chance of a lifetime "King's Ametyst"

Back again
At last Damien arrived
The lister petter LPWS4
I will have to do a few small jobs to make her fit
There’s enough spares’ to last a life, time hopefully I won’t need them
There’s a long storey attached to this engine; hence the reason I call it Damien.
So if she ever seems slow to start’ then Damien’s airs, will be ringing.
I have never met a nicer and more honest man.:)

Evening all
I have been busy
Just not a lot to show for it
I have finally finished the sanding of the laths; all 65 of them.
They have been sanded’ at least seven times’ and had four coats of varnish.
The last couple of coats’ will be done once they are fitted.
I have also been playing with Damien; I had to change two of the engine mountings.
I used stronger 6mm galvanised angle iron’ stainless still bolts’ and locknuts.
It took about ten drill bits four stainless cutting disk’s and lot’s of filing before I got it right.:mad:
It’s a lot easier working with wood than steel.
The engine mounts’ are fairly big’ they needed to be in order to align the prop shaft’ and allow the gearbox’ to clear one of the stringers.
I made up a dummy engine bay’ in the garage, luckily’ I had the old oak engine mounts’ as a guide.
Still it took a couple of days; to get it right’ there’s still a little adjustment needed to the front mounts. and it should be ok’ it should make installing, a lot easier’ when the time comes.

Evening all
It’s been too could the last couple of days to do anything on the e boat.
I have been playing with Damien; it’s nearly ready to fit.
I just have to run it a couple of times, and change the oil’ and water’ and filters,
I also need to make an ignition panel so a visit to the car dismantlers is in order.
I have finished the engine mounts’ bar the shouting
And I have changed a few brackets’ for stronger ones and where there were pipes rubbing’ and touching’ things they shouldn’t have.
You can see from the pictures
The engine can be moved from left to right; on the stringers’ and backward and forwards’ on the oak mount’s to enable alignment, then the stainless brackets can be permanently fixed with coach screws.
I will have to either make’ some brackets’ to tie the oak mounts to the stringers’ or maybe use joist hangers ?

Evening all
Me self and Damien are after having a falling out he wont start
Before I loaded it into the van it started no problem
I just thought it might be the warm air down south but no such luck
I am now two days trying to sort him out
I think I have it narrowed down to the fuel pumps there are four of them one for each injector
I had to take nearly al of the parts that I had attached and some more in order to remove them
I was advised to take the exhaust manifold off to enable easier access but jasus there had to be an easier way
So rerouted the oil dipstick pipe and loosened the lines from the fuel filter and the return and this gave me enough leeway to get them out
There’s a right knack in removing them and it’s even worse replacing them as you cannot remove them all together as it would shag up the timing
I initially had fuel at no 2 and 3 so I removed 1 and 4 took them apart you can see from the photo they were supposed to have been serviced and cleaned me arse :mad:
Although in fair ness to Damien he paid 180€ for this service
But anyway what’s done is done
Put them all back to together refitted them
I had fuel at no 1 2 and 4 I tell ya it was doing me head in at this stage
So I removed them for the tenth time and had a good look with a magnifying glass :eek:
There are copper washers where the spring has to pass true this I was sure was the problem
rant over:)
As I was able to figure out how to test them with some wd40 I had back pressure but none true the top exit
So I took one to an expert in bits I am awaiting the outcome he thinks the same copper washer should have been replaced first time I will let you know how I get on
As soon as I get them back I will creep up on Damien and have them in before he knows what happening

Evening all
Well the saga goes on
I’ve had the head on’’ and off 3 times now
Every time it means stripping everything I had just put together.
Inlet manifold.
Engine manifold.
Injectors’ and all associated pipe work.
Pushrods.
Rockers .
Timing gear case cover.
Drive pulley’ I had to make a tool to hold the fly wheel.
Raw water heat exchanger.
Both Water pumps.
And about a couple hundred other bits and bobs.
I’m getting good at striping an engine now.
So today I striped everything down again.
And this time’ went to town, on the block and the head.
No4 cylinder seemed to be the problem, after ten minuets’ running there would be lots of white smoke.
Which indicated to me that there was water entering the combustion chamber? It took me awhile to get to this conclusion.
When I had taken the head off on the two previously occasions, I had noticed that the valve, and the piston head’ were spotless, I took no notice of this at the time, but now I realise that the water, entering the chamber, had cleaned these.
Anyway, I cleaned the head, and the block, checked the head with a feeler gage, and a straight edge and everything seem ok, sanded it down with 600 grit sandpaper, and cleaned it with acetone cleaner, then inspected it with a magnify glass, I could not find anything wrong.
So I checked the block, cleaned the block sanded it, and on inspection, found a tiny scratch mark,
That led from one of the water passageways’ to the piston, this is the only thing I could find.
This time, I put some Indian shellac, on the head, and the block, and put everything back together again.
So tomorrow will tell a lot’ when I go to start Damien.
On another note; every cloud has a silver lining, I have to change the two front engine mounts.
At
all the pulling and dragging, revelled a weakness’ the weight of the engine on the mount, that has the alternator attached, puts the alternator out of line, of the pulley’ so I will have to sort this out.
On the other side the bracket is rubbing off the timing gear case, and would have worn a hole eventually.
So I will have to sort this out as well.
Better to do this in the garage than in the boat.
Ah well god is good for tomorrow
You have to be above ground to have these little troubles

