KAD engine in a white Mk3 Convertible does go

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megajolt being wirelessly monitored via bluetooth on a laptop. (Engine not running)

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Starting work on the bottom end.

In order to fit the head I had to drill out the extra 2 stud holes like the cooper s and 1300gt engines. This was taped out using first a primary tap and then a plug tap to 5/16" UNC (same as gearbox bolts) to a depth of 17.77mm. In addition, the existing stud holes were drilled further down to a depth of 29.94mm and the taped with a 3/8" UNC plug tap.





The difference between a primary tap and a plug tap is that the plug tap has the thread nearly all the way to the bottom, whereas the primary and secondary tap have a taper to start the tap off. The plug tap is used to get the thread right to the bottom of the drilling.

See the difference here



Started to put crank in by first putting mains shells in (with the hole), then pouring a fair amount of engine build lube.

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then placed gently crank in, sticking the crank thrust washers in with a bit of lube and then putting some more lube on the main journals. I bought a new crank rather than a regrind, for £150 + VAT it wasnt worth me doing a regrind, especially when I got the big ends, thrust washers and mains shells thrown in.

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Then I placed the mains caps on, with more lube on shell inside cap. On the previous strip down I ground marks on the caps to tell me where they go back. Its a bit unnecessary really as its obvious... but more important on the con rods as they are bored as one piece. If you fit the wrong con rod cap with wrong rod chances are you will have a tight crank turning over....or worse! On strip down, centre punch 1 dot, 2 dots, 3 dots or 4 dots on both cap and rod to determine which fits where. It makes life easier later. Stating the obvious....but handy to know if its your first build.

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All caps in place ready to be torqued up.

If you've done it right you should be able to turn the crank over by hand once its full torqued up.

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Started putting con rods and pistons in. I want to make sure the bottom end holds together well so I invested in a set of ARP con rod nuts and bolts. For peace of mind. Better still is a set of Arrow or Carillo rods.....but they cost about 3 or 4 times the price.

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Fitting caps is same process as mains. Fit the shell, pour some lube on and pull con rod up to big end journal (lube on jounal too) and then fit cap. The ARP bolts need lubricating initially then the nut wound up and off 3 times to ensure the correct torque setting is correct.

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...received some more bits for the KAD head.

Here is a blank cam from Kent Cams. Notice the lobes are shaved off as they are not required. I dont actually need the distributor drive gears either with Megajolt, but handy as a fall back option.

Only the ability to drive the oil pump from the crankshaft.

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I got a trigger wheel made for my bottom damper. This is one that KAD specially made for me.

The trigger wheel is actually bolted to the back of the pulley via a small Z adapter and the centre is machined out so that it is solid all the way through to the cam pulley. This is to ensure that crank vibration doesnt make the pulley drop off.

The trigger wheel is bolted to the back so that it avoids timing scatter that can occur with the metalastic damper. It has been known for the outer ring of the damper to drop off when they start to get really worn....so you can imagine there is plenty of scope for timing error on even a relatively young damper.

The Z adapter is there so that it gets around the tight fit of the timing cover.

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.... Another shot of the bottom pulley, showing the cam belt pulley.