Martha's got a full sump.......

[bjbrownie]

I took a break from sorting the bodywork out, and had a look at the engine which has been sitting in the corner of the garage for some time ( I turn it over on the crank a few times once a week), as the time for refitting is getting nearish and I've read stories of the mesh oil filter strainer being completely blocked which is not good news for the engine, so I thought it best to remove the sump and have a dekko inside.
I had drained the oil a few weeks ago so I thought there would be nothing in the sump, I've rebuilt quite a few engines in the past but I didn't expect to see sludge an inch deep filling the entire sump bottom! This engine ran perfectly when it was in the car, great oil pressure and no unusual noises at all-I don't think the sludge appeared overnite, and engines that have been left for years don't go like this. When I drained the oil and removed the filter&housing, the oil was cleanish with only a few particles in it,it says a lot for the resilience of Morris engines if it could work through that crap with the mesh oil pickup strainer buried in it.
10 minutes with some rags and parraffin got the sump back to its original condition, can't wait to take the cylinder head off..... [frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[bjbrownie]

It's amazing what a coat of paint can do-after reassembling the engine ( quick check of the bearing caps showed little wear, it may have been reconditioned in the distant past) and replacing a few bits on the block makes it seem worthwhile after struggling with the bodywork! Not there yet, but getting there![frame][/frame]Paint from ESM and worth £7![frame][/frame]The yellow fan pulley is getting painted black!

[minor65]

What's wrong with yellow. It was grand 40+ years ago, mine are yellow.

Great job by the way !!

[Neil MG]

The fan and pulley were painted yellow to be more visible and prevent sore fingers...ouch!

[bjbrownie]

I think you're both right there, it's just that all the cars I've had the pulleys are normally black-I'll make the exception in Martha's case though, yellow it is!