Last time we checked in on the Hagerty 1275cc Mini Cooper engine build, Davin was thwarted by an incorrectly ordered set of rod bearings. The idea was that they were going to rebuild the transmission while waiting for the bearings but lo and behold, even in this day and age of supply chain nightmares, the rod bearings showed up earlier than expected and in this episode we watch this tiny little engine get its short block completed as well as some accessories bolted on like the water pump, crank pulley, and other stuff.
It is pretty cool to see an engine on a stand so small that it can simply be rotated 360 degrees by just grabbing the crank snout and spinning it like a toy. Davin had an interesting dilemma here in the fact that the big end of the road is so small his bore gauge would not fit. Using a snap gauge is not his favorite and beyond that he ended up with plasti-gauge which he’s not the fondest of either. Now, that said he is not unkind to the stuff but he prefers more accurate methods when getting stuff like the bearing clearances right. As plasti-gauge users in the past, the stuff is great for its intended purpose. For like a race engine? Probably not. But we digress.
It’s fun to see this little thing coming together and it will be really fun to hear it buzz and snort when completed. Engine building progress is the best progress to watch!
