1966 404 Coupé Injection Restoration

5 minute(s) of a 255 minute read

I also over-squeezed the flaring tool when finishing the ends...plus the bleed screws are super clean so likely air was being sucked in there too. The new unions will come in soon and I can start over, much more carefully, this time. I've also ordered a new distributor junction (the bronze thing on the X-member) in case my over tightening has messed it up. The iron cylinder female union threads in the cylinders and brake hose unions should be fine.

Interesting idea about reversing the flow. Will consider that.

5-4-2022

Yesterday I got the crankshaft back. The act of polishing it at the present 0.3 mm undersize was sufficient to eliminate the high burrs that scored the new bearings the other shop had put in. There are very small tiny divots in the journal surface left, but these will not be of significance going forward.

About the way the damage occurred, it's obvious that the other shop had inserted the pistons into the liners from above, whacking them in with a mallet and smacking the journal with the rod bolts. Rookie mistake, only they're not rookies. Factoid: 404 liners (probably many other Peugeots, and Renaults too) have a chamfer at the bases clearly intended to facilitate piston insertion from below. That's the correct way to do it.... Had it been done this way in the first place, the crank would have been fine.

I also neglected to get the first shop to install the new pilot bushing. So I had Chuck at Mid-Island Machine and Engine do that job. None of his standard pullers would get the old one out, but he thought the grease hydraulic-ing trick would get it out, but it didn't...so he threaded the bronze bush and then screwed a shaft in to pull it out. On the 404 at least, there is a grease seal at the end - Chuck said that American cars don't have that but it's a good idea.... 

Anyway.....

I was given a container of Clevite bearing shell grease to protect the crank bearings for initial assembly and startup. I was also advised to prime the oiling system with the engine in situ so the first start is not a brutal one. I'll rig up a manual pressure system through the oil pressure sending unit to do that.

Given the previous shop's inattention to detail, I'll also take the rocker system apart again to verify that the oil holes on the shafts are in the correct spots and put some assembly grease in there too.

I may being engine assembly soon but the braking system needs to be in working order before the engine goes back in.

Crank wrapped after washing:

Inside the shop:

Also got more brake parts, the latest of which arrived today. It's the brake proportioning valve, also NOS like the other one that I bought 15 years ago, but initial indications are that this one will be usable. At the very least, I can try all my new brake lines in these fittings to make sure the ends fit

5-11-2022

Dean Hunter sent me two replacement shells for the two 0.3 rod bearings that were damaged in transit earlier this year, so now I have two complete sets. Hope to begin some work this coming weekend.

5-15-2022

Today I cleaned the super sticky black residue that the shop in Victoria had smeared all over the liners and liners seals at the lower and upper ends. This required acetone and a lot of toothbrush work plus a scriber to get the thicker bits off.

Once it was about 99% clean, I test fitted the liners without the seals to verify protrusion. All were more than 0 mm and less than 0.06 mm so it's good.

Also cleaned gasket residue off the oil pan mating surface and the timing cover mating surface.

Now I'll have to clean out the block because it's been open for a few months, though covered, and then start reassembly. I'll try inserting the pistons from the underside of the liners, which have a chamfer, once they too have been cleaned off (this is how it's done for some Renaults).