Morris CDFW engine Rebuild /birthday.

Decided that the Morris CDFW needed a engine rebuild after it lost power and started knocking,

Hoping to have it rebuilt and run in ready for dunkirk next year,

Thread should come along quite quickly as im spending all my time on it.

Dropped the sump off and nothing seemed wrong, oil was clean bottom of the sump has no grit,

Run a compression test and the compression was around 80PSI, across all 4 cylinders, I just assumed that as a side valve it would be low compression, but speaking to a morris man he said it should be around 110psi, decided to whip the head off and have a look insode the top end.

turns out that the head gasket was just an asbestos one, no copper in it whatever like the ones ive seen before,

Under inspection the valves weren't seating very well so will need cutting in when I come around to it.

They seemed to have quite alot of side to side movement aswell, so I will tackle this when I come to it,

whipped off the big ends and took a look and I was quite glad that I did, I thought the white metal bearing were shot, so I decided to take a trundle along to a friend who specialises in white metal and said that they were fine, just picked up some rubbish, taught me how to polish them up and scrape the gouges out gave me a pat on the back and I was off.

1. I did ask him whether it would effect the clearances and he said absolutely not,

2. Yes its a main in the picture!

So you haven't found the cause of the knocking yet? My own Morris engine (6 cyl) was not knocking but was very low on oil pressure and I had to get all the white metal bearings renewed. Also valves, guides, springs, camshaft bearings, new O/S pistons and re-bore, skim head and block and other work. My old and replacement head gaskets are copper asbestos. Total cost....over five grand.....Phew!! Ron

Hi Ron,

is that a PU8 engine? Looks like a stunning rebuild in the pictures!

I am going to be doing a 6 cylinder next, had lots of oil pressure, measured them up today amd its got +40 thou pistons at the moment, amd they are bloody tight got a set of plus 20 thou too, but ideally they want to be you? lus 30!, going to investigate them properly tommorow, who did the engine for you?

tom

Check the torque of the bolts holding the flywheel to the crank .....:angel:

Reading you initial problem, lacking power and knocking ......... makes me immediately think Ignition Timing !

Hi Gordon, will check this tommorow too.....

Richard, good thoughts!

was the first thing we checked, didnt make much, if any difference she only knocked when it was up to temprature..

found we had a broken ring aswell!

tom

Tom yes it's a PU8/4. Robinson's Engineering in Ferndown did the work but they have now closed down. The whole job was a nightmare as I had to remove and return the engine to them four times. Give them their due, they didn't hesitate to send a truck to collect the engine from my house each time and eventually the engine was rebuilt properly and the culprit machinist was sacked.

The whole sorry tail was spread over more than a year. It's as sweet as a nut now though. Ron

She really is a pretty girl, ive only ever driven humbers like that, it the suspension soft or it it a trie morris and rock hard?

my next project is going to be a full rebuild of a CDSW, which im quite excited about ha.. I think the low bonnets are so pretty

Oh the suspension is rock hard...... An unbelievable amount of steel and tyres to carry the payload of a Mini Van. I'm told that the 2WD version is a much more pleasant ride. I gather they were built round an old London Taxi chassis. Ron

Hi from OZ

I did a little research regarding the Morris 6 motor .

The bore size of the Morris is very close to 3 1\4 " and I feel that Dodge 3 1/4" rings could be used if the Morris ring set is not available . From memory this a 20 thou difference but this can be overcome with oversize ring sets

Mike

Hi Mike. The thing is with the professional engine machine shops, (like Cox and Turner, Robinson's etc) they have all the catalogues at their fingertips and can look up the necessary part or it's nearest equivalent. Cox and Turner have never failed to find me the pistons I require .......However obscure.......But expensive of course.

With my own Morris Engine, Robbinson's acquired the correct pistons for a rebore, I remember that the valve guides came from a ford D series and machined to suit, the valves from something else and again machined.....again all very expensive. Rory Ballard had a batch of valve springs made............Maybe we should have bought a Bedford........Easy Peasy off the shelf!!!

John Cox is well in his 80's and is still sorting through the millions of piston rings in his shed. Not to mention the cow shed he rents with pistons. I'll be visiting him soon for some rings for an Enfield piston.

Ron

Hi Mike. The thing is with the professional engine machine shops, (like Cox and Turner, Robinson's etc) they have all the catalogues at their fingertips and can look up the necessary part or it's nearest equivalent. Cox and Turner have never failed to find me the pistons I require .......However obscure.......But expensive of course.

 

With my own Morris Engine, Robbinson's acquired the correct pistons for a rebore, I remember that the valve guides came from a ford D series and machined to suit, the valves from something else and again machined.....again all very expensive. Rory Ballard had a batch of valve springs made............Maybe we should have bought a Bedford........Easy Peasy off the shelf!!!

 

John Cox is well in his 80's and is still sorting through the millions of piston rings in his shed. Not to mention the cow shed he rents with pistons. I'll be visiting him soon for some rings for an Enfield piston.

 

Ron

Hi Ron

Yes I rang old John Cox a few years ago. I needed a few bits and he posted the parts to me before I had paid for them , that type of service is not common these days .

I did manage to buy a set of new pistons from Rory . I tried the Dodge rings in the Morris pistons , the Dodge rings are a perfect fit except the Dodge rings are slightly deeper in the ring grooves .

I think I have six Morris 6 OH engines here . One thing that does help me is , I think I am the only military morris enthusiast in Australia , I have a monopoly on any parts that turn up , nobody else want the parts !

I remember Rory saying that the valve lifters tend to wear and new lifters are nigh on impossible to find .

I do some machining myself as I have a few old lathes and Mills . There is a surplus of old lathes here as many engineering business are closing down ( probably the same in the UK ) .... its cheaper to buy a new part from Asia and throw away the worn out part .

Mike