Japanese cutie

[augsburger]

SNr. 29678, my 70 SPL was brought home for driving pleasure from Albuquerque. I moved my build to this topic section for reasons which will soon become apparent. I'm sure none of you have heard a story as this, so bear with me.
After trying diligently to make my car roadworthy for several months, I was in the process of reliability testing and driving to work, a short 35 mi. round trip a couple times a week. After many attempts at timing and getting the carbs adjusted, I got the motor to run acceptably. Started going for drives with cktrap, having fun, singing love me tender.....

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mine on the left, cktrap's gorgeous sora blue 2000 on the right...

[augsburger]

no comments on the bumpers please...it's embarrasing.....

[augsburger]

So one night coming home from work in the cold with no top, I'm doing about 80, 4k rpm, when I notice a marked drop in power, then BAMM!!!! I could see in the rear view I laying down a D Day smokescreen mixed with sparks and lots of noise. I thought I was on fire and jumped out of the car thinking it would burn to the ground. I had to make a decision then to part out or not.... Well, I didn't buy the car to part but to drive. The fateful decision had been made.

hole in block.jpg

This is what I found the next morning...

[augsburger]

here's another view after Keith helped me pull the motor.

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Note the piston skirt....

[augsburger]

And another of where the rod hit the inside of the header....

shredded piston.jpg

Just a reminder. This was a violent event that scared the s.%$ out of me... Think of the force required to go through the block and then crease a round tubular steel header the way it did... It was the nr. 2 crank journal. Look at how black and fried it is. Apparently a common prob with older motors with unknown history (abuse).

[jrusso07]

Ouch! So sorry to see this!

[augsburger]

It hurt me believe me...

[augsburger]

here's some of the refurb pics...

5 spd old.jpg

rear of cluster was pitted so, off to Steve Pettersen for rebuild...

[augsburger]

heater box after.jpg

flow valve after.jpg

[augsburger]

before and after

seats.jpg

[augsburger]

before and after

seats done.jpg

[augsburger]

JT exhaust.jpg

Jim Tyler exhaust and flex pipe



R16 iron head

iron head.jpg

[augsburger]

on the stand

on the stand.jpg

1st carb rebuild

1st rebuild.jpg

[augsburger]

refurb your insulators...

insulators.jpg

Steve Pettersen 5 speed on the new R16

steve pettersen trans.jpg

[augsburger]

ready to stick.jpg

ready to stick

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I got one...