..Started the other day on rebuilding the 3S-GE engine i got from clive.
everything is cleaned, most of its painted. New bearings main and Big end from Hurley. New Piston rings also from Hurley. Complete Gasket kit, both top and conversion. 
So far the pistons are back in the bores, Crank is in, Head is on and 1st stage torquing is done
(need my breaker bar back for 90deg 2nd stage). started to put the timing gear back in. ran across a few small issues. 1st, the timing covers don't match the back plate.. think the back-plate is a 3S-GTE one. (seems to match the pictures on the clear one on ebay).
(im not being stupid am i?? this is the wrong cover.. so with that backplate, can i run the clear one??) 2nd is the Tensioner. its not standard for that engine.. someone has drilled the head and fitted it. the holes in the head are only M8, and are not up to the job. Bent bolts also don't help.. its going out to the proper size of M10 in the morning.
trying to work out this whole thing with the timing pin on the cams.
i read somewhere about it being +-2.5 to 5.0 deg by moving the pins to either side of the standard hole on the camshaft. has anyone else played with this yet? and if so. whats the best position to stick them in? Im glad i have spare parts on the other engine.
. i put the knock sensor in, forgot it was there and dropped a ratchet onto it snapping the top.. Most of the bolts where not structural are being changed for stainless.
i hate having to go back to rusted old ones on a new build..btw, those odd rings in the bore's proved most useful when getting the pistons and rings back in.
. made the job so much easier, even with a ring compressor.
the car always got up to temp, just over halfway up on the gauge and stayed there, heater got hot, so always seemed ok to me