removing engine

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:22 pm

And if heat from a blue torch would expand the bearings enough to get them off, would a heat gun do the job just as well?

And wouldn't the new bearings have to be heated to get them on?

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:20 pm

You're not heating the crank or the bearings, you're heating the cam and timing gears. The bearings will slide right off. (they spin freely around the crank, this is how they allow the crank to turn in the case). You don't need them red hot, and heating them to this point would definitely cause some damage. the equivalent of 5-10 minutes at 250 in your oven is plenty hot (but don't use your over, your wife will NOT be a happy camper).

Dis-assembly is a linear process. you start with the woodruff key at the end of the crank with the brass timing gear and work your way in from there. First the key, then the oil slinger (the concave washer thing), then the front main bearing, the snap ring, the brass timing gear (apply heat to expand this), then the spacer, then the cam gear (again, heat this), then the big woodruff key, and finally the main bearing. Done. Re-assemble in reverse order, here's a pictoral view on that from Chirco

http://www.chirco.com/tech_articles/?p=149

Make sure you get all the oil galleys aligned correctly (see the chirco pics for orientation) I think it took me about an hour to strip and another hour to re-assemble the first time I did this, I wasn't heating my gears up enough and they'd start shrinking on me.

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:33 am

Thanks! I've been looking all over the web for this information!

I was just told that a heat gun won't do the job, but I still don't know if I believe that. The guy who told me that said I'd have to go to a shop or a parts house to get it done, but I've read of a lot of people doing it themselves with heat.

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:04 pm

BTW, what's a good way to remove the Woodruff keys without damaging them? Visegrips would leave marks and scratches, I assume.

And do they just tap back in with, say, a tack hammer?

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:02 pm

Heat the crank a bit and the keys should loosen up. I'd say try the heat gun. If it doesn't work, A bottle of propane and a nozzle at the home depot WILL work just fine. That's what I use when I do it... If you know someone who's got an oxy/acetelyne rig, take it over there, but be careful, that gets a lot hotter.

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:03 pm

I spoke with a guy tonight who lives about an hour away. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he can build these things in his sleep! He builds them and puts them in small airplanes! Because he's so accustomed to building them for planes, he's gotten to be VERY particular about building them. After all, being left by the side of the road by your engine is one thing. Having your engine quit on you in the air is another story.

He has invited me to bring everything I have with me to his house on August 6th, and we're going to go through everything with a fine-toothed comb and build this thing once and for all. He even has the special gear-pulling tool to get the gears off of the crankshaft! He assures me that I'll have an engine to be proud of!

So, if all goes according to plan, my next post on here should be to report that my engine is built and in the car. May all praying readers of this post please take a knee on our behalf!

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:20 pm

That's actually a really cool way to learn. Aircraft mechanics are incredibly meticulous and conscious of tolerances because their lives depend on it. I know 3 of them, and all 3 fly everything they service before they give it back to the customer to make sure the problem's fixed. I've seen the VW powered planes, both a half case (2 cyl) and a full case (4 cyl). Super cool stuff.

Be prepared to have him tell you some of your parts may not be suitable as-is for rebuild. "Good enough" for us ground dwellers is often far from acceptable or safe in aircraft applications, but I can promise you that if you follow his process and use his specs, your engine will be nearly bulletproof and live for a very long time.

Enjoy the heck out of this, it's a very unique opportunity!

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:17 pm

Had a good day with my new VW guy in Lander. Found out my case is good, which I pretty much already knew. He said we could have built the engine and had the car running today, but it wouldn't be one I could really trust for more than 15,000 miles or so.

We decided to do our "prep work," and I'm going to spend about $550.00 more to get a new crankshaft, all the bearings I need of every kind, lifters, etc. We're going to meet sometime in the middle of September.

I'm just about to the point where I'll have as much in the car as it's worth. Of course, I'm OK with that.

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:21 pm

By the way, does anyone know where I can get an oil filter pump plate? I've seen the oil pump assemblies that have an attachment for an oil filter, but this is different. Apparently, it's a new plate for my current oil pump that has a place to screw on a filter. I don't mean the one that has the connector for the threaded nipple, although I'm considering going that route just so I can have the filter mounted rightsideup and not sideways.

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:39 pm

http://www.chircoestore.com/catalog/adv ... &image.y=0

Something like those?

$550.00 is money well spent to get an engine that'll last you a while.

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Sat Nov 12, 2011 3:07 pm

OK, I'm just about ready to order my parts. We're putting a better cam in than we were going to, and everything totals up to just under $800.00. We're really making some improvements!

I want to order the parts this weekend, but the shop that did my case inspection and line boring put on the receipt "RR CUTT LINE BORE .20 THRUST IS STOCK GOOD SHAPE." On the case itself, he wrote in Sharpie marker "20 case." I can't call the shop because, apparently, they close early on Saturdays.

Just going by your opinion, do you think the ".20" is a typo, and what they meant was ".020"? That makes the most sense to me, as I can't find .20 main bearings anywhere. I have my .020 main bearings all picked out in my shopping cart, but I guess I'll have to wait until Monday when they're answering the phones at the shop. I've waited this long, so I guess I can wait two more days!

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 6:46 pm

It was a typo. The bore is .02. Parts have been ordered!

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:53 pm

woo!

What cam are you going with?

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:53 am

A Scat C-25.

brentsmith · Post by **brentsmith** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 8:38 am

OK, the saga continues. We just moved from Wyoming to Fairfax, Oklahoma. In the move, one of the engine mounting bolts rattled loose from the back of the car. The engine wasn't installed. I still have the passenger side bolt. Can't find replacements online. Is there a name for these bolts? Will look in my book later, but it's packed at the moment.

I also need the alignment dowel for the flywheel. Don't seem to be calling that by the right name, either. Can't find one online.

Thanks!

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