If you're behind the screen of your workstation, it's easy to lose track of the fact you're actually dealing with a real physical engine. So here is the left hand cam cover in real life.
And when I lifted it off, this is what I was left with. Don't look at the mess, this is only my temporary workshop until I get it stripped. When I'll start cleaning and restoring the engine parts I'll move to something cleaner... ;)
Today I lifted off the right hand cilinder head. Below is the picture of my virtual workshop. As you can see this is more organized. Here I'll strip the head and convert the parts to 3D models. Too bad it's also where I sleep... Guess I'll keep the window open tonight because of the oil fumes... :)
Below the 'patina' of the cam cover, the head is actually in very nice condition. The cams are not worn down and none of the bolts have been over tightened. There are no signs of leaking gaskets either. The only thing wrong was that the previous owner used a little to much silicon sealant on the seals to aid the rubber gasket. The sealant does harden out, and it crackles up. That in turn ends up on the camshafts and in the oil system, so you'll find sealant everywhere. Nothing to worry about though. I've seen a lot worse.
Also I found that the bearing caps are numbered starting at the most forward cap on the inner camshaft and then working around counter-clockwise. A nice touch from the engineers at Maserati.
The next week or two, maybe three, I'll be drawing this head in 3D. The head casting itself is going to be a hassle to get right... Luckily I'll have to start with the simple stuff. Camshafts, bearing caps, etc.
" magnifique ! " in french.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine who many time you work for it ! Incredible ! I know and I use some 3D drawing loftware, that why I can say " Bravissimo" !