Spider engine in car rebuild-LONG

["Dave M." <doc1590@domain.elided>]

Again, I believe I'm late on this one but since I've
done it a bunch of times, I'll stick in my .02.

Changing pistons, liners etc. on a spider is certainly
possible in the car.  We've done it on a 2L Spider
racecar both trackside and in the shop.  The lower pan
comes off and of course the head. You must remove the
#1 rod from the crank and pull the piston, liner and
rod out.  Then pull the liners on the other cylinders.
 You remove the circlip and push piston wrist pins out
forward working in order. (that's why you removed #1
piston, there's no room for that pin to come forward
and it can't go back with #2 in the way)  

Note: If you need to remove all the rods, then you
will need to drop the entire pan and that's a real
pain without a lift and there are a couple tricks to
that too.  We can change a head gasket quicker than
the pan.

When re-assembling, you do it in reverse order
starting with #4.  It takes some finesse to get
everything together.  You can pre-install pistons in
liners (with appropriate compressor for rings) on the
bench and leave the wrist pin hole sticking out the
bottom.  If you are re-using the pistons, be sure to
dress any burrs from the wrist pin bore where you
removed the circlip, before you try to get the
wristpin back through while balancing over the engine.
 Install new "O" rings DRY on the liners and put
piston and liner assembly over rod and install wrist
pin and new clip.  Carefully push the liners down
lining up the flats on the top flange.  Install all
the liner/piston assy's, before you push them down. 
Work them down carefully since once the liners are
seated, you cannot rotate them.  You also can't rotate
the engine once they are seated or you'll push them
out.  If you must rotate the engine use the liner
retaining tool or make one or just install the head. 
Of course, you first remove the rags you stuffed in
the block to keep circlips, screwdrivers and whatever
else that's suseptable to gravity out of the engine.

This took about 6 hours with six hands, in the dark,
fighting mosquitos and fire ants in the grass at
Sebring.  But! We had done it before and it was a race
car with lots of engine bay stuff already removed. 
Both of these things make it faster.  I can't imagine
doing it alone no matter how much time you have. 
Leaning over holding that liner with piston protruding
from the bottom and trying to get that wrist pin
through the piston and rod without pulling the liner
off the rings... you get the picture.

If you have a hoist, lift and lots of tools and
help... it might be as fast to pull the engine
especially if the entire sump needs to come off, but I
wouldn't do it unless I had that, or some other reason
to do so. 
I've omitted some basic proceedures here so unless you
know what the little arrows are, on the tops of
pistons, how to index ring gaps or how to protect the
rod journal from damage from rodbolts, then better pay
someone to do this or have a good book handy.

Sorry for the bandwidth, but thought it might be
helpful.  

Dave Miller
Deltona, Florida

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