Evening all
I have been very busy the last week or so
I have striped Damien again
I had it checked out and the fitter maintained that the running problems was down to loss of compression
So I started to remove the pistons only to find that on of the big end bearings had spun on the crankshaft
So badly that it was beyond repair so I will have to fit a new one so Damien is sitting in the garage with nothing but paint left attached to the engine block
I think I will paint it pink instead of the lister green :P
So if some asks why the colour wont I have some story to tell

Evening all
In between working on demean; I managed to get some paint on the hull.
I was hoping to varnish above the water line, but alas it’s not to be.
Although the finish to the planks I repaired, and replaced, didn’t look to bad.
Some of the gaps were just too big’ and I would have ended up with a very uneven surface.
So I have been given the hull a number of coats of aluminium primer’ sanding’ and fairing’ in between.
It’s coming along and should look respectable when I have finished.

Morning all
I gave damien; or dementia, as he is know known’ a lick of paint
Depending on how he behaves during the rebuild will determine his final coiler

Making use of the fine weather

Morning all
Not a lot to say really
Just tipping away’ I have the cabin and the toe rail, a couple of coats of varnish.
And the bilges the same, while I await a Crankshaft’ piston rings’ cylinder head bolts’ gaskets’ injector pump shims’ for dementia.
Total cost €870 :mad:
At least this time when it’s rebuilt’ I will know that it is done properly, and should see me true, thick and thin.
I have to drill’ or enlarge’ the bolts holes’ in the fly wheel’ as the new crankshaft bolt holes are 12mm the older one was 10mm. that’s not going to be easy

Evening all
The parts for dementia finally arrived yesterday, so I made a start.
Fitted the new crankshaft’ with new centre bearings’ conrod bearings’ trust washers’ oil seal’
Shims’ and crankshaft pinion’ flywheel, piston rings’ injector pump shims’ fuel pump rack’ governor’ oil pump’ crankcase oil filter’ bypass valve’ refitted the head again; new gasket’ new head bolts’ rocker arms’ pushrods’ and a couple of other things I just cant think of now.
No real problems, just had to redo a few things’ you know your self, you’d have a nut’ or a washer’ left over ,and you would have to take it apart again, I thought I would have a bit of trouble fitting the crankshaft pinion .
I heated it on the hob, for half an hour, gas mark 8 and then with a blowtorch for ten minuets, it went on with just a little tap. :cool:

Evening all
Finally myself and Damien are on talking terms; best of friends so to speak.:p
He now sounds like a new engine; and so he should’ after all the time, and parts, that has gone into him.
In the end I had to get a diesel teck to sort out the pumps.
No mater what I tried, I could not get all cylinders to fire.
I believe the pumps; were not the original pumps’ for this engine.
In a last ditch attempt to get him working; before I gave up, I used the spill method, to time the pumps’ and injection, so I made up a jig and started on cylinder one.
This is where the fun started. :eek:
The timing was so far out; that I thought I had to have missed something’ when rebuilding the engine, so I spent a couple of days’ checking everything’ I removed the injectors, and with a piece of wire, rotated the engine, until I had TDC. I done this to the four cylinders’ I found nothing wrong there. I removed the gear cover’ and checked the pinion, that I had replaced, maybe I missed a cog, I found nothing wrong there either.
Removed the tappet assembly and trust cup for each pump’ they all checked out ok.
Re read everything I could find on using the spill method; to time the fuel injection, and started again same result.
At this stage I had to make a decision, as to weather I had fait; in my ability to time the pumps, or weather to get a mechanic to do it for me.
So I with a few Chios words;:mad: I went ahead and timed the four pumps.
Luckily; I had ordered a new set of shims’ for each pump’ and had hung onto the old ones, I used nearly all the shims’ before I had finished’ and the injection started 20 degrees before TDC.
Put everything back together; started the engine, there was some improvement’ but I was still not satisfied, so I had a chat with a injection specialist; that I know, I explained what I had done so far;
I dropped the engine off at his place; and for 350€ he removed all the pumps, serviced and reinstalled and checked the timing for me; while he had to replace some parts in the pumps, he was satisfied that the timing was right. So provided I don’t go anywhere near the pumps; he will stand over them for two years, provided I change the filter at least once a year.:P
The result; Damien now starts from cold, without using any heat’ after the third turn, runs smoothly, and is firing on all cylinders; he even checked out the alternator, as I burnt out the one that came with the engine, 30€ for a KKK 65 amp alternator from the local scapyard how bad.:D
So the next step is to try and get Damien, into Coe Na Marra; the adventure continues.
I will give him a lick of paint first :cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acwd87PN_a8&feature=em-upload_owner
My first time ever making a video
Trying how to figure out how to get it from the camera to the net took a while
Above is the result
While the mast is in my back garden I can pit in or take out what ever it needs
So far I have wired it for the attached photo
I will also fit lights forward and aft
I have Coe Na Mara almost out on the footpath waiting for a fellow with a long arm :pac:

