Has Anybody Rebuilt A 900ss Or Ssie Engine?

@buzzer might be your man?

 

I have done a few now... How many miles has it done?

they seem to be a robust engine. I cant think of any specific wear areas, one thing I would do however if you do take it apart is check the oil plug in the crank... I have had two now that were quite loose, and have seen other people have problems where they have come out.

one thing people struggle with is getting the crank pinion off, it can be VERY tight, and definitely needs a proper puller.

the main reason I pull them apart is to bead blast the cases...

 

At 27K it’s probably OK... I guess you have a few options.


Strip it completely and remove all the bearings, and then remove the paint. I used to spend hours on paint removal, now I take the cases to the local wheel refinisher and he pops them in his stripping tank and the paint just drops off them, and they come out de greased which is a bonus. Then I bead or vapour blast them, you are lucky there is a great guy in Cannock (close to you) who does superb vapour blasting very reasonable as well… he also gets them dipped to remove paint… and knows what to blast and not blast.



below is a comparison between good and poor bead blasting on some callipers … the top one is with old and powdery shattered bead. This leaves an “Open” finish that is hard to clean and does not last looking nice for long, it soon oxidises. the bottom is with new bead at a low presure, using Honite 8 which is a larger bead and gives a nice “closed” finish which stays nice a long time, especially if you give it a coat of ACF50 which is fantastic stuff!. To test the surface, mark it with a dirty finger… if it wipes off easily, it’s good… if it’s difficult to wipe off, not so good! I have had some shocking jobs done at bead and vapour blasters in the past… Hence I bought a machine and do my own. I do put crankcases out though sometimes as my machine is small.


This is my preferred method, BUT it’s a big job but the results are worth it…


The next option is to find someone who will soda blast it complete. The advantage of soda over bead is that as its none abrasive and water soluble there is no danger of problems like there is with bead if it gets past the masking (it will!) What ever you do don’t bead blast a full engine… it WILL get in there! I have done several with soda and used a local guy. The results were great, and I etch primed and then painted the engine. Unfortunately he has now closed up shop due to the high energy costs of his operation which is a great shame.


The final option is paint stripper and hard work with a wire brush. Again I have had good results with this and providing you use a commercial paint stripper (must contain Dichloromethane for it to be any good) the paint comes off easily. Then etch prime and paint. I normally use a single pack aerosol etch, and a 2k silver or black, and knock the shine down with some matting agent to a satin finish.

here is some of the jobs I have done in the past...