McDuff Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Hi, my name is John Wilson, and I joined the Westie community 7 months ago, and have driven my somewhat venerable narrow body SE over a thousand miles so far. This includes a superb 700 mile jaunt around East Anglia 3 weeks ago. The car was well looked after by it's previous WSCC owner and has been very well behaved thus far. However the time has come to replace the excellent 1.6 CVH with a recently acquired more powerful 1.9 CVH (US block) with a Burton head and twin Webers. At this stage I thought I would seek the advice of the group, since I have not changed an engine before and would welcome any advice from those far more knowledgeable than myself. The 1.9 CVH came out of a WSCC member's wide body car and he has been very helpful, as has Martin Van Zeller , both of whom believe the engine swap should be relatively straightforward. I suspect I shall be leaning heavily on their expertise soon ! At this early stage I have 2 questions however: First I notice the sump on the 1.9 is a lot lower than the one on the 1.6. Can this be rectified? Or should I leave well alone? Secondly, the 1.9 has a lightened flywheel, should I substitute the standard flywheel on the 1.6 to make it more controllable in heavy traffic? At 62 I am not the youngest member of this esteemed club, but so far I have enjoyed the experience, and look forward to meeting more aficianados of the Westfield marque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Pete Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 There have been quite few cvh specials on here in the past so hopefully somebody useful will be along shortly. In the mean time welcome to the club and hope to catch up with on the Essex Suffolk boarder at some time - keep an eye on the events areas of the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 John. I'm a 63 year old veteran as well, get stuck in there son. Engine hoist and stand are very useful for these jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray The Brake Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 CVH nah should be a x flow, come on act your age OK,OK you guys I get the picture it's not really about the engine change it's an age bragging thing I turned 67 a couple of weeks ago so I'm claiming the title. UNLESS ONE OF YOU KNOW DIFFERENTLY Best of luck John let us know how you get on................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Engine swap should be fairly straightforward if you can beg/borrow an engine crane + the help of some mates. 68 last February & feels like it some days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuff Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 Thanks for the encouragement chaps, and after talking to Ferriday Engineering I think I will leave the sump and flywheel as is, and not disturb the previous owner's hard work. BTW, what is the best brake setup for an old SE that has discs at the front and rear drums? I have been told that Mintex 1144 pads are the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rory's Dad Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I have been told that Mintex 1144 pads are the best. They are IMO. (Was it me that told you?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray The Brake Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Engine swap should be fairly straightforward if you can beg/borrow an engine crane + the help of some mates. 68 last February & feels like it some days. Hi Jonah, I'm noticing nobody came back on my age thing, but yes, I notice your one ahead !! we gotta keep the whippasnappas (is that a word ?) under control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordboi Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Thanks for the encouragement chaps, and after talking to Ferriday Engineering I think I will leave the sump and flywheel as is, and not disturb the previous owner's hard work. BTW, what is the best brake setup for an old SE that has discs at the front and rear drums? I have been told that Mintex 1144 pads are the best. I also have an SE with Type 16 calipers up front and RS2000 rear drums at the back, presumably the same setup as yourself. Mintex 1144 pads are brilliant up front. No fade on track and due to the cars weight, last well too. They also work well from stone cold which is good for road driving. The only other improvement i have gained from this setup is by stripping and rebuilding the front calipers and basically making sure the whole system is working as efficiently as possible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuff Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Thanks for the advice Fordboi. Have another issue, appear to have a fluid leak from the manual speedo cable where it comes out of the Type 9 gearbox. 2 questions for the forum: Is it straightforward to stop the leak ? , there appears to be a circlip in there. Or could I plug it and use a digital speedo? How hard is it to replenish the gearbox oil, would it be easier during an engine change? I understand the filler plug is hard to get to. Confusingly, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 If you look in the passenger side foot well there may be a predrilled hole/grommet to access plug for gearbox, it's the easiest way. Hope you got the reply via text John, don't panic if you get stuck with the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 If you have the engine out you might as well take the gearbox out, only 2 bolts holding the box to the gearbox mount. and the gearlever can be removed from inside the cockpit, 3 small bolts there, under the gaiter. The oil will run out of the prop shaft hole at the back, just try and keep the gearbox level when removing. With the box out you can fix the speedo leak, change the selector saddle, grease up the remote shaft (if you have one), check and fix the clutch actuator, Change the fulcrum pin for the actuator arm, change the release bearing, if need be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuff Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Thanks Sootysport and Tricky, I am grateful for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuff Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 Hi, looking for a small air scoop to cover the hole in the top of the bonnet where the single K & N filter went. Anyone know a source? Is there a special technique for cutting another hole in the side of the bonnet for twin K & N filters, or do I just let fly with the Dremel ? Is there a template available? Cheers....................John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rory's Dad Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I'd look here for a scoop and ask Tricky for a template. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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