The workshop was a sad place for a while, and then a big box of engine parts arrived from Minispares.
The engine has had its bores honed and every part scrubbed with hot soapy water until gleaming. New rings and bearings are fitted, the cam and followers reground, the gearbox completely disassembled and cleaned.
We’ve also taken the opportunity to fit a centre oil pickup, better needles in the carburettors, alloy rocker cover, and revised the engine breathing (it now has two breathers and an MPI-style breather manifold, feeding into breather ports on the carbs).
It looks good (again) but will it run?
Yes. Yes it does. And rather well this time around- it’s far quieter than the first time and seems to have more power. We’ll see how it goes. While keeping an eye out for a replacement engine, just in case.