H cams into L engine?

[deviant]

I'm pretty sure (subject to putting a compression tester on it in the next few days) that the head gasket has gone on my H1 engine. Regular readers will know that I put this engine in earlier in the year to replace the original L3 engine. So I now have:

a) an H1 engine with a (probably) knackered head gasket and a pretty tired camchain. 20 years old and AFAIK about 27,000 miles.

b) an L3 engine with a scratched inlet camshaft and some knackered followers. 15 years old and about 17500 miles.


Obv I could just do the head gasket and camchain on the H motor, but I was thinking about just stealing the camshafts out of it to rebuild the L motor for the short term*. Anyone think of any problems with doing this? I know the profiles are a bit different.

I've been running the combination of H cams, H timing rotor, and L (UK) CDI with no problems - I doubt it's contributed to the head gasket going. So I think the combination of H cams, L rotor and L CDI will work as well - or I can put the H rotor into the L engine as well.

Funds are a bit tight at the moment, so I'm definitely not buying new cams, and it seems a bit silly to buy a set of used ones when I have a set kicking around the garage. The L motor has the advantage of being ~10k miles younger, cosmetically better and having the plumbing for the carb heaters.


Thoughts?



*then in the slightly longer term, strip down the H motor and get it bored out to take the 444 kit pistons (when I can afford it). I mean, since it will need new gaskets anyway, and it could probably do with new rings. Seems rude not to.

[zimm]

all the parts will swap,

however, if the cams in your L3 are scored, the cam-caps, and cam journals in the head will be scored too.

i'd put the H1 head and cams on the L3 engine, fit a new camchain, and use whatever rotor/cdi you've been using.




EDIT : or just do the headgasket and camchain on the H1, as i cant think of a good reason to bastardise both em them really.

[deviant]

however, if the cams in your L3 are scored, the cam-caps, and cam journals in the head will be scored too.

I'll reserve judgement on that till I take the cams out. As far as I know at the minute, it's just scored on a couple of the cam lobes where the (goddamn nasty cheese-metal) followers have worn out.

But yes, there is always the option of swapping the complete heads over.

[zimm]

fair enough, was assuming it was the journals that had scored, and they take the surrounding ally with them V quickly.