New Owner '69 S4 - Unravelling the Mystery

[AHM]

Welcome John,

That looks like an interesting project!

Just to clarify 2 stripes denotes a 'D' Type Super SE cam - There is a good book by Miles Wilkins that has just been reprinted.

You want to get a boot on that alternator wire - It is direct to the battery!

[rgh0]

The D cam is also known as the "Sprint" cam or "Big Valve" cam as it was used in the Elan Sprints and Plus 2S 130 also.

cheers
Rohan

[Famous Frank]

AHM, good eyes! I was looking at the headers so closely, I totally missed it already has a nice alternator. Good catch with the boot!

[jbeach]

AHM, thanks for catching the alternator wire - I'll boot it at my first opportunity!

Frank, your post perfectly supplements the solid information already provided - You are speaking my language on all of this!

It looks fairly certain Dave Bean did the block upgrade in the 80s. I read somewhere they sold a well-designed set of headers back then engineered for fast-road use and wonder if these came from Bean with the engine rebuild.

Your recommendation I have the cams "degreed" is fantastic. I've forwarded your post to my mechanic (he'll love that, I'm sure) and plan to have him degree the cams as he's putting everything back together (hopefully this week). I'll talk to him about installing the secondary breather tube when we discuss degreeing.

It looks like the ARP rod bolts are an engine-out operation. Because I only have the head off now, I'm leaving that for another time. But I like your recommendation and will implement it when I have the chance.

Finally, I'm totally with you on the CV/rear axle replacement! That's number one on my list of larger projects and I'm planning to tackle that myself in December/January.

Rohan, thanks again for the additional info. Since my last post my mechanic has measured the valves and it appears they were not upgraded to "big valve" spec when the Sprint cams were installed. While I consider that odd, I've read the larger intake valves don't yield a dramatic power increase, so maybe it was omitted as a cost-saving measure. If I were doing all of the other work, I believe I'd have sprung for the big valves too, but the previous, previous owner must have decided differently.

Thanks to all - I'm truly experiencing the value of this forum!

best,

John

[jbeach]

Frank,
By the way, did you replaced your oil dipstick with a little red cap? I really like that idea, as I'm losing some oil out of my dipstick hole. Any suggestions on finding a cap that fits?
Best,
John

[mbell]

Try a "vacuum cap" most parts places should have a multi pack with various sizes and colors. I've been thinking of adding one onto my dip stick but one of the many jobs I've not quite got around to...

[gjz30075]

A coil wire boot works good, too.

Greg Z

[Famous Frank]

John, you're having way too much fun doing this!!! Enjoy, because as they say, "the journey is as much fun as the destination!"

Ha! The red cap is just in there because we put it there as the engine came off the dyno and I had to transport it back to Atlanta. It will be replaced with a regular dipstick. As you can see, it has red covers on the carbs too!

Oh, a little more carb info. Up to the 150 HP mark, Strombergs can work as good as the 40 DCOE Webers. But over 160 HP, you would have to exchange the 40 DCOE's for 45 DCOE's. It's never easy but it's fun!

[jbeach]

Frank,

I'll be perfectly content with a good 130 (or so) HP. Let's see if degreeing the cams can get us there!

And, yes, so far I'm having a blast. Honestly, mostly because of the great help I'm receiving here.

Many thanks to you all,

John

[jbeach]

BEAUTIFUL engine, by the way!
JB