Pulling the Engine
After we were able to pump water out of #3 spark plug hole it was pretty obvious we were going to have to pull the engine and do a bunch of work on it. I was able
to find a bare block on eBay for $100. It was only about 15 miles away, so I was able to pick it up on the way to a hash. It had been in the seller's mother's car, so he knew the whole
history. It had 60,000 miles on it, and had never been machined.
Saturday morning we drove down to Harbor Freight and picked up a Chinese engine stand for $42, and picked up the boat from the storage yard on the way home. Then I went back out and rented a
big engine lift, the kind you have to tow home behind your car. Then it was time to start wrenching on the engine.
We put all the fasteners in labeled plastic bags, and tagged all the wires. I took some photos of the starter and wiring so I could be sure to get them back toghether properly.
Once everything but the motor mounts and driveline were off, I rolled the engine lift into place. We hooked it up, put a little tension on the chain, and unbolted the motor mounts and drive
shaft u-joints. Then we hoisted that sucker up in the air, and out of the boat.
It was pretty dark by then, so we quit for the day, leaving the engine on the lift. Next morning we pulled the flywheel, then put the engine on the engine stand, and started pulling it apart.
I wanted to see what the inside of #3 cylinder looked like. I was able to see a droplet of water beading up out of nowhere on the cylinder wall, but it doesn't show up too well in these pics.
Apparently it's just a pinhole that rusted through, but that's enough.
As before, I took photos of details of the starter mounting, so I would be sure to get it back together properly.
Finally we flipped the engine over and pulled the pan. Milkshake city! It was full of gummy, creamy oil. We were just about to quit for the day when I knocked over the bucket that had been
catching all the oil, leaving me with a goey, oily mixture across the carport. After an hour or so with broom and pressure washer it was better, but it's still pretty slippery out there.
The next morning I took the lift back to the rental place, and the boat back to the storage yard, and things went on hold until next weekend. The theme here is a low-dollar stock rebuild.
This engine is rated at 324 horsepower stock, and that should be plenty for me. I hope to reuse the pistons. Since the old engine is .040 over, and the new engine is standard, that will
require boring the new block. There's also a nasty rod knock in the old engine, so the rod journals will probably have to be turned. Also, who knows what effect running in the oil/water mix
had on the mains, so they may need turning also. One good note is that I saw a "N" on the crank, which I think means it's a nodular iron crank (stronger).
