GTA update - long

["Steve Schaeffer" <borrani@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey All,

It's been a busy 10 days.  I took 6 days off of work to get the car ready
for a club track day Friday June 20.  This event would be a great
opportunity to break the new motor in.  On Thursday, June 12 I picked up the
block, crank, rods and bearings from the machine shop after we ascertained
bearing clearances to be ok.  I took that next Friday off and spent much of
that time making a throwout bearing assembly for my new 2.0L style clutch
and flywheel.  I'm still using a 1600 mechanical housing.  We ended up just
pressing the old bearing out of the 'eared' retainer, and making a sleeve to
act as a counterweight, and to press in a new 2.0L T.O. bearing into the
other end.  This T.O. bearing is kind of adjustable for length, as I needed
to properly set that distance via trial and error as I united the engine and
gearbox several times.  I assembled the motor over the weekend in Wes' shop.
I got the engine home at 3am Monday.  Went to work that Monday at 9am, got
home, and plopped the motor back in the car.  The next 4 days were a
marathon effort to button it up.  Had to plumb in a new canton remote oil
filter as well.  Lots of little stuff.  I pulled a 24 hour stint from
Thursday 9:30am till the next morning.  It was clear I wouldn't make the
Friday track day.

There was an Italian cars gathering that Sunday, so I aimed for that.  Got
up early Sunday morning, and fired up the motor for the first time.
Hallejulah, first time running in 10 months.  I pumped up the tires and
drove it up a big hill to seat the rings.  She drove beautifully, a proper
race car, darty and loud.  I got home and did a hot re-torque of the head.

How did the car re-pay me after lavishing all this time on it?

Answer is next:

Steve Schaeffer
Seattle, WA
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