You might remember that I bought a 1500 engine on ebay to replace the one
that blew its #4 piston. I felt like I had lucked out, logging on the day
after I blew that engine and finding a nearly complete engine on ebay. I
purchased the engine for $200 and paid $179 for shipping from New Jersey to
Knoxville. The seller, who came across like a car guy, said there were
30,000 miles on a rebuild. The engine turned out to be clean on the outside,
lacking only the flywheel/clutch, rear plate, carburetors and manifolds, and
fan. This was as pictured and described. When I opened the engine up to
check it out and freshen it, I found it to be pretty dirty inside. The best
part of it was the pistons and cylinders--there is no scoring--the cylinders,
as far as Ihave determined, are smooth and polished. I removed the head, and
disassembled it, wire brushing the valves, although they were not thickly
cruddy, and degreasing everything. I lapped the valves in with some medium
valve grinding compound, wire-brushed the head, cleaned everything up, and
reassembled the head. I used my regular half STP, half Castrol as a
reassembly lube.
Pulled the pan--no appreciable metal in the bottom--a very small amount of
metal flakes, which I find to be normal whenever the pan is pulled. Pulled
the main caps and rod caps to check bearings and crank. Bearings are very
worn, and crank has small wear-scratches. Large enough to catch fingernail
as it is scraped across them. We were wondering if the engine might have
gotten some grit or sand in it to cause this. A retired machinist looked at
them and thought they could be polished out, so I am taking the crank to the
machine shop tomorrow for polishing, and probably have the oil galleries
drilled out. The thrust washers, on the other hand, show hardly any wear,
and there is very little lateral movement of the crank. Well within
boundaries.
So I will be installing new bearings, thrust washers, the new timing chain
and better timing chain gear from my old engine, the new clutch from my old
engine, and new seals and gaskets throughout.
I am satisfied with the ebay engine. . .it is probably saving me big bucks in
that I do not have to have a questionable block bored out and all the other
peripheral service it would need to get my Midget back on the road. I am
sure there are many other things I could do--my goal is to get the Midget
back on the road with a good running and dependable engine, as I had before.
I am not intending a total rebuild at this time, only a "freshening" of the
engine.
Thanks to all who have offered support, advice, ideas, and criticism about
this endeavor. It ain't over yet, but I think I can see the light at the end
of the tunnel!
--David C. 8^)
"No sense being pessimistic. . .It probably wouldn't work anyway."
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/// (If they are dupes, this trailer may also catch them.)
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