I recently bought a -62 Valiant (First car I've ever bought, the -65 Valiant I have was kind of handed over to me from my parents). The guy who had started the restoration work on this -62 is dead, so nobody really knows exactly what has been done on it.

Among other things he had been working on the engine and judging from appearance (engine+engine bay painted, new oil filter on, oil in those "pockets" on top of the head, etc.) he had at least tried to make it run. It would make things a lot easier for me, if I could get it running. Just enought so I could move the car out from the garage and back in would be great (I have limited space and am partly invalid).

It seems he has mated a 225 block (presumably from an Aspen?) and the original -62 head. I haven't tried to start it up yet. I'd like to check things a little before. I noticed that the damper looked weird, when I tried to find the timing mark. The belt was not in line (the damper and the fan pulley). I looked at my -65 Valiant and yes, it seems the damper has been installed backwards (unless mine is?). Here are a few pictures (if they work). The 1st and 3rd pictures are taken from rear and 2nd and 3th from front. The nicely painted parts are from the -62 and the dirty ones are from my -65.:

<a href="http://aijaa.com/cuvpDK" target="_blank"><img src="http://i5.aijaa.com/t/00953/13495721.t.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://aijaa.com/OGH980" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.aijaa.com/t/00458/13495722.t.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://aijaa.com/kIo2MQ" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.aijaa.com/t/00525/13495723.t.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://aijaa.com/Ut2Gbg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.aijaa.com/t/00581/13495724.t.jpg"></a>

Notice how far the timing scale goes in the 62 (1st picture)
<a href="http://aijaa.com/hIudYi" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1.aijaa.com/t/00909/13495725.t.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://aijaa.com/lHPlQp" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.aijaa.com/t/00557/13495726.t.jpg"></a>



The question is: Does it matter? I will of course eventually reinstall it correctly (if it is wrong now), but just for moving the car a few meters back and forth? Timing will of course be a problem. The timing mark cannot be used. And I think he has had problems with the distributor too.

Any toughts?

Thanks in advance
Maurice

Hi Maurice, and welcome.

The damper can only be installed the 'right' way because it has a machined sealing surface sticking out of one side of the hub.

This surface extends through the timing cover, so you can't see it with the damper installed.

If someone tried to put the damper on backwards, it would hit the timing cover long before you could get it to stay on the nose of the crank.


Your timing marks are a different issue.
Based on your description and the pictures, the engine appears to be a mix-and-match special so the timing marks are not going to line up and are not going to tell you the truth even if they did.

The damper looks to be a late model style (that's why it looks a little different than your 65) which used a different timing tab/pointer, so the TDC mark is probably in the wrong place to work with the tab in your picture.

You will have to find TDC (using a piston stop or similar method) and make a new mark on the damper to line up with the old-style tab.

Perhaps the previous owner already did this modification?
Even so, it would be good to check his work - never assume it is correct, since even the factory mark can be off due to various reasons.

_________________
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"A mechanic is Somebody."
- Jim Preston

I have gotten a rebuilt damper that had the outer ring on backwards. The belt groove did not line up well either.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Maybe it's just not pressed on enough? Measure the distance, even with just a finger or toothpick perhaps, between face of the crank and face of the damper then compare to your other engine.

Thanks everybody.

sixinthehead: Yes, I think I remember now. I rebuilt the engine on mine (the -65) maybe 8-10 years ago and true, it's not possible to mount it backwards. I should have remembered that. And you are right. it does seem he has used parts from several cars and invented his own solutions. I will absolutely triple-check everything he has done and will probably also replace the engine some day. Right now it would just be of great help if it was possible to get it running, so I could move the car.

slantzilla: It actually looks just as if it was backwards. The sloping side is front in 62 and back in 65. The slot is back on 62 and front in 65. Weird.

Pierre: A good idea. I'll try to do that tomorrow, if my legs allow it.

I know the timing marks are not always correct anyway. The damper can even disintegrate. Happened to me New Year's eve -95 with 5 people on board and every square inch of the car filled with all kinds of stuff (I was moving to my new apartment). First these was a "clonk" and then horrid grinding sounds and a huge cloud of steam (it was mid-winter and cold). The outer part of the damper broke loose, hit the fan, the fan hit the radiator and chewed it up. We had to hire a taxi for the remaining 50 miles. Not the happiest of new years.

The more I stare at those pictures, the more I think 'zilla nailed it.

Your description of the differences between the two dampers confirms it.

That damper looks like it was reassembled incorrectly, making just the outer ring backwards even though the hub is obviously 'frontwards'.
The bevel should face the rear.

_________________
O==\=/==O

"A mechanic is Somebody."
- Jim Preston