VIVA LA VIVA: Engine rebuild? ........get a professional!!

A while back, my son and I decided to rebuild the engine on 'ANA'. I managed to purchase a supposedly commercially re-conditioned block complete with new pistons. We did everything 'by the book' as far as possible. Engine complete it was installed back in the car and after a few attempts it started and settled into what seemed a nice even idle speed. No smoke, no alarming noises and we began to congratulate ourselves on a job well done.

A new reconditioned carb' was fitted, I converted to accuspark ignition and an electric fuel pump and checked the timing as accurately as possible using a strobe.

Despite all our efforts once out of the garage it just had no power especially on our steeply inclined uphill drive. I tried everything but nothing seemed to improve matters.

Time passes as they say and I must admit to losing enthusiasm for removing the engine again to find the problem . In my seventies now I find that sort of work in a small single garage challenging to say the least and my son is in a wheelchair so the heavy work is really left to me.

Getting to the point where I was contemplating selling the car, my dear wife reacted with horror at such a suggestion. Our Viva has been in the family since 1979 and holds many family memories such long holiday journeys that are steeped in the car's nostalgia.

'Old school' mechanics who understand these engines are now far and few in-between and are really only comfortable with plugging an engine into a diagnostic computer system. One guy was really honest and said "As it got a carburettor?" when I replied in the affirmative he said.....

"Sorry, I can't do those I have never really had much experience with them."

After a search on Google I found a company in Stockport called 'Ric Wood Motorsport' and rang them. I was delighted when a lady called Karen answered and was not phased by my mention of troubles with a forty-eight-year old Viva giving a very positive " I am sure we can help with that"

Ric Wood I began to realise was a very talented guy designing, race cars, and engine builds. He drove a Nissan Calsonic Skyline at Silverstone recently for example.

I was to learn that his love for engine perfection was not just confined to exotic saloon race cars as he put the Viva on the Dynamometer rolling road. He rang me with his verdict...............

"You have done some thing very wrong with this engine" was his starter.

" I have manged to increase the the bhp, but there is something we need to investigate further to see what the problem is" was his straight to the point assessment.

Cutting a long story sideways his investigations found the wrong pistons in the block amongst other things and some major surgery was suggested. A complete rebuild was required.

In the very short time I had known him, I realised he was a perfectionist and probably one of most talented engine builders in the North of England.

As time waits for no man especially at my age, I just wanted to get the Viva finished properly after all these years of restoration work.

His offer of making the humble 1256cc engine in the Viva run like a 'Swiss watch' was taken up and I left her sat amongst the more exotic machinery in his workshop.

A re-bore and skimmed block together with new high compression pistons was a start together with a complete overhaul of the cylinder head. An unleaded conversion was requested by myself which seemed sensible whilst all this work was being done.

He was right, it did run like a Swiss watch....certainly as good as it had ever done.