Meridian Boxster Rebuild Project '24

[Smallblock454]

Any news? Any new findings?

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

Any news? Any new findings?

Not much, really. I did some measurements on the crank journals, they are all uniform and don't show any wear, so I dropped the crankshaft off at a machine shop for polishing. I ordered new bearings, once they arrive I'll assemble the bearing carrier, so there's that. Regarding the wear on the main bearings, I contacted the original owner to get to know more details about the circumstances of the failure. He says the engine was running for about half a minute after the bang and it was running pretty rough. So, it's surprising that the engine did not just stall, with only 3 functional cylinders. It's also interesting to consider that it was running without oil returning from the head to the sump, potentially resulting oil starvation at the main bearings at idle..

[Homeoboxter]

I've been busy with lots of other stuff but now I'm back at this project. Weather is getting awesome here and my kids also keep asking when we'll have a working convertible again, so I better keep up the pace.

I got the crank back from the machine shop (months ago...). The machinist (it's a one man shop) polished the journals, mic'd them and said it's good to go. Now they (the journals) are smooth and shiny.







I cleaned and tested the squirters and put them back in.



Fresh set of bearings.



I checked the clearances all around with platigauge, just in case. Everything is within specs.





I replaced one thrust bearing also as it showed some minor wear.



Torqued down.



The bearing carrier is now ready for the conrods. I'll throw them in once I received the new rod bolts from Pelican.