On Wednesday 10th Dec, the Dudley College students gathered to meet Chris Morgan from Specialist Vehicle Services. Chris had been with us before, earlier in the year, to conduct an initial assessment of the engine, when we found it to be in good shape, with good compression and strong oil pressure.

Chris was with us to share some of his knowledge about the legendary 3.8ltr, straight six engine, for the benefit of the L3 student mechanics and the project team members. 

He talked about how smooth and well balanced these engines were, compared to a four cylinder engine. How they can cope with modern petrol, but recommend use of E5 Supreme fuel and not standard unleaded E10. This is because the valve seats are not as hard as todays cars. Careful attention needs to be paid to the condition of the valve seats, with the head removed, for if the seats are worn, the unleaded fuel combustion can still burn through and destroy the head!

These engines also require valve shims below the tappets. So if / when the valves are re-seated (re-ground with paste to restore the valve seat gas seal) the shims must be changed to maintain the tabulated valve clearance.

Chris recommended we remove the head in order to check the valves, pull out the core plugs & clean out the water jacket to remove any ‘cake like’ corrosion. This is a common problem when engines have been standing a long time, especially when tap water has been used and not coolant with corrosion inhibitors. Check the engine stud condition (looking for corrosion that can seriously weaken them and lead to failure). He went on to discuss ignition timing, before explaining how the SU carburettors work, their adjustments and common issues. 

Our sincere thanks to Chris for his time.