Thanks to all for suggesting Oz listeroids. I was aware of Stephen. he is based in Woolgoolga just north of Coffs Harbour. I believe he is retired now but he emailed me list of parts with prices 6 months ago.
Y'know Jaffa I'm sure I remember welding to key-syeel and having it fail? Getting old and the memory-retrieval ain't what it used to be. If you warmed up the stub of the key and used an RSP electrode maybe? '
I'll be interested to see how that turns out as I have a snapped-off Gib on the crank of an old 3/1 I need to get out one day
Cheers
Thanks Mike, yes you are right it is asking for trouble to weld different grades of steel to one another, however very often the heat from the welding process is sufficient to shock the gib key out of it`s hole. Please see photos and explanations below.
Well. back to How it`s going. Sadly didn`t do much yesterday, had to go for a psychiatric assessment as part of my rehabilitation. Spent two hours with the guy discussing the merits of old iron. He will probably tell the insurance company that I took a much harder hit to my head than they thought. This morning was wasted on an occupational therapist that is so busy she can only see me for 45 minutes every 2 months. Whinge over, had a great afternoon:
Tackled the issue of the stuck/broken gib key. Welded a length of 12mm stud rod to the remaining key. Cut up an old tin can to protect the crankshaft from weld spatter. Improvised a puller out of some steel tube and steel bar(see photos). Worked a treat but not first time, managed to snap the stud rod first time. Worked like a charm the second time. Key is out!
Removed flywheel after a quick clean up of the shaft. Crankshaft looks good, no noticeable wear or corrosion to main bearing journals; less than 1 thou wear in the big end journal.(happy as a pig in sh1t)
Started the horrible job of cleaning out the crankcase, flushed out with Kerosene followed by degreaser and a pressure washer, No go, hardly touched the crap in there. Had to resort to a hammer and chisel to remove the gunk. I believe that this engine was probably used in the processing of sugar cane and over the last 60plus years it has caramelised onto the inside of the crankcase.(not so happy, more hard work)
Oil lines are similarly choked with something resembling toffee, how the main bearings survived without lubrication is a mystery and testament to the robust nature of these old engines. How long would a modern engine last with no oil pressure?
Looking forward to having that crankcase clean tomorrow.
Bob.
