The Dark Wob

You've really turned the Acclaim around from how you bought it!

I've kept it in existence but it's still a polished turd. Rear of the sills and the rear wheel tubs are all pretty shit in terms of metal vs structural underseal.

Hopefully I'll get some more welding done to it this year with a slightly more generous time frame to complete the work as I'd like to keep it on the fleet. It is nice to have effortless retro motoring and I'd quite like to give it to Girlfriend_70s in the future as an excuse to buy myself a 6 cylinder of some description...

Mk4 Spitfire engine now in my bedroom, lower back fucked. 130kg between three people wouldn't be too bad if it were evenly balanced and there weren't stairs to contend with...

Is this to go in the Dolomite?

Yes, subject to it being stripped, cleaned and refurbed a bit

Cool. Are there any gains/downsides to this swap or are they pretty much the same engine?

Pretty much the same, still a post rationalisation "big bearing" motor. It does come with a twin carbs manifold, if I wish to halve my fuel economy for 3-4hp more...

I have a 1300fwd "small bearing" engine down south but that's a long term thing as I'm not sure of the complexities of converting it to rwd use.

Post backshift engine tear down going well.

Managed to spill oil all over the rug while rearranging the tarp, which then soaked through into the carpet below... Fastidious scrubbing and stain removed have at least spread it out to the point where it's less obvious.

Should have done it on the kitchen table, less bending down then.

But then there would be nothing to soak the oil up. Or the Radweld-tinted anti-freeze. This is however a very encouragingly 70s approach to engine rebuilding. Good luck with it but remember to do final assembly at ground level!


Edit - I remember being told by a mate of a mate how they resprayed a Mini in the enormous sun-lounge at the back of the family house whilst parents were in Corfu or somewhere. Might have got away with it if one of them hadn't walked through a closed patio door after cleaning everything up.....