Evening all
At last Damien is on board.:)
I came across a fellow with a long highabb
It took all of 10 minuets’ to get him from the garage; to taking off the hoist sling.
This was last Friday’ when the weather was so bad’ you wouldn’t put a milk bottle out in it.:P
All the preparation paid off.
I did have to raise the front of the engine’ and remove some washers’ from the rear’ to align the prop shaft
I fitted a R&D coupling’ it took a while before I got it right’ also checked the packing gland.
So I can now get along with building a frame’ around the engine’ and try and make the centre cockpit some what weather resistant. I also found a few pictures of when I used the spill method to do the timing.

Evening all
I started to restore both the diesel and water tank’ and the original bilge pump.
I had been keeping a look out for some new tanks’ but when the time came to fit them; I had not come across anything that would work better than what I had already had.
I had to fit two Yorkshire fitting’s one to each; water and diesel, one was already installed; this I had to do again’ as it was not done properly first time, and had a lot of mastic used trying to make a seal.
The other I had to use for the water tank, as the original outlet had rusted and fell off’ as soon as I touched it.
I cleaned back to bear metal’ the tank is made up of stainless steel’ covered with fibreglass’ the outlet was black iron; they are all working and tested’ so I refitted them; there’s another fifty years left in them. They are fairly heavy’ so to secure them’ I seated them on plywood; on either side and the back’ I used expanding foam’ put inside plastic bags’ allowing the foam to expand; taking up and forming’ the shape of the hull’ while not sticking to either the hull or the tank; the verdict is still out on this yet’ as I will have to give the tanks a good shaking about; before I secure the top section.
The bilge pump’ and associated fittings, these are made up of brass’ bronze’ and copper fittings.
While taking it out of the boat’ I didn’t think I would be putting it back; as it looked like it had not worked for a long time.
But as it is an original part; I said I might as well have a look’ before I made a decision.
Anyway to make a long storey even longer; I took it apart’ it is made up of two bronze flanges’ that holds a copper barrel that holds the pump.
The pump fits inside the barrel’ it contains two balls’ one fits inside a cradle’ attached to the handle, the other one is lose; they are separated by a leather flap’ squeezed between another two flanges.
The balls act as two way valves; allowing for suction on the upstroke’ and flow on the down stroke.
I might have to replace the balls’ as they are made up of natural rubber’ and after fifty years they look worse for wear, other than that’ I think it should work as intended.
Simple design; with bit grease to help with the leather seal; it will go back into Coe Na Marra.

Evening all
The cockpit is almost finished bar the shouting.
It has taken a lot longer than I expected.
Since I had no drawings to work from; only photos, and the old timbers to work with.
It was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together; I’m happy with the outcome so far.
All in all, I have lost about 3” inches’ because of the size of the engine, in the cabin, I thought I would lose more.
The new engine is longer and wider than the old Volvo MD2.
I fitted the old hatch sliding doors; while they fit, it turns out the entrance is not quite squire.
So I will have to slightly modify them; to make them slide up the track’ I had intended to rebuild them anyway.
So over the next couple of days I might tackle this.
While it is recommended that the battery box should be fibreglasses; in this case, the original battery compartment, is directly over the engine’ and since I could not find a better place
I intend to place the new batteries in the same place; so the box needs to be able to be dismantled; along with the steps’ leading into the cabin, in order to allow any work that might need to be done in the future; without having to dismantle half the cabin, and cockpit,
Directly under the battery box, there are the injectors and the fuel filter.
Under the steps’ there’s the timing belt’ water pump’ I should be able to access them’ should I need to.
Other than the ply’ everything has been made up with hardwood, oak’ and teak’ mostly with some recycled mahogany’ and oak’ thrown in here and there.
By the way, that trick I used with the expanding foam, and the plastic bag’s seems to have worked, I have given them a good shaking about, and there was no movement, so once I secure them on top, they should stay put.

Evening all
The second attempt turned much better than the first
The bottom washboard is oak ply
The top section is oak and mahogany
I’m happy enough with this result
A few coats of varnish and they should all blend in