n2toh---
Yes, they can be repaired and turned into good engines, but there's some work involved.
http://www.utterpower.com/jack_belk.htmthere's a photo link near the bottom of the page. This engine was quite a bit different than the Ashwamega #199, it was one of a batch that was known to be somewhere between bad and terrible. It was one of the first imported and came very early on the learning curve.
ALL these engines have been run after assembly and before crating. Any contaminants present can cause a problem in bearing, bushings and mating parts. The expensive and frustrating part is that Indian 'quality' is entirely different than what we expect. What's Indian 'good' is American 'you gotta be kidding!' One case in point--- The Indian engine testers re-use the same oil on a succession of engines, so any sand present in #1 is likely to be transferred to every engine after that. THAT'S why the *manufacturer* makes a lot of difference and that's why the reputable dealers are switching makers around in a hurry trying to find one that makes ALL engines good instead of just an accidental one once in a while.. (I have several Asswipemes that are VERY good...and a bad one)
Cast iron is usually cleaned of residual casting flashings and sand with a process called 'shot peening'. It's like sand blasting but uses iron or steel balls instead of an abrasive. It's sometimes done 'wet' with oil or solvents. The process breaks out sand pockets and peens over small irregularities and closes micro-pores in the casting that could leak contaminants. It's usually done BEFORE machining operations because it can change dimensions and surfaces.
I'm pretty sure shot peening was unknown to most Indian engine builders before the fastidious Americans insisted on it.
One time I took a tour of Smokey Yunnick's NASCAR engine building shop. It's *considerably* different than the pictures on George's CD of the barefoot workers in the grimy grottos of a Listeroid plant. Smokey's workers were paid by the hour and if they messed up they were fired....in India everything seems to be 'piece work'....the laborer gets paid for the parts he completes, no matter the quality, as long as it works during the test phase, he gets paid. The more short-cuts he can find the more money he makes. It's a formula for failure that can only be changed by insisting on specified quality EVERY time from the company making (or gathering parts from various sources and assembling) the engines. The job is harder with the language and barrier and a difference in final goals.
#199 *can* be re-built with some sweat, some parts, and a minimum of tools. I highly reccommend it to those that truly want to *know* their engine, inside and out. If you're close enough to one of the importers you can go pick it up and save a bunch of shipping charges, it makes a great project and well worth the time and effort involved. It would be especially fun to have a couple energetic teen-agers learning as they worked.
I thing George has it right---- Tear down EVERY engine before running it....the last guy to see that engine was likely NOT checking it's quality..... and it's 'longevity' has already been proven to the Indian by running the required twenty minutes without breaking down.
Best advice-- GET the CD!!! It's better than gold to a Lister-head.