Engine Rebuild Part 1

Date: August, 2025

With the final race at snetterton ending in an engine failure my job list for the off season has been dramatically increased. Now there is a complete engine rebuild on the list when previously it was just going to be a simple cam upgrade.

So whats the plan then?  

Put simply, remove the old engine, strip it down to keep the ancilliaries that are required, find out what went wrong (apart from the hole in the side), buy a new engine, strip it down, rebuild it stronger with uprated cams. 

So to start with I pulled the old engine out of the car and started to remove parts such as the ITBs, exhaust, lightweight flywheel & clutch, custom sump (more on that later), alternator, custom tensioner and all sorts of other parts that remove the bulky factory parts.    

Once this was done I did find a hole on both sides of the block so that wasn't ideal! but that was why I wanted to pull it apart really. Try to find the cause of the failure rather than just the symptoms. All signs are now pointing to a rod failure. 

Once I pulled the sump off there was extensive damage to the baffle plate and also the mating surface is slightly bent so I need to get that fixed or replace it sadly which is an unexpected cost.  

So then was the time to get things prepped for the full rebuild. In a nutshell this is what is required:

• Gaskets
• Rod bolts
• Main bolts
• Piston Rings
• Oil Seals
• Other Single Use Items

On top of those items I plan to paint the block as well and then there are specific tools required.

• Timing Kit
• Pulley Tool
• High Temperature Paint

There are many others but they are the first bits I ordered from Amazon and they are sponsored links so I earn a small commission if you purchase through those links.

So the current state of the engine is that the old one is stripped down and the block is sat in the car ready for me to make some adjustments to the engine mount to secure it a little further as when I pulled it out I found there were some slightly weaker points on the engine mounts.

The new engine is on the engine stand with the rocker cover removed as well as the sump and all ancillaries, ready for the full strip down.

I have also taken delivery of some new cams from Piper Cams that should get me up to the magical 210bhp which will put me at the top of the power:weight ratio of Class B for next season.

Stay tuned for more updates as this engine rebuild progresses. I'll make sure I upload some videos to the YouTube Channel as well.

Thanks to my sponsors Ecotherm Facilities Management for your continued support, head over to their website and have a look at what they do here.