I guess maybe it makes sense since these engines are getting old, but I'm surprised that nobody is making off-the-shelf shims for these engines. Seems like there's a halfway decent market for it given how many people are building and refreshing these things.

When I built my BP a few years back, I had my local machine shop machine the head for +1 oversize valves. There was a miscommunication and they ended up assembling the head afterward, cams installed and all. They nailed the valve lash and when I asked them where they got the necessary shims, they responded "Ah, we just had a stack of them laying around." The more I hear about people trying to find shims, the more incredible that story sounds.

 

The last time I checked around for shims (prior to now), I went to Mazda an the local dealers said "Nah son". Then the Toyota and Nissan folks wanted anywhere from $8 - $15 EACH. To which I said "Nah son". I'm waiting for that quote from Phoenix Specialty to see what's up with them. Otherwise I guess I'll be going to the folks Down Under just to get some flat, heat-treated discs of metal.

 

Complications! WHY are there always COMPLICATIONS?!!

I'm checking the valve lash on all of the valves and everything is unremarkable until I get to the last intake valve (why is it ALWAYS the last one???). That one was way out - I mean WAY OUT! Like a .050 gap!

You ask, "How can that be?", so let me tell you a story ("...'bout a man named Jed. Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed...", oh wait, wrong story). After I melted a valve and burned up a piston during a high-speed, too-lean excursion at Road Atlanta, I rebuilt the engine with brand new, SS valves all around. After assembling that head, I found out that the valves were TOO F-ING SHORT - no one told me that before I ordered them. Anyway, the solution was to obtain some "valve lash caps" from Manley which took up the slack nicely and all was right with the world.

Fast-forward to 3 weeks ago when I disassembled the head before sending it off to get shaved .005", I meticulously pulled everything off the head and ordered it nicely on my bench. When the head came back from the machine shop, I spent an evening after work putting it all back together again. I had everything all laid out and proceeded to lovingly and carefully (or so I though) re-assemble each valve; first the stem seal, then the valve, then the shim under the spring, then the spring, then the keeper, then the retainers, then the lash cap and finally the cam follower and it's respective shim. Repeat 15 times with perfection. Obviously, that 16th time I fucked up and forgot the lash cap! My only excuse is that it was late and I was tired - I violated the first rule of engine assembly; Don't do it tired.

So now I've ordered a new set of lash caps (that gives me 7 spares) that should arrive tomorrow.

And a Bonus Complication is that somehow, the "ear" on the water pump housing that the alternator bracket bolts to - that broke off. 26 years of owning a Miata, and I have NEVER had that happen. So of course that happened now I was trying my best not to introduce more points of leakage than absolutely necessary by not opening things up, but that plan went down the toilet.

So, maybe I'll have a running, driving car by the weekend.

"News at 11"

 

Okay, I got all but two of the valves within spec, those two are about .003 out and I don't have enough shims to swap around to accommodate.

Now something NEW has popped up it's ugly head. When attempting to start the car, it will sputter and backfire. Eventually it will start, but run badly. It was too late and I wasn't in the mood to do a deep dive. But I have some theories;

• I got the timing wrong
• The CPS and/or CAS have **** the bed
• I screwed up some wires...somewhere
• My car hates me

I'll know more tomorrow