So, thanks to the good weather, I managed to get everything re-assembled over the weekend with the final bits going on last night.
Work has included.
Full re-furb of a second hand set of heads (thanks Twiglet) including valves cleaned, polished and lapped in, new stem seals fitted, heads fully cleaned (they were filthy!) and de-greased, reassembled and leak test carried out on the combustion chambers.
Heads fitted with new gaskets and bolts.
Oil cooler plate and thermostat housing re-sealed, thermostat tested.
Thermostat link pipe replaced as the mounting bracket had been snapped off.
Exhaust manifolds cleaned up and front pipe stud threads run over with a die to clean them up then re-fitted with new metal gaskets.
1-3-5 bank engine lifting eye fitted to support transfer pipe from rear of the V (missing from engine).
Timing cover repaired (plastic weld) following previous damage
Brake servo pipe repaired due to tee for vaccum hoses being snapped off
Two connectors repaired (locking clips had been snapped off)
Crankshaft sensor cable re-routed as per the guide to lessen the effects of heat on the cable and make replacement MUCH easier.
Having finished that, battery is on charge and it should be good for a first start on Wednesday evening.