
Hey everyone -

I'm a new forum member and have found a couple of possible project P6s available in my area. That's no common thing, as I'm in California. I owned a couple of P6s when I lived in the UK and am hoping one of these project could be right. Both are 2000TC with manual transmission.

There's something wrong with both of them of course :D One car has some body damage so I'm asking a question about that in the bodywork forum. The other car, the owner tells me, has a spun bearing. He says it happened when he over-revved it, but hasn't taken the motor apart to check it. So let's assume for a moment that it IS a spun bearing. Let's also assume that there's another cause: low oil, bad oil pump or blocked oilways.

I can order oversized bearings from the UK no problem: I can get an engineering shop here to grind the crank I guess if necessary. But what do you all think: is there likely to be substantial other damage? I don't yet know how quickly he switched off the motor when he heard whatever noise it was........

Any advice would be appreciated. He may be able to supply me with a spare motor which I would take automatically!

Thanks!! :mrgreen:
 
Doctor Hugocat said:
The other car, the owner tells me, has a spun bearing. He says it happened when he over-revved it, but hasn't taken the motor apart to check it. So let's assume for a moment that it IS a spun bearing. Let's also assume that there's another cause: low oil, bad oil pump or blocked oilways.

I can order oversized bearings from the UK no problem: I can get an engineering shop here to grind the crank I guess if necessary. But what do you all think: is there likely to be substantial other damage? I don't yet know how quickly he switched off the motor when he heard whatever noise it was........
Click to expand...

You can speculate ofer the cause and consequences, but the only way you'll know for certain is to dismantle it and have a look for yourself. If you've budgeted for an overhaul, I'd say that it would be unlikely that it would be so badly damaged as to be beyond that. I've never come across one that's spun a bearing, although I've seen plenty that have run an end. If the bearings do spin, and it's run, then it will seize.
 
If he hasn't had it apart he can't possibly know that it is a spun bearing. He could say "bad knock" or something like that...

I can't say I've ever come across a spun bearing outside of a steam railway train. So lets assume it's more minor than that. I would want his spare engine though, especially if it is an SC (single carb). The bottom ends of the two engines are interchangeable, so just swop the TC head onto the SC block. This will make a much sweeter engine as the SC has lower compression pistons. (the compression ratio is entirely piston determined as the heads are flat).

I really don't like the sound of the tree damaged base unit. I think I'd want to go with this one and a spare engine for luck!

Chris
 
Thanks- very useful info. I'm due to see them on Saturday. He hasn't described the noise yet, but I'm wondering what else might have led him to suspect a spun bearing: broken pushrod? bad conrod? timing slipped (chain tensioner or something)? Even a broken valve spring? My dad once broke the crankshaft on his old Ambassador (2.0 HLS) when I was a kid and that made a sound loud enough to warn oncoming traffic....... :shock:

I don't know these engines very well: I had a 2000SC and a 3500S back in the UK but never did anything more than swap out an alternator on them. I know their reputation as tough though!!
 
Well it won't be a pushrod... They are pretty tough old engines but there are still plenty of things that can go wrong. Bearings tend to wear out as a matter of course so a bit of bearing clatter is very common on unloved examples. Timing chain rattle is not uncommon too. Slightly nastier problems are cracked cam bearing caps, broken camshafts and dropped valve seats. It's not unheard of for people to run them out of oil and seize the pistons but not common.
Basically you're not going to know 'til you have a look. Might just be a stuffed water pump, dynamo or AC compressor. :D
 
KiwiRover said:
Basically you're not going to know 'til you have a look. Might just be a stuffed water pump, dynamo or AC compressor. :D
Click to expand...
True! As you say, I'm going to assume that it needs a complete rebuild and try to grab a spare motor if he has one. I'm due to view them Saturday! Thanks for the advice. :)
 
Everyone's got their own opinion and I'd take the one with the best bodywork - I'd much prefer to rebuild/repair an engine on a straight car than fix up bodywork. It might be easy to lift the roof panel off and push the beam back into place, but how good's the engine on that one?
 
Just posting an update! I went to see the car and it was a lot worse than expected.......rustier than I'd expect for a California car with some nasty holes. It had sunk into the ground so much that the rear suspension was in the dirt. Interior trashed. The seller had also told me he had the title (log book) for it and then it turned out that he hadn't Oh well, back to the drawing board!! :cry:

He also had a another tree-damaged car that was a total shed. Bah!!

Thanks again for all the help and I'm still on the lookout so hopefully I won't be waiting forever.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top