Back from the Dead

or how I came to love the torque wrench.... So as some of you may know I am the guy who set out to rebuild a 1973 Triumph Stag for his senior project, well I did sort of... So let me start at last january . I had gotten the car to run for the first time in ten years and was on track to finish my project on time and successfully. I even took a video of it running http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A80xfu0NLpY&feature=channel_video_title So the thing is that a couple days after that video was made I heard a nasty knocking as the car was running. At first I checked everything I could think of, spark plugs, something in the engine compartment etc.. but I came to the conclusion along with my Mentor Tino ( Martin of Louis Foreign Car in Virginia Beach) that it was internal issue. I started to try and pull the oil pan when I noticed a new dent in it, pushing out, from the inside. This was not good, then I learned that you can't take a stag's oil pan off when the engine is in the car. So now the whole engine had to come on out; did I mention that you have to take the transmission out with it and all of that has to come out at a 90 degree angle almost.

Hang in there. Sometimes learning is painful.

The mirrors on my Mini were given to me by a guy at Louis Foreign Car. They were on an MGB that had gone there to slowly die. I wanted to buy them, but got them for nothing.

So out the engine came That is a Classic Motorsports shirt by the way Not all of the coolant was out of the engine too So after it was extracted we opened the oil pan to so the extent of the damage, oh and what damage was done. The number 8 connecting rod cap had come loose because the bolts backed out, and then the cap and the connecting rod danced all around the bottom of the engine, scaring the crank, number 7 connecting rod, almost putting a nice big hole in the block, and up top destroying valves. see for your self... new dent

oil pan o'engine guts Tino who has been a mechanic for years has never seen an engine go this bad, I'm proud of that. So why did all of that happen? I didn't torque the connecting rod cap bolts down, yep all my fault. I can laugh now but at the time no fun at all. So remember how this is still a project for school with a dead line? Guess who got a whole mess of extensions I ended up presenting the project as a failed experiment on the very last day possible. I got an A and alot of respect from my peers and teachers. I was the crazy kid rebuilding the car.

What is wrong with this picture? that valves aren't suppose to be there... So I then did what any respectable car nut would do I started over, I stripped the engine down again, bought a whole new set of pistons and ordered new big end bearings( those where shot too) So for the last couple months I did that and by sumer I got the short block back together, pistons back in And then the engine in and finally the restart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imy6_sN4re0&feature=channel_video_title Then with loads of help finally a test drive (okay that is not the first drive but its a better video) http://www.youtube.com/user/fredparkinsonIII#p/u/0/S78PMWsnSCY On the test drive about halfway down the street I started to laugh hysterically, I can not tell you how happy it made me

So now I am coming out of the project car wilderness and it feels great to say that I have made this. I will leaver you with some more pictures for being patient and reading so much (or skimming ) Thanks Ryan

congratulations on the A.. and congratulations on finally getting that beast up and running properly

good work, kid! it's not like you chose a '55 chevy to rebuild, LOL. congratulations on being "the crazy kid rebuilding a car"!

Great build! It's cool to see you stuck with it.

Congratulations. I wish I had done something like that when I was in High School.

Congratulations. It sounds fantastic, and that engine looks like it just rolled out of the production line in 1973, (apart from the carb ).

Looking forward to pics of the final, finished product now.

Nothing to add but that I'm cheering you on for actually rebuilding the Triumph mill. I'm an old Triumph fan, ya see..

Well done

Well, I can see your problem from here. Your headers are on backwards; can cause all sorts of problems

Not being too familiar with these engines; is that the water pump in the intake valley? If so how in the world do you replace that?

Oh, and great work. You should be proud of being able to make ANY British car run. However many attempts it takes.

hrdlydangerous wrote: Not being too familiar with these engines; is that the water pump in the intake valley? If so how in the world do you replace that? Oh, and great work. You should be proud of being able to make ANY British car run. However many attempts it takes.

Same as an SOHC TR7 engine which is half of the Stag V8. Use a slide hammer on the impeller shaft and hope it all comes out at once. Which it usually doesn't. PITA job if there ever was one.

Car looks sweet. Good job.

Can you image the sound it made when it let go? Not to make light of a bad situation, but it must have been epic!

I wish it had made a huge bang but it really only started to knock, but really really loud. Sounded like something wanted out of the engine.

great job just finishing it.

That's awesome. The carnage, and the car itself

Congrats on having the perseverance to finish the project after having such an epic setback.

N Sperlo wrote: Car looks sweet. Good job.

+1

Sounds good too. I bet this will be a ball to drive...

Thank for all of the positive comments! Hope to have the car into paint this weekend wit some luck, and move the parts car to a new storage place that doesnt charge quite as much

Awesome. It is cool to see another younger guy who likes British cars.

Also another forum you might want to check out is young guns classics. It is for us of the younger generation that love classics mostly dedicated to British cars.

Nice keep up the good work !