Continued from part 2
Busy day today. We removed the connecting rod bolts and tried knocking the pistons back up into the cylinders, finding that two of them were stuck, one in each bank. Once loose, the crankshaft was easy to lift out. It is now out for inspection for straightness and cracks.
The crankshaft weighs about fifty pounds and is very nicely machined. It is a fantastic piece of workmanship. As you can see in the above image, it has a light film of oil protecting it from moisture. The crank will go to a machine shop for inspection.
Once the crankshaft was removed, we placed the engine back in the tear down mount and tipped it to bring the left cylinder assembly upright. We removed the hold down nuts and lifted the cylinder assembly from the crankcase.
The cylinder bank with pistons and connecting rods weigh about seventy-five pounds. We pulled one piston out to see what wear was present. The piston looked pretty good, the rings were not cracked, and there was oil on everything, and no rust.
We tilted the engine so the right bank was upright, removed the hold down nuts and lifted that cylinder assembly from the crankcase.
We use an engine hoist and fabric strap to lift the cylinder bank from the crankcase. Again, not real heavy, but quite unwieldy moving it clear.
The bare crankcase is ready for cleaning and inspection for cracks and crankshaft alignment.
Engine number two is next, but alas, today we found it too is stuck.
This time, we know what to expect, and we are up to it!
Continued on Part 4.